The Mother Road

Will Rogers Hwy

The Main Street of America

The Road to Opportunity

These names are familiar to not only Americans but travellers and readers from around the world by a common name - Route 66.

This iconic road has been photographed by million's, featured in News Reels, used in movies and even had it's own TV series in the 1970's.

It is a dream of many US travellers to öne day drive it's length be that from Chicago Michigan to Los Angeles California or in reverse- few ever do. One of the main reasons being the length some 3940kms if no diversions are taken and the belief that since October 1984 when it was officially decommissioned as a National Route in the US Transportation network it does not exist.

So armed with various reading materials and maps it soon became a centre piece to my trip "Taking the Indian home". I wanted to see how much of this first National Interstate still existed and to savour the life of those people who live on the byways of the US.

I had read that it was first proclaimed on November 11, 1926 and signposted by the following year, paved just prior to the start of World War 2 in late 1938.

The idea of this massive project was to see a single continuous highway that was intended to connect the main streets of both rural and urban communities along it's length as most small towns had no prior connection to the major national routes. This was also it's down coming as increased traffic meant congestion for the local communities and a slowing of commerce and trade so by 1970 most towns had been bypassed and with William's Arizonia finally being bypassed in November 1984 Route 66 lost its purpose and began to fall into disrepair and those communities who had relied so much on passing trade also declined and some just disappeared in all but names on a map.

My first job was to locate the start of Route 66. Yes I knew it was in Chicago infact two locations are given Gary Park and the intersection of SMichigan and E Adam Sts and yes Tom Tom could find that location so waking up to a wet miserable day I donned the wet weather gear and road North West to then travel West around the Great Lakes until the skyline of Chicago appeared in front of me. Some two hours later I was riding t a walking pace in downtown Chicago where even the thousands of pedestrians where making a faster progress then me I wondered why. It soon became clear that I had arrived on the main day of Lollapalooza a three day million plus spectator music festival. The location Gary Park and the four blocks around it. Hugh fences ensured I or anyone else had no access and Tom Tom kept saying turn right (where the fences where).

I had not flown 20000kms and by now ridden some 14000kms to have a music festival deny me a start to Route 66! They say everyone needs a Plan B, well my Plan B was used when I could not visit the Indian factory at Spirit Lake Iowa and diverted 1680kms to Springfield MA-but that's a story still to be told.

Plan C be bold and agressive. Tom Tom helped me find an alternative route that placed me beside Gary Park on S Michigan so surely I could intersect with E Adam?

Left Left Left again and a fence looming ever closer but then I was on S Michigan going East Adam was showing as the next street if only that fence would stop. It DID at the very intersection I needed. I pass and saw a sign Historic Route 66 (in a bus stop) I was past it then well heck what they gonna do. Too busy watching the thousands of people trying to get to the festival so yes in one of the busiest streets in Chicago the Indian was guided into a U TURN in front of the oncoming traffic who where probably too busy watching the crowds who had spilt off the footpaths onto the road. So now i was in traffic coming the opposite way then a quick (well slow) turn across traffic and I was stopped in the Bus Zone. Jumped off still in full riding gear and calmly walked into the traffic and took some photo's of the Indian and the sign, feeling somewhat pleased I looked on the other side of the street and look what I saw the actual Begin sign as made famous in Billy Connolly's epic documentary Route 66. Well if he can do it so can I and another U turn against traffic and I was parked at that vey sign in a Diplomatic Only parking zone, seems the whole street is no parking for it's length, well time for those pictures. Say no one is caring so might as well talk to the tourists about my trip as they also take pictures. Soon a small crowd surrounds the Indian while I sign autographs yes it happened, A group of Japanese come past I tell them like Billy Connolly but it's lost they point and say Billy Connolly soon standing beside me taking selfies. Maybe when they get home they wont realise we look nothing similiar still it was fun. I eventually decide to extract myself and the Indian as we have over 3940kms still to do before Los Angeles and Santa Monica pier are before us.

But first how to get out of Chicago my notes were brief-Route 66 to Springfield-St Louis, then 44 Tulsa to Oklahoma City then 66 Alburquerque then 66/40 to LA. Great overall directions but from downtown you have got to be kidding? A tourist asks "how do you get to LA"Simply Mate, just ask Tom Tom. "You show us?" I fiddle with Tom Tom looking like yes I know what I am doing so I hold it in front of those assembled and type in Springfield Route 66 It asks Springfield Illinois I click yes and to my relief and there amazement it actually has Old Historic Route 66 to Springfield IL. I put it back into the protective cover but by then too many people to safely get away and a traffic lady not too keen to move the people back onto the sidewalk. A policeman comes over I tell him I need a free exit, he blows a whistle ( I thought they had long ago done awy with them) the people move back he smilies and puts both thumbs up "You have a clear block all the side streets now closed off he winks 'Hell man this could only happen in a movie a motorcycle in downtown Chicago and a free run compliments of the Chicago PD. Gee that stage one exhaust sets off a nice boom as first,second,third and fourth gear are maxed out in revs as a very rapid Indian escapes the clutches of a grid locked downtown, well for one block at least.

However using Route 66 within an hour I was in rural areas traversing the main streets of rural American-the Dream is alive. Look out the Indian's again coming West.