Haunted Road Trip 2019: Route 66..6?

Seems I need to school some folks on exactly what Route 66 is...or rather, was. Before the interstate mega-highway system as we know it sprang up, smaller highways criss-crossed the U.S. In 1926, Route 66 opened connecting Chicago to Los Angeles (technically, Santa Monica). The highway went south through Illinois, Missouri, a little bit of Kansas and into Oklahoma. Halfway through Oklahoma, it kind of straightens out and goes due west through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. So, I won't be hitting as many states as I did 10 years ago but I will still pass through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana on the way to the start of Route 66 and hit Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on my way home. So, 18 states in 16 days isn't bad. Here's the real reason why it is tricky... Route 66 died in 1985. Yep, at the height of Reaganomics, the fancy new highway system made Route 66 obsolete. Reading above the path it used t

Often named one of the top 10 most haunted buildings in the US, the Lemp Mansion is where I'll be spending my 4th night on the trip. This might also be the last haunted place I stay since the rest are kind of pricey. The Lemp Mansion once housed the beer magnate, William Lemp and his family. After one of William's sons died young from heart failure, William killed himself in the mansion. Later, three more of his descendants did the same thing. I watched a little bit of a ghost adventures episode and saw a bit where a woman said someone stood over her bed in the night and moaned loudly. Sounds terrifying. Also, I just read that at least two people died in the room I'll be staying in. You can read some stuff about it here . I plan to set up a night vision camera over my bed, Paranormal Activity style to see if anything bothers me in the night. It would be really great if someone came with me. Gulp.

While I have been training a new employee up here in New Hampshire, I have had lots of free time in the evenings to start planning my journey. I have 16 days off in a row and my route is roughly 5,400 miles long. As I began breaking down things I wanted to see and do, I realized that my original plan to do Route 66 in 6 days was unfeasible. It is far more realistic that I could do it 8 days or more. So, my first thought was...why not drive to LA and fly home? That way, I could maximize my road time and not be rushed. I looked into renting a car from Greenville to Los Angeles...$2000+! After a really ill advised trip to Myrtle Beach last summer, I do not have 2k just lying around. Then I wondered, could the 1999 Buick LeSabre that used to be my Grandmother's car make it all 5400 miles? The answer is...probably not. And, as it is my only car, can't afford to murder it. The third option then became, ditch the flying back, rent a car in Greenville and return it to Greenville.

Welcome, fright fans. Some of you may be wondering what in the blue hell is going on. If you knew me back in 2009, you know I made a ridiculous journey across all 48 contiguous states in 16 days, by myself, visiting haunted locations.  This year, on the 10th anniversary, I was tempted to just replicate the trip, trying to hit targets I failed at the first time. However, that seemed kind of lame and a little "been there, done that." So, I have hatched a much different plan. Having secured the time off already for this coming October, I plan to drive the historic Route 66 looking for all the haunts I can along the way. This is just a "hey there" blog post to let everyone know what is coming. Unlike last time, I have no company car and no company gas card. This is all on me. So, I plan to post in the lead up to the trip with various aspects of my planning. This is where you good people come in...I need help! 1) My time will be limited and there are, oh so many