Route 66 - Page 2 - Horizons Unlimited

**Keith1954** · #16 10 Nov 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by garmei

We rode sections of Route 66 in Arizona last year on our way up to New York. Each to their own and all that, but it was pretty boring after a while. We got a few kicks (wahey!) riding alongside mile long trains, seeing a few signs, the odd curiosities and the odd nostalgic gas station. But much of it is boring, repetive and feels insiincere.

Déjà vu - we had the same sorta mixed experience ..

From my journal [early April 2008]:

" .. We nevertheless look for the first opportunity to jump back onto 66, which happens 22 miles later, at Ash Fork & Seligman. So we’re once again travelling along a section of Historic Route 66, which I can tell you, right here and now ..

.. is probably the straightest, most boring and featureless tar-snaked road I have ever had the misfortune of riding upon. This is not to say that the whole of US-66 is the same .. of course it’s not; indeed, I'm sure that my brief encounter with the 'Main Street of America' is far from the overall reality.

Having said that, how could you not like, and indeed embrace, any highway that runs through a town named 'Peach Springs' - and with a roadside restaurant called 'Roadkill' .. wherein the menu lists food items such as:

- 'Cheeseburger with Cheese' and
- 'Dead Chicken'

I guess, you just gotta love it all for these reasons alone! .."

.

**xfiltrate** · #17 10 Nov 2011

Keith1954 and others it is good to hear your opinions of Route 66.

I know Peach Springs as the place where after 2 weeks floating down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, white water rafters take out after being put in at Lee's Ferry.

Country livin, photo (looking west) is my ranch house just off Route 66 note the northern Arizona San Francisco Peaks in the background . The Old Route 66 is a thousand feet north of my ranch house.

It's the locals that make this part of Route 66 interesting. Just make it a point to see the Grand Canyon and meet some local folks. The country and western Bar called the Museum Club, where,long ago, the greats of country music performed is a good place to visit while in Flagstaff. The Museum Club known as the "Zoo Club" by locals is a good place to meet the locals, try a little 2-step dancing and a local

.

Mary's cafe is a great place for breakfast and has a "cowboy" bar attached.

Also: Wupatki National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

Coconino National Forest - Oak Creek Canyon

and especially Walnut Canyon

Walnut Canyon National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

Have fun, I'm holed up in Spain for a while longer.

xfiltrate

**fledermaus** · #18 11 Nov 2011

I came across this book,and website, a while back,it has some great info on 66,and indeed several alternative long distance usa routes.Recommended.

ROAD TRIP USA

**chris** · #19 11 Nov 2011

Just for info to non UK HUBBers: A TV series on British channel ITV by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly finished recently. He rode a trike along most of Rt 66 east-west:

Welcome to the official Billy Connolly Website!

Billy Connolly's Route 66 Competition - ITV Entertainment

Billy Connolly's Route 66, ITV1, review - Telegraph

Possibly this TV series led to the OP's question?

I really enjoyed the show. Looking at the pictures above of the long straight roads, I think I might go looking for more curvy lines on a USA map and seek out less tourist trash.

The comment about the Trans Am trail leading you past more "real/historical America" is definitely true. I rode the western half in 2010: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/USA201...ery/index.html

cheers
Chris

**maja** · #20 11 Nov 2011

[QUOTE=maja;355614]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris

Just for info to non UK HUBBers: A TV series on British channel ITV by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly finished recently. He rode a trike along most of Rt 66 east-west:

Welcome to the official Billy Connolly Website!

Billy Connolly's Route 66 Competition - ITV Entertainment

Billy Connolly's Route 66, ITV1, review - Telegraph

Possibly this TV series led to the OP's question?

I really enjoyed the show. Looking at the pictures above of the long straight roads, I think I might go looking for more curvy lines on a USA map and seek out less tourist trash.

The comment about the Trans Am trail leading you past more "real/historical America" is definitely true. I rode the western half in 2010: [url=http://www.thebrightstuff.com/USA2010webgallery/index.html]Summer 2010 Riding some pleasant tracks in the western United States: CDT, TAT, Lolo & OBDT. All Images

Try www.motorcycleroads.us It gives a really good breakdown of all types of roads in the USA. Ride safe.

**John Ferris** · #21 11 Nov 2011

I have taken US-36 three times across the US and I prefer it over US-50.
Route 66 is too chopped up.
This is route 36 going West to East last June.

Dans graduation trip - Motorcycling trip - Spot | SpotAdventures

**Lanceld** · #22 11 Nov 2011

I've looked into this route also and believe the only section which is fun, and might depict the original "route 66" aura is about 130 miles of highway located around Kingman Az. The ride to the east of Kingman is probably like it really was, a remote desolate 2 lane highway. The ride from Kingman west through Oatman is really memorable as the highway goes through a mountain range as the original 2 lane, twisty, narrow highway it originally was.( Appears to have had sections built by the CCC's in the 30's) The scenery here is quite spectacular, goes by the now abandoned Goldroad Gold Mine. The route 66 theme is really prevalent and tastefully done in Kingman with a really neat Route 66 museum which is full of neat stuff and memorabilia of the era. The town of Oatman is a real tourist gathering place; their one claim to fame being the wild burros which roam the streets and even enter some of the stores. (I guess that implies that they are not wild, but they have no owners and have developed no manners or training and are free to come and go as they please ???)
Have fun.
Lance

**coolblackbird** · #23 14 Nov 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by maja

I did route 66 about 7 years back, or at least about 75% of what purports to be it, as in reality only a few very very short stretches of the single lane road still exist as a back road between farms a couple of farms. Aside from some unbelivablely tatty tourist tat you have to put up with 2.5km, sorry, USA, 1.5ml long freight trains rumbling past your tent/motel door all night long tooting their health and safety offence volume horns/whistles at every unmanned X-ing, of which there are a lot and if you try to move away from that source of noise you get high speed mega trucks on the interstate keeping you awake. A far better and more historic route is the Lincoln Highway (Rt30?) which was the first trans-continent road in N.America, it also runs from Chicago (ish) to Sacramento. Apart from being a lot quieter it passes through a lot nicer scenery and you really do get a look at small town America where more importantly, the

and accommodation is generally cheaper. Whichever way you go, the USA is a good place to visit and their National Parks are a must see. Ride safe

Thanks

saw the program with billy doing the rt 66 and was a bit disapointed like your rt 30 have any others as i want to ride across usa from new york cheers

**Knight of the Holy Graal** · #24 15 Nov 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanceld

I've looked into this route also and believe the only section which is fun, and might depict the original "route 66" aura is about 130 miles of highway located around Kingman Az. The ride to the east of Kingman is probably like it really was, a remote desolate 2 lane highway.

Some images of this stretch Lanceld's talking about: it was July 2007 and I had been touring the West astride a Harley rented straight from Italy at Eaglerider in Scottsdale, AZ.

This is a typical tourist trap, but how can you miss this veeeery old gas station now turned into a souvenir shop??

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanceld

The ride from Kingman west through Oatman is really memorable as the highway goes through a mountain range as the original 2 lane, twisty, narrow highway it originally was.( Appears to have had sections built by the CCC's in the 30's) The scenery here is quite spectacular, goes by the now abandoned Goldroad Gold Mine. The route 66 theme is really prevalent and tastefully done in Kingman with a really neat Route 66 museum which is full of neat stuff and memorabilia of the era. The town of Oatman is a real tourist gathering place; their one claim to fame being the wild burros which roam the streets and even enter some of the stores.

All of this is true, the Mother Road stretches throughout an area called "The Black Country" which was really outstanding to be ridden.

If someone loves the open and desolate road, cannot miss the stretch of Route 66 in the Mohave desert, which looks like this (pics were taken some dozens of miles east of the famous Roy's Cafe in the ghost town of Amboy, California)

I really enjoyed this part of the trip, maybe because I love the deserts and the open road that goes thru them: you should think that last summer I was really haaaappy while riding the even more desolated road in the desert of western Kazakhstan!

Greetings, and have fun on Route 66 (or at least of what remains of it, as many others said before, there's only small stretches that can be ridden...)

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