Postscript - Last of the Route 66 pictures, days 1 to 9. Chicago, IL to Devil's Elbow, MO

Gemini Giant, Wilmington, IL

Finally found the 2 missing reels of 35mm film from the first few days of the trip. I didn't take that many pictures during those early miles as I was too busy panicking.

My first stop after Chicago was Wilmington, IL. Rolled in at 4pm after a 60 mile day, allowed myself plenty of time as I was worried about finding my way out of Chicago. Needn't of worried too much as Sunday traffic was light and the new-build suburbs were virtually deserted.

The nice folks who own Chester Manor

Stayed at a really nice B&B, Chester Manor, Wilmington, IL

Old Gas Station, Dwight, IL



Church, Dwight, IL

Caught in a severe storm. Taken from underneath the canopy of a drive-thru bank, Litchfield, IL

200 miles of Illinois, totally flat and a tailwind most of the way
down to St.Louis. Old 66 running parallel with Interstate 55.

Over the next few days I cycled across pancake flat Illinois, crossing the Mississippi and into St.Louis (which I hated). My first experience of the darker side of America. East St. Louis is a very deprived area; Lots of slum housing, boarded up and burnt out shops. It must have been very beautiful a few decades ago as there's trees and parks everywhere and most of the buildings are made with red brick. Many have ornate decoration and Gothic towers that reminded me of the Natural History Museum in London. I didn't take any pictures as I was too scared to pull over.

Chain of Rocks Bridge, Across the Mississippi and into Missouri.

View of the Mississippi from the Chain of Rocks Bridge. No Paddle steamers looking for Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer's damn whining.

Elk on the road, outside St. Louis, MO

Old, deserted section of 66, St Cloud, MO. A motorway without any cars.

Possibly the most sinister roadside sign I saw on the whole trip. St. Cloud, MO

Sign outside a sleazy looking bar, St. Cloud, MO.

Jesus billboard, somewhere in Missouri. First of the 'Wrath of God' style signage I saw in the bible belt states.

Day 32 Upland, CA to Santa Monica, CA via the Hollywood Hills 54.3 miles

Left early again today to miss out the afternoon heat but I needn't of worried, the amazingly large trees from Pasadena to Santa Monica Boulevard kept me in the shade. Sometimes there was so much shade that I couldn't actually see where I was going with sunglasses on, I didn't realize that LA was so green. Took a detour to get the inevitable Hollywood sign photo and ended up climbing through the Hollywood Hills to get a good angle. Hollywood's really nice, not overly showy or tacky as I expected but it must be said, it's the least friendly place I've been in on this trip, it's difficult to get a smile out of anyone here. The complete opposite of Oklahoma on so many different levels.

Massive trees line Route 66 as it passes through East LA.
Check out the scale of the parked car.

Route 66 passes through some of the nicer parts of LA as it heads west towards Santa Monica. Don't get me wrong, the place is still the work of Satan and I wouldn't want to live here but as a tourist passing through, it's actually alright and doesn't feel plastic and phony as expected. Mind you though, I only saw the nice parts. The traffic is bonkers; 8 interstates and God knows how many freeways, highways and overpasses cut through LA, so this made cycling really difficult at times. Everyone drives everywhere and the only people that use the sidewalk are joggers. There were also too many people with small dogs.

Palm trees on 66, Pasadena, CA

Santa Monica boulevard at night. The end of Route 66.

The LA smog at 8.30 in the morning. I don't know how they live with this.

My bike on Santa Monica beach. End of road.
That's all folks!

Day 31 Barstow, CA to Upland, CA 86.6 miles

A nice relaxing dip in the pool. Only in LA.

Left Barstow at 7am to beat the heat. by 3pm it'll be 110 deg and I need to be over the mountain and into the LA sprawl by then. Cycling in the afternoon in California isn't healthy. It's September and it should be in the 80s by now, that was the plan anyway. Interstate 15 all the way; A little shortcut to get the mileage in.

Pass a lot of California Highway Patrol, nods of recognition and some even smile. No tickets were issued. All was going well until a rookie CHP decides to try it on. He even insisted I climb over a barbed wire fence to get off the Interstate. Luckily a more senior officer rolls up, I explain the situation and where I'm trying to get to. He seemed a little angry with the rookie for pulling me over and lets me carry on. The rules about cycling on the Interstate shoulder seem a little hazy. Pass 3 more cops, more nods and smiles. One of them even gives me the Lance Armstrong 'V for victory'. Must have been the US Postal team jersey.

Historic Route 66 road stencil marking.
It mimics the old Californian speed limit numbers that were painted on the road.

Old 4 lane section of Route 66, Cajon Summit, CA
You can just make out the LA smog.

Come down the side of mountain and into the valley, take a little detour off the Interstate to ride an old 4 lane section of Route 66. The smog in the Valley is unbelievable; a thick yellow-brown haze. I'd heard about it but I didn't realize it was this bad. It effects the light, everything has a silvery sheen.

Shed World, Victor Valley, CA

Day 30 Ludlow, CA to Barstow, CA 56.8 miles

Nice easy day today. Glad because I'm still feeling sick after my ride to Ludlow through the desert. Not much to see but if there was, I wasn't in the mood for noticing it. The landscape round here is volcanic, black rocks and lava flows everywhere. Even the mountains are black. I haven't seen a tree since Needles.

Ludlow gas station, CA. That's all there is here. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Volcano, Pisgah, CA

I can't get over how nice people are here. Pulled over into a rest area to have a drink and a look at the map and a guy comes over and gives me an ice cold bottle of water. Would this have happened in England? Not in my experience.

Day 29, Needles, CA to Ludlow, CA 108.4 miles

Lonely road to Amboy, Mojave desert, CA

The hardest day of the trip so far, 108 miles in 108 degree heat. I Didn't take that many pictures as I was too busy suffering and there was only one famous landmark, Roy's Diner & Motel in Amboy. In hindsight I wish I'd ask them if they had a room for me here rather than push the extra 25 miles to Ludlow. I'm not sure if it's still open to the public but in the circumstances I'm sure they'd of understood. It was the only Motel I passed in 100+ miles; very surreal place Amboy, just Roy's and a post office in the middle of the Mojave desert.

Roy's Motel, Amboy, CA

Rolled into Ludlow at 7.45pm, after sunset. Ludlow wasn't really a town, just a stopping point on Interstate 40 with a gas station and a motel. Had to ask at the gas station to get a room for the night, the motel manger also sells the gas. I got the last available room in the last motel for 60 miles.

Day 28 Kingman, AZ to Needles, CA 71.1 miles

Cycled up over the Sitgreaves Pass to reach Needles, California. Hard climbing but worth it, the view from the top was amazing. Passed through Oatman, an old frontier town halfway down the mountains. They have a wild donkey infestation at the moment; the summer drought has killed off all the plants in the mountains and they've come further down looking for food.

Crossed over the Colorado River and entered Needles, CA. Being directly South of Death Valley and on the river, it makes it the hottest and most humid place in California. There's palm trees everywhere.

Old 7UP sign, Needles, CA

Trailer park, Needles, CA

Thermometer on the wall outside the Hotel in Needles.
This picture was taken at 10.30pm

Reaching the top of the Sitgreaves pass, AZ

view from the top, Sitgreaves Pass, AZ

The wild Donkeys of Oatman, AZ

Ruins, Oatman, AZ

Oatman, AZ

Signage, Kingman, AZ

Early 80s Corvette Stingray stripped for spares, Kingman, AZ

Me, somewhere in the desert, AZ

Mountain for sale, call 692 9872

Mailboxes, Kingman, AZ