Desert crossing of heat and wind

August 27^th, 2026

Barstow, California

Woke a bit early, so sat for a bit and then got up and showered.

Geared up most of the gear, then grabbed the tools and went out to the bike.

I put on the chain adjustment measuring tool and found that the chain is very slack.  That would explain the noise from last night, and likely part of the noise I have been using the chain oil to stop.

As we are heading into some very hot and remote spots today where getting help is going to be time consuming and costly, I wanted to try and get this fixed.

I pulled out the tools from the bike and figured I would try them again to adjust the chain.

This time I was able to break the nuts loose on the rear axle!

Loosened things, then using the adjustment screws on each side I moved them back to bring more tension to the chain.  Each time I adjusted I would check the tool still attached to chain and could see it move closer to the calibrated mark for factory settings of the chain.

It took about 6 – 7 turns on each side to get it adjusted!

But now it is perfectly aligned with where the tool was calibrated after having the new chain installed.

I then tightened the axle again and made sure the wheel turned properly.  We went ahead and oiled the chain again since we were there, and then packed up the tools and put things where they belonged.

After washing hands, we then loaded the bike and got everything setup as needed, then did last check of the room and went outside to finish gearing up.

Well, we forgot our hydration pack inside. First time I have actually left something in the room when I thought it was empty.

Went back in, grabbed it, checked room again, then left.

Dropped the key in the key box, then we got on the bike and headed over to the road.

Route 66 is a block over from here.  I took a slight detour to visit the locomotive park I had rode by yesterday.

Small park across from the Route 66 Museum has an old steam locomotive and a few cars on display.

Did some photos and then rode over to the route and headed out of town.

First few miles were some interesting terrains, and then we had to cross over the freeway and find the route that would head up into the hills nearby.

This was the original routing of the road before they bypassed the steep mountain route for a longer, but flatter valley route which the Interstate follows today.

The road was at first mostly flat as it headed to the hills in the distance, and quite a bit of housing and such out here.

We then started to head up into the hills.

First stop was at Cool Springs.

This location was an original fuel station back in the day, and later expanded into a repair shop and restaurant as well.

It fell into disuse in the late 60s after all the traffic had been moved to new routes, and eventually the buildings burned down.

At one point a guy purchased the land and using old photos, reconstructed the building close to its original design, using local rocks pulled out of the surrounding desert.

It now serves as a gift shop mostly, but can also buy a few snacks and drinks.

I spent some time petting the cat inside the shop, bought a cold drink and some water, then spent time talking with the staff while I drank the drink and refilled my pack with the water.

Eventually we headed onward, going into the hills and this is where the road really starts to wind around.  Steep hills, narrow roads, sharp corners, and very few guard rails in many spots.

I had forgotten to mark the stops on this road with the map, so would hopefully find them.

I eventually reached the summit of the pass which is at 3550 feet.  I was thinking the fish pond stop was after the summit, and another couple at the summit was thinking they might have missed it as well (coming from other direction).

I started down, but never did find the stop. [NOTE: It was before the summit, I just missed it going up]

I soon reached the small town of Oatman.

This town in famous for its hotel and restaurant, and the many wild burros that roam the streets and even surrounding countryside. (I had seen my first burro even before I started going up the pass, though only one I saw till I reached Oatman).

I tried to take a few pictures, but my damn cell phone keeps over heating and telling me I cannot use the camera till it cools.  I know it is hot, but I have used this phone all over Arizona during the summers for years and never had this issue before, starting to piss me off as it always seems to do this when I am at a place I want photos.

I walked over to a bench along the wall of a building under an overhang where I could sit in the shade.  I pulled off my jacket and then took the case off the phone and let it sit on the bench for a while.

Watched a few other people doing photos and eventually the phone decided to function.

Did a few street shots, and then went over to two of the burros that had wandered over to the steps in front of the Oatman Hotel.  They were basically sticking to the shady spots under the entry ways.  A few more were up the road a bit, and could see several and a few of the new babies down the street some (near where the food is sold that you are allowed to give them).

I talked a bit with the burro, who seemed to not care about what I was saying, gave him a few ear scratches and then walked back to the bike. (Another burro was standing there asleep).

Put the gear back on, and then got on the bike and headed out of town.  Very slow going as you have to watch for cars, people, and burros.

Reached edge of town and was able to pick up speed a bit, but road still rough and lots of hills and sharp corners still.

Bit farther had to slowly pass several burros in the road, and then things cleared up some.

Kept to the old Route 66 alignment in the few spots where other roads diverged off.

Had another group of burros to pass, then road leveled out more and kept straighter, so was able to get better speed.

But now the temperatures were going up.

It had been 102 when I left Kingman, and had stayed decent all the way to Oatman, but now coming down it was already 110, and as I kept going down it kept climbing.

When I reached the small community near the river and not far from the Interstate, it was 115.

I turned off to do a photo with the drive through shield in this town, but damn phone won’t work again.

I rode over to the nearby fuel station to use restroom and buy a cold drink.

I then went back to the shield and just filmed the drive through, see how that turns out.

Finally reached the Interstate where it crossed the Colorado River. 

No choice here, that is only bridge, so back onto the freeway.

I pulled off just past there as the bike was about to turn 30,000 miles, so wanted to get a photo.  Yeah, camera wont work again.  Tried the video, see how that works.

Back on road I pulled off a few miles later to get on the older alignment.  This turns into a main highway after a few miles, and this heads north into Needles California.

Rode the alignment through Needles, but not much to see.  Most of the buildings are closed up, abandoned or no longer appear as they did in the past.

I had been recommended a restaurant here by the guy running the last station I stopped at, and eventually I came upon it just as I was leaving town.

I pulled in, but there was no good parking, all open and right on the exit to freeway, no windows in restaurant, and I had not left the bike cover out where I could use it.

Too hot to unload things to find it, so decided to just forget eating here, too much risk, lots of questionable people already seen wandering the streets nearby.

Followed the old alignment till it ended and I had to get back on the freeway.

Followed I-40 for a few miles till the exit to get on Highway 95 heading north to Las Vegas.

But only used this road for about 6 miles before we turned off onto a small county road that was the original alignment for Route 66. 

Not much out here, but still cool to follow the old route through the midst of nowhere.  Lots of nowhere in this area of California.

The road was about 25 miles before it curved down and crossed under the freeway.

I stopped at the fuel station right before to top off the tank.  I was probably good, but wanted to make sure I could not worry about higher speeds using extra fuel.

This was one of those nice “last gas” kind of stations.  $9.19 a gallon for regular fuel! 

Thankfully only needed about 2 gallons.

Went inside to buy a cold drink, and then over to use restroom.  They do not let you use the ones inside, no, you have to use outhouse along side of parking lot (they did have actual plumbing in them at least).  Can say I will never stop at this place again if I come this way again.

Back on the Route, but now things get interesting.

This is where the road is closed.  Several bridges were wiped out about 15 years ago on the old alignment and they have had road closed to through traffic since.

You can technically go around the barriers and locals still use the roads, and I have seen several comments on forums from local that all the bridges have dirt road bypasses now where you just drive around the damaged bridge (assuming its dry, if water is running in the wash, then you are not going to do that).

I had originally thought about taking the old route and dealing with the washes, even at the risk of a ticket of the sheriff found you on it, but decided that I did not want to take the extra time, so would just use the freeway till another road would take me down to the old route beyond the closed sections.

This took about 25 minutes to reach this other road, and it was about 15 miles long as well.

We eventually got to the old alignment.  You could see the road closure heading east from here, but road was open to the west.

Oddly, several of the bridges on this section were under constructions, and bypasses were done in the dirt around them, so not sure why the closed the other section, unless its because the bypasses were created by locals, and were not officially marked out?

Either way, had to bypass several bridge work zones along the route.

We passed by the two stone Chinese Lions standing guard in the desert, kind of wish I had stopped, but just rode past.

Reached the area around Amboy where Roy’s Motel and Café are.  Someone has done a good job of restoring the sign and some of the building and operating it.

I pulled over to get a photo….yeah, camera will not work again. (WTF does the camera do that heat is a problem, but I can have the screen working, Maps running using cell and GPS signals to route me and Bluetooth connected to the helmet without issue, but the camera has a problem with heat?)

Annoyed I just rode off.  I should have gone inside at least to buy a cold drink, as I really needed one now, it was 119.

The road from here is pretty desolate.

Just a few sections where old town were, but little left, or railroad related objects on the side of the road.

Finally reached the Interstate again, but now the old alignment runs alongside using the frontage road.  I had thought about skipping those and taking the freeway, but I really hate riding over 60mph when the winds are blowing 30-40 across the road.  Makes it so much more effort to keep bike stable, so the slower frontage roads were more attractive.

I stopped at the fuel station at this junction as I needed to use the restroom, but mainly was hungry, and they had a Dairy Queen inside, so could get some actual food.

Parked and went in.  Used restroom, then ordered food and sat where I could see bike and ate while I cooled down.

Once completed with my meal, used restroom again, then out and back on the bike.

Crossed the road and hit the frontage road alignment.

Stayed on these roads for many miles, though did have to drop over to the south side at one point where the old road had curved and Interstate cut it in half.

Then we stayed along the south for quite some time.

Had to stop and wait for a train (2^nd time, actually did it earlier on another section of the route).

Then just kept going along with the freeway ¼ mile off to the side.

I suddenly saw another place I wanted to stop and had thought I missed, so had to quickly slow down and pull off.

The old Baghdad Café sits along the road here.

Its main claim to fame was the 1987 movie filmed at the location.  The director had traveled the route in the early 80s and came up with the idea.  The name came from the old town of Baghdad along the route which is pretty much gone at this point (just a cemetery left).  They filmed at a nearby café called the Sidewinder, which was an older café from the time the route was more active.

A later owner decided to keep the film connection and renamed the place to the Baghdad Café as it had become very popular with European tourists. (Seems the film is much more known there even though it does have a US release.)

Once stopped, I took a few photos, and then went inside.  Pretty cool place inside, lots of crazy decorations and film related stuff.

The old lady running the place sold me a coke, and they still operate as a café, so could have eaten as well, though did not look a menu, so no clue what they offer.

The film was shot mostly onsite there in the café, and outside.

The old water tower is still on the property, but it no longer stands, having fallen down.

The trailers some of the characters lived in are still onsite as well.

The lady told me a bit of the history, mainly as I had not seen the movie, so she tried to connect some of the dots for me.

Once done with my drink, I left to continue the ride.

Road crossed back over to the north side of the freeway again, and then it ends.  The Marine Corp base here took over the road after the freeway opened, and you can no longer access this section.

Back on the freeway to reach other side of the base, then we could get back off and onto the Route 66 alignment, just as we entered the edge of Barstow California.

Followed the road up to my motel and got checked in.

Once unloaded, I rode the bike back down the road to a convenience store to buy some cold drinks and more water as I had used up nearly all my hydration pack today.

I brought them back to the room and put them in to cool off (though found the fridge had not been plugged in, so not cold yet.

I then spent some time checking things online and arranging to meet up with some people in Los Angeles and in Palm Springs in the coming days.

I decided I was hungry enough for dinner, so rode down to the Del Taco and picked up a few burritos to bring back to the room.

Ate and then started working on the usual nights stuff.

Got all the footage moved to the laptop, edited a few photos, updated some online data, and then created the route for tomorrow.  Booked my hotels for next few nights as well.

I then wrote the blog for tonight and will get it online shortly.

Tomorrow we will leave later in the morning, try to get out late as we can as I do not have far to go tomorrow.

It will take bit over an hour to get out of the desert and into the L.A. area around San Bernadino.

This is where my Route 66 adventure will end.

I have no interest anymore in riding the city roads through LA to reach the end in Santa Monica.  Perhaps I will come back and do it another time, but just done with this road at this point.

I will instead ride on the freeways to the south end of the city to meet up with a friend for dinner and stay in that area for the night.

On Saturday, I will then ride over the mountains and some back highways to get over to Palm Springs to meet some friends there.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Coprolites, Caverns, and Cats

August 26^th, 2026

Kingman, Arizona

Woke at 8:00am and got ready.

Packed up as much as I could, then left and walked over to the Circle K to buy something for breakfast and a drink.

I then walked over to the park across the way and checked out the bridge over the canal made from a train box car.

Back across the street I proceeded to the first stop of the day.

A visit to the Poozeum. A museum dedicated to fossilized dinosaur poop!

Inside they have a large number of displays of collected Coprolites (the term for fossil poop) including the largest ever found that was certified by Guinness.  Lots of other fossils as well that were found in conjunction with the fossil excrement.

The store also has a large number of cool things you can buy that mostly have a dinosaur theme to them.

Spent about 20 minutes checking out the displays and another 10 looking over the stuff.  I decided to buy a cool magnet and a small sample of mammoth tush ivory for my fossil collection.

Once done, I walked back to the motel, packed up the new items and then uncovered and loaded the bike.

When ready, we hit the road and headed down the old alignment to a fuel station at the edge of town.  I should have waited.  This place was charging $5.19 for regular 87 octane fuel.  Nearly $1 more than many other places I have been in last few days.  Since they were gouging on the gas, I chose not to go inside and buy anything to drink, would stop later down the road.

We hit the freeway next as there are no drivable alignments for the next half hour other than the roads through small towns.

The first one of those was at Ash Fork.  You can drive through town on the old alignment, and a few old buildings to see and some shops catering to the Route 66 traffic.  There is also a Route 66 museum on the edge of town, but I was running behind, so decided to skip this stop.

Back on the freeway for a bit and then you can turn off onto the longest unbroken stretch of old Route 66 still in use.

The first several miles you curve up and around where the Interstate curved in the opposite direction.

Both roads converge again in Seligman.

Here there are several Route 66 attractions, and here is where a single man started the entire Route 66 preservation movement, mainly to save the roads in AZ, but it inspired others in each state to form groups to preserve the history there as well.

It was close to lunch time now, so I stopped at the Road Kill Café for lunch.   Technically not part of the Route 66 history as the place was founded long after the road stopped being Route 66 (1979 in this area), but the building was a bar/saloon on the old route, so the spirit is still there.

Went inside and got a table where I could keep an eye on the bike and ordered some small chimis to start and an Elk burger for my meal.  All the food was good, but massively overpriced for what it was.  Still a fun place to stop, they have seating in the old saloon as well as the restaurant (and even outside when its not so damn hot out).

Also, a large gift shop, the old Jail for the town sits behind the building and some old west building facades that have been used in commercials and films over the years.

We then got back on the road and headed onto the old route that curves up north instead of going straight west like the interstate does.

About 30 minutes farther north, I reached the next stop.

Along the way there was some great vistas of the large cliffs to the east and the railroad following the road to the west.

The next stop is the Grand Canyon Caverns.

Pulled off the road into the lot where you can see the general store and motel offices.

You then turn down a small road, past some large green dinosaur figures and head into the hills behind.

Another large metal dinosaur sits along the route before you reach the area where the restaurant and cave entrance are.

Parked the bike and covered it after getting what I needed to take with me.

Went inside and got in line to get a ticket for the cave tour, which was ready to start right at that time, actually we started a bit late as several others were showing up to get their tickets moved to the 1:00 tour or buy them like me.

Once we all were paid and checked in and signed the waivers, we had some light discussion on rules and then in groups we took the elevator down 210 feet to the bottom of the shaft where the cave tour starts.

This is a natural water formed cave that was first discovered in the 1930s by a railroad worker.  He and a partner tried mining for gold, but quickly round there was nothing in the cave other than some pyrite that looked like gold.

They instead setup the cave as a tourist thing and would lower people into the cave via a rope.

In the late 1950s, they started the process of making the caves easier for people to walk through, blasting tunnels larger, making new tunnels to carry people up to different levels and paving the path way so it was easily walked.

A bridge and steps were installed at the entrance in the early 60s, and then later the elevator was installed.

At one point in the early 60s, one of the chambers was filled with sanitation and cooking oil and other supplies to support a fair number of people for several weeks.  An early bomb shelter basically, built during the early cold war tensions.

These supplies are still there, and still perfectly preserved and usable.

During the Y2K uncertainties, several pallets of bottled water were also added, all still there, perfectly preserved.

The guide took us through the several chambers of the cave, pointing out unique features, or things from the history of the cave.

They also have a large platform in the middle of the cave where you can hold weddings or other types of events, though it seems they do not do it very often.  There used to be a room you could rent and spend the night in the cave, but that was discontinued several years back, and only the platform the room was built on remains.

You can also see the restaurant platform near the entrance.  This small section of tables is tied into the restaurant on the surface, and you can pay to have your meal in the cave.  Many do that as a combo with the tour, and when the tour ends you go up and have your meal.

There are also some old artifacts from the building of the cave interior, sections of the cave you cannot go into, unless you are on the explorer tours that go off into the wild sections of the cave. 

One section where you can see the dried-out bobcat that was found near the entrance where it has died back in the mid 1800s.

Another place where a large statue of a ancient ground sloth stands where they found the bones of one that had fallen into the cave from the entrance above 1000s of years ago.

The statue was provided by a local university in exchange for the original bones that went for study and are likely in storage somewhere now.

The full tour lasts about 45 minutes, and they also offer a shorter tour that does not climb up and high, for those that do not want to walk as far or deal with the ramps and steps.

Once done, you ride the elevator back up.

I went into the gift shop and bought a drink, then went out to get the bike ready to go.

Back on the road I could not use the Maps anymore as there is no cell service out here.

Thankfully there really are no turns to worry about, so just needed to watch closer for the next sites as I would not get reminded by the route on the app.

I took about 30 minutes to ride to the next stop.  You pass through Peach Springs, the largest town along the route and the main town on the Hualapai Reservation which you cross for about 20-25 minutes.

Once you start heading south for a bit you reach the next point.

In a series of amazing looking canyons with lots of trees and green, you find the Keepers of the Wild animal sanctuary.

This facility was founded approximately 30 years ago, and has been in this location for 21 years (having moved here from the Las Vegas area).

The owner and founder had been a magician with animals in a show in Vegas, but decided it was no way for the big cats to live, so created the sanctuary for them to live out their lives in better conditions.

Since they have taken in all kinds of animals from other animal parks, private owners, or animals hurt and no longer able to survive in the wild.

They have Tigers, Lions, Bears, Coyotes, Wolves, Foxes, Emus, Alpacas, Elk, various birds, and a few monkeys.

The animals are unable to be returned to the wild, so will spend the rest of their lives living here.  In most cases the animals are hands off, only a few do they handle with any frequency.

I arrived and there were not many cars there, so went inside to see if there were any more tours that day.  While I think you can pay and just walk the paths on your own, the tours give you more back ground and you get to ride in a cart or other type of conveyance instead of walking.

There was a tour at 3:30, and it was only 2:45, so had some time.

I went ahead and covered the bike, grabbed the stuff I needed and bought my ticket.

I then hung out in the gift shop (mainly for the AC) and talked with the guy working there till it was time to go out for the tour.

I went out bit before the time and sat at a table there, and when the time arrived, the small cart arrived, guess I will be the only person on the tour today.

The driver, who also works with the animals and knows quite a lot about the place is Kendra.

The bonus for me is that this 3:30 tour is also the feeding time for the big cats.

So, we would arrive at an enclosure, and the guy with the food in a different cart would feed the animal and you got to watch them eat for a bit.  Also brings most of the cats out to the fences.

Many of the other animals also come out, even though they will get feed a bit later, not as part of the tour.

We drove all over the compound, watching the cats get fed, some of which were quite fun to watch how they acted.

We then continued visiting all the other animals, some which were fed, others were not.

It took about an hour I think for the entire ride to finish, and then I was free to wander the park until they close, but I was hot and tired, and still have to ride to my destination, so just went to the gift shop, bought a few drinks and got the bike uncovered and ready to ride.

Headed back down the road, a bit slowly as someone was driving along at 40-45 mph in a 65mph area.

Several cars have to pass this idiot, one guy doing so quite dangerously with oncoming traffic.

Finally got around him myself and continued onward.

It was now close to 5pm, and I did not want to spend too much more time on the bike, mainly as it was now 108 degrees out.

I skipped visiting the Hackberry General store, one of the well known Route 66 stops.

I did stop a bit later to get some photos of Giganticus Headicus.  A large, head stature, similar to the Easter Island Moai statues, but painted bright green.

I did go inside the shop to buy another cold drink, then back on the road for the long straight highway run into Kingman.

This stretch of road was very windy, and traffic was also heavier, several cars passing me as I was still only going about 60 due to the winds and rough road.

Still riding without maps as signal was too weak when I left, and when I reached Kingman, signal was good, but now the map route was too far along and Maps cannot figure out how to just start at the point I am, it freaks out and will not work because you are not close the start points.  It’s too stupid to see that I am now at point 5 of 10, instead of 1 of 10, and refuses to work. (And this is from the same people who want to put AI into everything, we are doomed)

I could have fixed it if I had a few seconds at a red light.  Of course, if you WANT a red light, then you cannot get one.

Finally got stopped at one near the end of my route, so was able to just setup a new route to the hotel, just to make sure I did not miss a one way road or anything.  It was actually quite simple, could have found it without the maps, but still nice to know where you stand.

Got checked into the room, unloaded the bike and sat around to cool off.

Then changed and decided to ride over for dinner as it was too hot to walk the 1/3 mile to the restaurant.

I ate at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner. 

Food was good, bit more reasonable on price as well.

Once done, I rode over to the convenience store to buy some drinks and then back to the motel.

Got the bike secured, took a warmish shower (Arizona, even the cold water is hot), and then sat in the AC for a while to cool down.

I then got this blog typed up and will plot my route next.

Will maybe stop at museum nearby in the morning, but might just get going.  Also, might need to try and find some better tools, my bike is making noise around the chain, think it needs adjusted again, so will either need to find a shop that can get me in, or buy better tools so I can do it myself.

Will figure it out in the morning.

Tomorrow we will do the last part of the Arizona section of Route 66 and get into California.

I am hoping to make it about half way in, as I will be skipping the main alignment that is technically closed anyway due to several bridges being out.

You can drive it, there are dirt bypasses the locals use at every bridge, but its risky, you are not supposed to go there if you are not local, and will just slow me down for little benefit as the region is mostly empty space with a few old places along there that would be cool, but not critical to see. 

They are fixing the bridges finally (after about 10 years), so in a year or two I can always come ride it then.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Laundry and videos.

August 25^th, 2026

Williams, Arizona

Woke at 8:00 am and got ready.  I need to do laundry really bad, nothing clean and worn much of it at least twice.

Gathered all the clothes and wore the riding gear so I could wash the street clothes, except the one pair of shorts under the riding pants and the long sleeve shirt I brought for just these occasions.

Got the bike ready and loaded the clothes, then rode over the few blocks to the laundry place.

Once inside I found a machine and got the clothes going.

Stood around playing of phone waiting.

Once done, took them over to dryer and when I went to start it, seems like there was still time left on it from someone else, so let it run out, but not enough to dry things, so had to run another full cycle again.

Folded the dry clothes and then rode back to the motel and put things away.

I then secured the bike again, then grabbed laptop and went to find a place to have lunch and do some work. (There is really no good place to sit in the room and work.  Even if the couch was not filthy, there is no table, so have to hold laptop in lap, which gets old really fast.)

I walked down a few blocks, checked out the old fuel station which was restored

I then stopped at Station 66 for pizza.   This place is built in an old gas station.

Ordered food and sat and ate while I worked on video stuff.

Once done, I walked over to the Circle K to buy some cold drinks for tonight and returned to the room.

Continued to work on my video, but after an hour I was so tired I could not keep eyes open.

Finally had to lay down and take a nap, which lasted about 2 hours.

Even after waking I was tired, so I sat in my camp chair (I had pulled it out and set it up earlier to try sitting in it, still holding laptop, but better than the bed).

After sitting here for probably an hour I started to wake up.

I got busy with the video again and completed it.

While it was exporting, I re-heated the wings from last night and had them for dinner, was not hungry enough to get other food.

Once the video was done, we put it up on You Tube and then started to work on the route for tomorrow.

I originally though we would make it to the California border tomorrow, but several stops on the ride tomorrow that will take time, and several smaller stops as well, so by time I reached the next larger town, it will be late enough that riding farther would not be that good.

So will stay in Kingman tomorrow, and continue the following day.  Might add an extra day on the trip is all, but still have some time.

Once route was done and I spent some time looking ahead to get an idea of how many more days this trip will take, I worked on getting the last two blog entries written.

Will upload them now and then go to bed, long day tomorrow, including a museum visit before I even load the bike (Just 2 blocks over, but was closed today, but opens early, so can get it done, load bike and still get out before 11 check out itme.)

Catch ya down the road.

Closed routes and short stops

August 25^th, 2026

Williams, Arizona

Woke early at 7:00am and got ready.  Loaded up the bike and had everything ready to go around 8:00am.

After final room check, we dropped key at office and hit the road.

Stopped after a mile to do the drive through Route 66 shield in Grants, NM.

Then we were back on the route.

Decided not to stop to look at an old tank and gun sitting on side of road in veterans park, no real good place to park, so hopefully it will show up on the video.

Nice route through the towns and into the countryside.  The old alignment mostly follows along the Interstate here, sometimes right next too it, others a bit of distance, but always in view.

I know today would have lots of time on the Interstate as much of the original routes are now under it.

So, when Maps told me to get on the freeway, I assumed we were good.  But it did its thing again of changing my route for no reason.  So, I lost out on a few miles of the old route and that included the stop at the Continental Divide marker.  I could have pulled off the freeway, but was a bit angry, so just kept going.

Bit later it did it again, but just for a short route, but still annoying me that it keeps ignoring the route I setup on the computer.  The App must have a different logic behind its routing process, so you get different results in it than on the browser.  Really lame.

Coming into Gallup the road was suddenly closed.

While it was open to local traffic, I decided to follow the detour onto the freeway, and I did see a few miles later that the road was basically gone.  The state highway (118) had been overrun by some massive construction project.  Looks like they are building a new interchange, though not sure why, seems like odd place to build one.

Past that the highway is accessible, but not doing any back tracking on this trip unless to see a place.

So pulled off the freeway at the main exit where the business interstate route takes over. (This is usually the original highway that the interstate replaced, just labeled BR-# to allow you to access the local businesses).

The old alignment here takes you through Gallup.

I thought about eating here, but never did find anything that looked good.

Took the highway out of town and about 6-7 miles later, suddenly it is closed again.  No warning back when I was at the interstate exit, so now I had to back track those 6-7 miles to reach the only access point for the interstate, and I found no other routes around, not even a gravel road.

Once on the freeway I noticed that the closed section was actually just a 1 way lane over a bridge and got really pissed off, but then a few more miles the road was fully closed for something they were doing with another Bridge.

Few more miles and I was able to get back onto the highway, and this route took me to the Arizona border.

I decided at this point to skip a stop I was going to make there, had lost enough time already and was really in a foul mood now as well.

I stopped at the rest area there, then crossed over to drive the short section on the south of the freeway, then back onto the interstate as no routes exist here.

Just past the Houck exit I did pull off and take one of the very old alignments.  This was a 5 mile section and it was gravel, but I wanted to visit the old Querino bridge which is on this section of the route.

The gravel was mostly well graded surface and not to think, but road was a bit wash boarded and some pot holds, made a bit of a rough run.

Stopped at the bridge for a few photos and then finished the road back to the interstate.

Had a long section of freeway now across the rest of the Navajo region and past Petrified Forest.

Got of in Holbrook and stopped to refuel.

I then stopped to eat at Burger King as I was too hungry to look for a local diner anymore.

I also had one stop to make in Holbrook.  I had driven by the place dozens of times, but wanted to stop and see the big dinosaur figures at a local rock shop and check out the shop.

The place is only 1 block off the route through town, so found it and parked, and then saw that the shop was actually closed.  Thankfully the dinosaurs are all outside around the building and lot, so could take a few photos.

Got back on the road, rode past the Wigwam Motel (I had stayed here on a trip about 12 years ago, so why I never even thought about stopping here on this trip).

Stopped on edge of town for the drive through Route 66 shield for Holbrook.

Then it was back onto the freeway.

Just past there you can get off and drive the original route through St Joseph which I did.  Then I got back on the freeway, but made a mistake there.

For some reason I was not looking at the maps closely, just seemed to recall there being only a short section here, but missed that the route actually went on the south frontage road for a few miles, ending at the Jack Rabbit trading post exit.

Oh well, guess I will need to pay more attention to the maps, but with it frequently altering my course as well, might just need to go back to using paper instructions in the map pocket of the tank bag.

I pulled off at Jack Rabbit post anyway so I could take photo with the sign, and had to stop and clear a few stop markers on the map program as it was trying to make me back track to those markers now.

A bit past there you get off the freeway and ride the original route through Winslow.

I decided not to seek out the corner (Standing on the Corner in Winslow Arizona fame) as I had done that 12 years ago as well on that other trip.

I did however go off the route a bit to reach the railroad park in town.

Winslow owes its existence to the railroad, so they honor its part in the town’s history with a small park which has several older rail cars sitting in it, right next to the still active rail line.

I walked around the trains for a bit, then went back to the bike to look into the chain as it was making noise again at low speed in the lower gears.

This has occurred a few times, though all after I had been riding in wet conditions for a long time.

Today I had only had a light rain, barely enough to get the road wet, so should not have been much water on the chain, but it was clunking again.

I unpacked the bike enough to get the chain oil and spent a few minutes oiling the chain again.

This seems to fix it, but still odd that it started today without the water.

Once everything was back on the bike we got going again, and sure enough, no more clunking.

From here on there are no more sections of the road to ride until you reach Flagstaff.

While some of the older alignments do exist still, many are gravel, and those that are not are still no longer connected on both ends, so you have to ride out and back.  Just not wanting to spend that time anymore.

I pulled off the highway though at one section to visit the Meteor City.

This domed building was once a stop on Route 66 and had sat abandoned for many years.

Recently someone fixed it up and has a gift shop and museum inside, and outside several activities, the main one being a dinosaur park you can drive through with lots of large dinosaur sculptures.

You can also spray paint a Volkswagen beetle, pan for gold, shoot targets, and hire a pedal car to take through the dino part instead of your own car.

I was not going to do any of that, but was cool to look at stuff inside, lots of rocks and dinosaur related merch.

Bought a cold soda though as it was hot outside today.

Drank the soda while standing at the bike, then got back on the road, going back to the exit to get on the freeway.

A bit later you pass the road going to the Meteor Crater, but as I had just visited that a few months before this trip, did not feel like doing it again.

The next place on the old route is the old town of Two Guns.

Not much left here, some old ruins and stories, and part of the old route goes over an old bridge here (gravel road).

I had originally planned to stop, but was running late enough, and it was hot enough to make me skip it and go onward.

Next stop is Two Arrows.

This former roadside fuel station and stop is in a sorry state, but wanted to at least stop for the one arrow still standing.

The other arrow collapsed a few years ago, and then someone stole it shortly after that.

The one still standing is probably going to collapse in a very short time if something is not done, but seems to be no interest in getting funds to restore at least the arrows at this site.

The buildings are just shells now, covered in graffiti and probably not salvageable anyway.

Back on the road we continued onward toward Flagstaff.

I decided not to take the Winona exit which follows the older route up north of town before coming back south.  I had already driven that section of road 12 years ago, so opted for a later routing that starts at the Walnut Canyon exit.

This alignment is shorter, but was actually a very nice route and scenic, and is the official Route 66 signed route going into Flagstaff, having the big Route 66 stone signs then built along the route.

Once in Flagstaff we made our way through town and stopped for a few cold drinks on the far side.

From here you have to get back on the freeway and continue west.

At Bellemont you can exit and follow some of the earlier alignments here, but they are all gravel roads, and I actually road them on this bike about 5 years ago, so stayed on the freeway as there are no paved alignments here, they are all under the interstate now.

This brought me to the edge or Williams where I will stop for the night.

Once off the exit from the freeway, you catch the original road again into town.

Williams was the very last town bypassed by I-40, they hung on till the very end, but eventually the road went around them, but they still have a decent amount of visitation due to other things nearby that keeps the town going, and they embraced the Route 66 history as well.

I found my motel in the middle of town, got checked in and over to the room.

Room is in a corner, so cannot park right in front, but close.

The entrance to the room though is a stupid narrow hall that I can barely wall through without turning sideways, and with the bags in my hands had to turn like that.

Room itself is good sized, though huge bed uses up most of it.

The usual stuff, including a couch/fold out bed, but the thing is filthy.  Stained horribly on the surface, not even going to sit on it.

Oddly rest of the room is nice, clean and in good shape, so hard to see how they can leave this sofa in here.

Got unloaded, then sat around to cool off for a while.

Then we secured the bike and changed so we could walk over someplace for dinner.

Went down the road to Cruiser’s Route 66 Café and had a good sized meal there. Actually, was too much food, so brought half the boneless wings back to the room for later.

Once back in the room, I did a few quick things online, then decided I was ready for bed, just wiped out today.

I will be staying here 2 nights, so can get things done in the morning.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Volcanoes and Caves

August 23^rd, 2026

Grants, New Mexico

Woke at 8:00am, body said nope.

Woke at 9:00am, body said nope.

Woke at 10:00am, body said dude, no.

Finally gave up on alarms, and would just let body wake on its own.  It did, at noon.

Got showered and dressed and decided I still had enough time to make the day trip I had planned to ride today.

Got the bike uncovered, grabbed what I needed and hit the road.

Headed up to the nearest interstate intersection, and then crossed over the freeway to grab a highway heading south.

Road a bit down this before I noticed I was very low on fuel.  Range said I should be able to go out and back, but this will be a close one.

Took only about 30 minutes to get south and up into the hills a bit.

Reached our destination, the Bandera Ice Caves and Volcano.

The site is next to an old cinder cone volcano (1 of about 30 in the region) which has a trail hiking up to the crater.  The other attraction is the ice cave.

This cave sits in a collapsed lava tube (one of the longest in the country) and due to some unique conditions, maintains a yearly temperature of 31 degrees (F).  This means the 20 feet of ice sitting on the bottom of the cave rarely melts below that, and it can gain a foot or two each winter as rainwater seeping in over the summer will collect on the ice and freeze.

I arrived, went into the shop and got the general description of what was out there and some history, then paid my fee to hike up the trails.  I also bought a hat as I had left mine at the motel and lots of hiking in the sun would not due my head any good.

I hiked up the volcano first.  The trail is along the cinder paths which are not too rough or steep, and winds up to the saddle where the volcano blew out the side of the caldera on its last eruption about 10000 years ago. 

The lava flow from that eruption went about 23 miles south of the volcano, merging in with flows from other volcanos in the 10000-20000 year time frame.

The saddle sits at about 8000 feet altitude.

I took some photos, enjoyed the scenery, examined some rocks, and then headed down.

About half way down, you can take a scenic trail out across the lava field in this area, which will slowly bring you down the rest of the incline and intersect the trail to the ice cave.

The ice cave, which as mentioned sits in a lava tube, is about ¼ mile beyond the end of this scenic trail.  The full hike is about 1.5 miles.

Once you reach the entrance to the collapsed area of the tube, you have to come down a steep set of stairs (think there are about 50-60 of them) to reach the platform above the ice in the cave.

As mentioned, the bottom of the cave has a large pool of ice about 20 feet thick.  This ice maintains itself year-round and helps to keep the cave at 31 degrees.

It also creates an environment where arctic lichen and arctic algae can survive. (How they got here in the first place is still a mystery as the should not exist this far south)

The cave has a wall built in the back from stone, which was started by native peoples and maintained by settlers in the region later.  The natives and settlers all harvested ice from the cave for at least several 100 years, possibly longer.

While ice harvesting was stopped in the 1940s, it also started its life as a tourist attraction around then as well.

The shop had lots of artifacts on display that were found in the area, mostly pottery and items left behind by natives that had lived in the area.

I hiked the short distance back to the shop and spent some time talking with the people running the place (I think the older guy might be the owner of the land) and some of the other guests visiting.

I later went inside to buy a cold drink and look at the aforementioned artifacts and browse the gift shop.

Finally decided to head back, so got going and took it slowly so I would hopefully not run out of fuel.

Thankfully it was mostly down hill on the way back and at slower speeds I arrived with about 30 miles of range to spare, so maybe ½ a gallon of fuel left.

Stopped at station and filled the tank, then went back to the motel.

I pulled off stuff from the bike, then sat down to work on my financial stuff again.  Verify card charges, balance accounts, paid off cards, and move funds as needed.

I then decided to walk next door to the burger joint for dinner.

As I was leaving, a guy in one of the rooms down the row asked if I had any tools.

He was trying to remove door panel to fix his electric window which would not go up, and did not have the socket size he needed.  Sadly, neither did I, but I did have some needle tipped vice grips, and that worked to get the bolts out.

But the problem was not something easy to fix.  Appears that the cable that runs the window up and down has become jammed, knotted or fallen off the spindle that winds it up and down.  Likely will need to remove the motor to even try and fix.

Guy decided he would wait till tomorrow and he has to take it to shop for a problem in his transmission as well.  Wished him luck, put my tools away and then went for dinner.

Burger place is small inside, but figured out what I wanted and ordered.

Took a long time for food to be ready, though they do make things after you order it, so that does make things slower.  Only 2 people and 1 online order were in front of me, but still took 20 minutes to get my food.

I walked back to the motel to eat and then started to work on the blogs.

Now that this one is done, I will try to get them uploaded as I am behind again, and then do a few other updates.  Then I need to get route done, so likely no video work tonight.

Tomorrow we will get into Arizona, and probably bit over half way across.  As I have already stopped at many of the sites along the route in northern AZ, I am going to skip most of that stuff tomorrow and just get to area around Flagstaff at least, hopefully bit farther (hoping to reach Williams).

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route: