By Stan Fleming

There is less and less of Old U.S. Route 66 remaining, and with a ride on Route 66 being on my bucket list, I decided to take a couple of weeks to explore it.

Here is a recap of my journey in May.

Day 1: I arrived in Chicago about 9 a.m. and was met by stop-and-go traffic on I-55 as I neared Lake Shore Drive. After creeping along, I turned left onto Adams Street to officially begin my Route 66 journey.

I had planned a stop at Illinois Harley-Davidson in Countryside, Ill., but I had not planned to stay 24 hours. I had made all of 15 miles of my journey before a leaking seal had to be repaired. The Motor Company overnighted the warrantied part and I was on my way the next day.

Day 2: After getting out of rainy Chicagoland, riding Route 66 was very relaxing. On and off rain did little to affect my mood. I was really doing this!

I had traveled all over Illinois many times, but I never noticed the many restored gas stations along Route 66.

In Atlanta, Ill., I was looking at a real head scratcher: A giant Paul Bunyan statue holding a hot dog. Yep, a hot dog.

I spent the night In Springfield, Ill.

Day 3: After a night filled with thunderstorms, the morning was sunny and chilly. I was glad I had my heated gloves.

I visited the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. These Native American mounds are amazing in their size.

My route then took me past the dreaded St Louis Cardinals’ Busch Stadium. (I am a devoted Chicago Cubs fan.) The St. Louis area was the first place that construction made me depart from my planned route.

After lunch, ominous skies to the west required me to don the rain gear. An afternoon of off-and-on showers followed. I spent the night in Lebanon, Mo.

Day 4: My morning began with a chilly 45 degrees and drizzle.

One highlight of my day was a restored Sinclair gas station about 3 miles west of Halltown, Mo. There were many old vehicles there, as well as a gift shop.

You never know what you’ll see along Route 66. At a gas stop in Carthage, Mo., I found the freak flying machine “Crapduster,” which is made of an antique manure spreader fitted with biplane wings.

I spent the night in Stroud, Okla.

Day 5: I went through Arcadia, Okla., and saw the world’s largest pop bottle at Pops 66 Bottle Ranch.

Once, again, after lunch, I had to put on my rain gear and encountered the heaviest rain of my journey.

I managed to get pictures of the Leaning Tower of Texas in Groom and the Slug Bug Ranch in Panhandle. I spent the night in Amarillo, Texas.

Day 6: After another evening of rain, I departed Amarillo and took a detour south of town to get a picture of the Amarillo Legs, which are exactly what you probably think they are: a huge pair of legs. They have been there since 1997.

Shortly thereafter, I arrived at the midpoint of Route 66 in Adrian, Texas, where I took some pictures and visited the Midpoint Café and Gift Shop.

In Santa Rosa, N.M., I noticed a puddle of fluid under my primary. I made it to Albuquerque, N.M., where I spent the night.

Day 7: My Sunday began with a trip to Thunderbird Harley-Davidson in Albuquerque, where they had a small full-service team. They fixed the leak, and I was on my way.

Late in the day, I crossed the Continental Divide in New Mexico at an elevation of 7,263 feet. I spent the night in Gallup, N.M.

Day 8: Brrrr! This morning it was 39 degrees, but the temperature had moderated by the time I entered Winslow, Ariz., a town made famous by the Eagles’ song “Take it Easy.” I had to get a selfie “standing on a corner in Winslow, Ariz.”

A short time later, I arrived at the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, which is the spectacular result of a collision that rocked the American Southwest about 50,000 years ago.

Once I was past Coconino National Forest, the desert heat was in full force. I didn’t need my heated gloves anymore!

I rounded out my day by riding 47 miles on the Oatman Road, a narrow pass in the Black Mountains. Much of the road has no guardrail, and I was at times inches from the edge of the mountain.

Sitgreaves Pass is the highest point at 3,586 feet above the desert floor. Completing my day, I arrived in Needles, Calif., about 5 p.m. to a sweltering 98 degrees. I spent the night.

Day 9: Between Barstow and Victorville, Calif., I found Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch, a forest of large metal pipes with bottles hanging from them.

The snow capped mountains in this area were beautiful, as well.

Next, I headed to LA. Traffic was ugly. Following Route 66, it was all side streets. It took me 2.5 hours to ride 45 miles to Pasadena, where I spent the night.

Day 10: Santa Monica Boulevard was not fun. It took me three hours to ride 26 miles. But it was satisfying when I arrived at the Santa Monica Pier.

If this ride is on your bucket list, do it soon. Many of the roads are crumbling or disappearing. It was the ride of a lifetime for me!

Stan Fleming is an AMA member from North Richland Hills, Texas.