Bordo

Guys,
For those that may have done it or would know more about it than me, how long would I need to do a proper ride of Route 66 ?? My buddies and I are planning a big bike trip to the US within the next few years and we are tossing around a few ideas which will incorporate a good ride across as many states as possible. I realise we would have to do it at this time of year due to extreme weather in Chicago. I thought of Route 66 but of course there would be plenty of other ideas that we could think about. I'd appreciate any advice from those that live in the USA or who may have done this ride. Cheers.

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The More I Know The Less I understand - Don Henley

GhostRider

US highway 50 is the longest continuous road in the US. Route 66 is the most nostalgic but it's really busted up with the interstate 40. I've gone both ways (east to west and west to east.) I would give it at least a week to really chase things down from Chicago to the monument in Santa Monica.

Bordo

Thanks Ghost,
I appreciate the info.

__________________
The More I Know The Less I understand - Don Henley

GhostRider

Do yourself a big favor Bordo, take a ton of film because you'll need it. There is a great museum in the Oklahoma City area and another in the Kingman Arizona area. When you get into New Mexico don't forget to make the ^^ run up through Santa Fe and do go a bit off coarse to see the area and museums at Los Alimos where the developed the first nuclear bombs. There's a backroad called the Turquoise Highway that you can take going up or back from Santa Fe that is awesome.

CanadianBird

Film, who uses film these days? Take re-chargable batteries and a charger, imo.

GhostRider

I do and unless you have about $4,000 invested in your digital camera, it won't even come close to my 35mm.

Strek

Lots of great museums up in my neck of the woods.

GhostRider... What museums are you talking about in AZ and OK?

GhostRider

These are Route 66 dedicated museums. The national Route 66 Museum is in Elk City Oklahoma, which is just west of Oklahoma City and the Powerhouse Route 66 Museum is in Kingman, Arizona. Both of these would be a must see for me.

Check out this site as it has some great stuff on the Mother Road.

Route 66 - Traveling the Mother Road

Strek

GhostRider ... Oh yes those sound like excellent suggestions

Those would fit right in with the trip Bordo is planning for sure and provide some of the historical background. The museums up here are great but they don't have the Rte 66 focus at all. Sounds like you have made the trip and are very familiar with the cool things to see.

Now if you want to see and go inside a WWII era German sub and see the story of its capture or see some of the finest Art from all around the world we have that. We also have the largest (mostly complete and intact) skeleton of a T-Rex and a great Egyptian mummy exhibit. Pretty cool stuff to see. I prefer to go to places like that in the middle of friggin winter on the coldest nastiest days of the year. This way I don't feel like I'm missing out or not taking advantage of the nicer weather days.

GhostRider

Very cool. Just north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky is Fort Knox. Sure, the depository is there but so is the George S Patton Museum and if you like tanks and artillery that place is awesome.

I have done Route 66 both ways and can tell you all sorts of stories where we were trying to pick up the actual road. Some of the older sections (pre 1930) are still around and you would ask why they were so narrow. They were built for cars half the size of the stuff they built later on. Some of the road like that in the San Bernardino area of southern California actually comes to a dead end right off the interstate. The road is awesome and the journey can be a fantastic one.

smurf211

Ditto, I have a Canon Elan 7e and it cost about $6 to have a role of 24 developed to CD. Analogue images still beat the digital one unless you are up in the high end stuff. I keep it in reserve for special occasions and really good shots that may be forthcoming.

Also. don't forget Meteor Crater, it is right off I 40 and everyone ought to see it once. I've been by there so many times and I always forgot to take the shortcut and check it out... // sm

swazijmw

You will find this site very informative...www.pashnit.com

testrider

and check out this site for maps and Route 66 forums:

The Mother Road: Historic Route 66

GhostRider

Plus 1 in the film. Any more, I have to send my black and while off because I am too lazy to develop it myself and I'm not building another dark room as it really isn't cost effective. Digital is good for being quick but to even come close to the quality of a 35mm and especially for depth of field you have to be up in the 12 meg area. Nikon has some great ones as does Canon but the price again, isn't cost effective. My Minolta SLR is still the way to go and I can monitor the light and shutter speed right in the view finder.

Oh hell yeah, Meteor crater is awesome. You can see Grand Canyon Caverns off of old 66 on the way into Kingman too. Hey, if you want a great place to eat, stop at the diner in Seligman known as Westside Lilo's Cafe. Bikers on the old road generally stop and the food is like home cookin. Don't forget the Oatman ghost town too. Them dang wild donkeys still roam through town. Last I heard they had closed the post office at Amboy and the school too. I guess a guy is trying to bring back the motel and Roy's cafe. All this talk makes me want to go too. This will be an unreal journey...

Styles

Beyond the route itself, one helpful approach to its enjoyment is knowing its people. You might find Jon Robinson's Route 66: Lives on the Road helpful. Some years back my son got to drive a bit of it with Robinson. Interesting guy, he said.




Styles

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GhostRider

Absolutely and the stories each has to tell are even more interesting. This is why to me, no trip on the Mother Road is complete without all the stories from the folks that still live just off of main street USA in towns that were once booming simply because of a road.

Bordo

Thanks for all the info guys. I certainly have a lot of research to do. Cheers.

__________________
The More I Know The Less I understand - Don Henley

automan25

I've never been on any section of route 66, so I'm just guessing here, but wouldn't it be a ride more suited for a goldwing or a big Harley? The Bird needs some twisties, and with all the heat she produces, would be more comfortable in cooler weather.

My wife and I are hitting the road (each on our own bikes) and heading from Seattle to San Jose, CA this week to visit my brother. We'll take the coastal route as much as possible. Very twisty, very beautiful, and very fun, provided we don't get stuck behind too many RVs. This route sounds more enjoyable than what I know of route 66.

I guess my point is there are countless places to explore all over the United States. Perhaps Route 66 is a little overrated? Can someone who has traveled 66 and other routes chime in?

CanadianBird

I tend to agree and although I've ridden many states and roads I havent' ridden 66, nor would I. Just riding up from California, Oregon and Washington is fantastic. imo. As I stated, join www.pashnit.com

GhostRider

Route 66 isn't overrated at all and based on folks who haven't been on it thinking it is like the interstate, trust must, there are places on 66 that will pucker your butt. Unlike running the slab where the road simply runs where it wants having taken the shortest distance between 2 points, the Mother Road flows with the topography bending and turning at will with the land. There's a lot to see and stories to hear on that old road and some of the scenery is awesome. Highway 1 is water, water and more water. It's also wind, traffic and lord know what else.

Strek

I've only been on small sections of route 66 so I'm not an expert on the route. I have ridden my bird in some pretty hot weather though and I don't see a problem as long as you have some air flow going. I'm sure that our friends from Oz are familiar with hot weather.

Bordo... What are you planning on doing for bikes? Renting them? Someone you know here have some that you are going to use? Buy, ride, sell? If you are passing through the Chicago area let me know. Perhaps we can get together.

automan25

Well, perhaps I'll have to give 66 a try sometime. I just have always envisioned it as a mostly straight stretch of road through hot desert. I stand corrected....mabey. I'll let you know how Hwy 1 is this week as well.

GhostRider

There are places where the road could be considered just a straight stretch but it's so much more that just the road. It's the desert scenery, the people, the stories and the visions of a time gone by that was awesome. If you have never been to the Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino California you're missing a grand time.

Bordo

Strek,
We have a guy here who ships your own bike to the USA for a similar price to renting one over there but the US rental prices dont include luggage hire and insurances etc. I can get my bike shipped with my own luggage already set up with its own insurance etc for the same if not a lesser price. We will probably go with that option. I was looking at renting an ST100 or similar type bike. If your interested check this site out. www.getrouted.com.au He runs the shipping business for bikes to the USA, NZ, Europe and the UK. He knows what he is doing and gets the job done. I'd certainly look at going to Chicago mate. Afterall there is more to the US than California......I'd be very interested in catching up with anyone on here for sure. Cheers mate.

__________________
The More I Know The Less I understand - Don Henley

CanadianBird

Of course there is more than Cali; there's BC! And of course Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorada, Wyoming, just to mention a few I've ridden through. If you hang out for at least a year, then you can have a great trip. imo. I'm sure I left out many great riding states as well. Michigan, for example. Cheers.

CanadianBird

Great site, I bookmarked it. Touring NZ then over to Azzi sounds like an adventure of a lifetime.

BackStreet

Forget anything in what we call "the fly over states" which is from the Rockies east to the Appalachians. There is nothing there unless you like the Outback. These people are just old, that's why they go to museums and still use a "role of film".

If 66 starts/ends in Santa Monica go there for lunch and ride a few miles. Done. See the Santa Monica Pier. Go down to Venice Beach. Go up to Malibu along The Pacific Coast Hwy. Ride some of the canyons and Mullholland.

While your in the states, one of the big rides on the west coast is Palomar Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. "South Grade Road, the stretch of San Diego County Route S6 going from State Route 76 to the summit, is popular among sport bike riders and sports car drivers due to its challenging nature (over 20 hairpin turns over the distance of less than 7 mi (11 km)) and low traffic on most weekdays."

There are great National Parks to see:
NPCA | Grand Canyon National Park
NPCA | Yosemite National Park
NPCA | Zion National Park
NPCA | Bryce Canyon National Park
NPCA | Yellowstone National Park

For Cities, we have two worth seeing, San Francisco and New York. Las Vegas is fun. Most other cities you'll say "OK, I've seen your slum now where's the city?" You'll end up in a lot of towns and other cities without going out of your way. They are all closed at night and on Sunday.

If you do want to cross over to the East (fly if possible), hit The Tail of the Dragon and The Blue Ridge Parkway. A bunch of states come together around there AL, GA, TN, NC, SC, VA, WV.

If you do want to see a Museum stop in DC. See if you can match the buildings to the back of the money. You can also hit all the little states MD, DE, NJ, RI, MA, CT, NH, VT and hit PA, NY on the way/around to New York City.

Strek

Backstreet must not have ever been to Chicago. Not a great place to ride a motorcycle but it has a lot to see and do for visitors. Actually if you know where and when to ride you can get around better then some other major cities. I have spent considerable time in San Francisco and New York. I like them both for different reasons. Worth spending time in and seeing. San Francisco doesn't have as much in the way of museums. I've also spent considerable time in Jersey. Some nice areas. Newark not being one of them. Most people get their impression of Jersey from flying into that pit hole. Most of the rest of the state is nice. Some real congested area's though. New York city wouldn't be my first choice to ride a motorcycle either but still a great place to visit.

Bordo

I was in the USA a month ago and drove the PCH from LA to Monterey. Man what a road that is. I'd love to do it on the bike one day. I went to Laguna Seca Raceway and checked that out. Went to SF and checked out Alcatraz. I have been before about 14 years ago but it was still a great trip. A drive over the Golden Gate was good but a 6 dollar toll I thought was a bit steep. Drove back to LA via the I-5 to Calabasas. I'm a big fan of MASH, so my 9 year old son and I hiked out to the old MASH filming site at the Malibu Creek State Park. I'm sure glad I did it. Not being the fittest guy in the world the almost 8 km round trip tired me out but still a great place to check out. Also did all the Hollywood stuff, Disneyland, Universal Studios and Sea World in San Diego. It was a great holiday even if it was for only 12 days. I did 1200 miles in the car. Driving in LA is certanly an experience and I know what to expect when I ride there in my upcoming riding trip in a few years. Next time I'd like to see other states and stay much longer or as long as money will allow !!!! even though Route 66 may not be that exciting according to some here I'd still like to ride it just to say I did it.

I have suggested to a friend that we may go to the USA Moto GP before our trip maybe in 2010 or 2011 and stay a week or so. We can also research a few things while we are there for our bigger trip later on. Cheers

__________________
The More I Know The Less I understand - Don Henley