The range of people I met while riding Route 66 is probably just as interesting as the scenery along with the navigation skills needed to "keep on track,"

While Tom Tom gnerally does a stirling job of pre mapping the track to follow Route 66 he like me is really at a loss when three different roads all claim to be Route 66.

This first came to my notice when Tom Tom asked did I want Historic Route 66, Route 66 or Old Route 66? I delved into the matter as I needed to follow Route 66 wherever possible. The answer I believe lies in the three different áge ranges"of Route 66.

Early pathways of this road from 1926 to 1930 followed one path.

Then from 1930-1940 changes took place in the actual roadway called Route 66.

To further complicate matters during the time of WW2 and immediately after World War 2 saw the alinement shift to enable mass convoys of equipment and troops along with the products of the US war effort to most speedily be transported across the nation so in some place a new 1940-1977 Route 66 exists. So it is possible to be riding along and only 30m away is another Route 66 seperation being a grass verge even I-44 at times is only 30m away and I bet a lot of those travelling the Interstate are claiming to have completed Route 66.

One also has to contend with some more route complantations such as the building of Interstate 44 which actually covered some existing sections so especially in Missouri one must "jump onto" I-44 for brief periods very brief in some cases only being from one off ramp to the next off ramp.

Also some minor local developements in town such as one way streets mean a realinement to what is termed Route 66 by ways. Often this can also be the business loop (ie goes pass all the town business premises) of I-44.

Occassionally very occassionally I have come to the worst senario, a sign saying Dead End! This usually results in a return to the last overpass of the Interstate and a ring road is found running on the otherside of the Interstate but no one has put up a directional arrow.

Most of the States I have passed have made a fairly good job of sign posting Route 66. Michigan is perhaps the best example so far but at this stage I still have 6 more States to pass through. They use the familiar brown "tourist route"signage.

Missouri on the other hand uses Route 66 byway in Blue and silver but have the annoying habit of putting the sign about 100m up the road from the intersection so one is guessing "does it go straight ahead or turns here?"

The major cities require much closer attention as signage is almost no existent so I study my regular maps the night before and visualise which Interstate will run in the same direction basically South West.

The riding of Route 66 at times sees a lot of traffic as often it is the Main Street also of a town or used by trucks avoiding Interstates or making local deliveries, at other times it is literally a narrow lane behind houses and even some parts of the road have grass growing in the cracks of the concrete sections, while others are freshly laid hot mix. Therefore it is often a challenging ride as one competes with local traffic, tourist traffic, commercial traffic and navigate at the same time on such a variety of road surfaces.

The people- yes they are the "fruits" of my riding efforts. As now timetable is set in stone I often may end up spending 2 hours chatting at an antiques barn, a coffee shop of even the front yard of a home.

Perhaps sofar the biggest stoppage was as I rode through Edwardsville Illinois yseterday on the 1930-1940 alinement also known as Illinois State Route 4. I rounded a cornor into the business district and opposite me was a motorcycle shop Moto Italia. As I am also a MV Agusta owner I thought despite them being a Moto Guzzi & Lambretta dealer I would be welcome. That was a misconception, not only was I welcomed I was offered first a cold drink, then an inspection of the business where I saw a early 1970's Yamaha DS7-250 and a Norton Commando 850 gathering dust. The owner soon had a pad and I was writing down possible sources of spares for Vernon the owner. Soon it was closing time and vernon said, ""bit late to go on now would you consider coming for a ride, eating supper (tea) on the ride then your welcome to a free nights lodging at my place"

The deal was sealed with a handshake and he grabbed a set of Traders plates for one of the Moto Guzzi's in stock and we rode off to places unknown. The ride was very scenic following the great Missouri River which serves as a heavy haulage route for grains from the North eg Maize from Minnasota and returns energy products from the South, thus using the natural flow of the river to add the Southward bound heavy cargos against the current returning the lighter weighed barges.

Our ride saw us ended up at Grafton. What a co incident as I live not too far from Grafton in New South Wales Australia and both of them have a brewery also.

We stopped at a riverfront cafe called Drifters and enjoyed immensly a dinner of catfish with sides of Mac & Cheese and Tata Tots (potato gems).

We watched in awe as a full golden moon appeared to rise out of the river and over supper assend into the sky. As luck would have it we enjoyed that view all the way home the moon changing to silver as we neared home and the next day was upon us- so much for a quick stop-but surely that will be a lasting memory of Route 66 despite all the other unique features encounted and shown in my photos from the World's largest Rocking chair to iconic service stations, diners,motels and sadly decaying road signs.

Towns like Pontiac have gone to great lengths to secure their future by reaching out to the evergrowing numbers of Route 66 tourists by providing features that attract and hold the tourist long enough to extract much needed income for the town to continue to exist as a business entity. Pontiac is known not only for it's free admission Route 66 museum complex but the giant town murals of iconic Route 66 scenes.

I even managed while in Springfield Illinois to stay at the Route 66 Hotel which houses the halls of Route 66 history which extends to every room and even the Route 66 logo on the bottom of the swimming pool so like me guests can literally float or swim on Route 66. I often shy away from eating at motel restaurants but the themeing of their diner had me hooked on yes a catfish dinner. (excuse the pun). While dining I struck up a conversation (again very extended) with a family at the next table and the food was good as they were locals!

One has to be abso;utely brutal in limiting the number of stops made each day as there are so many attractions now available along the route so to make both the best of my time and necessity of stops such as meal breaks I try to locate a bakery or store of actual historical significance for lunch yesterday a bakery in Litchfield. Jubelt's Bakery and restaurant has operated on Route 66 well before it was even there as the 3 brothers commenced the business in 1926 taking over a pre existing bakery in the near by coal mining town of Mt Olive. They grew the business by opening more shops but still remaining a family business. In 1982 a then Burger Chef building fell vacant and the later family members seized on the opportunity to have a route 66 frontage and that is where I had my lunch of fruit salad but with a difference. The salad was convential lettuce,tomato etc with warm chicken,pecan nuts and then covered in fresh strawberries, apricots and blueberries.A freshly baked Lemon muffin was included at no additional charge I guess in the hope you would purchase an assorted box of muffins on the way out which most did but have you ever tried to carry freshly baked cakes in saddlebags on a motorcycle-it's would not work so I left empty handed but with a full stomach as compensation.

Today as lunch approached i was looking for a similiar experience and as I passed into St Clair Missouri on Historic Old Route 66 (not not Old Historic Route 66!) i had seen a billboard for the Old Bus Stop Coffee Shop and Gallery. I was passing the gallery which looked like a gallery only when out of the cornor of my eye I saw a man (owners husband I later discovered) putting out a Cafe Open sign. I guess live moves more slowly on Route 66 as it was already 12.45pm. I stopped and turned around and parked not sure as to what food would be available at an art gallery.

The lady Max Scheske (owner) welcomed me and assured me all the food items were made to order and available so I ordered a corn chilli dog (very US) and freshly brewed house coffee. Some two hours later I was back on the road, after telling me a little of her past as a school teacher and how the building has served as a garage,barbers shop and for many years as the Greyhound Bus stop, hence the naming. I also discovered that my lunch was infact one of the houses specialised items given it's full title a All beef ballpark Chili Dog.

It was time to put a fews more hundred kilometers onto the trip total which now exceeds 14200 to reach my overnight stop in Lebonon ,Missouri that is.