Day 1 in Chicago- Two days before Route 66, The Mother Road

                      After just two months of practice riding on my Harley Road King it was time for the real motorcycle adventure.  Only two days until Mike Rodsater and I crank up our HOGS and we're off on the ride of a lifetime, Chicago to Santa Monica, 2450 miles.
                      Went to the start of Route 66 to get a preview.  The Bears were in town today
                          and all of downtown was jumping with excitement. And the Bears won!

Day 2 Milwaukee WI Harley Museum

Day 2 still in Chicago.  Rode up to the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI.  What a great ride on a 65 degree sunny day.  The Museum was great, spent about four hours looking at all the detailed history of Harleys.
My riding partner, Mike, is arriving a day late and should be here any minute. He had a mechanical delay in Denver.

Outside the Harley Davidson Museum on a warm Wisconsin fall day.  Saw the same couple, I met yesterday in Chicago, from Australia who had just finished the Route 66 ride from Santa Monica to Chicago

A beautiful bronze statue at the Harley museum. Check out the chains on the rear tire. A tribute to the early Harley hill racers.

We plan to leave Arlington Heights at 10:00 am tomorrow morning headed into the Chicago loop for the start of Route 66 and then were off. Our first day goal will be Springfield, Il and many stops along the way. Route 66 museum in Pontiac, Illinois is one of our first stops.

Today is departure day-Route 66 Chicago to Santa Monica, Ca.

Kickstands up at 10:00 am, trying to miss some of the Chicago traffic.  Weather is scheduled to be beautiful all the way to Springfield, Il.

Every destination must have a finish.  This is ours.  Scheduled to be here in 14 days.

                                                     Final destination: Santa Monica Pier

First day of riding-Chicago to Springfield, Illinois

The first day of riding was beautiful, big blue sky, warm and no wind.  After a big good luck farewell and a I wish I was going with you, Chicago's finest bicycle police officers sent us on our way at 10:30 am.  What a great guy.  He was so interested in our trip that he asked if he could have his picture taken with his camera.  Many laughs at the start.
The drive through the neighborhoods of western Chicago was exciting for me as it brought back many childhood memories of visiting my Grandparents.  The street names were so familiar.  Ohio Street, Ogden Avenue and all the way out to Harlem Ave.  As you can imagine the neighborhoods have changed since the 60's.
Out of Chicago and on the way to Joliet, Il. Every where you look there is a tribute to the Blues Brothers.  Pontiac, Il. is very proud of their Route 66 museum and the brand new Pontiac car exhibit.  Mayor Bob of Pontiac gave us a personal tour of the car exhibit.  He had so much pride in his home town. Both were fun to go through.
It seems like we were on and off the bikes every few miles.  By now the Illinois sun was hot.  Great riding day!
One last stop in Atlanta, Illinois to take pix with the Paul Bunyon statue. So much to see in Illinois. I have a new appreciation for my home state.
And then on to Springfield, Il., our goal for the first night was reached. My friend Jon Kauffman hosted us at the Drury Inn.

A fun send off from the Chicago Police. What a great guy.

Check all systems and equipment. Ready to roll!  What the hell have I got myself into? Let the Iron Horse go.

First stop Joliet and of course Ice Cream at one of the original Route 66 ice cream stands.

The Joliet Museum and the Blues Brothers have done wonders to boost the tourism trade.

The first of many "GIANT"s along Route 66. Can you remember your Dad stopping the car and letting you get out and stand by these giants?

Small towns in Illinois have done a great job in bringing back memories of the old Route 66 road. We are starting to see people from all over the world.  Europeans seem to love the Mother Road.

Some of the original Route 66 Highway still exists.  A slower ride indeed.

I'm sure Buz and Tod, from the Route 66 TV show of the 1960"s must be out here somewhere in their Corvette.

Another Illinois "GIANT" In the middle of the day in the middle of the week we had to line up and wait for our picture time.

Harley Road King is running great. I need to buy a water bottle with a sippy top like my grandkids have.

Eating my way through Illinois Springfield, Il to Sullivan Mo.

Even more proud to be from Illinois after two days of riding through Abe Lincoln's home.  The historic Route 66 is marked very well. Every turn is worth taking.
 Another warm day filled with sun.  Lots of fall festivals going on in many small towns.  Every time we stop we meet the nicest people who want to talk about our trip.  Everyone comments, "I want to take the same trip someday"
Many Route 66'ers are out there traveling with us.  Every stop through Illinois we see the same two women and their dogs.  Many people from Europe, Australia making the trip.
Had a chance to visit with a friend, Jon Kauffman in Springfield. Bought a water bottle at the Springfield Harley store.
Had a corn dog on a stick, before leaving Springfield and then custard in St. Louis. Very NOT healthy.  Today will be a better eating day in Missouri.
St. Louis was a traffic night mare driving through. Failed to get a picture of the Arch, too much traffic.

Abe Lincoln's Memorial in Springfield, IL

As the sign says, " Famous" and they were very good. Springfield, Illinois

The only remaining brick paved Route 66 portion is in Southern IL.

What a beautiful stretch of road with the leaves changing in Southern Illinois

A local mans tribute to Route 66. He created this in his front yard on the old section of 66. Donations are appreciated and can be left in the mail box.  Notice the fightin Illini colors!

Finally the Mississippi River on the Illinois side. Illinois was a two day ride.

Mike walks over the old Route 66 bridge, Chain of Rocks. No cars or motorcycles allowed.

Made it over the river to St. Louis and another treat at Ted Drews.

Made it as far as Meramec Caverns in Missouri and spent the night at the local mom and pop motel. Rode to long into the night and came eye to headlight to many deers' along the last few miles to the Meremec Cavers.  Taking the Caverns tour this morning. Maybe Jesse James is still hiding there?

Missouri, Day 3 riding- lots to see

Started the day by taking a tour of the Meramec Caverns. Great fun! This place brought back many childhood memories for me.  My Mother brought us here when I was 11 years old. Traveling on my Harley was better then the 1954 Mercury I went in the last time.

Meremac Caverns.

Missouri does not have as many stops as Illinois, but the ones that are marked are worth time time.

Check out this bicycle lawn mower

A lot of the original Route 66 runs close to I 44. They did a great job of preserving the original road,  The trees are in full fall colors and blowing everywhere. I wish I had a video camera mounted on my helmet, watching the leaves blow as I followed Mike was a hoot.
Found a great bikers bar at Devils Elbow, around Waynesville, Mo. A great run down cabin on the river, next to a historic one way bridge. This is the only section of Route 66 that was constructed as a four lane concrete road.  It was done to help transporting troops in and out of Ft. Leonardwood Mo.

The Elbow Inn!  The bartender wanted us to stay for bikers night, but we must press on.

The first time I ever had a bottled water at a bar. Oh well! And they have a contest to win a free T shirt, all you need to do is take off your bra and staple it to the ceiling.
Friendly owners, they wanted us to stay for Thursday night bikers night and even offered the back area next to the river for camping.  But we pressed on to Springfield Mo.  The weather is still perfect. Oklahoma does not look so good.

                                                    A rocker for Jimpa! The sign says it all.

Stopped in Cuba, Missouri to look at this Route 66 Motel.  I must say the Wagon Wheel motel is the best

                                   Devils Elbow bridge and turn, just outside of Waynesville, Mo.

                  1955 Ford, four door, located at the Route 66 Rail Haven motel in Springfield Mo.

The Harley Road King is doing great. Mike had a couple of adjustments done today, but his is running well also. Im out of clean clothes. Need a laundry tonight. Could be a fun Friday night somewhere in Oklahoma.

American Education at its finest!

                                       Check out the gas prices at this Route 66 service station.

Another fantastic day of big sun, warm temperatures, but a little wind on Friday's ride.  We are now over a third of the way there, averaging over 200 miles per day.  We started Friday in Springfield, Mo. and finished off Missouri, a big 13 miles of Kansas and about a hundred miles of Oklahoma, staying in Tulsa last night.

A flying crapper spreader

I decided to take a break from the Harley and fly for a few miles.

We stopped and visited with famous American Artist Lowell Davis on his front porch.

Mike and I both had minor mechanical problems and had to spend a hour at the Joplin, Mo. Harley shop, getting new springs for our Kick Stands. What I found out is that travelers at the Harley dealers nationwide take service priority and they had us in an out quickly.
At every stop we continue to meet people from all over the world. I think Route 66 is more popular in other countries then the USA.  One of the local Route 66 merchants told us there is a group from the Netherlands right behind us in 25 different Mustang convertibles. WOW! I hope they catch us.

From all the fun to the reality of life. This is some of the remains of the Joplin, Mo. tornado. It looked like a war zone.

This really is an education in modern American history. We are seeing and learning alot. We had to ride about an hour after sunset and the Friday night football lights in northeastern Oklahoma were fun to see as we cruised through the small towns along Route 66. You could hear the fans cheering their teams.

This picture is for Mary Kay. Yes Dorothy we are in Kansas. All 13 miles of Route 66 in Kansas.

And baseball fans of my era. This is the man, Mickey and his hometown of Commerce, OK. 

A part of Route 66 in Oklahoma was originally constructed nine feet wide. No wonder the Mother Road picked up the nickname, The Bloody Highway. Imagine two 48 fords meeting here at night.

Friday night was laundry night for us as we listened to the football stadium announcer we drank a 16 oz can of coors light and ate a bag of chips on our hotel patio.  No camping yet!

And the Rain came

Saturday started in Tulsa, OK under sunny warm conditions, but by mid afternoon it all changed.  After a visit to a Railroad, restaurant museum in Tulsa we rode a couple hours to Bristow OK. to find a sports bar to Watch Oklahoma vs Texas.
I stopped the local sheriff and ask if there was a sports bar in town and his response was "I don't know" It turned out there was only one and a great one indeed. Cokes and water again, but the owners and patrons were great.  Mike was the only Texas fan in the pub.
We joked, told stories, took pictures and made promises to keep in touch and send a Bulldog flag for the brick wall, next to the Sooners flag.
A local HOG chapter showed up at halftime, so the place was covered with motorcycles and riders.  More checking out the Chrome and the roar of a Harley.
As we pulled out and did a sound run by we looked to the western sky and it was black. Here comes the rain.
After a stop at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum and a motorcycle museum we pulled over a put on the rain gear just in time. The sky opened with buckets of rain and I had my first experience of riding in the rain.  Fun for the first 30 minutes, but the next hour and a half was work. Slow and cautious!
We made it to Oklahoma City and it was time to upgrade our class of hotels. We needed one with ESPN2, a bar, and restaurant . Found it all at the Hilton Gardens Inn.  We are big time now.

Just outside Tulsa- a unique "brick covered" Route 66 historic bridge.

Here comes the rain and the rainsuit is on

Check out this beauty

Route 66 Oklahoma museum

New friends at the Bristow sports bar and grill.  This is America!

It's 7am local time Sunday morning and the rain has stopped for now. Hopefully we will get out of here today. Amarillo is a goal for today.

Rain and more Rain - All day Sunday

After a great Saturday night at the Oklahoma City Hilton Gardens- a real upgrade for two Harley riders.  We found about a fifteen minute break in the rain and headed out for more west bound travel.  And the rains came again and this time did not stop until mid afternoon.
A lot of expensive Harley rain gear turned out to be mostly a worthless purchase. Especially my water proof rain gloves, which were soaked in five minutes. While trying to take off the soaked water proof gloves the inside liner came out and would never go back in so I had to cut them off with a steak knife from the Cherokee Indian Grill.
Talk about a muddy mess.  My shinny Harley was now Oklahoma mud brown.  Of course every low dip in the old route 66 was filled with mud.  It had not rained here for over a month.  so glad we could be here for the rain event.
We continue to meet and talk with some great local people as well as travelers from all over the world.  I knew I wanted to take this trip, but I had no idea it was this popular, especially with foreign travelers.
Tomorrow, Monday, we should reach the halfway point of Route 66 between Chicago and Santa Monica.
Tired- yes, Cold- yes, right now, but still so glad I'm doing this. Monday will be a new SUNNY day!
Having trouble download photos right now- will get it figured out out tomorrow.

The rains continued on Sunday. With a fifteen minute break in the rain we left the luxury of the Hilton Gardens Inn around noon. It wasn't long before my new "Guaranteed" water proof gloves were soaked. Slow riding, but we needed to press on.

Oklahoma is scattered with oil rigs all along Route 66

Finally some proof that there are really Indians in Oklahoma. Great coconut cream pie and hot tea at this stop. We are soaked and freezing, but clear skies are ahead.

A true Sooner fan working at the Cherokee Indian reservation cafe.

Overcast and oil wells dot the Oklahoma country side.  We are riding out of this storm in a few more hours.  Route 66 is not marked as well in Oklahoma as in previous states so a few wrong turns were made.

Sunshine Again, Texas and eastern New Mexico

Monday was a really great day of riding. We started in Shamrock, Texas, yes the Irish capital of Texas and finished off Texas and rode over a hundred miles into New Mexico.

Shamrock even has a blarney stone. No thanks on the kissing part of the Texas-Irish heritage blarney stone. Started out cloudy, no rain and the sun was out by noon.  The scenery and American Beauty is changing with each mile. It's amazing to think about the early travelers heading west in a 1940's Ford with three or four kids. No air, bad tires and the Bloody highway changing with each curve. The buzz along the route continues to be about the 45 Mustang convertibles behind us. Every merchant and hotel are waiting for the arrival$$$. 

Had a nice steak dinner last night with my friend Tom Quaid. We should arrive at his mountain home of Tuesday afternoon.

Original Conoco station in Shamrock, Tx.

Phillips 66 gas station. Check out the drive up car lift on the left.

A few wrong turns along the way. Texas did not mark Route 66 very well. We ran into a few of these turn arounds as we rode.  Just part of the adventure.

I love this place for lunch. Amarillo Texas. The waitress called us both sweetie and the owner came to our table and talk the whole time we were eating.  Got invited to another Biker Bar, but had to press on, trying to make Santa Rosa, New Mexico, before dark.

The Cadallac Ranch just west of Amarillo. This is in the middle of pasture land just off of Route 66. The story goes that after buying a Caddy from the local dealer and when it was time to trade in the car the dealer did not live up to his trade in price guarantee, to the owner buried his car nose first and every car he bought after that. Bring your own spray paint to leave your KIMBO logo.

Just another eye catching stop along the historic Route 66, the Mother Road.

The half way point, Adrian, Texas, between Chicago and Santa Monica. We are on schedule.

One of the best cafes' on the Mother Road. Chocolate cream pie was the choice of the day. 

Great Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. New owners from Michigan. Great young couple seeking the dream of Route 66 motel ownership. A must stay along the route.

1951 or 1952 Pontiac. What a beauty at the Blue Swallow Motel.

The owners of the Blue Swallow Motel asked if they could do a portrait of Mike and I while we visited. Of course we agreed.