Intro
I did too, but had a hard time finding that. So decided to do up my own.
Here's a photo blog to help you do just that.
Mostly just photos of what was along the route. No commercial agenda. Just showing what I saw.
All pics taken on a phone, so no fancy photography to make things look more magnificent than they are.
Just a place to scroll through to get a grid for some of what all you'll see if you do Route 66.
How long did it take to see all this?
10 Days.
I
did this ride from July 6th - July 16th, with a day layover in Oklahoma
to see some friends, do a little maintenance on the bike and watch an
epic lightening storm.
(I left from Ohio actually, so didn't get to leave Chicago until late afternoon on the 6th.)
Totally doable in this time frame, if you're up for some good days of riding and don't take too long at the sights.
If
you're not stopping everywhere for photos, you could do it in less
time, but wouldn't get the leg stretches the photo time affords.
That said, a little more time might be preferred by most if you can afford it, to really take things in.
Where did you stay?
I
took a tent and knocked it out that way. Sometimes in campgrounds.
Sometimes on the side of the road. That might not be for everyone, but
if you're up for an adventure and want to save cash, it's for sure an
easy option.
Why?!
I
offered this as a profitable trip for friends in New Zealand and
Australia, where classic American cars and bikes are worth a small
fortune.
The idea was they'd come out, buy a bike or car they liked,
do the trip, export the vehicle and sell it, covering the expenses of
the trip and giving them some pocket money to put towards their next
trip.
How many of you?
Covid
hit and I ended up having to ride it alone. But it worked out ok.
While riding in a pack is fun, there's something nice and maybe
therapeutic about a solo ride too.
I know some of you or your wives are wondering, and the answer is no. At no point did I feel unsafe.
What it cost me:
Gas:
$250 (Obviously variable, with prices doing what they're doing and
depending what you're driving or riding, so keep that in mind. I was
averaging about $3 per gallon on an 1800cc bike)
Lodging: $18
for one campsite. Should've been $55, but I couldn't pay at one of the
campsites because of the timing of when I came in and left again. (Keep
that in mind too I guess)
And $72 for HI Hostel in Santa Monica. (Largest single expense of the trip)
$90
Sights, food, gifts etc: $150
Total Cost: $490
Here's
a link to pretty well the only research I did on the trip before I
left.
2 Week Route 66 Itinerary
(Plus a video of a kid and his dad hitting the sights, also not bad,
and found at the bottom of the page.) Though there is a ton of other material if you want to do your research.
It gave me a fair
timetable, a bunch of goals to see and some ideas of what was coming,
but honestly, most things are right along the route, and there are more
things to see than you could maintain the interest to see, so do what
ever research you want, but expect to have fun with exploring unexpected
things too. Or just go and see what you see without any preconceived
expectations. (If that's you, maybe stop scrolling this blog here.)
I hope this helps inspire some of you.
I hope it empowers other of you to realize that this journey of a lifetime is within your reach.
I
hope this gives others of you who aren't able to go for what ever
reason, at least a glimpse into what it's like riding the Mother Road
vicariously through me.
The random video of a guy and his Dad doing Route 66... in the reverse direction from me.
Click the links at the bottom of each page to see each state as I rolled through them.
Life's an adventure. Ride it!
Click here for Section 1. Illinois:
Jump to Missouri:
Jump to Kansas:
Jump to Oklahoma:
Jump to Texas:
Jump to New Mexico:
Jump to Arizona:
Jump to Arizona Pt 2 (Grand Canyon):
Jump to California
