I planned a motorcycle trip to ride the historical U.S. Route 66 from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California. The planning stretched over several years. I collected books and maps and marked my course with great care but the start date for this trip remained elusive.
In fact, several years slipped by to the point that I decided I wanted to ride U.S. Route 66 while I was 66 years old. It’s one of those silly “life goals” that nobody cares about except for the one achieving it.
With 365 days to go, I was really down to the wire. Minor health issues, family concerns, house repairs — one little life matter after another and pretty soon I was out of time. There was little hope of visiting any portion of Route 66 while I was still 66.
My bride was supportive and encouraged me to ride even to the last possible weekend which also included the Sunday on which I would turn 67 years old. But I was concerned over my lack of vacation days and, more importantly, my wife’s mother was in the hospital with pneumonia. It would be irresponsible of me to leave town. Instead, I would take a short ride locally and be satisfied with that.
As it turned out, I found another road with a few 6’s in it. It was only one county to the West. It crosses US Rt 29 near Culpeper. County road 666 offered one “helluva” ride on my last day of being 66 years old.
It was a good alternative ride and a harmless pursuit but one listener to the story thought this achievement was even better than the Route 66 ride. The remark was, “After all, not just anyone rides on Rt 666 [the devil’s highway] at age 66 and lives to tell about it.”
The story could have ended there. But it does not.
Steve, a concerned co-worker (who possesses a decent sense of humor I might add), apparently did not want me to abandon the goal connected to the historic route. He had his own Route 66 challenge in mind when he delivered this to my cube in time for Christmas:
News travels fast. Facebook friend Stacy added her token to the yet-to-be-completed effort. Accompanying Steve’s package was an authentic fob from “the finish line.”
Receiving these lighthearted and well-meaning gifts prompted two new goals:
- Finish the puzzle *before* retirement.
- Send Stacy a photo of me, the motorcycle (or the vehicle of conveyance), and the fob from the Santa Monica pier after having ridden U.S. Route 66 to get there. (That goal may need to be on hold until *after* retirement.)
But wait! There’s more!
Daughter Joanna and her husband Doug were also concerned for my riding adventure. They added another volume to my Route 66 library. For Christmas they delivered this book:
Jim Hinkley’s Travel Route 66, A Guide to the History, Sights, and Destinations Along the Main Street of America.
Thank you to Steve, Stacy, Jo, and Doug for the encouragement to press on.
The planning effort begins anew. While I would like the primary vehicle to be the motorcycle, I’m keeping all options open. Whether the vehicle is my Harley-Davidson Road Glide, a mini-van with peace symbols on the side panels, or a plain vanilla modern sedan — as long as it has wheels and is self propelled it will be considered a workable solution.
I’ll update this post from Santa Monica. Stay tuned (in a couple of years).
