End of Trip Synopsis

Main intent of this trip was to travel Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA. Since I then had to get back home, I headed up the west coast to BC before heading back to Orleans (Ottawa) Ontario across Canada.

Have been asked many times about making this trip alone and by motorcycle but have made shorter trips alone & enjoyed the experience. Always nice to have someone with you to share the sights and experiences but traveling alone has it's advantages such as: following your own agenda, or in many cases, no particular agenda and taking in what the day presents; meeting people since they tend to approach a single individual traveling by motorcycle easier than a group. On this trip a motorcycle had several advantages over a car since I was able to stop in places to view & photograph the sites where a car would have been unable to stop.

My Garmin GPS and Rte 66 maps downloaded for it from the internet were invaluable since Rte 66 marking is not always easy to follow, especially since some layouts changed over the years.
My main purpose was to travel the original Rte 66, so for most of the trip I didn't stray too far from the road and concentrated on sights that were nearby. Perhaps I'll make another trip in the future and stray a little further to see more of the sights in the states that Rte 66 passes through.

My 2003 Yamaha FJR1300 and Monogo trailer performed fantastically. One oil change of synthetic oil and no overheating problems, even though I have a radiator guard and experienced temps as high as 49C/120F. The only problems that I had were with tires and consisted of a puncture in the rear tire of my motorcycle in Needles, CA and a valve leak on the trailer on my way from California to the Grand Canyon. A tubeless repair kit, spare valves and electric pump that I carried saved the day in both instances. Replaced the rear tire in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and the front tire (Metzeler ME6) now has about over 25,000 km/15,000+mi on it and is due for a change soon, but still doesn't look too bad.

If you're a motorcycle rider, I definitely recommend a trip such as this. If not, I still recommend a trip like this to see some of what North America has to see and experience.

Route 66 is a big part of American highway history and has many sites, in restored or original format, to see thanks to the many volunteers in the various State Route 66 organizations.

Enjoyed visiting and staying with many friends & relatives on this trip and thank you all for your hospitality.