Through my travels on Route 66 and back, a poem from the novel Hobbits written by J.R.R. Tolkein, kept ringing in my ears, and probably best describes the journey.
Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.
Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.
Why?
Its just that the wanderlust won't go away... Several years ago, I had driven Route 66 in Arizona a couple of times. A short stretch between Kingman and Seligman...
My wanting to travel the whole length of route 66 was piqued by the two of the previous experiences...
For those of you who may not know what Route66 or its importance, Wikipedia did a better job than I ever could:
More about Route 66
When?
I kept dreaming of travelling the mother road, and on July 25th, 2015 suddenly it came true.
I ended up riding on Route 66 from the beginning to almost the end. Well, I cheated as I did not have enough time - I did not start in Santa Monica - I have been there a few times and have seen the parts of Route 66 in the Los Angeles area. So, my run for the mother road started in Victorville, CA just on the outskirts of LA metropolitan area. And along the way. I did skip R66 through big towns/cities. In a way it was convenient to jump on the freeway, which never was too far from the R66. Also at the tail end, the state of Illinois, I decided to jump in the train to reach the end/beginning of R66. I came back home on the 12th of August.
MyRoute 66 Travel Route
Some statistics
Start date: July 25, 2015
End date: August 12, 2015
Total Miles Riding: 5249 Miles
Total Miles Travelled: ~6000 Miles
Number of states crossed: 15
Number of gallons of fuel: ~120
Mimimum cost per gallon: $2.30
Maximum cost per gallon: $4.99
Number of Motels stayed: 10
Number of hours per day: 8-10
Number of miles per day: 400
Longest distance in a day: 520 Miles
Shortest distance in a day: 74 Miles
Number of drops/close calls/tickets: 0 (Yippie, this was one of my safest trips ever).
Some not so important facts:
The number of mosquitoes/butterflies/moths/insects who gave up their life because of me: Too many to count :)
The wildest thing that happened: A butterfly (thankfully long dead, of course) inside my helmet - have no idea it got in there without even me feeling it.
The most different person that I met on the road: A real cowboy in Nevada, who does not even own a car.
The wildest thing: A wild buffalo/bison crossing in front of me in Yellowstone. Sitting there on a bike in front of it, really makes you feel how big and strong they are, and how small and weak we are.
Scariest thing: Riding through heavy winds in Wyoming and Nevada. Scared the hell out of me. Did not want to loose control, and have an incident - and it continued for hours together.
Hardest thing: Riding through the hot and humid weather inside my riding suit, full face helmet and my touring boots. I felt like I was in the oven.
Best Moments: Many to say. But first sight of Route 66 and on the way back, 'Welcome to California' sign on the border of Nevada.
Beautiful Moment: Many to say. But the best happened in Oklohoma. On hot humid days, the cicadas sing even during the day in those parts. One late evening, I pulled over the shoulder on Route 66, and lay on the grass. The music of the cicadas was so loud, and beautiful. I just closed my eyes and laid there for several minutes just soaking in.
On Travelling Alone
I did solicit couple of my friends going with me... three weeks at a stretch is too much to ask of any one. So, its me, my shadow and the mighty ST1100 in our quest to see as much as possible as I can of Route 66.
I was always asked as soon as I said I am going for a 6000 mile Ride - Are you going alone? Are you crazy? Are you not scared something will happen? etc. But then again, I have traveled on my own, and there is a certain joy in being with yourself.
I am not alone - the roads are full of travelers going to wherever. For me I am among many, but yet alone. No one in particular to talk to, no one to get distracted with. Just me, the motorcycle and the road.
I did talk a lot of folks on the road, and them to me - this happens more when I travel alone than with a group of friends or with my family. I venture more into talking to them and they to me.
The stories I hear from them are quite informational, educational, entertaining and sometimes even hilarious.
A road and places alone the trip does not make, the people you meet on the road do.
A little philosophical :)
In a way I feel road trips, particularly those you do on your own, are very close to the journey of life.
In the beginning, there is excitement and plenty of energy. There is a mystery about what you will see and hear. How the trip will go, cannot even be imagined. As much as you would like to plan against the weather/road conditions, there are always surprises. When will it rain, snow, shine or when a hard wind will blow to make to waver, is quite unknown.
The people that you meet on the way, in a restaurant, near a motel, on the rest stops, in national parks and some even when you pull into a gas station - one knows for a fact that the relationship will not continue. However, there is a sense of satisfaction of having met some one, and shared those few minutes - which was *real* at that moment. But with every encounter of another person, your perception changes.
Somewhere in the middle of the journey, one calm down. Even try to take it slow. However, sometimes, there is a hurry to reach the next destination. A palpitation when the the trip has any issues.
Somethings there are thoughts - what the hell am I doing, or there are fears whether to take a turn or not, or talk to someone or not.
The places you stay, once again, you know very well you will leave, so there are no attachments.
Once reaching the half way point, there is an urgency to celebrate, knowing well that the other half of the journey still remains.
On the way back as the miles count down, the heart beat settles as I am getting closer to home, from where it all began.
Once you reach back, you retire with a cup of coffee in your sofa, thinking all about what and how things shaped up.
So, long trips are indeed something one should experience :)
A word about my ride
So it all began - the preparation a couple of years ago. Bought some books tho I did not read them completely. Them lying next to my bed always reminded me of travelling one day. May be I should have read them. I will probably read it once I see it myself.
Honda ST1100
Just like every one is in love with their ride, so am I. The machine is made for the open roads. It never tires, and is happy to go as long as you are willing to go. The silent purr of the engine, the quiet acceleration, and the ability to munch miles makes it best suited for my type of travels. Sure, its getting old, but to me she has not shown any signs of aging. An old companion for the past 15 years, will ride with me again.Some Gadgets
I probably went overboard collecting some gadgets in the last minute - Garmin Zumo GPS, Sena 20s, GoPro Hero3 action cam, AirHawk seat just to name a few.How did they perform?
I guess I did good with these, all of them worked very well. None of them broke, even though there were some quirky moments with my headset. The GPS already proved to be worth the money I spent, and performed well in sun, rain, wind and never had an issue.
I have always been pictures guy - was never into videos. I got sucked into the video craze also. I am not sure if any one is going to see it. May be when I am in my rocking chair someday, I will see them videos again and relive those moments :)
ere.
Now, on with the journey!
Next : Day 1 - From Bay Area, CA to Mojave, CA
