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Lincoln Highway/Route 66 Road Trip
- Thread starter Moggs023
- Start date
I did a bit of the Lincoln in Pennsylvania and enjoyed it but suspect it isn't all that great in the centre plains cornfield country.
Route 66 is a memory of odd motels and restaurants. How many nights are you planning to spend and how many burgers do you plan to eat. The bit that I rode on in Missouri was the equivalent of highway 27 from Scomberg to Thornton.
If I needed a "I rode Route 66" tee shirt I would use the road, where it still exists and is ride-able, as a guide from which to greatly deviate while exploring interesting side trips.
Pick up a guide book and read it with a large grain of salt. The books have pictures of interesting places that used to exist. Those interesting places are now vacant lots or trailer parks but you got to see where they used to be.
Go to Google Maps and tap on a few remote sections of the chosen route selecting street view. Is it worth it?
Route 66 is a memory of odd motels and restaurants. How many nights are you planning to spend and how many burgers do you plan to eat. The bit that I rode on in Missouri was the equivalent of highway 27 from Scomberg to Thornton.
If I needed a "I rode Route 66" tee shirt I would use the road, where it still exists and is ride-able, as a guide from which to greatly deviate while exploring interesting side trips.
Pick up a guide book and read it with a large grain of salt. The books have pictures of interesting places that used to exist. Those interesting places are now vacant lots or trailer parks but you got to see where they used to be.
Go to Google Maps and tap on a few remote sections of the chosen route selecting street view. Is it worth it?
Route 66 is a bore, everyone told me to skip it, but I ignored them. Followed it from Shamrock, TX through to Illinois. The first restored gas station you see is kind of cool, gets old very quick after that. Basically the only things worth seeing are the gas stations/overpriced diners, and the stores selling kitschy memorabilia. Once you've seen one, you've seen them all. It's not a time capsule to the 60's, more like little tourist amusement parks separated by poorly maintained roads.
Thankfully there's usually a major highway visible from Route 66 almost all of the time so you can hop on/hop off easily.
Thankfully there's usually a major highway visible from Route 66 almost all of the time so you can hop on/hop off easily.
I am riding Route 66 from LA to Chicago in September. Planning to spend most of my time ambling around the south west though - so many places to see there! Renting a Harley from EagleRiders and riding it old-school. I think it should be lots of fun. It's not so much the places I've found while doing road trips through the US, but all the people you meet along the way. As much as people say Canadians are like Americans, I've always found that you meet the most interesting people in the US, especially down south 
One rule of thumb I've found in general riding in the US - stay off the interstate highways - it's way more fun to ride the smaller highways.
Just my 2 cents.
Byron
One rule of thumb I've found in general riding in the US - stay off the interstate highways - it's way more fun to ride the smaller highways.
Just my 2 cents.
Byron
Roadghost
Well-known member
I just did it in June on my Harley. Took 66 from Chicago out to Santa Monica, then up the #1 Pacific Trail to Frisco, then cut back along the Lincoln (better known as the Pony Express). The further east you go, the better the Lincoln gets, especially starting in Illinois. The section through Lake Tahoe Valley is very nice, well developed and well travelled. Much of the Lincoln is actually Interstate 80 now. The two-lane "loneliest highway" bit is not that lonely compared to some Canadian highways, but it's nice to stop and read the roadside info signs, even though much of the highway is rather boring.
Most of the original sections of 66 and the Lincoln are not drivable. They have actually built a new highway next to each of them almost everywhere. You can however, see or even access the original but unmaintained highways in a few places. It's interesting to see abandoned bridges in the middle of the forest in Missouri, and other areas. Of the two highways, the Lincoln is far better maintained, especially U.S. Rte 50 (the original Pony Express) from California through Nevada and Utah.
Whatever you do, don't skip the Oatman Highway. It is an original part of old 66 and a genuine treat on a motorcycle. Also, the Santa Fe Trail is the way to go too.
To be realistic, you can find old highways like these in Canada too. It's just that the Americans are so good at marketing that people tend to believe it. There are places in the American west I remember from old Hollywood movies, abandoned truck stops and that unique western flavor that evokes images of a lost America, circa the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Much of 66 has vanished since I last rode it in 1989 and it continues to disappear, including the famous land marks.
A tip to finding the original highways is to look for the power lines. While roads are moved, Hydro companies rarely move their lines from the original route and they clear the original road for crews to maintain them. This is especially true with the Lincoln. Here is a pic of the original highway from my trip:
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Most of the original sections of 66 and the Lincoln are not drivable. They have actually built a new highway next to each of them almost everywhere. You can however, see or even access the original but unmaintained highways in a few places. It's interesting to see abandoned bridges in the middle of the forest in Missouri, and other areas. Of the two highways, the Lincoln is far better maintained, especially U.S. Rte 50 (the original Pony Express) from California through Nevada and Utah.
Whatever you do, don't skip the Oatman Highway. It is an original part of old 66 and a genuine treat on a motorcycle. Also, the Santa Fe Trail is the way to go too.
To be realistic, you can find old highways like these in Canada too. It's just that the Americans are so good at marketing that people tend to believe it. There are places in the American west I remember from old Hollywood movies, abandoned truck stops and that unique western flavor that evokes images of a lost America, circa the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Much of 66 has vanished since I last rode it in 1989 and it continues to disappear, including the famous land marks.
A tip to finding the original highways is to look for the power lines. While roads are moved, Hydro companies rarely move their lines from the original route and they clear the original road for crews to maintain them. This is especially true with the Lincoln. Here is a pic of the original highway from my trip:
[/URL
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