Drove into downtown Chicago this morning looking for the origin of Route 66. All of the literature says it began by the lake at the Santa Fe building. Found the building and the road in front of the art museum that is supposed to have the sign "BEGIN HISTORIC ROUTE 66". This street like many others in Chicago was under construction and the sign had been removed, it didn't matter we had found the true beginning.
Drove to the north end of Lake Shore Drive before turning around and heading southwest looking for 66. Shortly after leaving downtown got off the highway and onto two lane old 66. Followed it all day through Joliet, Elwood, Pontiac, Normal, Bloomington, Funks Grove, Elkhart, and a dozen other small town main streets.
At one point we saw an original piece of route 66 that was just a grassy median and a ditch away from the alignment we were driving. Next thing you know we are all on that abandoned piece of closed roadway driving along like we owned it.
What a great day, just exactly like I envisioned when we left Arizona. Great two lane roads in the heartland of the country down the main streets of USA.
Several times we paralleled the highway and you could see the people alone in their cars rushing to get somewhere. I actually felt sorry for them as they were missing the reason for the day. Shirt sleeves, great motorcycles, sights sounds and smells of small town America, that you don't get enclosed in steel with filtered air on the interstate at 80 mph.
Drove to the north end of Lake Shore Drive before turning around and heading southwest looking for 66. Shortly after leaving downtown got off the highway and onto two lane old 66. Followed it all day through Joliet, Elwood, Pontiac, Normal, Bloomington, Funks Grove, Elkhart, and a dozen other small town main streets.
At one point we saw an original piece of route 66 that was just a grassy median and a ditch away from the alignment we were driving. Next thing you know we are all on that abandoned piece of closed roadway driving along like we owned it.
Lots of other motorcyclists taking advantage of Route 66 on a beautiful Sunday, tomorrow they will be back to work and it will still be Sunday for us.
What a great day, just exactly like I envisioned when we left Arizona. Great two lane roads in the heartland of the country down the main streets of USA.
Several times we paralleled the highway and you could see the people alone in their cars rushing to get somewhere. I actually felt sorry for them as they were missing the reason for the day. Shirt sleeves, great motorcycles, sights sounds and smells of small town America, that you don't get enclosed in steel with filtered air on the interstate at 80 mph.
1 comment:
Feels like we're riding along the ole highway ourselves reading your post. Great to hear it's as surreal as you imagined. Love the pics too! Hope the rest of the highway is just as good to you.
Be careful! Love you!
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