The Last of 66 and Back to Dallas

The morning was overcast and so was I. The effect of drinking too much, getting to bed late and the realisation that this great ride was nearly over. As we left the Motel at Stroud I could see Richard (the Vietnam Vet from last night) standing outside his room waving to us. Upon hearing the harley's he had come out especially. They are good people.

We picked up 66 in the centre of Stroud and that sent us towards Oklahoma City. The sky was threatening but at this stage no rain. Just outside of Stroud we hit a famous part of 66 that is still paved in the original brick. Pretty bumpy on the bike but cool none the less.

Each leg of this journey would throw us into towns that time has forgot, but the people live on and I guess still see themselves as keepers of the Mother Road. They will all offer up a story and it is striking just how many of them have never travelled far beyond these towns. When some of them learn about what Bo and I have done they all seem to be in awe. They always wish us well and genuinely mean it. 

As we passed these buildings (and there are many of them) you are always left wondering what happenned to these people, what brought them here in the first place, and what in the end made them leave. For others you can't help but wonder why they stay.

About a hundred miles past Stroud we finally, and reluctantly, bade farewell to Route 66 and rode hard to Dallas. We had to have the bikes back by mid afternoon and to push on any further would have meant we would miss the deadline. It was really hard to turn those big old harleys true South but we did and made Dallas just in time to get caught in a torrential downpour and rush hour traffic. My thoughts were for the Mother Road. As we handed the bike keys back and got into the cab both Bo and I were sad to be leaving these magnificant machines that had such a big part of our lives for nearly four weeks. You either love them or you hate them, but they were made to travel these big long roads and they did this without hesitation taking everything from rush hour traffic jams to cruising effortlessly for days on end at 85mph. I know our riding lives will never be the same after this experience.

We have travelled 6750 miles (that's 10863km's), and have ridden through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. An epic ride. As I write this it is hard to single out any one part of the ride as being more special than any other part. Colorado was breathtakingly beautiful, Utah was majestic with it's canyons and mesas, but each State seemed to have its own special character and characters. The Natchez-Trace Parkway was amazing, as was Old Route 66 as it revealed some of its faded glory. But maybe the special part was just riding with Bo and the fun we had no matter where we were. We seldom stayed in big cities or towns, and always enjoyed a beer together at the end of each day watching those magnificant sunsets that followed us around everywhere we went.

We discovered food like the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, real Strawberry shakes, and the simple pleasures of pulling up to an out of the way diner or bar and enjoying them and the people in them for what they were.

We leave this country on the 4th of July. The symbolism and the patriotism associated with that day and what it represents has been everywhere. I think too many people criticise the USA unfairly. It is a complex nation.  An intense mix of politics, god, and nationhood offset by people (such as those we met) with real humility, and an immense pride in being part of it. Everyone we spoke to knew where we had come from and that it was a beautiful country that they would like to visit.  They know our soldiers have fought with distinction with theirs in many wars and campaigns and that means a lot more to them than it probably does to a lot of people back home. Every country has a dark side, and the bigger they are no doubt means it is a pretty big dark side. Except for an unintended detour in Gary, Indiana, we didn't really see it it. I wish them all a happy 4th of July. By the time you read this we will be back home thinking about what we have left behind. LTGTR!

Route 66 - Rolla to Stroud

We were on the road early as we had a big ride. The aim was to get as far past Tulsa as we could and as close to Oklahoma City as time would allow. The Old Route was still well sign posted as we crossed from Missouri into Kansas into Oklahoma.

The shot above is Main Street Galaena, Kansas. A bleak, run down little place that still eeks out a living for the locals somehow. Truth be known life is probably very simple, and because of that, not too bad. The kids playing in the street looked happy and waved cheerfully. The next town was completely different. Still small town USA but clean, vibrant and proudly displaying the flag.

We flew through Tulsa too quickly to get a true sense of the place. It was rush hour and hot. Outwardly it looked very nice sitting on the banks of the huge Arkansas River. We did find Route 66 Harley in Tulsa though - sarah's bike lost the bolt attaching her seat to the guard so we c alled in and replaced the bolt. More T shirts!

We pushed on to Stroud where we called it a day. This was our last night on the road. Tomorrow we head for Dallas and then home. We brought some beer and sat outside listening to the stereo on my Harley. It was a warm evening and people gravitated over to us and began talking. We met some more very interesting Americans. The last one we spoke to was Richard, a Vietnam veteran who (like most of the people we speak to) want to talk about our adventure and their own.

This was a beautiful night and we didn't want it to end. We stayed outside until quite late and I probably had a bit more to drink than I care to admit. I am going to miss this place.

Route 66 -Springfield to Rolla

We awoke in Springfield to another glorious morning.  This big rig was parked right by us. It is typical of the hundreds and hundreds of trucks we pass (and they pass us) on these highways We haven't struck one unfriendly driver or trucker, everyone is polite to the extreme and always allow you in if changing lanes or wanting to pass. I am not looking forward to having to deal with NZ traffic again. . First stop was the local Harley dealership (more t shirts and badges. This was a good call as it turned out to be right on old Route 66 and we met the owner who told us about a really important stop on 66 just down the road - Bill Shea's (Originally Mahon's) Garage. We headed there and what a great place. Old Bill Shea opened his first garage with his father back in the 30's. Overtime he has collected meorabillia from all round 66 and the old garage is now a private museum. As we pulled up there was on old guy just sitting there in the shade. Turned out he was Bill Shea. He introduced us to his collection and shared his memories of "The Mother Road" with us. It was very special. A World War 2 veteran, he landed at UTah Beach on D Day and watched his good friends die along side of him. He was a great guy, and we are pleased we took time out to go there. You cannot buy this sort of  stuff.

This leg of the trip was really interesting. The sign posts indicated what part of the Old Route you were on and the different ages of various parts of the road. Some of this leg also showed us how they had let the old four lane part degenerate by only maintaining two lanes.. It was interesting riding along knowing that there were two more lanes beside you, now overgrown.

All along this road you see desterted homes an businesses that remind you of the activity that must have gone on here. You find yourself thinking about the adventures people had, the happiness and the sadness. You see deserted cemetaries that are filled with those that lived and died in these remote places.

There are many contrasts as well. In the middle of nowhere you will find a fully restored site, but nothing to tell you about its significance, and no one for miles to tell you first hand. But restoration and recognition of the importance of this road is everywhere. We found the Route 66 State Park and Museum and that was another very interesting experience. It covers an area that previously had been a whole town that the Government turned up and shut one day because of toxic waste in the soil. Only in the USA. The museum itself was housed in a foamous roadside restaurant and had been beautifully maintained. We psuhed on through Cuba where we stopped for a beer and were told about a great biker bar in the next town called "The Tater Patch". We pushed on and found ourselves in Rolla at sunset. It was beautiful. We enquired as to where the Tater Patch might be and were pleased to find it was just round the corner from where we were staying. What a great night - a few beers - a plate of ribs - and getting to know the locals. One in particular took a fancy to me but that is a story in itself.  Tomorrow Tulsa and as close to Oklahoma City as we can get. 

On Route 66 - Chicago to Springfield

Finally have access to the internet again so will post a few of these to get everything up to date. It was good to be back on the road again after two nights in the same place. Having said that it was also nice to have two nights in the same place, and Milwaukee was a lot of fun. We made the decision to avoid Chicago and head staright down to Bllomington to pick up "The Mother Road". This was absolutely the right decision as Chicago traffic is diabolical on any day, and the thought of dealing with the morning rush hour just so we could say we started the ride at the very beginning of Route 66 just didn't appeal. On the way we passed though another Clinton (we have been through three now) so a photo opp seemed to be presenting itself.

Once we hit Bloomington the original Route 66 was very easy to find. It was well sign posted and in remarkably good condition. We had been led to believe it was run down, and while it is not to the standard of the main freeways and interstates it would still give our State Highways arun for their money. We had three nights to get back to Dallas, so we rode hard direct to Bloomington and then picked up the original Route 66 all the way to Springfield.

Our first stop out of Bloomington was Dixie's Truckstop. This is an iconic diner just out of Bloomington and the place where we picked up a good map of the whole route and some souvenirs. Armed with the map and the trusty GPS we found it pretty difficult to go wrong but we gave it a good try. North of Springfield we

ended up in a little town  that could have come straight out of the fifties. Utes parked on an angle, US flags flying, locals meandering around and an absolutely bloody marvellous little bar called the Blue Moon. It was late in the day, we were both thirsty and this was just too good not to have a look. There were four locals sitting at the bar and the very friendly barmaid immediately introduced everyone to us and we all got to talking.

We hit Springfield late in the day. Springfield is historically recognised as the final resting place for Abe Lincoln and his museum and library is situated here. The centre of town is quite beautiful and our overall impression was very positive. We picked a pretty cheap motel, unpacked the bikes, showered and then headed off to a local mexican cantina for what turned out to be a pretty nice (and once again cheap) meal. This was a great day's riding for both of us. The bikes are running beautifully and we find we hit a rythm pretty early in the day that sets the pace for the rest of it. This is biker heaven. 

Last night in Milwaukee

After the museum we cruised Milwaukee and (oh what a surprise) ended up at the Harley dealership. The reason we do this is to collect a dealer patch and (if they are good) a T Shirt. I don't know how many we have visited, but there must be at least twenty T shirts in the collection. This proved beneficial as we not only met the owner of the place he gave us free ticketes to Summerfest.

When we first planned this trip we intended to be in Milwaukee on the Saturday and Sunday night so we could get to the Summerfest Rock festival. This meant we would have seen a couple of bands and artists (Phil Vassar and Tom Petty) that were appearing on the weekend but because of the delays earlier in the trip we had to settle for the Blue Oyster Cult and Collective Soul. Having said that there were at least 10 bands playing across the venue at the same time, this is a seriously large event. There were small and large stages and some very well known acts.

This rock concert is also a big biker destination. The organisers encourage bikers and a specail parking area is set up that allows you to ride right into the venue and park up. Everyone else has to park miles away and catch a bus.

We finished up the night looking for somewhere to get me a milk shake (I had a craving) and finally settled on Hooters (Bo's choice). I can see what the attraction is. They make damned good milk shakes.

Milwaukee

The name sounds boring but let me tell you this place rocks! We arrived at the hotel to find a bar (the first at a Best Western) and immediately relaxed. After another very cheap meal and a few drinks we hit the sheets and awoke early for breakfast and a big day. The main event for us was the Harley Davidson Museum, so we went directly there. Okay, I know some of you (particularly Gleeson) will wonder why we have travelled so far to see the home of Harley but unless you own one it is hard to explain.

Here are some shots taken at the Museum which really do not do justice to the foresight that Harley have had to their motorbikes. Right from the moment you arrive till the moment you leave a Harley owner is made to feel special. it is just geared for bikers, from the museum itself to the shops to the cafes to the bars. Apart from the history of how these bikes have evolved from push bikes back in 1903 they have had the forsight to save at least one bike from every model of every year since day one! The museum is exceptional.

There were some interesting aspects to this tour that proved I did not know anything about what Harley has done over the years. They have made scooters, golf carts, speed boats, motor bikes from 50cc's up, a horizontially opposed twin (like BMW), developed an in line four before Honda, an in line six and a whole lot more. If your understanding of Harleys is only about very tractor like V Twins then this museum will change your understanding, and your appreciation of what "the company" has actually achieved over the years.

Ok so we are biased, but this was Mecca for Bo and I and we enjoyed every damned second of it. We spent the rest of the day cruising Milwaukee which is a beautifful city that sits on the shores of Lake Michigan, one of the great lakes. Unfortunately we do not have a photo (as we were riding across a bridge at the time) but this lake is not the biggest of the great lakes yet we could not see the other side so it looked like the open sea. We are now ghetting ready to hit "Summerfest". This is a rock, food and drink festival that lasts two weeks and is internationally recognised as one of the biggest rock concert events in the world! 

Bowling Green to the Home of Harley (Milwaukee)

I am giving CL the night off from blogging. Lovely start to the day - left Kentucky under clear, blue skies with a warm breeze and little traffic - en route to Milwaukee via Louisville and Indianapolis ...... however, y'all have to take our word for it as we've little photographic evidence to show for it ... i.e. bring on the thunder storms ! Not such a good idea to finsd yourselves in zero visability on an open Indiana plain where the only options for escaping the trucks on the 3-lane interstate and taking cover from forked lightening is a rather soggy horse or a wind turbin (neither of which would be recommended). However, as with all inclement weather we've seen to date, extremely violent and buckets of water but short lived. The wind farms (when the wind is the dominant climatic condition) were quite staggering though - acres of huge turbines that would seriously put the Palmy Hills to shame - would never get an RMA consent given there's quazillions of them but definately a move towards establishing some durable energy supplies (nobody mention B.P.!!).  And the day could only improve from there ? Hmmm, take note: Gary, Indiana is not a quaint small town south of Chicago, and it is also not recommended as a short cut route north from Indiana through to Milwaukee (despite the fact that "Bindy" our trusty GPS considered it the most direct and appropriate route). It is also not recommended to choose late Sunday afternoon if you want to circuit around Chicago ... UGH! 25 miles of first gear grid lock just to get across the outskirts of town. That said, interesting locals and shiny-wheeled, self-elevating vehicles abounded and gave fodder for a fairly adventurous social studies exercise. Never the mind - two hours and 100 degrees later we arrive in the home of Harley and as luck would have it, on the week of Summerfest - humungous week long music festival on the shores of Lake Michigan, just in case we needed something to finish the day off after a day wandering the hallowed halls of the Harley museum and archives.