The traditional start of the "mother road" is at the corner of Lakeshore and Adams and this meant a rude awakening as we guided our Electra Glide along 290 towards the towering city skyline and the downtown area in what seems to be some kind nutters race.
While the route itself can be a journey of discovery I think it would be a shame to not spend time in this facinating city. The first must see has to be Lincoln's restored house on 6th street.The national park service has purchased a portion of the street and have recreated the area as it would have been in the 1860's. The house itself has much of the original furniture and fittings so you can't help trying the imagine what great events have happened here.
Exiting Bloomington along 66 brings us to the renowned Dixie trucker stop at McLean. While the diner itself caters to needs of truckers at the back is a small corridor which houses all things 66 through the years.Its amazing the interest that travelling this route by Harley still draws as we experienced everthing from a fellow Harley owner complementing the colour of our bike to an avid argentinian fan who could not stop taking pictures.
The stunning Gateway Arch was built in the early 60's as a tribute to the pioneers that opened up the country to the west of the Missippi notably the famed explorers Lewis and Clark who set forth from here to the Pacific along the length of the Missippi.The trip to the observation deck is done in tiny pods but the view from the centre of the arch is incredible.
This is another of those days that involves just doing the distance but with little attractions to be seen. The town of Lebanon deserves a stop for its 66 museum which is housed in the town library.
The vast town of Springfield lists a store called Pro Bass as an attraction and it is definitely one that should not be missed. These shops cater for every possible need of the outdoors man with everthing from boats right through to guns, the most expensive of which sell for $82,000.
This section of 66 has little in the way of roadside attractions and much of the day is spent crossing and recrossing over highway 4 which takes us towards St Louis.One attraction on the Illinois side of the state line is the famed Bridge of Rocks but this proved to be difficult to find with even the locals unable to point us in the right direction.The crossing on the new chain of rocks bridge shows just how vast the Missippii river is and still has replica paddle steamers as a reminder of its importance as a gateway to west in the 1800's.Once over the river we followed its path to our hote
This is the first day to sample 66 through Oklahoma.Unlike in the previous states the route is very busy as it connects larger town and cities in northern Oklahoma. Back in the 1860's this state was refered to as indian territory of the Cherokee nation and it is still very much cattle and cowboy country.The vast prairies of this region were the inspiration for Steinbecks famous novel "The Grapes of Wrath" as the "oakies" travelled west from the dustbowls.
The bad weather continues as we set off in high winds and rain.The first stop is the town of Clinton and its famous route 66 museum.The staff are the nicest you will meet and the exibits which span 7 era's of the road development are great.
As the weather improves we head for the wild west frontier town of Elk City which still prides itself on its cowboy past with world class rodeo's.The National 66 museum is worth a trip as in addition to the 66 memorabilia it also recreates the town as it would have been in the 1860's.
The weather has suddenly taken a turn for the worse as we have gone from days in the high 70's to rain and the 60's. There is little to see along this section of the route with the high point being the restored barn at Acadia,
The poor riding conditions meant a stay north of Oklahoma city.
Today's trip takes us through three states from the beautiful Missouri through Kansas and on into Oklahoma.Our first stop was at a restored gas station 3 miles west of Halltown run by an interesting gent called Gary who eeks out a living selling odds and end to tourists but will talk all day about the famed route outside his front door..defintely stop if you can.
There are two routings of 66 to Albuquerque one the more direct and the one we chose is northwards to Santa Fe.The road passes through the Sangre de Cristo Range before it joins up with highway 25.The sign post for Las Vegas is jus too tempting so we detour to a town which could not be a further contrast from its Nevada namesake.It has absolutley nothing to justify the detour and the old has a decidedly sinister feel even during the day.
The heavy rains overnight have gone further south and we take a little time to explore the historic plaza downtown.It has retained some unique buildings typical of the indigenous native population.The St Franics cathederal dates to the early 1600's and the palace is the oldest public building in the USA.
Make sure on you trip out of Amarillo that you don't miss the famous Cadillac Ranch off exit 60.If you're feeling creative bring some paint and add to the previous artistic contirbutions on the buried cars.
For a town with such and Irish name it is located within a dry county whose border extends for another 45 miles west of here.The route out takes you to what must be the strangest museum in the town of McLean.It is dedicated to ranch life in northern Texas but also "the devils rope" otherwise known as barbed wire.It is astonishing just how much stuff they have and the staff are really pleasant.
New Mexico is called the enchanting state and to date I have been wondering why it would give itself this title.The reason soon becomes apparent once you leave the insanity of the I40 west out of Albuquerque behind.My advise for the 140 miles that lies ahead is to crank up the Harley (what else would you ride!!) to around 75 put on 99.5FM and sit back and enjoy the incredible vistas that will pass by.
Don't forget to stop off at the famous El Rancho hotel as you leave Gallup. This was once the home to the stars and the all the photo's upstairs are testament to all the movie screen greats that have stayed here.The impressive red canyons stop abruptly as we cross over the state border into Arizona and the landscape becomes noticably more barren and sparcely populated.
No true traveller along 66 can avoid stopping at the "Here it is" signpost at Joseph City.Tradition has it that if this is your first time on 66 you have to ride the rabbit so swallow your pride and have your photo taken then hide it so nobody ever sees it.
Make sure that if you want to have a look at this unique section of 66 you should do so before the tourbuses decend early in the morning or in the afternoon when you have the place to yourself. This is the first time that you will experience 66 as living attraction with the town owing its existance to the passing 66'ers and tourists on their way to Las Vegas.
The 66 route from Seligman to Kingman takes you through the mountains and passes a great little store in Hackberry complete with a 1957 Corvette.If you want anything with a 66 connection you will get it here.
Even though this is not strictly the 66 route no trip this part of Arizona would be complete without a trip to the grand canyon.High winds that have been causing sand storms in this area batter us for the 54 miles to the canyon park entrance.
There is not much to say about this incredible place that hasn't already been said so I will just say that if you spare the time DO IT.
We leave hgy 40 to head the 80 miles across the desert to famous Amboy and Roy's cafe.The famous neon sign is a welcome sight as the temperature reaches 110 F. The entire town was purchased for $240,000 a number of years ago and it is hoped that in time it will be restored to its former glory. Call into the diner and you may find yourself being served by a man with a gun but don't be alarmed as this facinating character turns out to be the Sheriff (to the towns 7 inhabitants).