USA / America
Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Tour
Route 66
15 Days12 Days16 Days AnniversaryItineraryVideo
Itinerary:
Chicago - Springfield / Illinois - St. Louis -
Springfield / Missouri - Oklahoma City -
Amarillo - Santa Fe - Gallup - Chinle -
Flagstaff - Seligman - Las Vegas - Barstow -
Coronado - Santa Monica
Route 66 Video ImpressionsTuesday, Day 1
Chicago
Meet your fellow travellers and be our guest at a Welcome Drink and Dinner in the evening.
Wednesday, Day 2
Chicago - Springfield/Il.
Early in the morning we pick up our Harley-Davidsons at the rental office. After a final safety briefing we set off on the Interstate and local highway until the first Route 66 signs appear at Joliet. Our first break is at Launching Pad in Wilmington, one of last original restaurants left on Route 66.
We carry on to Mc Lean, where we stop at the Dixie Trucker Home, the highlight of the Illinois leg of the tour. We also visit the nearby Route 66 Hall of Fame, with its souvenir shop and restaurant. We end our first day on the road at Springfield, Illinois, for a long time the home town of Abraham Lincoln, the President of the US during the Civil War.
Thursday, Day 3
Springfield/Il. - St. Louis
We head along Route 66 to the town of pioneers – St. Louis. The landmark of St. Louis is the Gateway Arch. You will have a wonderful lookout over the city from inside this, the nation’s highest monument (standing 192 m [630 feet] high).
The best starting point for a scenic tour is Laclede’s Landing. While here, you may wish to visit Hannegan’s, a restaurant and pub modelled after the US Senate dining hall where the best bands of the city perform on stage.
Friday, Day 4
St. Louis - Springfield/Mo.
From Day 4 onwards we ride on Route 66 and the Interstate. The highlight of today’s journey is the Meramec Caverns. These famous caverns used to be the hiding place of the outlaw, Jesse James, and have been a tourist attraction since the opening of Route 66.
Saturday, Day 5
Springfield/Mo. - Oklahoma City
Day 5 is a day of gentle cruising. We pass through Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma on Highway 66.
Sunday, Day 6
Oklahoma City - Amarillo
We start the day with a great photo opportunity at a bridge with 38 tremendous bows over the Canadian River.
We travel on to Clinton and the Route 66 Museum, where we meet Michael Wallis, a wonderful source of fascinating information on Route 66.
On next stop is Amarillo, where we head west to the legendary Cadillac Ranch. Here you will see 10 Cadillacs buried upright and nose down in the dirt as a reminder of the golden days of Route 66.
We round the day off with a visit to The Big Texan steak ranch and spend the night in a typical American motel.
Monday, Day 7
Amarillo - Santa Fe
The next day takes us from Amarillo to Adrian, where we stop for refreshments at the Midpoint Café. Not only is this a great café with excellent food, it also offers an assortment of native arts and crafts, antiques, and, of course, Route 66 souvenirs. Adrian is the halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles.
We end our day in Santa Fe and check out the historic downtown area.
Tuesday, Day 8
Santa Fe - Gallup
The ride continues south and the next sightseeing and fotostop is in Madrid, with its original location Maggie's Dinner from the cult movie "Wild Hogs" featuring John Travolta and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, of course...
After lunch in Madrid we ride through arguably the most beautiful part of New Mexico. The gently winding road takes us through the local mesas, with their distinctive trees, to Laguna Pueblo, where we visit the mission church built by the Spaniards.
Just in time for dinner, we arrive at the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup. Although the glitter is gone today, this is where Hollywood stars once rubbed elbows. Room 103 was once occupied by Ronald Reagan, room 213 was Humphrey Bogart’s, room 109 was Doris Day’s, Kirk Douglas occupied room 105, and Gregory Peck was in room 111. The Marx Brothers lodged in room 118, John Wayne recovered from a long day’s ride in room 100 and for Hermann the German room 101 is prepared for the night.
Wednesday, Day 9
Gallup - Chinle
After breakfast in the El Rancho Hotel we continue on former Route 666 in a northerly direction straight through Navajo country. After only 95 marvellous miles we reach Shiprock, then Teec Nos Pos, then the Four Corners – the only location in the USA where four States meet at one point: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Another highlight on our Motorcycle Dream Tour: The Monument Valley, a truly unforgettable experience. We spend the night in the Navajo Reservation, in Chinle.
Thursday, Day 10
Chinle - Flagstaff
From Chinle, our first leg of the day’s journey takes us through the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert. Both are spectacular sights.
Moving on west, we stop for lunch in Holbrook, a typical Route 66 town. We particularly recommend Joe and Aggies Café where the house speciality is cheese enchiladas.
Thoroughly strengthened, we depart for Winslow and then Meteor Crater. Meteor Crater was created almost 30 000 years ago when a meteor hit the Earth, leaving a crater 500 feet (152 m) deep and almost a mile wide. Today, the crater serves NASA as a training camp for astronauts.
In the afternoon we arrive in Flagstaff. We close the day with a visit to The Museum Club (nicknamed ‘The Zoo’), the most popular dance club between Oklahoma City and Los Angeles. Almost every night of the week great country music bands offer live entertainment.
Friday, Day 11
Flagstaff - Seligman
Day 11 is one of the highlights of our trip as we arrive at the Grand Canyon not long after breakfast. Those who wish may take a helicopter flight over the canyon.
We continue our trip through Williams toward the Californian border. This unspoilt stretch of Route 66 follows the original Route and provides a unique sense of closeness to the surrounding land.
Upon our arrival in Seligman we pay a visit to the founder of the Historic Route 66 Association, which is located in the Route 66 Visitor Center. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to meet Angel Delgadillo, and some of you might end up in his barber chair for a close-up shave.
We spend the night in a typical Route 66 motel, experiencing the basics!
Saturday, Day 12
Seligman - Las Vegas
After breakfast at Westside Lilo's Cafe, an original Route 66 restaurant, we travel on to Kingman, where we have lunch at Mr D'Z Diner. The next stretch of road leads us to the Hoover Dam, the world’s second largest dam.
This gigantic dam, holding back the Colorado River and creating Lake Mead, was built in the 1930s and is still a technical marvel. It stands 660 feet (201 m) tall and is almost 1200 feet (366 m) wide.
We now move on to Las Vegas and Las Vegas Boulevard. We stay at the legendary hotel The Mirage, the ideal place for visiting shows, walking on the Strip, or visiting the Harley-Davidson Café.
Sunday, Day 13
Las Vegas - Barstow
Once again we ride down Las Vegas Boulevard before turning in the direction of Barstow. Just before Needles we pick up Route 66 again and follow what is commonly considered the most beautiful section of the route.
We stop at the Sahara Oasis for refreshments, and again in Amboy at Roy’s Café.
If there is enough time left, we turn off the highway shortly before Barstow and ride into the Mojave Desert for a few miles to see the ghost town of Calico and the old silver mine. Now populated again and lovingly restored, Calico once housed over 1000 miners and adventurers searching for their luck. This beautiful stretch of Route 66 ends in Barstow, named after the owner of the Santa Fe Railroad Company and mentioned in the classic song ‘Get your kicks on route 66’.
Monday, Day 14
Barstow - Coronado
From Barstow we travel our last few miles on Route 66 to Victorville and then head south to San Diego and the Coronado peninsula with it's amazing Coronado Bridge and the famous Hotel Del Coronado (remember the movie "Some Like it Hot"). As one of the highlights on our tour we spend a relaxing afternoon and unforgetable night in one of the best hotels in the world.
Tuesday, Day 15
Coronado - Santa Monica
On our last day on the road we follow the Pacific coast, with its white beaches and picturesque cities, northward to Los Angeles. At Oceanside we leave the legendary Pacific Coast Highway 1 in favour of the Interstate, which will take us straight into Los Angeles. After returning the motorcycles to the rental office we transfer by shuttle to Santa Monica Boulevard.
Our tour ends here on the last few miles of Route 66 at the Santa Monica Pier. In the evening we meet again for our Farewell Dinner and to reminisce. JOIN US.
