Rt 66 Trip – Highlights and Lessons Learned

It’s been a long week of riding, eating, and hanging out with my brother.  After six days, 2200 miles, and seven-states, here are some of my favorite memories…

•  Lots of time with my brother.  Although there is a lot of “quiet time” during the days, we’ve shared every meal and every night together during the last week.  Plus a few good conversations on the bike. 

• A wonderful visit with my dear friends Jerry & the Becks and my family in OK.  I don’t see them enough.

 

• The ride into and around Sedona as the sun was setting was truly magical.  That will be the lasting impression of the ride.

• Following Rt 66 through New Mexico and seeing the little towns that came to life around the “mother road”. 

• Riding on back roads through the Texas Panhandle.  Such lovely countryside with free ranges of grasslands.  This is a stark change from further west where open fields of scrub and dust fill the horizon.  Cadillac Ranch was impressive… although it’s a simple design it is a powerful statement on the power of art and beauty.  People from all over the world visit this little spot in Amarillo to see the “art” of six Caddy’s buried in the dirt.  While we were there we met bikers from Alabama, and Canada who had stopped by to see the “ranch”.

• Some lovely roads between Siloam Springs, AR and Branson, MO.  Granted, these would have been more beautiful had it been dry and sunny, but it was still delightful. The roads here reminded me of last summer’s ride through West Virginia. (No photos due to the rain).
• Of course, one of my most lasting memories will be the full day of riding in the rain on I-44 & I-55 through Eastern MO and IL.  This reminded me a lot of running the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon in the rain.  I was cold, wet, and on edge emotionally.  But continued to push forward until we arrived at the end. Ironically, it stopped raining just as we pulled into the H-D dealer.  That was 7-hrs ago and it hasn’t rained since. Out the hotel window right now I see the first patch of blue sky I’ve seen since Tuesday evening.

And here are some lessons learned for next time…

• Route any cross-country Motorcycle trips from east to west.  That way, if a major storm hits, you’ll likely drive through it to the other side instead of riding with it for several days.  We’ve been tracking this storms since Tuesday in Western OK.  Yuck.

• Build in at least one extra day for the trip.  We literally pushed it full-speed on the interstate for several days in order to arrive in Chicago at noon (we made it at 11:45).  The trip planner says give it 12-16 days…we did it in 5.5 (with a .5 day in OK visiting family).
• Bring the right gear.  This year we did pretty well here…with jacket liners, rain suits, and neck warmers we were all set for what we encountered.  A far cry from last year when I didn’t have any of the above and nearly froze to death in the rain on Blue Ridge Parkway.
• Get a bike with cruise-control. Both of these Street Glides had cruise control and it made such a big difference.  Especially the last few days when we were pushing hard on the interstate.

One last photo… this was somewhere in Eastern New Mexico.  We rode on this rode four about 4 hours and literally saw fewer than five other cars.  It was beautiful, remote, and barren.