Biggest convertible

[Tonish]

Had lunch yesterday with a friend who knows someone who did the trip a couple of years ago. They rented a couple of Harleys. He said they hated the whole thing. Not being hugely experienced on motorbikes, they found the experience utterly exhausting. The amount of time they needed to spend riding each day meant that when they eventually stopped they were too knackered to do anything else than sleep. And all day, because they were on motorbikes, they couldn't talk to each other. They said it was just gruelling.

[Katys Grandad]

They said it was just gruelling.

I'm not a biker so don't know anything about that experience but I do wonder whether the concept of the Route 66 trip is matched by the reality. What I've seen of what's left of the original route in various parts of the US is that it's just another highway going through miles and miles of relatively nondescript territory and industrial towns. Most of the trip seems to be on long straight dual carriageways.

Where Route 66 is acknowledged and 'celebrated' it's all a bit tacky for my taste. Taking the towns from the song, I've been to Chicago, Oklahoma City, Flagstaff, Amarillo and L.A. along with most of the others. I can't say I have a burning desire to return to any of them and certainly not by driving thousands of miles for the experience. If it's something somebody wants to do before setting off on the longest journey of all then good luck to them but, for me, there are far better drives in the US and the rest of the world to experience.

I'd still like to read your trip report if you do it though Peter.

[Tonish]

I'm not a biker so don't know anything about that experience but I do wonder whether the concept of the Route 66 trip is matched by the reality. What I've seen of what's left of the original route in various parts of the US is that it's just another highway going through miles and miles of relatively nondescript territory and industrial towns. Most of the trip seems to be on long straight dual carriageways.

Where Route 66 is acknowledged and 'celebrated' it's all a bit tacky for my taste. Taking the towns from the song, I've been to Chicago, Oklahoma City, Flagstaff, Amarillo and L.A. along with most of the others. I can't say I have a burning desire to return to any of them and certainly not by driving thousands of miles for the experience. If it's something somebody wants to do before setting off on the longest journey of all then good luck to them but, for me, there are far better drives in the US and the rest of the world to experience.

I'd still like to read your trip report if you do it though Peter.

I've never been to any of those places, my trips to USA, although numerous, have all been confined more or less to the east coast and Florida. That's one of the reasons I want to do it. I'm fairly sure the trip will happen, as the organising of it now seems to have taken on a life of its own and is pretty much out of my hands! We're going to look a bit ridiculous, 4 old f@rts trying to look cool, but at the minute, I'm looking forward to it. Should hopefully give me plenty to write about in a trip report.