Miles of Memories

Shane Bevel has 2,448 reasons to set his sights on the open road.

That figure represents the total number of miles along U.S. Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica that he and his family plan to travel in early June.

In a restored 1967 Ford Mustang, Shane, his wife, Fran, and their two children, Ruby, 10, and Graham, 12, will head west for a nearly three-week journey along the historic Mother Road.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun,” said Shane, a professional photographer who started preparing for the trip about two years ago. “It’s exciting for us, a reason to build a car and something fun to do as a family.”

Fran, a grant writer, added, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us, and it’ll be fun to just have the pictures and the memories. This is something that we’ll never forget.”

The Bevels’ long-awaited trek across the country will follow Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise and Guinness World Record attempt commemorating the centennial year of the legendary highway — a milestone they were determined not to miss before heading to the Windy City.

“That’s a huge event in the car world,” said Shane, who registered the Brittany Blue Mustang in the May 30 procession, especially for his wife and children to enjoy. “They’re going to see a lot of cool stuff and get to ride in the parade and wave to their friends as they go by.”

The foursome will join thousands of other classic car enthusiasts for a five-mile cruise through Tulsa before towing the vintage coupe to Chicago, where they will then kick off their cross-country excursion.

Covering between 90 and 200 miles per day, the Bevels are “going to stop where we want to stop,” Shane said, but are still mapping out their destinations, with Route 66’s many iconic “Muffler Men” ranking at the top of their list.

They also plan to stay at roadside inns like the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo.; the Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery in Amarillo, Texas; and the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., to name a few.

“We’re going to see parts of the country that I haven’t really seen all that much,” Shane said. “It’s mainly making memories with them (the kids), just spending 18 days on the road with no plans except where you’re going to lay your head down.”

Fran added, “There are a lot of abandoned towns out there, and just seeing a little bit of all of it, seeing all those landmarks that made Route 66 cool.”

Ruby and Graham’s shared space in the backseat will also give the young siblings ample time to take in the terrain and flag their favorite spots.

“All the tourist attractions and all the hotels, I think that’ll be fun to see,” Ruby said.

Graham added, “I’m pretty excited to get back to Cadillac Ranch (in Amarillo).”

The Bevels’ trip goes beyond just seeing the sights, however. It’s a chance for them to retrace the path of their Mustang’s VIN history, which happens to lead back to a Hollywood Ford dealership near the end of Route 66.

What’s more, it’s also an opportunity for Fran to honor her late father, who not only grew up and owned a pizza place in Chicago, but also purchased and maintained the family’s Mustang before recently passing away.

“The trip is meaningful, the car is meaningful — the time I’ve put into it, that it was Fran’s late father’s car, that we’re going to start where he was born and where he owned a pizza restaurant,” Shane said. “The fact that it’s the centennial amplifies that.”

Fran added, “The 100th anniversary made sense, and I told Shane, ‘Let’s do the whole route in the car.’”

Sharing the scenic experience with like-minded travelers will also be a priority for the California-bound family.

“Just the ability to meet all those people and talk to them from all over the country, all over the world, for my kids to meet them and then to see the things that we’ll see, is going to be fun,” Shane said.

Fran added, “I think it’s just exciting to join all these people from around the world and take this trek that not many people do anymore.”

Art Haddaway is a journalist and photographer with over 20 years of experience covering a wide range of subjects, with a passion for telling uplifting stories that highlight the best in people and communities.