Bonnie Does The Mother Road
Bonnie does The Mother Road
Steinbeck called it "The Mother Road, the road of flight," in his iconic 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath. It carried 250,000 refugees from their drought-ridden land west, to hope and survival. And you thought is was only a TV series…
Iconic it is…America's Main Street; only remnants today, of Route 66 and Main Streets everywhere. Bonnie is the perfect time machine to explore what was. Simple, timeless, accessible; beautiful, fun, playful. Iconic in her own right.
Originally stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, Arizona enjoys an interesting uninterrupted portion of Route 66, completely intact from Seligman to Kingman,and climbing Sitgreeves Pass before dropping into Oatman. That's this ride's objective.
Let the fun begin!!
Heading out Friday, the weather forecast seems to change every 15 minutes; screw it, that's why they invented Gore-tex. Twenty miles into the ride it starts to spit, but the smell of the desert during and after a rain is to be savored, not avoided. No real words for that; seek it out if you can.
The rain came and went, like the miles and the views. Day 1 would take me from Tucson to Seligman via Oracle, Roosevelt Lake, Payson, Cottonwood, Jerome and Ash Fork.
The southern portion of Roosevelt Lake. The bathtub ring is clearly visible, and you'll see more of that later. Several docks were closed because the water no longer reaches them.
The Roosevelt Dam bridge.
Roosevelt Dam
A closer look at the bathtub ring.
Heading north toward Payson. Some serious rain lies ahead…
Looking back after climbing through Jerome, and thankfully out of the rain.
This photo is in Ash Fork, on one of the Route 66 "dead ends." Perfect for a photo op.
Seligman, the eastern end of the continuous Route 66 section in Arizona, and my stop for the night.
Later that evening, a group of German riders arrive…all on Harley's and heading to the Grand Canyon for the quintessential American riding experience. Nice folks that seem to be having a grand old time, even if they were all cold!! Love my Gerbings, and Bonnie runs the jacket and gloves no problem.
Saturday dawns cloudy and in the 40s, but no rain. Heading west on Route 66 and feeling all 1950s…
Radiator Springs…inspiration for the movie Cars.
The Hackberry General Store in, of course, Hackberry.
Heading west toward Kingman, then Oatman. Unfortunately, Route 66 joins with I-40 for a short stretch after Kingman before you turn off and start climbing Sitgreaves Pass.
Starting to climb now. Sitgreaves Pass was the Route 66 nemesis. Travelers would hire "locals" to drive their Model Ts over it…often in reverse because that was the only way the cars could climb the steep grade. It is a fun road, but will not suffer mistakes easily; virtually every turn has a cliff with no shoulder or guardrail.
Oatman, home to the wild burros. But today, Hogs rule the road, or at least clog it. Who knew?
Ok, needed to get out of here…and the road out, the only road, is also clogged with Harley parades. Bonnie enjoyed playing Harley leapfrog until we were well clear…ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Lake Havasu, and over Parker Dam.
More wild burros, but no traffic…Parker Dam Road…
I don't think they want you to go in.
Saturday night was in Parker, Arizona, with one hellacious thunderstorm, but clear skies on Sunday. Backroads to Gila Bend, then a quick highway blast home, in time for the Tucson Vintage Motorcycle show at Barrio Brewery, literally around the corner from home. A final blast of nostalgia to cap off a fantastic trip! Three days, 900 miles of memories. Route 66 lives….
Steinbeck called it "The Mother Road, the road of flight," in his iconic 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath. It carried 250,000 refugees from their drought-ridden land west, to hope and survival. And you thought is was only a TV series…
Iconic it is…America's Main Street; only remnants today, of Route 66 and Main Streets everywhere. Bonnie is the perfect time machine to explore what was. Simple, timeless, accessible; beautiful, fun, playful. Iconic in her own right.
Originally stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, Arizona enjoys an interesting uninterrupted portion of Route 66, completely intact from Seligman to Kingman,and climbing Sitgreeves Pass before dropping into Oatman. That's this ride's objective.
Let the fun begin!!
Heading out Friday, the weather forecast seems to change every 15 minutes; screw it, that's why they invented Gore-tex. Twenty miles into the ride it starts to spit, but the smell of the desert during and after a rain is to be savored, not avoided. No real words for that; seek it out if you can.
The rain came and went, like the miles and the views. Day 1 would take me from Tucson to Seligman via Oracle, Roosevelt Lake, Payson, Cottonwood, Jerome and Ash Fork.
The southern portion of Roosevelt Lake. The bathtub ring is clearly visible, and you'll see more of that later. Several docks were closed because the water no longer reaches them.
The Roosevelt Dam bridge.
Roosevelt Dam
A closer look at the bathtub ring.
Heading north toward Payson. Some serious rain lies ahead…
Looking back after climbing through Jerome, and thankfully out of the rain.
This photo is in Ash Fork, on one of the Route 66 "dead ends." Perfect for a photo op.
Seligman, the eastern end of the continuous Route 66 section in Arizona, and my stop for the night.
Later that evening, a group of German riders arrive…all on Harley's and heading to the Grand Canyon for the quintessential American riding experience. Nice folks that seem to be having a grand old time, even if they were all cold!! Love my Gerbings, and Bonnie runs the jacket and gloves no problem.
Saturday dawns cloudy and in the 40s, but no rain. Heading west on Route 66 and feeling all 1950s…
Radiator Springs…inspiration for the movie Cars.
The Hackberry General Store in, of course, Hackberry.
Heading west toward Kingman, then Oatman. Unfortunately, Route 66 joins with I-40 for a short stretch after Kingman before you turn off and start climbing Sitgreaves Pass.
Starting to climb now. Sitgreaves Pass was the Route 66 nemesis. Travelers would hire "locals" to drive their Model Ts over it…often in reverse because that was the only way the cars could climb the steep grade. It is a fun road, but will not suffer mistakes easily; virtually every turn has a cliff with no shoulder or guardrail.
Oatman, home to the wild burros. But today, Hogs rule the road, or at least clog it. Who knew?
Ok, needed to get out of here…and the road out, the only road, is also clogged with Harley parades. Bonnie enjoyed playing Harley leapfrog until we were well clear…ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Lake Havasu, and over Parker Dam.
More wild burros, but no traffic…Parker Dam Road…
I don't think they want you to go in.
Saturday night was in Parker, Arizona, with one hellacious thunderstorm, but clear skies on Sunday. Backroads to Gila Bend, then a quick highway blast home, in time for the Tucson Vintage Motorcycle show at Barrio Brewery, literally around the corner from home. A final blast of nostalgia to cap off a fantastic trip! Three days, 900 miles of memories. Route 66 lives….
