Route 66 Ride Day 1- The Ride Before Us

In just a couple of hours we (Myself, my sons James and Bryan, Mark, and his son, Ben) pedal out of brother Mark's Prescott, Arizona driveway heading north.

Our objective is to pedal 91.2 km (53.6 mi) north where at the town of Ash Fork, Arizona, we will find Route 66 -- "America's Main Street" and "The Mother Road" and"The Road of Tears and Hope" as it has historically been called.

In the 1930's, thousands of grieving, displaced, and crushed Americans, devastated by the Great Depression, loaded what few earthly possessions they had left on either their backs or cars and headed west from Chicago and all points along the way on this road of desperation seeking employment and survival somewhere in the the direction of the setting sun.

Interestingly, Route 66 actually had part of its beginning right here in Arizona.

In the mid-1800's, a certain Lt. Beale was sent to this territory with two orders.

First he was to create some
kind of trail or road that could be used by the American army to transport men and supplies to the west coast. A war was brewing with Mexico and these kind of logistics had to be considered.

The second part of Beale's orders involved experimenting with the use of camels as a military alternative to horses. A logical idea given the super harsh desert environment of the American Southwest.

Beale did indeed create such a trail/road across the desert. The railroads would follow his trail. Later a real road would evolve and become part of Route 66.

As for the camels, they apparently didn't work out too well. But isn't it intriguing to visualize what would have happened to American culture and folklore if they had?

Can you see the Lone Ranger and his might camel racing to the rescue?

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans side by side on their camels?

And Gene Autry singing "Back in the Saddle Again" mounted on his camel?

And there goes Jessie James pursuing the train with the bank payroll -- on his camel?

And how's this for revisionist history: the Native Americans repelled the White Men seeking to steal their lands and North America became "The United Nations and Tribes of North America."

So it is off to seek this small but powerful American treasure.

On our way to Ash Fork today we will pass through the communities of Chino Valley (Once territorial capital of AZ) and Paulden.

On Tuesday morning, we will begin to get our kicks on Route 66.

Painting below is an artist's rendering of Lt Beale and his camel army.