Friday morning dawned warm and dry as our group headed west through Kingman and onto the drainage of Sacramento Wash. As Jerry told us in our EZ66 Guide, “no turns, no stops, just ease along and watch the ragged ramparts of the Black Mountains.” Our first stop was in Cool Springs. This old station was recently rebuilt after being blown up for the movie, Universal Soldier. We also featured an image of the stop in some of our promotional materials so I was anxious to check it out.
Things got wild at this point as we headed up the mountain on the Oatman Highway. It’s steep, crooked and has some crazy drop-offs and once we reached the peak at Sitgreaves Pass it was time to stop, relax and take a few more photographs, not for long however because you have to come down, plus we knew the next stop would be a fun one so we didn’t linger long! Oatman, the town full of wild burros was next and although we didn’t get to witness any burros we found the Oatman Hotel and Café and I kid-you-not when I tell you there must have been $100,000 in one dollar bills stapled to the walls and ceilings in this great place. Some date back to 1923!
Next stop California! The heat kicked in and we decided we should have left a little earlier but the fun factor was making it all worth while as I had pulled together one of my early riding groups and we were having as much fun as we had had more than a week ago. Once in California we rejoined Route 66 and made our way to Needles and then to Amboy where we stopped at Roy’s Café and Motel. This great old place was recently purchased by a Route 66 Savior and I’m sure good times are ahead for this landmark. It had really heated up by this point and the awnings over the pumps were a welcome respite from the blazing sun.
We decided we had to make up some time so we jumped on the super slab and headed to Victorville and the California Route 66 Museum where the volunteers were wonderful hosts and we all enjoyed cool beverages and the great exhibits. This museum also had a great selection of souvenirs so of course, shopping was in order! We jumped on the freeway for the final leg of the day and made our way to Pomona Valley Harley-Davidson, our final dealer stop of this magnificent trip. Brian Law and his crew had fresh, hot fried chicken and all the fixins’ for us. As a great band played inside the showroom everyone shopped and relaxed as the stories of the day began to be told.
Saturday morning dawned to the sound of motorcycles rumbling out of the hotel well before 7:00a.m. as most who had decided to make the trek to the Santa Monica Pier wanted to do so before the heat set in and the traffic got crazy! We arrived just after 8:00 and made our way out to the pier where we met up with Dan Rice, one of Route 66’s newest and best ambassadors. He and his wife run a souvenir cart out on the pier and as we learned about the end of the route from Dan we also learned that his shop sells only made in the USA t-shirts and products, what a refreshing change from so much of what we had seen! Of course there were lots of pictures taken under the sign that crosses over the road as well as at the Will Rogers Highway Marker in Palisades Park.
Our trip back to Ontario included a stop at the very first In and Out Burger for a tasty lunch at the this famous Southern California eatery. Once we arrived at the hotel reality set in, our time together was drawing to a close and it would soon be time to say our goodbyes, stuff everything onto the bikes and make our way back to the real world. At the farewell celebration Saturday evening Schoony (Kris Schoonover, Director of H.O.G. and Consumer Events) shared stories from his two Survivor Rides and then teamed up with Shawn Hughes of Macanudo Cigars to raise more than $1,300 for Harley’s Heroes by auctioning off mementos of the tour. Over the two weeks of this touring rally over $3,000 was raised from our members who generously donated to this program that benefits America’s Disabled Veterans.
I’ve been at this gig through four riding seasons now and as the evening came to a close and so many of my friends came by to say thanks, offer suggestions for future rides and to try and bribe me for information about 2011 plans I couldn’t help but be a little sad that I wouldn’t see some of these great folks for a year or more. These H.O.G. members are infectious and every year I think our time together can’t get any better but it always does.
So to Jim and Robyn, Drew, J.Carolyn and Jerry, Louis and Patty, Larry and Betty, Carl and Rose, Paul and Lisa (and that whole crazy, wild group from Michigan), Jim and Joy, Eric and Peggy, Dave, Ben, Brian, Remy, Walt, Tampa Ted, Christie, and so many others that I’ve enjoyed spending time with the last couple of weeks I can only say THANK YOU for choosing to spend some of your valuable time with Schoony, Peggy, Brenda, Jenna, Chris, Angie, Leah, Shawn, Don, Wil and myself. We are privileged to get to spend this time with you, our valuable members.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to and recognize our wonderful Route 66 hosts, Michael and Suzanne Wallis. As I said in the beginning their love of the Mother Road is infectious and I know my life has been transformed from the time I’ve spent getting to know them and work with them over the past 18 months. There truly is a Route 66 network out there and Michael is the main catalyst but as we found out, this is a lively group who talk often and Michael and Suzanne are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Route 66 enthusiasts. I encourage all of you to put Route 66 on your “bucket list”!
Until next time, ride safe, ride often and keep the shiny side up.
The Kansas HOG































