Part one.
Finally, we are here after a nightmare journey on the M4. Sat in traffic for an hour at Swindon and then the M4 was completely closed at Maidenhead. So, we were diverted to Reading and caught the train in. Picking up the Harleys on Monday morning and hitting Route 66.
Breakfast at Denny's
LA to Vegas.
First day on the bikes and it’s very warm. 285 miles through mostly desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The road that we wanted to take through the mountains and national forest is closed until May. We got caught in a massive traffic jam somewhere in between LA and Vegas for around 90 minutes and because of the no filtering laws in certain states we couldn’t filter through the traffic and it was uncomfortably warm in temperatures around the mid 80’s. Once we were through the jam the roads opened up and we had a fantastic ride, riding roads that just disappeared into the distance with the Nevada mountains around us. Arrived in Vegas around 6pm and got straight on the beer. Got out and saw the sights of Vegas until late. Incredibly tacky and wacky but I love it here.
Outside our Motel every 20 minutes all night long.
Boulder City.
Cameron Trading Post.
Left Las Vegas around 8.15am and headed to the Hoover Dam for first stop. Left Nevada behind and crossed over into Arizona. This has been one of the best days riding that I’ve had for many years. The roads were empty and fantastic scenery with snow topped mountains and huge plains. We were followed by big dust storms that just kicked up out of nowhere but they were the size of a small town. We also had hours of tumbleweed hitting the bikes along the route. We picked up Route 66 and it was everything that I imagined it would be and more. We stopped at the famous Hackberry stores on the route for refreshments and had a chat to some State Troopers. We then headed for Flagstaff and the last 2 hours were hard work riding over the vast plains but riding in gale force winds. We reached our evening stop over at the Trading Post Indian reservation, but the trouble is they don’t sell alcohol 344 miles travelled today and ride time 8 hours 15 minutes.
Grand Canyon.
Early start from our night at the trading post and it was freezing. Clear skies but windchill put the temperatures into minus figures. A 35 mile ride into the Grand Canyon national park and it was one of those genuine jaw dropping moments when you see the vastness of the canyon for the first time. Stopped at the canyon village for breakfast before setting off for our next stop. Picking up Route 66 again we rode into Holbrook which was once a big town on the route but like many other towns on the 66 it’s very tired and lots of motels and shops are shut down, stopped here for drinks. By midday it was very hot again and interesting riding the roads with the freight trains running alongside you at regular intervals. We left Arizona behind us and crossed over into New Mexico, our 4th state in 3 days and through Native American territory. From Holbrook we continued onto our stopover for the night in Gallop which is another town on Route 66 and also very run down. We’re staying in a trashy motel which has seen better days and stinks of weed but it’s all part of the experience. The roads have been brilliant again today and the scenery breath-taking. 318 miles today. 8 hours, 45 minutes ride time.
7. Alburquerque + Santa Fe.
The temperature overnight was -7 degrees and when we set off at 8.15am it was only -3. It’s really deceiving because it looks a lot warmer. By mid-morning it’s nice and warm again. We followed Route 66 most of the way today. Today has been the best days riding so far. We rode right through cowboy countryside, and it was like riding through a film set of the old westerns, the scenery was stunning with huge red table topped mountains. We stopped off in Albuquerque for refreshments before arriving to Santa Fe. Santa Fe is very touristy, and it seems like every shop is selling native Indian souvenirs. Walking around it, it’s almost impossible to get something to eat because most cafes are closed. Total miles today 210.
This morning we were up at 7am having breakfast in a small Mexican cafe in the sunshine and I’m happy to say it was a lot warmer than previous mornings. We set off at 8.15am and left the snowy mountains of Santa Fe and New Mexico behind us and headed for the flat plains of Texas. Another great day of riding these great roads with very little traffic. Route 66 is a funny road; it was in great condition right up to the Texas state line and then once in Texas the road ran out of tarmac and went to red dust. You could still see the old bridges crossing the creeks and the embankment but no road service, the I40 runs alongside it so it incorporates the 66, but 10 miles down the road the tarmac starts again and it’s Route 66 again. Once we crossed over into Texas we saw cows for the first time on this trip. Ahead of us the fields turned from desert to a black mass, this turned out to be thousands of black cows in huge pens spread over many, many acres, we’re definitely in Texas now. We crossed another time zone today and we’re now in CET time zone. We arrived at our ranch for the night in Amarillo which also turns out to be a famous steakhouse and brewery that do 72 oz steaks. We parked the bikes up and it’s very warm and tee shirt weather. After a swig of Southern Comfort we are now heading off to the bar for a few beers and a steak or two. 288 miles today.