So who lives on Route 66?

[ihmsakiwi]

Hi Guys,
Thinking of taking a few weeks off after the NRA ( National Restaurant Association) show in Chicago in May and renting a bike and taking an 11 day escorted tour from Chicago to L.A. with the misses.

Not cheap, but not being used to riding on the wrong side of the road it may be the safer way to go. At least I will get escorted out of the Chicago metropolitan area which would stress me out on the very first day. I haven't run it past the misses yet until I have all the costs nailed.

Much cheaper to do an un-guided tour but not sure I want to subject the misses to $40 a night rooms and my organising. These tours stay in 4 - 5 star hotels which isn't a bad thing to look forward to at the end of a day.

Anybody here done Route 66 from end to end? Anybody here live on Route 66.

Peter

[PbHurler]

FWIW; I'm 4 blocks north of Route 66 in Yukon Oklahoma. (Route 66 is Main Street)

[Freightman]

I can walk to old 66 in less than three min well maybe five from my back door. Amarillo, TX

[ShooterAZ]

As the old song goes..."Flagstaff Arizona, don't forget Winona..." Yes I am on Route 66. And a word to the wise, it still snows here in May sometimes....

[felix]

Peter, there are two "famous" routes in the US: the visual one called US 66, and the musical one called US 61. The former you know about. The latter follows the Mississippi River from Minneapolis (actually Duluth) to New Orleans. I lived on both during my lifetime. The intersection of the two highways is in St. Louis and are nowadays city streets. Nothing exciting about that particular area for a visitor, and best to be avoided because of racial crime (in general). The Interstate system has bypassed these locals throughout the country, and your guided tour will undoubtedly bypass the more note worthy ugly spots. ... felix

[marlin39a]

I shoot Prairie Dogs on Rt. 66 in Seligman Arizona. It is on the longest continuous stretch from Seligman to Kingman.

[waksupi]

A little traveling music, maestro.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYApJtsyd0&list=PLF0A82E2B890FE228

[Bad Water Bill]

Wow I set up that show for over 10 years.

Yes I drove OLD 66 from Chiraq to Oklahoma when it was a 2 lane road in 1957.

[cbrick]

Travelled 66 many times from Illinois to the west coast back in the 60's. Most of what was route 66 would be pretty difficult to find these days. Some stretches of it still there but most all of it has been replaced by the interstate freeway system. If your goal is to get from point A to point B the interstate is great. If your goal was to see America route 66 was the best thing they ever did but mostly gone now, everybody's in a hurry.

Rick

[merlin101]

Wow I set up that show for over 10 years.

Yes I drove OLD 66 from Chiraq to Oklahoma when it was a 2 lane road in 1957.
:) I was born in 57 and drove parts of 66 a few years ago, some of it hasn't changed!:)

Lots to look at but in many places the 'old road' is hard to follow or not even there anymore. That would be a LOOOONG way to pedal a bike and to do it all in 11days!! My wife and I spent 5 weeks driveing out there and didn't get to see all that we wanted.

[sparky45]

Here's a bit of travel/tourist info.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDwQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.travelok.com%2Farticle_page%2 Foklahomas-top-attractions-along-route-66&ei=EFHhUvXTHoLE2wXd7YGgDw&usg=AFQjCNGjBxjCURX-V7Jdh9PugiKRSnziTg&sig2=7O75lZI1tkXrP6-G1Rt1VQ&bvm=bv.59568121,d.b2I
Over 400 miles of 66 in the State of Oklahoma, most of any State.

[WilliamDahl]

:)That would be a LOOOONG way to pedal a bike and to do it all in 11days!! My wife and I spent 5 weeks driveing out there and didn't get to see all that we wanted.

When I read the original post, I assumed he was talking about a motorcycle, not a bicycle. I guess it just depends upon your background on what you automatically assume.

[Bullshop Junior]

I am figuring motercycle...

[Kraschenbirn]

Haven't done the whole 'mother road' from end to end but have driven it from around Bloomington, IL to Flagstaff, AZ a couple of times. Have also bicycled a good chunk of the original Route 66 where one lane has been converted to a bike path that runs parallel to I-55.

Bill

[fecmech]

My wife and I drove it back in 1966 when I went out to California for A&P school. We don't remember much about it though. We left Ft Smith in the morning, drove straight through to Albuquerque and slept all day in a motel. Left that evening and drove through to LA. We didn't have an air conditioned car and as a result didn't see much of the desert. Amazing the stamina in a couple of 20 year olds!

[runfiverun]

I hope you aren't basing the 66 trip on what you heard about it in the past.
it isn't even remotely the same it used to be.
the part from oklahoma on over to Arizona might be worth seeing but I have driven parts of the arizona highway and it all looks about the same, unless you drive off 66 and go look at "stuff".

[sparky45]

What R5R said.

[MtGun44]

I have driven it from KC to Cali - or actually ridden it, as a kid in the back seat of
the parent's car. Most of it is gone, I'd bet only 100-200 miles of the original road
is left out it the desert country. I drove a piece of it a couple summers ago, from Seligman
to Peach Springs. Boy, Peach Springs is a . . . . . . well, shall we say less than thriving
community.

I have a bit of trouble understanding what they well do from Chicago to Cali - mostly interstate
these days, a few pieces here and there that were bypassed still have a chunk or two that
exists.

As far as $40 hotel rooms. . . . . dream on. Most places a Motel 6 is $50-65 per night for two
people. I have toured England and South Africa. If I can learn to drive on the wrong side,
you can, too. Most of the time you will be on interstates, where it makes relatively little
difference. It is the left turns that get me - require careful thinking thru beforehand. After
a couple of days, it isn't bas at all - or it wasn't for me. I did have the wife handle the
"macro navigation" like what route to turn onto, and I had to focus mostly in "micro navigation"
like how not to hit that car there or how to make successful left turn. :bigsmyl2:

I'd suggest you can spend the money better doing it your self, but that depends a lot on
the person and what their individual style is like. I have done organized tours, and short
ones - like a day are a really great way to see stuff in a hurry. I did a couple one day tours
of Normandy and saw much more than we might have by ourselves, so I can understand
the benefit. OTOH, I mostly like to study up and plan it and execute myself on my own
schedule, and have done a lot of that over the years.

PM me if you want some help planning - I have flown and driven over most of this country
many times in the last 40 years, know a fair bit about it. I'd be able to help you plan if
you're a mind to.

Bill

[seanhagerty]

I live just off the stretch in south central MO. Between Rolla and Lebanon Missouri. Drop me a line if you want to catch a cold one when you come through.

[jmort]

Yes, Glendora California a while back

[clownbear69]

Gallup NM
Of course I do

I travel it everyday

[Wag]

Here in Albuquerque, it's Central Avenue. I live about 25 minutes from there.

As a kid, we used to travel from California to St. Louis on 66.

Nowadays, the trip for me is Route 666 (The Devil's Highway) on the bike from Springerville, AZ to Morenci, AZ. No better fun to be had!

--Wag--

[smoked turkey]

Peter, I think you are in for a treat if you travel the old "Mother Road". Do your research on the "Mother Road". There are several good books on what sections are still intact and many many of the old buildings are still as they were in the day. I am only familiar with the sections in Southwest Missouri. You will find it now numbered as Highway 266 West of Springfield, MO. Several miles of it are still intact down through that section. I was raised west of Springfield and the old home place is still there (wife's too). My bedroom was all of 20 feet from Highway 66. Funny how a person can get used to the traffic noise so that it is no bother after a while. I well remember when Interstate 44 was constructed in our area. Our little town became a ghost town without the traffic. If you decide to take the ride you can PM me and I will be glad to steer you in the right direction in these parts. I get on the old road when traveling west of Springfield from time to time because I still enjoy the Mother Road.

[Ed Barrett]

I live about 10 miles North of old 66, let me know when you will be around Lebanon Missouri and we can do some shooting or drink a beer. I was Transferred from Great Lakes to The Navel electronics Laboratory in San Diego in 1961. Took route 66 all the way, it seemed like it went through the middle of every town, after going 65 you had to slow down to 25 going through the towns. In Lebanon they have a route 66 museum that is pretty interesting.

[CGT80]

I live about a mile South of Route 66, in the Inland Empire of Southern California. We have the California Speedway which is now called the Auto Club Speedway. San Bernardino is a few minutes away and has a Route 66 gathering and car show every year (last year I think it got cancelled due to the city being bankrupt). You can get to Newport Beach in an hour, if you take the freeways and traffic is good. Santa Monica would take about an hour and a half. It could take many hours to get to the beach if you take Route 66, assuming you can figure out which streets make it up. San Bernardino (bottom of Cajon Pass and near the I15 and 215 interchange) through my area in Fontana, and through La Verne (near the 210 and 57 freeways), the street is called Foothill Blvd. There are a few places where it jogs onto other streets.

In the Upland area (15 minutes West of I15) there are a couple restaurants that are a 50's or 60's style diner that is called "Legends". One is on Mountain Ave, just below the 210 freeway and the other is on Baseline and Carneilian. I heard that one more opened up in the area as well. They are decorated in a Route 66 theme. It is my favorite place to get a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings, or fries. There are other places in SoCal that are similar, but this one has always been worth going to. It isn't real fancy. You walk up and order and they bring the food to your table. The staff don't dress or act like they are from the 50's, but the food has been great and it fits the theme.

There isn't really anything glamorous about this area. Parts of it can be very rough and I don't mean the road is rough (San Bernardino, Rialto, Fontana is just slightly better). Rancho Cucamonga isn't too bad and we have a huge Bass Pro outdoors store here. It is at the I15 and Foothill Blvd. (Route 66). A large portion of the goods that come into the US will travel from LA or Long Beach, through the Inland Empire area, where there are many warehouses, train yards, businesses, air ports, and shipping companies and will make their way up the Cajon Pass to head North or East. This is a very important area to the US, but the spots worth visiting are scattered about. The population is dense and the traffic is some of the heaviest in the US (from what I have read and experienced).

California has Death Valley which is the lowest place in the US (282 feet below sea level) and the hottest (134 degrees Fahrenheit) reliably reported air temp in the world, and Mount Whitney which is the tallest mountain (14,505 feet)in the continental US. They are only 85 miles apart. The Eastern Sierras can be seen along the 395 highway from near Mt. Whitney and include the Mammoth lakes area (known for skiing and fishing as well as the Devil's Post pile), Lake Tahoe, and a number of national parks. The area has some of the largest trees in the US and the oldest in the US. These trees even have some world records and come close to others, depending on what is measured. The mountain scenery is amazing.

I think California has many assets that are far more interesting and scenic than Route 66. I could imagine that it was far different before the main freeways popped up here. It has changed drastically since I was born in 1980.

[MtGun44]

I got out a Route 66 book I bought out near Seligman year before last and there is still a whole lot of Route 66
PAVEMENT out there - it just isn't called Route 66 anymore. I-44 runs the same route, and there is
lots of places where they rerouted and left the old road in place, now it is some county road or state
road, but no longer Route 66. I had thought most of it was actually converted physically to I-44, but
not true.

The only place I saw Route 66 signs was from Seligman up to Peach Springs in AZ, and it runs on to Kingman, perhaps
100 miles in all, the trick is that it is Arizon 66, not US Route 66. Same road, though. This section gets a lot of
nostalgia riders from Cali and other places. In a bar and grill in Seligman where we had lunch there were
some Germans with rented Harleys "doing" Route 66.

We were there to see the Havasupai Falls.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=53628&d=1342902666

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=53629&d=1342902730

Bill

[CGT80]

To give you an idea of traffic in SoCal, it can take me an hour to go 15 miles on Route 66 in afternoon/evening traffic. My chiropractor's office is just down the street from the Legends diner on Mountain Ave., in Upland, and I have taken Route 66/Foothill Blvd. to go home so that I could avoid the stop and go traffic on the 210 or 10 freeways. There are many, many, stop lights to go through. Normal day time traffic would take 30+ minutes to go that 15 miles. The speed limit is 65 mph on most freeways. People like to drive between 50 and 100+ mph. 75 mph is very common for the fast lane. People don't care about speed limits or laws. Many of the drivers here are less than careful. We have many accidents that involve illegal immigrants who don't have insurance. They often get away with their crimes. LA is a safe haven for illegals, for the most part. This area can be quite dangerous for motorcycle and bicycle riders. There are still a lot of bikes here, but you have to be on your toes.

Not everything here is bad, but we aren't exactly out in the countryside or middle of the open desert and many people think about only themselves. Theft can be very bad. Lock it up if you want to keep it. The thieves will even steal the cast iron man hole covers and storm grates that are used in streets and shopping centers. Motorcycles can be thrown in the back of a pickup and hauled off.

I don't know what type of a lifestyle you come from, OP, but out here you have to always keep in mind that some people don't give a **** about you and they want to take whatever you have. Never trust a random stranger to do the right thing.

Much of SoCal resembles Mexico more than it resembles the US, especially the US as it may have been when Route 66 was the highway. I often hear Spanish more than I hear English. It at least seems that way. We have a mix of different cultures and languages. Some areas are mostly Asian and other areas have a dense population of African or black Americans. While some people have adopted the American ways and the English language, many have not and they actually promote their own culture and ways instead. Some are bold enough to fly flags from other countries, even above ours, which is a slap in the face to the country they are now living in. English is still the language of our government and road signs, but it is not the primary language for many people here, even if they do speak the language. If you like multicultural areas and dense populations, then it will be great for you.

As you can probably tell, I head North or East for travel and like the less crowded areas that have some of the values that have been lost here. I would hate to see a person travel here from another country and then travel thousands of miles through the US, just to be disappointed when they got to the West Coast. If you pick out some good stops/destinations to see on the way to the beach, it can be a good trip. Like any area you travel to, you have to be able to find the good parts that are worth your time and unique to the area, vs. just all of the ordinary blah that people like me see every day.

Assuming you go to the end of Route 66, in Santa Monica, how will you finish out your trip? Will you fly out of LAX airport to go home?

[ihmsakiwi]

No way would I pedal that far................especially with the misses.
No, hire a motorcycle, probably a BMW 1200 ( yes I know it should be a Harley) at least that way SWMBO is in relative comfort and I get to ride a bike I am looking at buying later this year.

Peter