Who got their kicks on Route 66?

Lazy Rider · Nov 28, 2013

This photograph is from our newspaper travel section. It accompanied an article on the remnants on route 66. This section is near Oatman and it is just screaming out for a motorcycle. Has anyone done a tour of route 66 from Chicago to L.A.? Or maybe just explored the old bits that haven't been turned into interstates?

StratTuner · Nov 28, 2013

Caution there, I went on route 66 near highway 40 around barstow, and wow! It's so badly maintained I was worried it would shred my tires! It was bone jarring, and I will not go back... and that was only about 8 miles of it... I'm sure other parts are well maintained, but be careful.

Old Can Ride · Nov 28, 2013

I have ridden Route 66 a number of times now. Some parts of the old road just are not there any more. In some states the markings for old Route 66 are just great, Illinois tells you from which year to which year the roadway was part of Route 66. In other states there just are not any markings, Oklahoma. I have ridden the old road straight though two times now from Chicago to California. Just meeting the elderly folks in the old shops makes the entire trip worth the effort.

Lazy Rider · Nov 28, 2013

StratTuner said:
Caution there, I went on route 66 near highway 40 around barstow, and wow! It's so badly maintained I was worried it would shred my tires! It was bone jarring, and I will not go back... and that was only about 8 miles of it... I'm sure other parts are well maintained, but be careful.

It would be a shame if it were allowed to deteriorate so much that it would be completely abandoned. There's a lot of history on that road.

Lazy Rider · Nov 28, 2013

Old Can Ride said:
I have ridden Route 66 a number of times now. Some parts of the old road just are not there any more. In some states the markings for old Route 66 are just great, Illinois tells you from which year to which year the roadway was part of Route 66. In other states there just are not any markings, Oklahoma. I have ridden the old road straight though two times now from Chicago to California. Just meeting the elderly folks in the old shops makes the entire trip worth the effort.

That sounds like a great trip. One day...

what next · Nov 28, 2013

Ridden lot of sections of it, some better than others. The section near Oatman was some of the roughest narrow blacktop I experienced .

Garydj · Nov 28, 2013

I road the section from Tulsa, OK to Oklahoma City, OK last year. Sadly, it was rainy and cold that day and I did not stop to see any of the sights. I have made many trips on Rt 66 between California and the Mid West by car back when it was the only way to go. Some good memories there. It's a shame to see this piece of motoring history be neglected.

silverhound · Nov 28, 2013

I've traveled some of the more "maintained" parts. The best place I stayed by far was the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari NM. Owned and run by two of the nicest people I have ever met. They even let me keep my bike in one of the garages because the weather was cold and snow was forecast.

Lazy Rider · Nov 28, 2013

Theme song:

[video=youtube;zw1tiNGQ4wI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI[/video]

StratTuner · Nov 28, 2013

Lazy Rider said:
It would be a shame if it were allowed to deteriorate so much that it would be completely abandoned. There's a lot of history on that road.

parts of the road were ... comical... the hotel was gone, the pool was gone, the parking lot was gone, but the hotel sign was still there! Apparently, you can bulldoze everything, but you'd better not touch the sign.

Big Thump · Nov 28, 2013

When riding back from California about 10 years ago, I tried to follow some of RT66 but like others have written, the road was hard to follow. Also, some of the romantic photographs from years past of small towns and hotels were not areas I wanted to spend the night in. Much better roads to find!

2brnut2b · Sep 20, 2015

I spent a night despite of myself in a truck stop on 66 ... we camped on the pavement at Najah's desert Oasis ...

Heavy-H · Sep 20, 2015

I live on route 66...... Flagstaff, Az

Garydj · Sep 21, 2015

Earlier this month, I went with two friends to ride the section of Rt66 between Springfield Mo and Litchfield IL. There are some good sections of road there, some maintained and others not so much. I'd recommend this section if you have a few days to ride it. Lots of things to see along the way.

JoeTx · Sep 22, 2015

66 from California through Arizona on 40 is pretty torn up, lots of tourist spots specially in Kingman AZ that mimic the route, I went through in July I would recommend early spring or fall due to high temperatures.

Old Can Ride · Sep 22, 2015

Illinois time marks the roads better than any other state. However, I like riding Missouri Route 66 the best. The worst marking of the old Route 66 goes to Oklahoma.

Jguarfn28 · Sep 22, 2015

New Mexico used to loop Rt 66 all over the center of the state. For example, check out this turn by turn link:
Historic Route 66 eastbound from Manuelito to Glenrio New Mexico
The merchants wanted to make money off the drivers while they could. I wouldn't characterize the "Mother Road" as a smooth trip.

Who got their kicks on Route 66?

Lazy Rider

New Member

StratTuner

Old Can Ride

Active Member

Lazy Rider

New Member

Lazy Rider

New Member

what next

Member

Garydj

New Member

silverhound

New Member

Lazy Rider

New Member

StratTuner

Big Thump

2brnut2b

Heavy-H

Member

Garydj

New Member

JoeTx

Old Can Ride

Active Member

Jguarfn28

Member

Similar threads

Forum statistics

Online statistics

Newest members