If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

Today’s ride was the Bicycle Fun Club’s Route 66 Ride and Festival.  Actually, the Festival’s was Edwardsville’s, IL, where the ride started and finished.  From there the route took us north towards Springfield, IL, paralleling I-55 and jumping on and off again Route 66.

It winds from Chicago to LA,
More than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

Anne and I started off together and rode the first 18 miles together.  When we arrived at the junction between the long and extra long routes, Anne chose long and I chose extra long.  Anne went on to get 37 miles and I got the Full Monty, 66 miles.  Go figure.

Now you go through Saint Looey
Joplin, Missouri,
And Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.
You see Amarillo,
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don’t forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.

On the extra long route I saw Team Kaldi’s teammate, Victoria, and John from work, but it seemed that that all through those lonely extra miles I had a virtual riding partner.  That would be Captain Don.  We started off exchanging voice mails but we did finally connect.  After that, Don provided me updates of the post ride party going on in Edwardsville, without me!

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

After the ride I hooked up with Anne.  By that time I was a little fried.  That 25 mile stretch out of Mt. Olive was a killer.  John Gee arrived; he had done the extra long also.  We had food and drink and talk.

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on route sixty-six …