Self Drive U.S.A
アメリカでツーリング
学生のように１月もかけて旅するような旅ではなく短い休みを利用して、会社に遠慮しながら
アメリカ大陸をツーリングしたい私のような小市民を基準にして書いてます。
自分のバイクを持ち込むのではなく、現地でバイクをレンタルすることを前提として書いています。
アメリカ西部は見所も多く、少ない日数でもいくつかの国立公園を周遊することが出来ます。
１ 通常の海外旅行に必要な準備
それに 国際運転免許証の取得が必要です。（レンタル時に提示を求められます。）
２ まず訪れてみたいところをピックアップします。
３ 地図を入手。私の場合は Amazonで注文しました。ここでアメリカの道路地図
が手に入れることが出来ます。 注文してから二週間ぐらいかかりました。
４ 概略コースを決める。
行きたいところをどう回るか概略コースを決める。
１箇所滞在型がよいか、周遊型がよいか決める。
滞在型なら航空券と宿泊のみの格安ツアーを使う。後はバイクの手配が出来ればＯＫ！
ラスベガスに滞在し、ホテルに戻らずに、モーテルを利用しミニ周遊するのもいいと思います。
１日モーテル泊で、グランドキャニオンとかオールドルート６６とか堪能できます。
実際にアメリカを走ってみると荒野の中の町でも大抵モーテルがあり、数十ドルで宿泊できます。
往復の航空券だけを手配して周遊するのもいいと思います。
５ バイクの手配をする
ツアーの場合、出発日、帰国日が決まっているのでそれに合わせてバイクレンタル手配します。
航空券だけ手配の場合は出発便、帰国便が予約できれば、それに合わせたバイクレンタル手配をします。
バイクレンタルの拠点は、インターネットで確認できます。
インターネットで予約ができます。クレジットカード番号が必要です。（デポジット、保証金用）
レンタル料金は前払いで、ドルでの振込みが必要です。（２００３年現在、NezPerceはクレジットで支払い可能）振込み
手数料が数千円必要です。振込みが完了してから本予約となります。
特にシーズン（春から秋）は日本で予約をしておかないと現地での手配は難しいと思います。
私がレンタルを検討したのは下の３社です。
BANZAI TOUR
NezPerce NY,Inc.
EagleRider
上の３社は全て日本語での申し込みが出来ます。レンタル車はハーレーです。
若干料金に差があります。どちらも価格は高めですが、整備のされた新型ハーレーを貸してくれるようです。
乗り捨ても出来ますから、ロスで借りてニューヨークで乗り捨ても可能です。
各社ともアメリカでのハーレーでのバイクツーリングツアー（ガイド付）もあります。
上の２社も基本的にはEagleRiderのバイクを使用しているようです。
NezPerce NY,Incはメールでの問い合わせにも親切に答えてくれ、緊急時のサポートも完備しているので
私はここを通してバイクを借りました。
全てレンタル時にデポジット（保証金）が必要です。オプション保険に入らないと、＄3000（EagleRiderに直接
申し込んだ場合）必要です。
1日20ドルで全てカバーしてくれるので入るべきでしょう。
５ 持参品
ヘルメット、グラブ、レインウェア、ジャケット（ヘルメットは現地で借りれるようですが持っていたほうがよいと思います）
周遊型の場合は、荷物はバイクの後ろに載せれる大きさとなります。ハード型のスーツケースは載せれません。
海外で使える 携帯電話 あると便利です。 国際電話をかけるわずらわしさがありません。
６ その他 便利なサイト
モーテル
http://www.motel6.com/
http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/home
http://www.travelodge.com/
http://www.bestwestern.com/
http://www.choicehotels.com/
www.hotels.com
アメリカの天気
http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/interstate/?null
アメリカ地図
http://mappoint.msn.com/(2eapo1qtguospy55jbhjdyri)/home.aspx
以下、私がアメリカツーリングを準備するにあたり、 TexasのRobert氏とｂｉｌｌ氏よりのRoute66についてのアドバイスなどを
メールでいただきました。現地からの声が参考になればと思います。
| From: |
bill@ride |
 |
| Date: |
Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:56:11 +0100 |
|
| Subject: |
Riding the States |
Hello Shin
And thank you for your enquiry.
Ok here are my thoughts have a good trip!
Travel Tips
1) July will be very hot as you head west and expect temperatures in the
100'sF in New Mexico and Arizona.
2) Fluids! - Drink plenty of fluids all the time in the heat. Do not wait
until you are thirsty! Gatorade is a good drink for replenishing both the fluids
and also the minerals in your body.
Tip: Take a water bottle and fill it with ice in the morning at the hotel
then top up with water. This will stay cool longer into the day.
3) Know your fuel range on the bike. Some areas can be a long way between gas
stations. On my Harley I work on 100 miles between fuel stops. This gives me a
safety margin should gas be further away than that. Fuelling up regularly also
gives you a chance to have a stretch and to take on fluids for your body’s tank
too.
4) Helmets - I would recommend an open face helmet especially due to the hot
areas you will be riding. Take a scarf or similar with you to protect your face
from rain or sandstorms you may encounter. Some states do not have helmet laws.
Two things to note here. One if you intend to ride without a helmet check both
your travel insurance and the bike rental agreement to see if they allow riding
without helmets. Most don't! I wear one all the time because it is natural for
me. Suggest you do the same.
5) Sun Screen - While it is great to ride in shorts and a T-shirt the sun is
very strong this time of year and you will get sunburned
without knowing it until you finish your days ride. That is too late! Especially
watch the backs of your hands if you are not wearing gloves. They will be very
sore if they get sunburned and makes for a painful ride for a few days too. I
wear fingerless gloves, which are cool and still protect the backs of my hands
in the sun.
6) Visitor Centres - As you enter each state and also some towns there will
be visitor centres. I recommend that you stop at these. They will give you free
maps of the state and also lots of advice about places to stop and see. There
are also discount hotel books that have some good deals for places to stay and
again they are free.
Tip:
www.hotels.com This is a good
hotel booking site for most major places. Chicago, LA, Las Vegas ect. Take a
look at the site and find a hotel of your liking then as another tip look to see
if the hotel has its own web site. Sometimes the prices offered are cheaper than
through the middleman.
Recommended Hotels : Anabella Hotel, Anaheim California (LA)
Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas
Your Route
Looks like a good route but I have some suggestions for your
to consider.
1) Having rented bikes in the US in the past I think you may
be a bit optimistic about being away by 10am on the first day. I started my
present trip in Chicago and the first day I rode the Bloomington, Illinois. This
was about 150 miles and was about right for the first day. Don't forget it will
take you a day or so to get used to the roads and the bike. Don't push yourself
too hard to start, it's a holiday enjoy it!
2) Toll Roads - Some of the main highways around Chicago are
toll roads. I find these a real pain as your have to keep stopping to pay the
toll which isn't very much, but it is the hassle of glove off, money out, change
back, glove on ect. You get the picture. If you have a passenger then it does
make it easier as they can deal with the money while you deal with the riding.
But the bottom line is the toll roads will be slow. I try to avoid toll road and
as a result I have given you an alternative later on your ride.
3) Most of your days are 300 mile or over. I would recommend
that you try to reduce this a little. If you do it will give you more time to be
able to stop and enjoy sites along the way. To reduce your miles I would
recommend that you remove the loop over into Utah. While that area is nice to
see it also is a long route round from Monument Valley to Las Vegas. I have done
it in the past and it takes a lot of riding to do.
I feel that it would be better to go from Monument Valley to
the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where you will see far more than on the north
rim as well. Then drop down to Williams and across to Las Vegas from there. From
there maybe you could then go across to Palm Springs before riding back up to
LA.
Bear in mind that the heat will take it out of you
and that you will be tired at the end of the days. Try and look to land at your
daily destination around 3 to 4pm. Then you have time to find a place to stay,
get freshened up and enjoy the evening. You will be fresher for it in the
mornings.
Possible Things To See Along The Way
1) Meramac Caves, Missouri. Jesse James old hide out and a
nice place to stop. You will see loads of signs for this place long before you
are anywhere near it on the Interstate 44. (It will be cool inside too!)
2) Look at possibly dropping down from Springfield, Missouri
south to Fort Smith, Arkansas. This will avoid all the toll roads in Oklahoma
that run from the state border through Tulsa and up to Oklahoma City. Doesn't
take you that far out of your way and there is some nice country along the way.
TGI Fridays is a good place to eat in Fort Smith and they have great kareoke
nights on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
3) Stop in Clinton, Oklahoma. There is a very good Route 66
Museum there and well worth the visit.
4) After Amarillo, Texas possibly look to drop down to
Roswell, New Mexico. This is where they are reported to have found aliens that
crashed in the 1950's. The UFO museum is worth a visit whether you believe or
not.
5) Monument Valley - Beautiful area but very hot and dusty.
You may want to book your hotel in advance as there are only two places to stay
in Kayenta that I saw, and it is coming into the summer season. I think the
hotels were a Best Western and a Hampton Inn.
6) South Rim of the Grand Canyon - Coming in from Monument Valley is good
because you get to see the Canyon from so many different places as you go along.
Take your time this is a spectacular place!!!!! There is
so much to see yet the average time people spend there is only three hours in
the park!
On the south from the rim there are places where you get
helicopter ride over the canyon these too are well looking at. You can also get
flights over the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas.
7) William, Arizona - Nice place to stop. Last Route 66 town
to be bypassed by the main highway. Worth a wander around and there is a diner
on Main Street that has an open Bar B Q every evening. Also a 60's ice cream
parlour that is great for cooling down at.
8) Las Vegas!!!! - From Williams you will cross the Hoover Dam and into
Nevada then up to Las Vegas. You should try to get into town early in the day if
you can. This will give you time to get settled and have a look around as it
will be a long night ahead of you!
If you are going to be arriving on a weekend then book in
advance because they get booked very quickly on Friday and Saturday nights. Use
the Internet again to make advance bookings. Check out the front of the Belagio,
the Mirage, and Treasure Island for shows that go on in the evening. Worth
seeing and they are free. They will have notices saying when the shows are. Try
and plan your evening for them. Harley Davidson Cafe is pretty good place for
dinner as well!
Tip: If you gamble in the casinos your drinks are free while
you are gambling. Also ask about "Camping", as this will save you money on
gambling as well.
9) Palm Springs is a good place to aim for after crossing
the Mojave Desert through Barstow. Great town to relax, good food, cold drinks,
and lots of shopping if that's your thing.
10) Los Angeles - Highly Recommend the Anabella Hotel in
Anaheim. It is right across from Disneyland if you were looking at there but it
is also just a great hotel to just relax by the pool. There is an adult pool as
well if you want some peace and quiet.
Check out Knotts Berry Farm I prefer it to Disney but both
will be very busy due to the time of year.
Nearby Newport Beach has a Hardrock Cafe and also some
beautiful beaches and coastline to just wander along.
Well I hope that all this helps you and wish you well on
your trip. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact
me further. Enjoy America!
Regards, keep in touch and let us know how you get
on.
BILL KUIPER
Ride the 50
Keeping
the shinny side up !
|
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Wed, 11 Jun 2003 19:21:25 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 |
Thank you also. If there is anything I have, it is plenty of
advice, whether it is good or bad, you will find out on your trip. :-) Good
luck.
Sometime this Fall, probably in September, I'm planning to explore
another interesting route, old U.S. Highway 80 in West Texas from Irving to Van
Horn, Texas.
Parts of a movie were filmed somewhere along this highway
and I will be trying to find
the location of the scenes in the
movie.
I may do some more exploring along Route 66 next Spring,
2004.
Best Regards,
Robert Paige
|
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Sun, 8 Jun 2003 22:57:47 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Route 66 |
You
might find the following interesting to pick up some ideas for your
trip.:
http://www.ride-the-50.com/diary.htm
Especially the maps
and diary.
We're back home now. Keep us posted on
developments.
Best Regards,
Robert Paige
Irving, Texas,
USA
|
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Wed, 4 Jun 2003 20:23:41 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66- Checking in from Irving, Texas |
Hello and we're back home again. :-) Everything went more or
less according to schedule on vacation. We did have rain most of the days but it
kept the temperatures cool for traveling. This was the first trip we have tried
the Motel 6' s for the whole family and found all of them very nice. (I've
always found them ideal just for one person on my "excursion trips" - especially
on Route 6.) I 'll get my "trip log" together and hope to send it to you
soon.
The Civil War Battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the Blue
Ridge Parkway in Virginia were the two most interesting things we saw on our
trip. And we had a nice visit with the wife's brother and his wife and my cousin
and his wife, too. This was our first trip East after going West for the last
few years.
As I mentioned earlier , I did come up with some ideas for
suggestions for your trip, such as getting an early start each morning and
stopping early . I noticed most of the traffic starts to get thicker after 1:00
or 2:00 PM each day and traffic was very light in the morning even as late as
10:00 AM. We got late starts a couple of days rather than leaving earlier and
this worked out nicely.
Also, if you are motorcycling, I would think you
would be more comfortable to avoid the interstates, but if you plan to stick to
Route 66, that should work out nicely. Also, if you find a friendly bunch of
motorcyclists (there are some rough looking characters, but most of them, are
OK) , you would probably be welcome to travel along with them as a group and you
might get more out of your trip this way, too.
I noticed that when the
speed limit is 70 MPH, most of the big trucks are going at least 80 or 85 MPH on
the interstates. I tried to follow one big truck and I got up to 85 MPH and he
was still pulling away, so I gave it up. :-) If you stay in the right lane at
60 MPH, you will get honked at a few times for going too slow by the truckers,
but if you give them plenty of room and encourage them to pass you, there is no
problem. Even at 60 MPH, I was still passing an occasional slower car or truck.
I noticed that some of the big Recreational Vehicles, such as those of
motorcoach or bus size were traveling at 55 MPH.
The Rest Areas get
crowded at lunch time some times with families having picnics from around as
early as 11:00 AM to as late as 2:00 PM. They are usually vacant early in the
morning and late in the evenings. Some of the big trucks pull in to the Rest
Areas after dark and they are crowded with overnight sleepers from around 10:00
PM at night to 8:00 or 9:00 AM the next morning.
One of Robert's Rules of
the Roads is : No matter how fast you go, someone will pass you. No matter how
slow you, you will pass someone. (The lowest speed permitted on the interstates
is usually 45 MPH.)
Also, carry plenty of water and stop for a rest stop
at least every two hours or 100 miles. However, if you plan to take in all the
sights along Route 66, this will be no problem ! :-) You'll be stopping much
more frequently than that anyway to see all the curious places along Route 66
! :-)
Best regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Fri, 16 May 2003 21:00:56 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 Maps |
I
see you have done your musical lessons on Route 66 :-) Congratulations !
I have a copy of the original 78 RPM recording of "Get Your Kicks"
somewhere in my collection. The record has become so worn it is very scratchy
and the first time I listened to it , it sounded as if Nat "King" Cole was
singing "Kingman, "Fightsville", San Bernardino" and it wasn't until much later
when I made the first trip that I realized he was singing "Kingman, BARSTOW, San
Bernardino" ! I had been trying to find "Fightsville" on a map, but that's the
way it sounded on my record ! :-) Incidentally, in the United States, the word
"Route", as in "Route 66", is pronounced like "out", as in "outside", or like
"chute", as in "parachute". Nat "King" Cole was said to have established the
pronouncing as we think of "Route 66" today - as in "chute" instead of as in
"out". :-) In the eastern states, "Route" is pronounced like you hear it on the
record, but in other states,particularly in the west and south it's pronounced
to rhyme with "out".
Just a bit of trivial pursuit : Before the year
1926, roads in the US had names instead of numbers, such as Route 66. Most of
the route between Chicago and Los Angeles would have been called "The National
Old Trails Highway". (That's the way it is shown on the map of San Bernardino
County.) Some of the people objected to the new numbers the way that Route 66
fans object to the new Interstate Highways today. One person wrote - and
remember this was in 1926 ! - He had some good thoughts about names of the old
highways, such as the Lincoln Highway and the National Old Trails Highway, but
he said "How can you get a 'kick' out of a "31", or a "55" - ? "or several
other highway numbers, but not "66" in his list of the new numbered highways. I
don't know if this might have been where Bobby Troup got the idea to write his
song or not, but it was many years before "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" was
written.
|
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Thu, 15 May 2003 19:31:29 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 Maps |
OK
! Now I remember ! :-) Part of the words to that song about "Get Your Kicks On
Route 66" .........."are ........."....Kingman, Barstow, San
Bernardino........"
San Bernardino is also the name of a town on Route
66. The map on the website you listed in your e-mail gives a good picture of the
route. Route 66 is next to Interstate Highway 40 from Kingman to Barstow and
Interstate Highway 15 from Barstow to San Bernardino as shown. |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Thu, 15 May 2003 19:25:29 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 Maps-JAF |
I searched for "JAF" and got the following : http://www.jaf.or.jp/
You might see if it would be
worthwhile for membership in JAF. I have been a member of the AAA for 39 years
and have found it to be worth the costs.
Unfortunately, my computer won't
translate the JAF website, which is all in Japanese characters, so I don't know
what information they offer on their website. |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Thu, 15 May 2003 19:15:50 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 Maps |
To answer your question about San Bernardino:
San Bernardino is the name of
a county in California.(I think you might call them prefectures in Japan ? I
remember something about Iwakuni being in Yamaguchi Prefecture, so maybe it's
the same as a county in the US ? ) San Bernardino County is the largest county
in the United States and covers 20,000 square miles. This is larger than the
states of Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware combined. Most of San Bernardino
County is the Mojave Desert, and old Route 66 runs across the desert for nearly
200 miles from Needles to Victorville. ( I copied the above from a AAA guide
book.)
I'm not familiar with the automobile clubs in Japan. I do know
that the Royal Automobile Club and the Automobile Association in the United
Kingdom (Great Britain) have exchange services with the American Automobile
Association in the United States, so there might be something like that in
Japan.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Maybe you might check with a AAA
office when you get to the United States. However, I believe you had a picture
of your collection of Route 66 maps and books on one of your first e-mails, and
they should have plenty of information.
Best regards,
Robert
Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Wed, 14 May 2003 23:26:07 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: P.S. - More Route 66 Information |
A few more comments.:
As I wrote you earlier, on our trip last year, we DID
drive the old road between Kingman and Needles (actually from Kingman to Topock,
Arizona, just before you cross over the Colorado River into California) via
Sitgreaves Pass, Gold Road Summit and Oatman.
For my next trip to
California, I especially want to take the old road marked "National Trails
Highway" on the map across the Mojave Desert from Needles to Barstow. So I would
be interested in what you find on your trip. I may have driven this on my first
trip to California in1961, but I don't remember any details except that it was
hot at Needles and my car didn't have air conditioning. :-)
The
Automobile Club of Southern California has a very good map of San Bernardino
County, California which shows many details of the road across the Mojave
Desert. I don't know if they will mail you a copy overseas, but you might try:
http://www.aaa-calif.com/contact.asp?cs=nav
I am a
member of the American Automobile Association and have always received material
from them, but I'm not sure about non-members and outside the US. If you can't
get a copy from them and would be interested, I would be glad to try to get an
extra copy and mail it to you.
Best regards,
Robert Paige
|
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Wed, 14 May 2003 17:31:33 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: P.S. - More Route 66 Information |
Thanks again for your reply and have a good trip.
We're looking forward , too, to going east for a change, to East Texas,
Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. We
leave Monday, May 19 and plan to be home Saturday, May 31, so we should be home
before you leave Japan.
You shouldn't have any problems on Route 66 with
the weather other than the heat, especially between Needles and Barstow. (
!!!!!! I have said it before, but be sure to carry plenty of drinking water
!!!!!!!!!) During the summer, I have run into some rain showers in the
higher elevations, such as at Continental Divide, New Mexico (there was a man on
a motorcyle in his poncho and rain gear on one of our trips who stopped and
asked about the weather - I had to tell him honestly that it didn't get any
better the direction he was traveling :-) and around "Flagstaff, Arizona , and
don't forget Winona ! " (quoting from the song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66")
and it has been cool in the mornings there, too, but usually the weather along
Route 66 is "picture perfect", especially for picture taking. :-)
Keep
me posted. It's interesting to get comments from other person's point of view,
especially since this will be your first trip.
I sent an e-mail note to
Delbert and Ruth Trew (Mr. and Mrs. Trew) at the Devil's Rope Museum at Mc Lean,
Texas that you might be stopping by there on your trip. If you do, say hello to
them for me ! :-) I think they still have the "Route 66" exhibit room with a
walkway marked off like Route 66 with "Burma Shave" signs, a model of an old
"tourist court" and a "greasy spoon" restaurant and a collection of photographs
of old Route 66. Mr. Delbert Trew always has lots of funny stories to
tell.
Going west on Interstate Highway 40, take the exit at Mile 143 for
Mc Lean, Texas . This leads to Historic Route 66 through town and you can get
back on the Interstate at Mile 141. The museum is near the center of town. (Mc
Lean is a very small town !) There's an old Phillips 66 Service Station with
some old gas pumps a few blocks west of the museum.
Also, be sure to
stop for a meal at Del's Restaurant in Tucumcari, New Mexico and Four B's
Restaurant at Grants, New Mexico. These aren't "greasy spoons" but very neat and
clean restaurants with good food and service. La Posada at Winslow, Arizona is
more expensive, but the food is a lot better - especially steaks and prime rib -
and the place is a lot fancier. Lots of other good restaurants, but those are
some of my favorite places to eat on Route 66. (They are all off the Interstate
on "Historic Route 66". )
Say Hello to the Delgadillo Brothers at
Seligman, Arizona, too ! :-) Snow cones at Delgadillo's Snow Cap are very good
on a hot summer day !
Best Regards, and " Happy Trails " (and don't miss
the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum at Victorville, California if you have the time
:-) ,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Tue, 13 May 2003 16:19:18 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: P.S. - More Mexican Hat Information |
Here is a source of information on Mexican Hat. Unfortunately, looks like
you're out of luck as far as any places to stay close by :
http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/mexican_hat/ |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Tue, 13 May 2003 16:14:13 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: P.S. - More Route 66 Motel Information |
Thanks for your e-mail.
When are you planning to make
your trip ?
Looks as if you have it very well planned. Here's some places
I would recommend
your stopping for a visit (if only an hour)
National
Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum in Oklahoma City.
Route 66 Museum at Clinton,
Oklahoma (probably the best of the Route 66 museums)
Devil's Rope Museum at
Mc Lean, Texas (especially the Route 66 exhibit room)
Bowlin's Indian Trading
Post, 41 miles west of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and 16 miles east of Cline's
Corners, New Mexico
Cline's Corners, New Mexico
National Old Trails Museum
and La Posada Hotel at Winslow, Arizona
Lots of others, of course, but
those listed above are my favorites.
We'll be leaving next Monday on our
trip, but I may have a chance to check into the internet along the way -my wife
has a laptop computer and most motels have data ports.
Best
Regards,
Robert Paige
P.S. You asked about the old road -"Historic
Route 66" - between Kingman and Needles. Here is the way I best remember
it.:
You can exit from Interstate Highway 40 at the Mile 44-Mc Connico
exit to Historic Route 66 a few miles west of Kingman, Arizona. The first ten or
fifteen miles are straight and flat across the desert. Then you start climbing
with sharp turns and fairly steep grades until you reach Sitgreaves Pass and
Gold Road Summit, and then start back down into the town of Oatman, which is
about the half way point between Kingman and Needles.
You start back down
after leaving Oatman, but the road is not so steep and has less curves than the
eastern part of the road from Kingman to Oatman. The rest of the road back to
Interstate 40 is much like the first part from Kingman,fairly straight and
level,with a few gradual curves. It's all two-lane with a few bad spots of
paving and a few miles where the road goes around cliffs.(Mostly on the part
just before you get to Oatman). Oatman is the only town between Kingman and
Needles. Straight up one side and straight down on the other side before you
reach Oatman . There are places to turn off the road for parking, viewing and
taking pictures along the way. The old road between Kingman and Needles is
really the only really difficult part of any of Route 66. |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Mon, 12 May 2003 21:53:34 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: P.S. - More Route 66 Motel Information |
Thanks also for your quick reply. I am always amazed at getting replies
from half way around the world so quickly ! :-)
I
checked also and I could find no motels in Mexican Hat. The closest I found were
about 40 miles aways (64 KM) in the information I sent you. There might be
something operated by the Native American Indians since this Mexican Hat is on
an Indian reservation.
Old Route 66 from Kingman to Needles is the old
road, which is a narrow, two lane road. There are some rough spots and gravel in
the roadway, so if you are on a motorcycle you might be a bit more careful.
There are guard rails along the sides in most of the dangerous places, where the
road is on the side of the mountain. There are many sharp curves and steep
grades, but if you take it easy, you shouldn't have any trouble. We drove it in
the car and it was easy driving for us...lots of people on the road in
motorbikes and motorcycles drive it every day. No gas stations from Kingman to
Needles...might be some in Oatman, which is the halfway point between Kingman
and Needles. None on the main route of I-40 that I can remember. Oatman would be
a good place to stop for a rest.
I don't know if you plan to travel
both ways..that is to Los Angeles and then return to Chicago. However, you might
go the old route one way and Interstate Highway on return to see the difference.
It is about 65 (104 KM) miles from Kingman to Needles either way but it would
take about twice as long on the old road, but you get to see how it was before
1950 if you take the old road ("Route 66"). Just for reference Mile 0 on the
Interstate Route is at the Colorado River, which is the state line between
Arizona and California. There are rest areas at about Mile 25 (40 KM) going west
toward Kingman. There are picnic tables, rest rooms, drinking water and maybe
telephones and vending machines also (don't remember if there were or were not)
at the rest areas. Then there is nothing until you get to the exits for Kingman
at about Mile 50 (80KM) going west . It is a long upgrade from about 450 feet
elevation at the Colorado River to 3000 feet elevation at Kingman, but no turns
or steep grades. This is mostly sandy desert with cactus, but nothing like the
Mojave Desert between Needles and Barstow. Of course, Interstate Highway 40 is a
freeway type road, with two lanes in each direction divided by a wide center
median strip.
These are just some notes from things I have remembered
from our trips. I'' try to answer any more questions you might have. The trouble
is that we've traveled the route so many times we just don't think about these
things, so my apologies. :-)
Best Regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Sun, 11 May 2003 20:21:47 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: P.S. - More Route 66 Motel Information |
Prices at all of the Motel 6's are about the same. Here is
an example for the Motel 6 at at Santa Fe, New Mexico (Price for one room for
one person for one night)
$ 39.99 U.S. Dollars = Y 4875.133 Japanese
Yen
Maybe this will give you an idea on motels.
Best
Regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Sun, 11 May 2003 20:03:58 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 Motels |
I
did some checking on my map software and here is some information on motels at
places you listed.
Santa Fe, New Mexico- Many motels listed, including
Motel 6
Pagosa Springs, Colorado - About 7 listings, including Super
8
Mexican Hat, Utah - Nearest motels are at Blanding, Utah, 39 Miles (62.4
KM) from Mexican Hat
Grand Canyon, Arizona- There were 7 motels near Grand
Canyon. Many others, including Motel 6 at Williams, Arizona which is about 60
Miles (96 KM) south of Grand Canyon and on Interstate Highway 40/Route 66. (A
little over an hour's drive.)
Best regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Sun, 11 May 2003 19:33:01 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 Weather |
Hello again, Shin !
Nice to hear from you again.
There are many
motels at just about any location, especially on Route 66. I would suggest you
check on the internet on the motel websites. Motel 6 usually have the lowest
rates and you can check on availability, prices and make reservations on line.
TraveLodge are the next step up and sometimes have some special rates. Best
Western, Holiday Inn and others are more luxurious but the prices are higher. I
have found some of the new Motel 6 to be as nice as the higher price motels. You
shouldn't have any problems finding motels on Route 66, especially at Santa Fe
and Grand Canyon. At Grand Canyon, Tusayan, Arizona is a small town just south
of the National Park entrance which has several motels, restaurants and service
stations. The best place to stay at Grand Canyon is the El Tovar Hotel, but it
is a bit expensive. The Yavapai Lodge is a little bit less expensive and there
are also cabins and cheaper places to stay in the park, but the motels outside
the park usually are less expensive. The only place you mentioned that I am not
sure about is Mexican Hat. What state is Mexican Hat in ? I'll be glad to check
on that for you.
We are going to be out of town from May 19 through June
1 on our vacation trip. We are planning to visit Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and
other points in Pennsylvania and Virginia on our trip.
Here are some
websites to check on motels: (You can copy and paste
these)
http://www.motel6.com/
http://www.travelodge.com/
http://www.bestwestern.com/
Let me know if you can
find what you are looking for on those listed above. Let me know if you have
trouble finding motels this way. This is the way I plan our trips for finding
motels. You can also stop at any motel such as Motel 6, etc. and they will check
on motels and make reservations for your at any other town on your route.
You will probably meet a lot of other motorcyclists along the way and I am
sure they will be glad to help you find places to stay. Keep in touch with me
via e-mail and we'll see if we can work out things.
Best
regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertPaige |
|
| Date: |
Tue, 22 Apr 2003 22:47:29 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Route 66 Weather |
This is something which I am again
just writing for the fun of it: :-) I thought I would pass this along to give
you an idea of actual weather along Route 66:
Route 66 Weather :(From my
notes for the 2002 vacation trip). I keep a notebook handy and jot down notes as
we travel and then put them in files on the computer and save them on diskettes
when we get back.
My car has an "outdoor temperature" indicator and I made a
note of the temperatures along the trip. All temperatures are in Degrees
Fahrenheit. ( C = (F-32) x 5/9 )
32 F = 0 C 212 F = 100
C
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2002-
Irving, Texas - 0 MILES -TIME 0939-1030 -
TEMP 67-70 F (Breakfast Stop-Denny's)
Decatur, Texas - 57.1 MILES - TIME
1140 - TEMP 70 (Rest Stop at Rest Area)
Vernon, Texas - 178 MILES - TIME
1347-1451 - TEMP 79 (Lunch Stop-China Buffet)
Amarillo, Texas- 356.6
MILES - TIME 1817 - TEMP 75 (Overnight at La Quinta Motel)
Dinner from Taco
Bell Restaurant
TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2002-
Amarillo, Texas - 0 MILES -
TIME 0630-0845 - TEMP 55-60 (Breakfast at motel)
New Mexico Tourist
Information Center - TIME 0906 (Mountain Time Zone)-
66.4 MILES - TEMP
66
Rest Area at Mile 302 on I-40 - 138.1 MILES - TIME 1021-1039 - TEMP
69
Bowlin's Indian Trading Post - 205.4 MILES - TIME 1150-1215- TEMP
78
Cline's Corners, New Mexico - 232.1 MILES - TIME 1236-1337 - TEMP
75
(Very windy from here to Albuquerque) - Lunch at
Cafeteria
Albuquerque, New Mexico - 278.5 MILES - TIME 1438 - TEMP 85
(Overnight at La Quinta Motel) Dinner at 66 Diner on Historic Route
66
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2002-
Albuquerque, New Mexico - 0 MILES - TIME
0630-0906- TEMP 55-58 (Breakfast in room at motel from continental breakfast in
lobby)
Laguna, New Mexico Scenic Overlook - 48.8 MILES -TIME 1000-1006 -
TEMP 60
Continental Divide, New Mexico - 114.5 MILES - TIME 1115-1123-
TEMP 55
Gallup, New Mexico - 151.8 MILES - TIME 1207-1313 -TEMP 59
(Lunch-Cracker Barrel)
" " " - 152.4 MILES - TIME
1319-1340 - TEMP 59- (Wal Mart Store)
Yellow Horse Indian Trading Post
and Arizona Tourist Information Center-
175.2 MILES - TIME 1409 (Daylight
time)- 1345 (Standard time in Arizona)- TEMP 65
Petrified Forest National
Park, Arizona - Painted Desert Inn Museum - 225.0 MILES-
TIME -1443-1521 -
TEMP 67-68
Jack Rabbit Trading Post , Arizona - 269.5 MILES - TIME
1607-1611- TEMP 71
Winslow, Arizona - 288.3 MILES - TIME 1635 - TEMP 73
(Overnight at TraveLodge Motel - Dinner at La Posada Turquoise Room Dining
Room)( Highly recommended !)
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2002-
Winslow, Arizona
- 0 MILES - TIME 0826 - TEMP 55
Flagstaff, Arizona - 55.2 MILES - TIME
0929-1024- TEMP 60 (Breakfast at Little America Hotel Coffee Shop)- (Highly
recommended ! :-)
Seligman, Arizona - 133.0 MILES - TIME 1152- TEMP 67-
(Delgadillo's Snow Cap-
Stopped longer on return trip) Don't miss it !
:-)
Kingman, Arizona - 203.1 MILES - TIME 1312-1354 - TEMP 76 - (Lunch at
Pizza Inn)
" " - 205.1 MILES - TIME 1402-1419- TEMP
76 - (Wal-Mart Store)
Drove over Historic Route 66 via Sitgreaves Pass
and Oatman, Arizona. Picture stops along the road.
Needles, California -
276.0 MILES - TIME 1636 (Pacific Time Zone) - TEMP 91
(Overnight at Best
Western Colorado River Inn - Dinner at California Pantry
Restaurant)
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2002-
Needles, California - 0 MILES - TIME
0645-0920- TEMP 83 (Breakfast at California
Pantry Restaurant)
Rest
Area Mile 105 on I-40 - 36.7 MILES - 0957-1002 - TEMP 83
Rest Area Mile
28 on I-40 - 113.5 MILES - 1120-1123 - TEMP 81
Barstow, California -
144.2 MILES - TIME 1211-1227 - TEMP 87 (Stop to take pictures of Casa Del
Desierto Hotel and AMTRAK train station)
Victorville, California - 182.4
MILES - TIME 1314-1429- TEMP 83 (Lunch at Marie
Callender's Restaurant- also
highly recommended )
Mission Hills , California - 268.8 MILES - TIME
1616 - TEMP 82
(5 nights lodging at Best Western Mission Hills Inn - Nicest
motel of trip)
SATURDAY, MAY 25 THROUGH TUESDAY, MAY 28- Visiting with my
brother in Northridge, California
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2002-
Mission
Hills, California - 0 MILES - TIME 0822- TEMP 63 (Leave
Motel)
Northridge, California - 5.2 MILES - TIME 0839-0937- TEMP 72
(Breakfast at Coco's
Restaurant)
Rest Area Mile 27 on I-40 - 156.9
MILES - TIME 1219-1228 - TEMP 91
Maximum Temperature crossing Mojave Desert
reached 110
Needles, California - 270.3 MILES - TIME 1441-1542 - TEMP
107 - (Lunch at California Pantry Restaurant)
Exit 25 on I-40 - 309.6
MILES - TIME 1626-1630- TEMP 102 - (Stop for picture of Geodesic Sphere
Home)
Kingman, Arizona - 338.2 MILES - TIME 1704- TEMP 98 - (Overnight at
TraveLodge
Motel - Dinner at JB's Restaurant- another good place to eat ! :-)
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2002-
Kingman, Arizona - 0 MILES - TIME 0839-0950
-TEMP 82 (Breakfast at Denny's
Restaurant)
Seligman, Arizona - 70.0
MILES - TIME 1107-1143- TEMP 93 (Refreshments and the practical jokes of the
Delgadillo Brothers at Delgadillo's Snow Cap) :-) :-) :-)
Rest
Area at Mile 181 on I-40 - 131.2 MILES - TIME 1248-1256- TEMP 87
Winslow,
Arizona - 204.3 MILES - TIME 1414-1447 - TEMP 98 (Lunch at Kentucky
Fried
Chicken Restaurant)
Winslow, Arizona - 204.7 MILES - TIME 1455 - (Gas stop at
Chevron station)
Rest Area at Mile 3 on I-40 -314.6 MILES - TIME
1651-1655 (Mountain Daylight Time)
TEMP 92
Grants, New Mexico - 397.4
MILES - TIME 1924 - TEMP (Not recorded)
(Overnight lodging at Days Inn Motel
- Dinner at Four B's Restaurant - another good place)
FRIDAY, MAY 31,
2002-
Grants, New Mexico - 0 MILES - TIME 0828-0908- TEMP (Not
recorded)
Breakfast at Four B's Restaurant
Cline's Corners, New Mexico
- 134.7 MILES - TIME 1128-1143 - TEMP 85
Tucumcari, New Mexico - 249.3
MILES - TIME 1408-1508 - TEMP 99 (Lunch at Del's
Restaurant- Met with
Jeremiah Crim who is doing a Route 66 survey project)
Amarillo, Texas -
357.7 MILES - TIME 1725 (Central Daylight Time) - TEMP (Not recorded) -
Overnight Lodging at La Quinta Motel - Dinner at Luby's Cafeteria (across the
street from the motel)
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2002-
Amarillo, Texas - O
MILES - TIME 0800 - TEMP 74 - (Breakfast in room from continental breakfast in
lobby of motel)
Childress, Texas- 119.2 MILES - TIME 1100-1108 - TEMP 85
- (Mc Donald's)
Vernon, Texas - 177.2 MILES - TIME 1216-1315 - (Lunch at
Braum's Ice Cream Shop and Restaurant - they have very good ice cream and
hamburgers)
On the road are some statues of camels in an open field by
the side of the highway !
Irving, Texas - 356.4 MILES - TIME 1626 - TEMP
93 - Back home again ! :-)
This may give you some idea of actual weather
conditions to be expected. Mostly fair. We ran into a few rain showers, but they
only lasted a few minutes.
|
| From: |
RobertPaige |
|
| Date: |
Tue, 22 Apr 2003 19:38:34 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 weather |
Thanks again for your
e-mail.
I am aftraid I don't have too much information about airport
security. We have only taken two trips by air and it has been some time ago -
1972 and 1976. We go by car on all our trips, so I'm more familiar with travel
by car than by other ways. |
| From: |
RobertPaige |
|
| Date: |
Mon, 21 Apr 2003 19:21:32 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 weather |
Here are some current weather reports from www.weather.com. All temps are
in Fahrenheit (Celsius = (F-32) 5/9 = (Degrees Fahrenheit
- 32) times 5, divide by 9
Chicago,
Illinois - Cloudy - 49
Saint Louis, Missouri - Cloudy - 56
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma - Partly Cloudy - 72
Amarillo, Texas - Fair - 68
Albuquerque, New
Mexico - Cloudy - 71
Winslow, Arizona - Fair -69
Needles, California -
Fair - 80
Barstow, California - Fair and windy - 68
Los Angeles,
California - Fair - 68 |
| From: |
RobertPaige |
|
| Date: |
Mon, 21 Apr 2003 18:26:40 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 weather |
Thanks for the reply. I am always
amazed at how quick the internet is - half way round the world to Japan and back
! :-)
You can check the weather for each place along Route 66 on www.weather.com.
Just enter the name of the town.
In
July, it will probably be very hot in Arizona and California with temperatures
from about noon to sunset reaching 100 Degrees Fahrenheit ( 38 Degrees Celsius)
or more.
That's why I would recommend you begin each day's travel early
in the morning, especially crossing the Mojave Desert between Needles,
California and Barstow, California , about 150 miles (240 KM) . Sunrise to Noon
isn't too bad, but it begins to heat up in the afternoon and doesn't really cool
down until early in the morning. (It can get cool on the desert at night after
midnight to sunrise.)
If you will be on your motorcyle, I would advise
you use the old Route (Marked National Old Trails Highway) between Needles and
Barstow. (After you cross the Mojave Desert, give yourself a break, cool down
and have a good lunch at Marie Callender's Restaurant at Victorville,
California. There is also a Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville.if you like western
movies.)
The old route is only about 10 miles (16 KM) longer than the
Interstate Highway, but it would probably be safer (especially for motorcycles)
than the Interstate, since most of the high speed trucks stay on the Interstate
Highway.
Tourists and Route 66 fans use the old route. And be sure to
carry plenty of drinking water. You can get "six packs" of plastic bottles of
water at Wal-Mart and other stores along the way.Also be sure to have a full
tank of gas crossing the Mojave Desert.
On our trip last May, (I am
looking back at my notes.) : (Last two weeks in May, 2002) The lowest
temperature on the trip was at at 6:00 AM (0600 Hours Mountain Time) at Winslow,
Arizona was 50 Degrees Fahrenheit ( 10 Degrees Celsius). The highest temperature
was at Needles, California, on the Mojave Desert, 110 Degrees Fahrenheit ( 43
Degrees Celsius) at about 1:00 PM ( 1300 Hours Pacific Time) . Most of the other
temperatures were in the 75-85 Degree Fahrenheit ( 24-30 Degrees Celsius). You
might run into some rain showers even in July, which should cool things down but
might make it harder to drive in the rain, especially if you are going by
motorcycle.
If you have any more questions I will be glad to try to
answer them. :-)
Best Regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertPaige |
|
| Date: |
Sun, 20 Apr 2003 22:58:51 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Roads and Highways in The United States of
America |
|
Hello Again-
Nice to hear
from you again. Your plans sound great and I hope you will have a good trip. If
you will be traveling in July via motorcycle, be sure to carry along plenty of
drinking water. Especially between Kingman, Arizona and Barstow,
California.
For motels at not too high prices, I have found Motel 6 to be
very good. Some of the newer motels are very nice. (You can get a directory on
line or at any Motel 6 when you get to the US) The newer motels are numbered
in the 4000 series.....such as Motel 6 #4069 at Moriarty, New Mexico (which is
on Route 66). Sometimes you can find a special rate at TraveLodge motels, which
are a little nicer, for the same price as at Motel 6. There are some old motels,
such as the Blue Swallow and Palomino in Tucumcari, New Mexico, along the way
which have very low prices, but most are not as nice as the newer motels built
in the last few years. You might want to check out the Wig Wam Tourist Courts in
Holbrook, Arizona for something very different ! :-) La Posada in Winslow,
Arizona, is very nice, but it's a bit expensive.
Mc Donald's, KFC Fried
Chicken, Burger King and other "fast food" places along the Interstate Highwys
are good for a light lunch or dinner. Most have breakfast ,too ,and are open
from about 0700-2000 daily. If you get homesick, you can usually find a good
Japanese restaurant in just about any town. :-)
Best prices for gasoline
usually at CONOCO and Diamond-Shamrock service stations.
Best regards and
keep in touch. I have received some e-mails from another motorcyclist traveling
Route 66. He has sent e-mails from motels along the way which let him use their
computers for sending e-mail.
Robert Paige
Irving, Texas, USA |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Mon, 7 Apr 2003 20:29:14 EDT |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Roads and Highways in The United States of America |
Thanks for the pictures. When I was in the US Navy, we usually arrived
at Iwakuni about this time of the year. However, most of my pictures of
cherry blossoms were
made at the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden
Gate Park in San Francisco. :-)
Hope you can make the Roue 66 trip soon.
Best regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Sat, 5 Apr 2003 18:07:53 EST |
|
| Subject: |
Roads and Highways in The United States of America |
Roads and Highways In the United States of America
This is being
written mainly for the benefit of my many Route 66 e-mail contacts overseas. I
have found it interesting to correspond with these persons outside the United
States who have posted comments and requests for information about Route 66 and
other routes in the United States.
To begin, roads in America were simply
named for their destinations. Mr. George R. Stewart, author of a very good book
about another United States Highway, "U.S.40 - Cross Section of the United
States of America" mentions an early road simply called "Street Leading to Ye
Woods" in New Castle, Delaware.
If youwere to travel from Dallas to Fort
Worth in the early days of automobile travel, youwould take the "Fort Worth
Pike". If you were traveling from Fort Worth to Dallas, you would go via the
"Dallas Pike". There are many other examples such as Lancaster Road, Preston
Road and Greenville Avenue to mention just a few. Incidentally, Northwest
Highway in Dallas, which was originally on the northern outskirts of the city
(but has since become absorbed in the urban sprawl ) and part of Texas State
Highway Loop 12, a circumferential route, was originally named "The Northwest
Highway to Wichita Falls".
In 1915, a young Army Lieutenant, a recent
graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, led a
convoy of trucks across the United States. After many difficulties and
hardships, the trip was finally completed, but the need for cross country
interstate highways was foreseen by this young Army Officer.
When the
Automobile craze began in the years following World War I, cross country travel
became a possibility, although most roads outside the town or city limits were
dirt roads at the best and faint trails in most cases. There developed a system
of "trails", or named roads . The most famous of these was the Lincoln Highway
which was projected from New York to San Francisco. Each of these roads was
identified by a sort of color coding. Bands of colors designating that
particular route were painted on telephone or telegraph poles or any other
convenient place. The Lincoln Highway also placed distinctive concrete pillars
along the route. The colors of the Lincoln Highway were naturally Patriotic:
Red, White and Blue with an "L" in the middle or white band . Many other routes
developed and soon the posts were painted almost fromtop to bottomwith the
colors of other routes,since many routes used the same road in some cases, with
routes criss crossing and merging and branching off .A few others were the
Victory Highway, The Meridian Highway, The King of Trails, The Dixie Overland
Highway, The Lee Highway, The Bankhead National Highway and possibly hundreds of
others. Each had their own distinctive "color codes" painted on any convenient
place along the side of the road. Mr. Stewart noted wryly, "It was not a time
to be color blind !" All you needed for such a route, was to make a mark on a
map showing the proposed road and several cans of different colored paint !
Actually constructing a road across your route took a little more time ! Route
66 ,it might be noted, was for the most part along the National Old Trails
Highway. A section of Historic Route 66 across the Mojave Desert in California
has this designation at present in the line of Historic
Preservation.
Needless to say,the "Trails System" had become a source of
confusion by the middle 1920's. About this time a system of numbered highways
was proposed for Federal Interstate highways across the United States. (It
should be noted that this system was an earlier Interstate Highway System and
not the present Interstate Highway System, which began under the administration
of President Dwight D. Eisenhower). Under the new system, east-west routes would
be even numbered, with the main routes ending in "0". U.S. 10 would be a cross
country route across the northern part of the U.S.and U.S.90 would cross the
southern states. U.S. 40, the subject of Mr. Stewart's book, ran through the
central part of the United States from Altantic City, New Jersey to San
Francsico, California. North-South routes would be odd numbered, with the main
routes ending in "1" or "5". U.S. 1 ran down the Atlantic coast line from Maine
to Florida. U.S. 101 was "The Pacific Coast Highway" from the State of
Washington to California. U.S. 75 was near the center of the U.S. and ran from
Minnesota through Dallas and then to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas. The system
came into effect and the now familiar white shields with the route numbers in
black began to be placed along the roads in 1926. As Mr. Stewart noted, "The
telephone poles soon weathered back to gray." The route from Chicago to Los
Angeles was first numbered U.S. 60 but later became U.S.66.
Motorists had
gotten used to the old "Trails System" and were a little skeptical and evidently
had second thoughts about the new numbering system. One writer wrote, "The
motorist may have pleasant thoughts while traveling down the Jeffferson Highway
or dream dreams as he motors along the Lincoln Highway, but how do you get a
'kick' out of a '31' or a '55" and so forth ?"
A song writer named Bobby
Troup evidently got a 'kick' out of a '66' in later years !
At the close
of the Second World War, a United States Army (Five Star) General toured Germany
and was much impressed by the system of Autobahns, or high speed express
highways.
By the 1950's the system of Interstate Highways was becoming
obsolete. The old narrow two lane roads simply could not handle the increased
volume of traffic due to the Post War prosperity.
A new system was
proposed and a tremendous new program of road construction was begun. The former
Lieutenant, who had led the truck convoy in 1915 and had inspected the Autobahns
in Germany as a General in 1945 was now President of the United States - Dwight
David Eisenhower. Under the new system, later to be named the Eisenhower
Interstate Highway System, there would be no stop signs, traffic lights,
railroad grade crossings at level, or any services such as motels and service
stations directly on the roadway.(Except on a few toll highways such as the
Pennsylvania Turnpike) Many of the older routes were either improved or
reconstructed to freeway standards. New road markers of a distinctive red, white
and blue shield were adopted. Colored signs, such as green and white destination
signs showing mileages were erected. North-South routes would again be odd
numbered, but the progression was reversed: Interstate Highway 95 would run down
the Atlantic Coast and Interstate Highway 5 down the Pacific. Interstate Highway
10 ran from Florida to California and Interstate Highway 90 across the Northern
States. Interstate Highway 35 runs from Duluth, Minnesota, through Oklahoma City
and Dallas, to Laredo, Texas at the Mexican border.The designation has come to
be the familiar "I-95" for reference. This has supported a whole new generation
of self-service gasoline stations, "fast-food" and gourmet restaurants and
motels and hotels ranging from the thrifty (but quite comfortable, clean and
well appointed) Motel 6 to the luxury Holiday Inn Select lodgings.
A rule
of thumb is that the old U.S. Highway number plus the new Interstate Highway
number equals 100. Such as U.S.80 / I-20.
In 1936, Texas built
"Roadside Parks" along its highways to provide picnic facilities for visitors to
the Centennial Celebrations that year. Other states, such as Kansas and Florida,
were also pioneers in this field. From these early "Roadside Parks," which were
often just crude wooden picnic tables and benches underneath some shady spot
along the highway, have come the present "Rest Areas" along the Interstate
Highways. These "Rest Areas" now have nice Rest Rooms, with toilets and
lavatories, picnic tables with covered shelters, vending machines with soft
drinks and snacks, cold drinking water fountains and even telephones for
convenience of the motorist. Most have ample parking areas with space for all
kinds of travelers, whether they are traveling by motorcycle, car, Recreational
Vehicles such as Motor Homes or Travel Trailers and the big "eighteen wheeler"
trucks and trailers and the Greyhound Buses. These Rest Areas are usually
spaced about an hour's drive apart along the Interstate Highway system.
In a nutshell, this is something of the evolution of roads and
highways in the United States, from
"Street Leading to Ye Woods" to "I-95."
Feel free to forward this along to others if you should want to do
so.
Robert Paige, Irving, Texas, USA April 5, 2003/ |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Thu, 3 Apr 2003 21:21:40 EST |
|
| Subject: |
Route 66 Story |
|
Just
looking over my travel routes from last year's vacation trip and I thought I
would pass this on to my Route 66 e-mail contacts.
Last year there was a
posting on the Route 66 website from a Mr. Jeremiah Crim, a College Student who
was making a survey of people who had traveled on Route 66 and was also
planning to make a trip himself.
I responded and sent him some of my
experiences, which I have shared with you.
I also posted a notice that we
would be traveling to California (May 20-June1, 2002) along with a description
of the car and the license plate number (which also happens to be my Amateur
Radio License call letters, W5TBC. You can look me up on qrz.com !).
Looking at my notes. ( I keep notes of all my trips. It's something I
have done for quite some time since I really wish I could remember some nice
place on some of my early trips but couldn't remember where or when it was ! I
transcribe them on Word Perfect and am very careful to save them on diskettes
since then. )
I see that we stopped for lunch at Del's Restaurant in
Tucumcari, New Mexico from 2:08 to 3:08 PM (didn't plan lunch to be exactly an
hour, it just happened that way !) on Friday, May 31. While we were having
lunch, the waitress said, "There is a man in the lobby looking for Robert
Paige." My wife said, "Who in the world could it be ?" and I said to my wife ,
"Who in the world could it be ?". When I went to the lobby, it was none other
than Jeremiah Crim ! He had been traveling on Route 66 and spotted the car in
the parking lot at Del's. We had a nice short chat, but he was in a hurry to get
back on the road, so he got back on the road and we got back to our lunch.
Incidentally, Del's has been a favorite place to eat since my first trip
in 1961.
I stopped at Del's for dinner on another trip in 1963 and a
bunch of High School students came in. They had spent the day painting the "T"
on the top of Tucumcari Peak, which overlooks the town of Tucumcari. On the last
trip it appeared as if the "T" on Tucumari Peak could stand a new paint job. It
was rather badly faded.
Those are my most remarkable "Route 66 Stories."
Such as they are ! ????? :-)
Best regards, I hope all of you "Get
Back In the Saddle Again" and have "Happy Trails" and "Get Your Kicks on Route
66",
Robert Paige, Irving, Texas , USA |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Mon, 24 Mar 2003 22:36:40 EST |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 |
Thanks again for the e-mail. This is one of my hobbies in answering questions - or at least trying to :-)
If I were going to travel
the entire route in one trip, I would definitely go- east to west - from Chicago
to Los Angeles. That way, you can follow the Tom Snyder and Jack Rittenhouse
books page by page. If you go from Los Angeles to Chicago you would have to read
the book backward. This is just my own personal opinion. :-)
Also, since
you plan to travel by motorcycle, I would strongly advise packing clothing for
both extremes in temperature, etc. Even during the summer , you can expect
extremes. For example on our trip last May (last two weeks in May) the
temperature in the morning at Winslow, Arizona was 50 F ( 10 C) to 110 F (43 C)
in the afternoon at Needles, California on the Mojave Desert. Also, it's best to
fill up with gas at Kingman, Arizona going west or Victorville, California going
east. Gas prices are much higher at the only two places in between - Barstow,
California and Needles, California. Be sure to carry at least a gallon of
drinking water when crossing the Mojave Desert. If you are looking for a nice
place to stay overnight, I have found Motel 6 to be the best at a reasonable
price. Not fancy, but very neat, clean and comfortable.
Best
regards,
Robert Paige |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Mon, 17 Mar 2003 20:38:40 EST |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 |
|
P.S. Tom
Snyder's book will help you locate Route 66. It is parallel to the Interstate
Highways from Chicago to Los Angeles (Interstate Highway 40 from Oklahoma to
California, then Interstate Highways 15 and 10 to Los Angeles, for example.).
The Tom Snyder book has detailed maps on how to find Route 66. The route has
signs along the way marked "Historic Route 66" although the official route was
discontinued when the Interstate Highways were completed in the 1950's and
1960's.
The Automobile Club of Southern California at Los Angeles will
probably even supply you with some old maps showing Route 66. |
| From: |
RobertTPaige |
|
| Date: |
Mon, 17 Mar 2003 20:33:02 EST |
|
| Subject: |
Re: Route 66 |
|
Thanks
for the e-mail and the pictures. Nice looking motorcycle ! (although I prefer a
roof over my head and four tires on the road on my trips. :-) My car is a 2000
Mercury Sable Four Door Sedan, made by the Ford Motor Company. You see lots of
motorcycles along Route 66 - singly or in groups. Once you get here and get on
the road you might find a group to travel together with you.
Your English
is probably a lot better than my Japanese. "Takusan", "Sukoshi" and "Arrigato"
were about as far as I ever got ! :-)
Looks like you are pretty well
prepared as far as maps and books go. I would also recommend the following
:
"A Guide Book to Route 66", by Jack Rittenhouse. This was written in
1946, but it will give you a mile-by-mile acccount of how things were in 1946
and you may even be able to find some of the points of interest he
listed.
"Route 66 Guide Book and Traveling Companion", by Tom Snyder.
This is a book containing maps of how to find sections of Route 66 from the
present roads, especially the Interstate Highways. The book is updated from time
and has had at least three updates.
If you can't find these in Japan, you
can probably order online from Barnes and Noble Booksellers (just search on
Barnes and Noble) and they will probably ship overseas.
Here are a few
suggestions which come to mind.:
Take along some "rain gear" (a poncho,
heavy rain coat, etc. ) and/or warm clothing as you may run into rain showers
and even cool weather , especially around Flagstaff to Kingman, Arizona, (in the
higher elevations around 7335 FT [2235 M] above sea level)even during the
summer. We've seen a lot of motorcycles out on the road in heavy rain storms
along the way on our travels. It can be very hot and dry or very wet and cold
along Route 66 at any time of the year.
It is about total of 2200 Miles
[3520 KM] from Chicago to Los Angeles and the "mid point" is at Adrian, Texas,
just west of Amarillo. I am familiar with about half of the route from Amarillo,
Texas to California.
Here are a few places I would recommend your
stopping to see along the way:
The Route 66 Museum at Clinton, Oklahoma.
Has a very interesting display and a movie about Route 66.
The Devil's
Rope Museum at Mc Lean, Texas (between Clinton and Amarillo) has a room devoted
to Route 66 . ("Devil's Rope" , incidentally is barbed wire, used for fences on
the ranches "Out West".........They pronounce it "Bob War".)
The
"Cadillac Ranch" is a collection of old Cadillacs, buried nose down in the
ground, just west of Amarillo.
The Midway Cafe at Adrian, Texas has a
room with Route 66 memorabilia.
There is an interesting view just before
you get to the New Mexico-Texas border. The road makes a long descent off the
flat plains of the "Llano Estacado" and the country looks more like the "Wild
West" from here on west.
Each state has a nice "Visitor Welcome Center"
at the state lines on the Interstate Highways. Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and
Arizona have nice places for information, maps, etc. There are also nice rest
areas with picnic tables, rest rooms and telephones spaced about every 100 KM
along the interstate highways.
The La Posada Hotel at Winslow, Arizona is
one of the famous hotels. It was built in 1930 and has recently been restored. A
nice place to stay in a room, visit, watch trains (which pass right at their
front door) and have a meal at the Turquoise Room.
There are interesting
"Indian Trading Posts" along the way . My favorites are "Bowlin's Running Indian
Trading Post" at Mile 234 on Interstate Highway 40, west of Santa Rosa, New
Mexico and the "Yellow Horse Indian Trading Post" at Mile 359 on Interstate
Highway 40 at the New Mexico-Arizona state Line at Lupton, Arizona. The owner is
Chief Juan Yellow Horse, a Native American Indian.
There is an
interesting New Mexico Mining Museum at Grants, New Mexico which has a display
of Route 66 pictures and souvenirs and the State Fair Grounds at Albuquerque are
interesting. (The ground are open during the year, but the State Fair is usually
two weeks in September.)
There are lots of other interesting things along
the way. Don't miss the "Delgadillo's Snow Cap" at Seligman, Arizona at Mile 123
on Interstate Highway 40. Lots of fun :-) from the Delgadillo brothers. There
are interesting "old road loops'' between Seligman and Kingman, Arizona and
Kingman to the California state line via the old road over the mountains through
Oatman , Arizona (Wild burros wander on the Main Street). There is another
stretch of Route 66 labeled "National Old Trails Highway" between Needles and
Barstow, California to see.
Between Needles and Barstow, California is
about 150 Miles (240 KM). There are no services for food, lodging or gas along
the interstate highway. There are a few small towns on the "National Old Trails
Highway", but be sure to carry plenty of drinking water and drive across this
area (The Mojave Desert) in the early morning hours. The temperature usually
reaches above 100 F ( 38 C) about Noon to sundown. There are emergency
telephones each mile along Interstate Highway 40 and 15 in
California.
All of these are just a few things which I like. I am sure
you will find lots of others in the books and maps.
Best regards and best wishes. If you should ever get to Dallas, Texas,
give me a call and I will give you a guided tour of the Hall of State.
:-) I am am a member of the Dallas Historical Society and we give free
tours of the building on requests. www.hallofstate.com
Robert Paige
Irving, Texas, USA
(It is about 200 miles [320 KM] to the nearest point on Route 66 at
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from Irving, Texas. We usually join Route 66 at
Amarillo, Texas on our travels to California.)
P.S. If you get tired of
"Big Macs" and homesick for Japanese food, there are plenty of good Japanese
Restaurants along Route 66. :-) |
| From: |
RobertPaige |
 |
| Date: |
Sun, 16 Mar 2003 17:20:08 EST |
|
| Subject: |
Route 66 |
|
I saw
your posting on the Route 66 website and I have been exchanging information with
"Route 66 fans" in England, Scotland, Ireland , Germany and other countries and
could maybe answer any questions you might have. If you will check back on the
postings, you will find some others interested in traveling Route 66 by
motorcycle. I've been traveling about half of the route (Amarillo, Texas to
California) on an average of about every three years since 1961, so I've
collected some information on the route and things along the way if you are
interested.
Incidentally, I spent some in the Yokosuka, Sasebo and
Iwakuni areas during my service in the US Navy in 1953-1954.
Best
regards,
Robert Paige
Irving, Texas, USA
Member of Dallas Historical Society www.dallashistory.org
www.hallofstate.com
www.bigtex.com |
とりあえずここまで。
また、気の付いたことがあれば書き加えて行きます。
注意：個人的な考えを書いてありますので、書いてある事項に間違いがありましても責任は持ちません。
２００３年
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