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Enjoy a full day at leisure exploring the 'Windy City', Chicago. There's plenty to do in this exciting metropolis; we recommend a trip to the Skydeck at the top of Willis Tower or, for a different view of the city skyline, take a boat trip on Lake Michigan at sunset.

This morning marks the start of your 3,945 km (2,451 mile) drive to California. Collect your car, which comes fully covered; road maps and a sat-nav are included. Heading out of Chicago on Route 66, your three-and-a-half-hour drive to the pretty city of Springfield, Illinois, takes you through grassy farmlands and past small towns that dot the rural landscape. Springfield is Illinois' state capital and was the former residence of Abraham Lincoln. Making an early start allows free time to explore Lincoln's presidential museum, home and final resting place at Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Departing Springfield, this morning's two-hour drive takes you through rolling farmland and patchwork fields into St. Louis, Missouri. The afternoon is free for you to explore this historic city at leisure. There's plenty to see and do in St. Louis; the famous Gateway Arch represents the city's moniker, the 'Gateway to the West', and the City Museum and Lafayette Square are well worth a visit.

Today, you'll have a chance to explore St Louis. The City Museum, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, and the National Blues Museum are great options for spending an afternoon exploring. Or, if the Cardinals are in town, you can watch a baseball game in Busch Stadium.

Leave the Mississippi River behind and travel along Route 66 through the scenic beauty of the Ozark Mountains. The Ozarks are the second oldest mountains in the world and offer visitors beautiful vistas and great walking opportunities. Around a four-hour drive from St. Louis is Springfield, Missouri, where you'll stop for the night.

Today's journey sees you drive almost 483 km (300 miles) west to Oklahoma City — a journey of around five hours. Crossing the state border, you officially enter the American South; the land around you becomes increasingly arid and dusty as you pass through land that was once the haunt of American Indians, later the territory of cowboys and outlaws. On arrival at your hotel, tuck into a hearty meal and put your feet up after your long journey.

Your journey continues for another 418 km (260 miles) west across the state border into Texas to Amarillo. It's on this four-and-a-half-hour journey that you'll find some wonderful icons of Route 66, including the National Route 66 Museum, which is home to an array of antique cars, historical artifacts and a replica drive-in theater.

Continue your road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico; around a four and a half hour drive from Amarillo. You'll be driving through the former hunting ground of the Comanche; now the land of tumbleweed, cattle and cotton of the Texas Panhandle. You'll have the afternoon to explore Santa Fe, one of the oldest cities in the United States.

There is plenty to see on your drive into Arizona; you'll pass Petrified Forest National Park, a huge landscape dominated by red, barren vistas of the Painted Desert and thousands of acres of petrified wood. Your destination today is the town of Winslow, which was a thriving town on the Santa Fe Railway and made famous by the Eagles' song 'Take It Easy'.

Today's four-hour drive will take you to the Grand Canyon, passing the world's first proven meteor crater en route. You may wish to stop in the town of Flagstaff for lunch, before an afternoon free to explore the canyon.

Spend a full day exploring Grand Canyon National Park. You may wish to take a helicopter trip over the canyon, take a hike down into the valley, or simply gaze in awe at the sight of the canyon at sunrise or sunset.

Continue your drive west for another 483 km (300 miles) into Nevada. It's worth making an early start as there's lots to see on this five-and-a-half-hour journey. Detouring from the main highway at Seligman allows you to travel along the original Route 66, which is peppered with abandoned motels, derelict gas stations, and the outdoor Route 66 Car Museum. Venturing deeper into the desert, you'll have the opportunity to stop at the Hoover Dam, located around 56 km (35 miles) south of Las Vegas.

Spend a full day at leisure exploring the spectacle that is Las Vegas. Visit one of the many themed casinos, admire the bright lights and take in a show from some of the world's most famous performers.

Complete your epic journey with your final 435 km (270 mile) drive to Los Angeles. A journey of around six hours, you'll travel through the Californian desert for much of the day, passing by the Mojave National Preserve; a sweeping desert landscape punctuated by wildflowers and Joshua trees. On arrival in Los Angeles, return your car to the depot and make your own way to your hotel.

Enjoy a full day at leisure exploring California's largest city, Los Angeles. This cosmopolitan city offers a diverse range of shops, restaurants and nightlife as well as world-renowned art galleries, beaches and film studios. Don't miss a shopping trip to Beverly Hills, explore the celebrity haunts of Hollywood or just relax on the golden sands of Santa Monica.

Enjoy a last morning at leisure in Los Angeles then make your way to the airport in time for your onward flight.