It was the trip of a lifetime and with so many highlights to choose from, this was by no means an easy task.
I was extremely fortunate to be invited by the Temple Street Route 66 Challenge organisers to partake in the trip of a lifetime and for JOE.ie to support it. It was a trip I will remember till the day I die and and am forever indebted to the crew and all the bikers for welcoming me and making me feel part of the group from day one. Anyway, back down to business and here are five highlights ( there were many more!) that stuck out for me.
1. Day One – Albuquerque to Gallup, travelling across New Mexico
I chose this first day because it gave me a sense of what lay ahead and it was my first time as a pillion passenger on the glorious Honda Goldwing bike. I was picked up from my hotel in Albuquerque having arrive from Dublin the previous night and brought to a meeting point where I would put on the biking gear and get on the bike. Paul Purcell was that team’s Road Captain and I was to travel with him.
It was an honour and an experience to ride with Paul. He’s a great guy who has done this Route 66 six times previously and was a great source of information on the journey that day. What struck me immediately was the breathtaking scenery as we travelled through and out of Albuquerque and very quickly it became obvious to me that there is no better way to see this magnificent country. Here I am setting off for the day with Paul:
2. Meteor Crater – Arizona
On a day of many highlights, this one stands out just for the sheer awe-inducing sight that was the crater itself. Situated not far from Winslow, Arizona, the crater is the breath-taking result of a collision between an asteroid travelling at 26,000 miles per hour and planet Earth approximately 50,000 years ago. We arrived like a bunch of excited kids that day and quickly ran up the steps to the visitor centre. After a bit of blagging we got in and we went around the exhibition centre which had pieces of meteor rock and loads of pictures and graphics showing how the collision occurred. Next stop was the little cinema which shows a short film again highlighting the impact.
We ran out of the cinema as we knew then that we were about to witness it first hand. We climbed up some more steps and there it was in all it’s natural glory, spread across the Arizona landscape like a huge bowl, an epic amphitheatre for the ages and naturally made. A huge reminder of the sheer power and magic of nature. Measuring at nearly one mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference and more than 550 feet deep, it was a breathtaking sight to see and it will live long in my memory.
3. Sitgreaves Pass
This trip is all about having the craic and seeing some amazing sights and usually at very high speeds, but the hour or so we spent at the old Indian burial ground at Sitgreeves Pass was very much for reflection and remembering those who have passed before. The Irish 66ers have been doing this trip every two years since 2002 and unfortunately some of the gang from previous trips have since passed. This is the part of the trip where those people are remembered and situated in these incredible surroundings.
Situated on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman, you have to travel up a mountain via narrow winding roads, but it is such a thrill to do this on a motorcycle and when you get there, it really is worth the journey. There are little memorials for a lot of Irish men who have passed this point on Route 66 and it’s a very solemn, but poignant stopover in this magical journey.
4. The Mojave Desert
Travelling out of Nevada and into California via the Mojave Desert will always live long with me. I rode with Brian that day and we experienced long, long straight roads through the sweltering heat of the desert. You would think that deserts would be boring to see, but the Mojave Desert is like one huge movie set from all the old Western films you have seen over the years.
The temperatures broke 110 degrees that day and thankfully we were able to have a couple of pit-stops to re-fuel and re-hydrate. You were half expecting Wyatt Earp or Geronimo to come riding along on a horse, but that was probably the hallucinations from thirst. A magical sight on a magical day.
5. The police escort from the LAPD.
On the final day we travelled from Victorville to LA and as we entered the city of Los Angeles the LAPD were there to greet us and escort us on our way to the finish line on Santa Monica Pier. It was surreal. Here were were, a group of Irish men and women all on motorbikes being given the full Presidential treatment as the LAPD practically shut down the city to escort us on our way. People lined the streets in Beverly Hills, on Hollywood hills, on Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard to applaud and cheer.
I was dumbstruck. This is one of those once in a lifetime moments when you realise the enormity of the event you have just partaken in. All of this for the lads and lassies who raised money for the Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. When we came down that final hill and on to Santa Monica Pier, it was very special. A spine tingling moment in a week packed with life defining moments.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
