Answering would-be Route 66 riders.

No, indeed, Route 66 is not on any regularly road map. No need to walk into a triple-A office and get the state maps the Mother Road will lead you through. As Route 66 has now officially been decommissioned, it isn’t there officially although it is still there to ride. (Reminds me of politicians who are able to declare things out of existence which objectively are still there, your choice to fill in examples.)

My trusted sources of how not to stray too much and what itinerary options are available, were – and I do recommend those:

a) Jerry McClanahan, EZ66, published by the National Historic Route 66 Federation. It is extremely detailed, gives you the E-W and W-E directions, points out many landmarks not to be missed etc. (ISBN 0-9709951-4-8)

b) Jerry McClanahan & Jim Ross, The Route 66 Map Series, (ISBN 0-9677481-4-3). It is a loose state-by-state fold-out map system artist-impression style. Much of the info is overlapping with EZ66 but the maps are easier for a bird’s eye perspective on state-wide stretches ahead.

For motorcycle riders, EZ66 is handy to use as it is A5 format and lets you turn pages easily around its ringbinder – I just tied it opened on the page for my upcoming stretch onto the XS for easy checking. The map series would be more handy for mile-by-mile use when driving a car – as a motorcycle rider you will consult it only during coffee and other breaks.

The Lonely Planet Route 66 guide is of little use. It is pretty superficial, not very instrumental and seems to have been published because of ‘noblesse oblige’ only – simply because Route 66 is there.

I didn’t bother taking a Route 66 hotel or restaurant guide as the best thing about Route 66 is not to plan ahead, just go and see.

Harold – “Ride to Write”