Thanks to Buick for letting us test out the Envision.
For me, the road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is a long stretch of boring scenery. Usually we try to power through the four-hour ride in the hopes of avoiding any major traffic
But this time, my daughter was joining my husband and I so we decided to take it slow hit and take a detour up Route 66 and visit roadside attractions that we usually cruised by in the past to save precious time.
Buick graciously loaned us their roomy Buick Envision for the week. This mid-sized SUV was the perfect vehicle for our family road trip. Packed with all the bells and whistles, our Buick ride made the trip truly enjoyable and comfortable. With the satellite radio blasting our favorite 80s tunes, and the sunroof open – we savored the beauty of amazing blue skies and the wide open roads. The GPS was super helpful, as we had many stops to make.
The first stop on our epic trip is at The Donut Man in Glendora. I’ve seen so many pictures of the Donut Man’s strawberry-filled donuts. Sadly, it’s not in season so I went with the lemon-filled option. Holy moly! One of the best donuts I’ve had ever. The lemon filling was spot on, and they did not skimp on the amount of filling.
Next stop was at Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch. One man is responsible for this museum of glass bottles, and other old objects like typewriters, signs and even an old jeep. Leave a donation, and maybe you’ll even run into artist Elmer who lives on the property.
One of my favorite stops along the old Route 66 is in Barstow. There are some cool murals to stop for photos. I love to find murals, so this was perfect for me. We found this homage to Route 66 along with the lyrics of the infamous song Route 66.
Kids will get a kick out of a stop at Train Car McDonald’s. This is a tourist/rest stop where you can fill up on gas, pick up some souvenirs and eat fast food in a train cart. Train cars actually pass behind the pit stop.
No trip is complete without the iconic photo of your group with the Route 66 logo stamped in the pavement. Visit the Route 66 Mother Road Museum. Head here and stop in to see historic photographs and artifacts relate to Route 66. Kids will love climbing on the old railway cars parked outside of the museum. The museum is only open Fri-Sun, so plan accordingly.
Eddie World. If you see a massive ice cream cone on the horizon, pull off immediately. Candy, ice cream, food, jerky, toys you name it and it’s here. I had to stop for my favorite, peach rings. Located east of Barstow in Yermo, fill up for gas at one of the 26 gas pumps since you are half way to Vegas!
Head back to Route 15 from here for the long stretch. The world’s Tallest Thermometer is in Baker. We’ve always seen it from the road, but never bothered to stop. Did you know there’s a little shop under the thermometer? Buy souvenirs or pick up a snack.
Aliens are nearby at the Alien Fresh Jerky within walking distance of the thermometer. This stop cracked me up. Pose next to the car parked out front where it looks like a few aliens have their own wheels. Even if you aren’t a fan of jerky, step inside the shop to see all the quirky souvenirs.
