ROUTE 66

This is a thank you to Brian Wiltshire of ‘Real World Travel’ for a great Route 66 tour in September/October of 2016.

 

The trip far exceeded my expectations. I am not sure why this was the case, but it could be that I was just expecting that it would be a motor-bike ride from Chicago to Los Angeles, but it was much, much more than that.

It was the ‘side trips’, attractions and museums that made it more than a ride from ‘A’ to ‘B’ and for me the highlight was a 45-minute helicopter trip around the Grand Canyon. This was not an inclusion in the trip cost, as such, but for those who chose not to take a chopper ride there were still stunning views from the rim.

The riders amongst us rode Harley Davidson Street Glides which were a pretty good option with plenty of storage space in the Panniers (although Brian also provides a transportation service for your bags/cases) and they also have a stereo for those desert stretches. 

The accommodation was something else that exceeded my expectations. It was around eighteen months ago (at the Tamworth National Rally) that ‘Harry Potter’ and I first met Brian and began planning our tour. I’m pretty sure that Brian said that the accommodation was twin share and 3 star – so I didn’t expect two queen size beds (one each) at all of the Hotels, mostly Holiday Inns, which I would rate 4 star!

We pretty quickly got used to riding on the right-hand side of the road and if you are at all anxious about doing that I can tell you that we felt pretty safe – even on the 8 lane ‘interstates’ when we had to use them. This was also partly because there was Brian’s vehicle in front of us and a Mustang with Leigh and Macka in it and a Chev with Thommo and Trish, bringing up the rear. Harry, myself and John were on bikes and John’s wife Lyn was riding a trike. A great combination and a good size (small) group, especially when it came to fuelling up and booking in to Hotels.

They say that 85 percent of Route 66 still exists and I am sure that with Brian’s help we did 100% of the 85% - because it is hard to find in places. I personally know a couple who “did Route 66” –  without a guide – and were very disappointed as they “couldn’t find it”.

If you want to see all of Route 66 (we rode 2900 miles) as well as an escorted tour by vehicle from Chicago to Milwaukee to see the Harley Museum, I thoroughly recommend Brian Wiltshire of Real World Trave – ‘Unreal’.

If you want to know more about the inclusions and the daily itinerary – contact Brian.

 

…. Glenn Hoffmann

Past Director – Wide Bay Hogs – Qld.

30.10.16