Official Intro for Arizona Route 66 Ride

This is it folks!

My official introduction of the big ride which starts this coming Friday.

If you track with me watching the map below, you'll get the general idea of the trip.

Start at the tip of the lower right hand pen. (Those Truckers reading this will appreciate the symbolic nature of traveling "pin to pin" :-)

The tip of that lower right hand pen is on Prescott, Arizona. Bro Mark lives there. We pedal down and out his driveway Friday morning, September 14.

And we pedal all day. 91.2 km (53.6 mi) to be precise. We spend the first night in Ash Fork, Arizona. (The second pen counter-clockwise from previous pen.)

By the way, joining brother Mark and I will be Mark's son, Ben, and two of my sons, James and Bryan. For the purposes of this trip we have declared ourselves as a gang or club to be known as "The Wild Javelinas." (Javelinas are these pig like creatures with lots of character and attitude that roam around Arizona.)

We all have matching shirts with our "club" names on them. Bro Mark is "Boss Hog." I am "Blog Hog." James is "Scary Peccary." Ben is "Jack Rabbit" (For some reason he isn't a hog. Go figure.) Bryan is "Little Hog." How cool is that?

(James and Bry and I will be driving to Arizona from Ontario, Canada, leaving Tuesday, September 11. That will be an entirely unique experience of its own!)

Waking up on Saturday morning in Ash Fork, we now pick up the trail of old Route 66, the "Main Street" America. The iconic Grapes of Wrath highway of the Depression Years. Most of the highway has been either abandoned, or replaced by the US of A's modern Interstate Highway System. But this stretch we pedal west across central Arizona is one of the oldest and longest remaining segments of the legendary road.

After pedaling 100.6 km (62.1 mi) we reach our second day destination of Peach Springs, AZ, more recently made famous in the Pixar animated hit movie, "Cars," as the town of Radiator Springs. (Third pen counter-clockwise.)

Day 3 finds us riding 83.9 km (51.8 mi) from Peach Springs to Kingman, AZ (whose name is in the famous song about getting kicks on Route 66). Fourth counter-clockwise pen.

Our fourth and final day of 83.6 km (53.3 mi) takes us through the historically rich towns of Oatman, Golden Shores and Topock. Bro Mark mentioned recently that we are going to ride over the bridge over the Colorado River and set foot on California soil just to say we did so.

That's our trip of 357.7 km (220.8 mi).

When we arrive at the River on Monday afternoon or evening, Mark's wife, Carolyn, and my son, Luke, will find us and transport us a mere 4 hours drive back to Prescott.

Here is the first official trip sheet provided by Bro Mark a month or so ago:

* * * * * * * * *

DAY 1: 501 Joseph Street, Prescott, AZ to Copperstate Motel, Ash Fork, AZ

ROUTE: White Spar Rd/Montezuma/Whipple to Willow Creek Road to Hwy 89N

KNOWN STOPS: McDonald's in Chino Valley (19.5 mi/31.6km) and the only grocery

store in Paulden (7.9 mi/12.8 km), then to Ash Fork (26.1 mi/42.3 im).

TOTAL Day 1: 53.6 mi/91.2 km

LODGING: Copperstate Motel, Ash Fork, AZ

DAY 2: Copperstate Motel, Ash Fork, AZ to Hualupai Lodge, Peach Springs (AKA Radiator Springs), AZ

ROUTE: Interstate 40 to Crockton Rd/U.S. Rt. 66 West

KNOWN STOPS: Seligman (24.3 mi/39.4 km), Grand Canyon Caverns (11.9 mi/

19.3km), then to Peach Springs (24.9 mi/40.3 km),

TOTAL Day 2: 62.1 mi/100.6 km

LODGING: Hualupai Lodge, Peach Springs, AZ

DAY 3: Hualupai Lodge, Peach Springs, AZ to Arizona Inn, Kingman, AZ

ROUTE: U.S. Route 66 West

Stops: Hackberry General Store (22.7 mi/36.8 km), Taco Bell-Kingman (24.3 mi/

39.4 km) to Arizona Inn (4.8 mi/7.8km)

TOTAL Day 3: 51.8 miles/83.9 km

LODGING: Arizona Inn, Kingman, AZ

DAY 4: Arizona Inn, Kingman, AZ to Topock, AZ

ROUTE: U.S. Route 66 West/Oatman Rd and Oatman/Topock Highway

KNOWN STOPS: Oatman (28.2 mi/45.7 km), Golden Shores-Hooch's River Grill

(20.0 mi/ 32.4km) to I-40 (5.1 mi/8.3 km)

TOTAL Day 4: 53.3 mi/86.3 km

LODGING: 501 Joseph Street, Prescott, AZ

TOTAL DISTANCE: 220.8 miles/357.7 km

* * * * * *

I hope to post and provide photos on our "Shelley Brothers Cycling Adventures" Facebook page and this blog each day as time, technology, and energy allows.

Hope you'll come along for the ride and join us as we get our kicks on Route 66!