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Any advice on taking 66 to the coast?


magley64

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Earache burst my bubble a couple of weeks ago when he told us that only some small portions of the original road still exist. I guess the highway was not a supplement route but a replacement.

I live to disappoint!

66 was "decomissioned" if you will, so it no longer exists as a route. Most of it was replaced by interstates. A lot of the road physically isn't there anymore.

You can retrace the route by following directions over other routes, interstates and local roads but it can be a chore to figure out where you're going. There's a load of magazines, books, etc that will help you navigate as much of the route as possible. Head over to Barnes and Noble's travel section and peruse soemfot he books on Route 66 - there's a shitload of them.

Not to mention that there are routes to Cali that are 1,000 times more interesting than the boring Route 66.

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Maybe take US Route 6, which is the old transcontinental road.

It's definitely a back road, and will wander around quite a bit.

It runs from Provincetown, MA to Bishop, CA.

It used to go all the way to Long Beach, CA. But they destroyed that last portion.

If you ride the entire road from here and return, it will be something like 6600+ miles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_6

Grand Army of the Republic Highway

285px-US_6_map.png

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I just did this a couple days ahead of Earache and Casper. It is not real easy to do, most of it doesn't exist anymore. In my opinion the best thing to do is take interstate, 40 runs along most of it. That way you can get off where it has been kept up. I could see it in places from the interstate, lots of broken up gravel. I got off and road it a few times though. Most of the historical places are only in the cities anymore, no reason(besides being impossible) to actually take the whole route. Here are a few.

I started in St Louis, which has a few sections that are marked. Didn't see a whole lot of it marked in the rest of MO, except near Joplin I think.

I don't think OK has done anything with it, could be wrong.

Texas has quite a bit, Shamrock, Amarillo and others use it for tourists.

NM has tons, Central Ave through Albuquerque is probably the largest intact part in the whole country. Was sweet, almost like being in a time machine.

Don't know about the rest of the western portion, went south from Albuquerque.

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I got this wild hair that I'm going to ride route 66 from Chicago to LA...

Any advice?

anybody done it?

i was on route 66 a large part of this past summer, not by bike thou. generally, from central ohio, you'd head over to st.louis and meet up with it there. i was in my suv with three kids, and a dog. i love route 66, the topography, the interesting sites both off interstate and on. i would personally find i-40 torture on a bike but that is just me. i can only stand going straight for so long. i can tell you this however, there is simply no way to stay on the orig road the entire way. i enjoy photography and i took some varous pics and got off the interstate frequently, bc i was not out for doing good time. old ruins, natural hot springs, focal points of interest, actual standing gas stations from back in the day preserved, i don't know what your are intested in but shoot me a msg if you want more specifics about places in new mexico, az and ca. i recommend this one stop in las vegas new mexico. its actually off route 66 by an hour, but the drive is worth it.. its a natural develped hot spring at the bottom of pinon covered canyon. at the top of the canyon is the old arm & hammer castle, which is now some converted int'l college. truly spectacular under the stars at night, but not a place you would find lest someone told you about it.... i really enjoyed sharing it with my kids. there are still a lot of smaller towns dedicated to preserving the orig road but too small to remember specifically, and are far more interesting once you get closer/passed Amarillo. obviously i favor out west.

Edited by socaln8tv
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I live to disappoint!

66 was "decomissioned" if you will, so it no longer exists as a route. Most of it was replaced by interstates. A lot of the road physically isn't there anymore.

You can retrace the route by following directions over other routes, interstates and local roads but it can be a chore to figure out where you're going. There's a load of magazines, books, etc that will help you navigate as much of the route as possible. Head over to Barnes and Noble's travel section and peruse soemfot he books on Route 66 - there's a shitload of them.

Not to mention that there are routes to Cali that are 1,000 times more interesting than the boring Route 66.

I'd have to agree with finding alternate routes. Most of 66 in the Southwest is Interstate 40. Only things interesting there is a stop in Gallup, NM for Indian jewelry and Long John Silvers', the trees in Flagstaff, AZ, and this...

DSC01157.JPG

Pretty much boring after that and frickin hot in Needles, CA once you cross the border. I did that in July and temps ran to 119 degrees while I was moving. The CA portion of 66 is pretty much I-15 and the 101 freeways. Nothing to see there.

I took a northern route in 2007 from LA to Missouri back home and this was a LOT more scenic. I got a whole story/blog behind this one. PM me if you want the link to my blog.

routept2.gif

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Maybe take US Route 6, which is the old transcontinental road.

It's definitely a back road, and will wander around quite a bit.

It runs from Provincetown, MA to Bishop, CA.

It used to go all the way to Long Beach, CA. But they destroyed that last portion.

If you ride the entire road from here and return, it will be something like 6600+ miles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_6

Grand Army of the Republic Highway

285px-US_6_map.png

interesting! i never knew of this road. bishop as an end town kind of sucks, but mammoth and tahoe are closeby at least... love the easter sierra

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The CA portion of 66 is pretty much I-15 and the 101 freeways. Nothing to see there.

Yeah, but ya can stop in Barstow to see Mecca! (also known as one of the first Del Taco's)

There's a crappy little Route 66 museum next to the bombed out train depot just north of town.

Edited by Earache
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but shoot me a msg if you want more specifics about places in new mexico, az and ca. i recommend this one stop in las vegas new mexico. its actually off route 66 by an hour, but the drive is worth it.. .

We spent last Xmas in Las Vegas. Cool little town that kinda got by passed by progress. The square in the center of town is surrounded by period buildings with an old 1940's drug store on the east side. Not trying to look retro and cool, it just is.

Going there again this Xams - dont' ask why.:confused:

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Yeah, but ya can stop in Barstow to see Mecca! (also known as one of the first Del Taco's)

There's a crappy little Route 66 museum next to the bombed out train depot just north of town.

you had to go there... gawd i miss del taco. dont forget the first/last stop for in n out burger b4 vegas/stateline!

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We spent last Xmas in Las Vegas. Cool little town that kinda got by passed by progress. The square in the center of town is surrounded by period buildings with an old 1940's drug store on the east side. Not trying to look retro and cool, it just is.

Going there again this Xams - dont' ask why.:confused:

hey! how funny we're just there.. its off the beaten path so i think its cool someone else here knows what im talking about! i was in santa fe last xmas and headed up to las vegas one night. have you been to those hot springs i mentioned? not too bad if you don't mind the occasional nude hippie cruising down from colorado.

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Casper, ShittyGixer and I were in Santa Fe last month as part of our westward trip. Just ate a lot and got drunk there, so we didn't venture up to Vegas at all.

The wife works for a hotel company that owns the Hilton Santa Fe, so that's why we go there so much. She works while I wonder around, getting drunk, etc. and eating hot food.

Never got into In N Out, not a big burger fan. But Del Taco's Spicy Chicken Quesadillas are the best fast food in the World. I hot them up every chance I get. I think the closest Del Taco is in St. Louis (just off of i-70 , one exit east ofthe Airport). I hit that one up about once a month when I'm over that way.

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anybody done it?

I did the section through Arizona and it is awesome. A lot of what I imagined was the 'old flavor' still remains. The old shops and gas stations, the little towns. The cool old roadside hotels, we stayed at the t-pee hut one.

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Damn how the hell are going to get that kind of time off work. You get same amount of "PTO" as I do. There's no way in hell I could make it. But good luck if you do try it.

I got laid off a month ago...

i have a years supply of PTO...it's called "unemployment compensation"

I figure this trip can be had in style for less than 2 grand...and I have 3 in savings... I just built a back rest/luggage rack for the bike, and I'm leaving on wednesday...

Wednesday I ride 13 hours, new lyme to springfield missouri,

Thursday I ride 12 hours springfield to albequerque

Friday I ride 11 hours albequerque to LA

Saturday I enjoy LA, including the beach, hollywood, and some night life (probably splurge on a good hotel in case I meet some ladies...)

Sunday I ride 4 hours to vegas

Monday I ride 11 hours to denver

Tuesday I ride 12 hours to St. Louie

Wednesday I ride 9 hours to New Lyme...

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I got laid off a month ago...

i have a years supply of PTO...it's called "unemployment compensation"

I figure this trip can be had in style for less than 2 grand...and I have 3 in savings... I just built a back rest/luggage rack for the bike, and I'm leaving on wednesday...

Wednesday I ride 13 hours, new lyme to springfield missouri,

Thursday I ride 12 hours springfield to albequerque

Friday I ride 11 hours albequerque to LA

Saturday I enjoy LA, including the beach, hollywood, and some night life (probably splurge on a good hotel in case I meet some ladies...)

Sunday I ride 4 hours to vegas

Monday I ride 11 hours to denver

Tuesday I ride 12 hours to St. Louie

Wednesday I ride 9 hours to New Lyme...

Awesome, good luck and have fun. After just doing this solo(and I'm sure Casper, Earache and Shitty will agree with me since they did it too recently), I'll tell you a few things I discovered, that I'm sure you know already.

1. That is a lot of riding in a short period. Not sure if you have ever done anything like this before.

You may want to throw in an extra day or two in case you get tired, hit bad weather( I hit a freakin' flood), mechanical issues, or you are just having fun and want to stay somewhere longer.

I had issues with my inner thigh going numb from riding so much, I think Casper had problems too.

400-700 miles a day is a long day. Stop and rest plenty. I averaged about 400 per day over 10 days and it kicked my ass. I did 600 two days, I don't know how people iron butt.

2. Riding at night out west sucks. Visibility is nil, animals everywhere, crazy cagers. Be careful, try to ride in the day as much as possible.

3. Dress warm, and pack winter and rain gear. Even before the sun goes down, the temperature drops big time around 6-7. You will get wet.

4. It is ridiculously windy. Doing 80 in 40 mph crosswinds beats the shit out you and wears you out fast.

Ride safe, and keep us updated on the trip. :biker:

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