It finally happened this summer...I sold my Yamaha 1100 Silverado and got my dream bike. A brand new Street Glide (103 of course). Now I want to go on my dream ride before I am tied down with a mortgage. Looking to go from the Scranton, PA area to California and back probably leaving July 3 after work at 330 pm and making a straight run to St. Louis if possible or at least ending up there by the 4th as I'm sure they have something good going on. From there I was going to follow historic 66 (now I-44 and I-40 from what I can tell) but I read that 66 can be a bit of a disappointment and that Route 50 was much more enjoyable. Most of the highlights I read about 66 were people talking about the best place to stop and get a burger. I love a good burger but I don't want to plan a trip around them haha right? I'm more about some unusual or amazing scenery. I have 3 MUST stops. The Grand Canyon, US 1 Coastal Highway (More of a ride than a "stop"), and Yellowstone.

Question#1) Historic 66 or Highway 50. Historic 66 is pretty self explanatory..Cadillac Ranch, the round barn, lots of small mom and pop stores and roadside motels. some museums....all very cool stuff.
Highway 50 I heard has more natural scenery. more towns to ride through. big plus for highway 50 I could see Monument Valley Utah on the way down to the Grand Canyon. Anyone ever traveled both of these that has a preference would be great. I work at a trucking company and a few truck drivers have said 50 is better on a bike. I mapped out both routes through the Grand Canyon to Vegas and there was only like 30 miles difference (50 being shorter) so practically speaking, they are the same distance

Question#2) How many miles a day average. If I get July 3 to July 22nd I have to figure about 325 miles (about 5 hours) a day for approximately 6500 mile trip. I'm going with my girlfriend. This is the part that worrys me. Not that she isn't a trooper and never complains much up when I keep going another 50-100 miles after she strongly hints that shes had enough. But day after day for 2 and a half weeks. I don't have much highway riding but I'm trying to compare this to 7 or 8 hours of riding on secondary roads even though it may have been less miles the time is comparable and she handles that pretty good. basically does 5 hours/325 miles a day sound reasonable for 2 and a half weeks? would definitely appreciate some experienced answers. Remember..this is a Street Glide not an Electra Glide....probably more a factor for her than me

question #3) what to bring. I know the basic stuff..couple changes of clothes. sunscreen. she has a smart phone (I'm too cheap) haha but a smart phone will be going along. trying to keep it inexpensive. staying with friends here and there..sleeping outdoors when possible. maybe a motel 6 every now and then. might even end up showering at truck stops. Normally I'm pretty hygiene conscious at least for a mid twentys male when we go on the bike that all pretty much goes out the window haha. Twice this summer in particular I was so anxious to just take off for the weekend that I under packed and ended up doing what we now both refer to as "skankin' it" same clothes from Friday night to Sunday afternoon with no shower. Anyways by starting now thinking about what to bring maybe it will eliminate the need to "skank it" as much as possible. but what are some things that would be good to bring that might not come to mind.

also my Glock .40...the Pennsylvania permit is good in some states we will be going through, but not all. I've heard some bad things about some parts of New Mexico and some of the more secluded gas stations. and with the possibility of sleeping outdoors and wild animals...take it or leave it home? thoughts...

thanks in advance for any answers i might get from this. anybody that can share their experience in any or all of these categories i really appreciate it.

-Nate

 

credit card, some cash , sleeping bag rain gear - go the Northern route thru the plains, mts Montana out to Seattle, south thru the calif thru Vegas Arizona new Mexico north tx head east then north. you'll need about 3 weeks - bring no map- no plans - just go- I'm ready my self-

 

I can't emphasize this enough, from personal experience, rt. 66 is not something to plan a road trip around. No matter what you read, it is not beautiful or memorable. The cadillac ranch is nothing more than some old cars buried nose down into the prairie.

 

i think the most im gonna get is 2 and a half but i dont think ill make it up into seattle this time around i think yellowstone is the farthest north ill make it. im with you haha ready to go now. winter SUCKS

 

this is kinda what i was thinking. the story of 66 is more interesting than the actual ride. thanks for the second opinion. have you ever done route 50 or any other routes?

 

I live in the Texas Panhandle. If I was you, I would plan a nice route across Colorado as it is very scenic. This will put you in Utah which has some incredible rides. The Grand Canyon is also wonderful to see from the north rim. You are going to run into some hot weather, therefore you should start with new tires. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR TRAVELING COMPANION IS THE NUMBER OF SHOES ALLOWED. You are in for a real adventure. I also don't think that you can do 325 miles in five hours. At least we never do, but we usually have three bikes minimum. One other thing is that at the higher altitudes in the west, you will sunburn easily. Bring something strong enough to prevent this.

 

Street Glide passenger seat area sucks. You may want a better seat than stock for you lady. I would highball on the Interstate until you get somewhere worth riding. HWY 50 is about 15 miles from me but there are website that specifically talk about the "Loneliest road in America". I have planned going through Colorado on 50 but never did. I would think 325 miles is more like 6.5 hrs. There is plenty of information on here just search Hwy 50. Good Luck.

 

+1 on Rt. 66 being overrated. I've traveled RT.66 all my life since the days when I was a kid when we used to visit my Grandma in L.A. and there were few interstates done. I think the mystic and lore come more from the song and TV show then anything. Rt.66 is nothing special IMHO.

I'd take 50 and when you get to Colorado take a short detour and ride the Million Dollar Hwy. If you go to L.A. visit Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Pier....the official beginning/end of Rt. 66. Some cool stuff there and Santa Monica is beautiful.

As a matter of fact a good place to stay is the Holiday Inn Express Santa Monica Pier. It has an indoor parking garage, and is 1/2 block from the Santa Monica Pier. It is just a few blocks from the 13th Street Promenade....a street mall with a lot of cool, upscale shops, bars and restaurants. A great place to people watch(uhmm you say your gf will be with you, wear your shades cause there are some hot HOT women there) and relax and have a cold one. Then when you're ready to leave ride around the block from the hotel and jump on the Pacific Coast Highway.

 

Last year we rode Interstate 40 to California and rode #50 coming back, 50 will be more scenic but we wanted to get on out there then take our time coming back. Must sees in California are the Giant Sequoias in Kings Canyon and Yosemite, they are not that far apart, two of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We rode across the Golden Gate bridge and hit highway 1 up the coast, great ride, lots of curves and scenic but gas stations and motels are few and far between. At Arcata, California we rode #299 to Redding, this is great ride also. Then over to Reno to spend the night from there it was a short ride to Lake Tahoe, beautiful place! Cut across from there on Highway 50, not a lot of gas stations and motels here either, then going down to Moab, Utah and across to Ridgway, Colorado down the Million dollar highway to Ouray, Colorado, check out the court house there, its where true grit was filmed, then on to Durango and over to Pagosa Springs, there they have a motel with hot mineral baths. The trip through Colorado is one we will probably do again this year coming back from Yellowstone.

We went the first week of June, it was 116 degrees going across the desert and there was three feet of snow in Yosemite. Be sure and take leather we wore it everyday after leaving the desert country. We wore white long sleeve shirts and gloves most of the way to keep from getting sunburned.

I've always considered the California trip one of a lifetime, 5066 miles in two weeks. We rode anywhere from 250 miles a day to 600 depending on where we were. Have a safe trip!

 

agree with this. rt. 66 has a few decent tourist traps ,but as a ride it sucks. milege sounds very reasonable,but you might want to consider that some days are going to be 450-500 and others 200-250. have fun