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Route66 Riding Dutchman 2007


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Citizen of The Netherlands. New member to this Forum. Not new to the US blue highways.

 

Last year 2007, a solo motorcycle trip on Route 66 to change pace of life. It worked. An adventure of close encounters with days of rain storms, disaster areas, decaying economy, bridges, landmarks, animals, proud people, cops. (See attachment)

 

Travel the mother road. You won't be the same.

 

This year 2008, it will be the Dixie Highway from Bloomington Indiana to Key West Florida and back.

 

Perhaps we meet.

R66_Riding_Dutchman_2007.doc

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I read this road trip report the easy way - I went to Harold's report, then printed it out (love the B&W laser printer). That way, this morning, I could sit down and read it while I had breakfast

 

This is an excellent look at our country from a foreigners perspective. Harold isn't afraid to write as he sees it, ie, his descriptons of the decay of by-passed towns, burned out buildings, yards full of trash and abandoned cars.

 

But he also writes, vividly of riding his "beloved" Yanaha MS thru torrential rains with vivid descriptions and even better descriptions of riding solo thru the high country.

 

All in all a great road report and well worth a half-hour of reading time. I put this in a binder and will put it on my shelf - I finally found the photo site and I think I'll print those out as well and put them in the binder.

 

Thanks, Harold, for a great trip report - you're another who can bring the reader along with you on your trip. Looking forward to reading about your next one.

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

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Great story. While I think that following along the "daily" posts would have been nice, there are advantages to getting it in a complete "after the fact" package with the photo album in place. I can relate to your experiences but doubt that I would have enjoyed many of them. Even on my best days I was a fair weather (or at least a dry road) rider.

 

I wanted to reply to this thread earlier but not before I finished the read and that's taken me a bit. But now I can say welcome.

 

Are the dates set for your Dixie Highway ride? I'm looking forward to following that one as it happens.

 

Extra! Extra! Just as I was typing this reply, a call came in on the other line. Actually it was an email message from the Route 66 Yahoo group. One of the members (who happens to live in Australia) was asked by a friend about a liquor, available in some airport duty free shops, named "Route 66". The person asking thought it might be a product of Holland. As I was in the midst of replying to a thread started by a fellow who lives in Holland and has traveled Route 66 in the recent past I figured I was duty bound to ask. Know any thing about Route 66 brand whiskey, Harold?

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Alex, Dave, Denny, Jim,

 

Flattering feedback you are bestowing on me!

 

Doing Route66 solo was a psychological trip as much as a motorcycle ride. A state of mind I had hoped for but had not considered possible to the extent it turned out, close to a trance it felt. Then, conditions are irrelevant, the experience is all that counts.

 

Dixie Highway may not quite enjoy the same magic but from the far European outside perspective it is as intriguing. 'Go South my sister', if you wish, brings visions of again another US, another type of English (both white and black), another architecture, another pace of life, another social fabric, but the same non-big city, non-interstate American original.

 

Sometime mid-May / mid June it will be. Western route S-bound, Eastern route N-bound. A lazy week or so on the Keys as R&R in between. Current intensive planning is creating the upfront virtual feeling of being on the road already.

 

My signature motto remains unchanged.

 

Harold

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Sometime mid-May / mid June it will be. Western route S-bound, Eastern route N-bound.
Which means you'll be passing north through Cincinnati at some time. If I'm anywhere in the area, I'd be honored to buy you a Christian Moerlein (It's a beer, not a religion:-) or two.

 

P.S., Ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?

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  • 5 months later...

The 2008 solo motor Odyssee took me over the Dixie Highway.

 

About 3800 miles from Bloomington Indiana to Key West Florida - and back.

 

A great adventure again, see post under the Dixie Highway Forum on the website.

 

Enjoy the ride.

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