DAY 15

We all got up slowly this morning. It was cool and clear. After discussing the trip last night, we all woke to a realization that the journey would end today. We had agreed to leave by 7:30 AM but we all moved slowly. We packed our Motors and cleaned the windshields and lights from all of yesterday's splattered bugs. We rode next door to gas up and then left at 8:00 AM with Chuck leading.

We soon left California and entered Arizona on I-40. We got off at Exit 1 and headed to 66. We rode for a ways and didn't see any Route 66 signs. We stopped at an ARCO on Highway 95 in Mohave Valley, AZ. at 8:32 AM after riding for 31 miles. We stopped to check the map to see where we were. Chuck realized that we had passed the turnoff. We left at 8:40 AM and rode back 11 miles and made the proper turn and headed northbound on 66.

We arrived in the old town of Oatman, AZ. at 9:19 AM after riding 31 miles. There were a couple of wild burros that ran away from us when, I'm sure, they heard the Motors. I had never been in this town and it looked like a scene from an old western, except for the cars, trucks and motorcycles. As we rode down Main Street, there was a dog laying in the middle of the road. I thought for a second that it was dead, however, when Chuck passed it, the dog raised its head and looked at us. Nothing else moved. We all passed the dog and made a u-turn. We rode a few more yards and made another u-turn and parked along side of the street. There weren't very many Motors in town at this time. We walked across the street to a restaurant and had breakfast. As we were eating, more people started coming in. We all thought that we had come in at the right time. When we were done eating, we went outside and saw that the street was lined with a lot of Motorcycles. We walked up and down the street and walked into the shops. There was an open wooden coffin standing in front of one of the stores. Jan was standing next to it and I asked him to get in for a photo. He did. After we did some shopping, we left at 10:41 AM.

We followed 66 and stopped at 10:52 AM after riding 5 miles. These last 5 miles was a winding, mountainous road, like riding up to South Mountain Lookout Point. We stopped at Sitgreaves Pass, an elevation of approximately 3500 feet. We parked our Motors and looked at the magnificent view. We took several pictures. We left at 11:06 AM.

We continued with Chuck leading the group and stopped at 12:08 PM after 52 miles in a small town of Hackberry, AZ. We stopped at a small store that used to be a gas station. The old pumps were still there, however, they were not working. There was a nice looking 1956 Ford T-Bird convertible parked on the property. We took a pit stop and had some refreshments. We were there for a while and toured the property. There was an old garage in the back of the property and several old cars. We left at 1:06 PM.

We rode on another 60 miles and stopped at 1:56 PM in Seligman, AZ. We needed gas and we had lunch at the "Road Kill Restaurant." We took our time eating and left at 3:36 PM.

Jan was up next to lead. We were thinking back, during lunch, of the journey that we are about to finish. We were sad, but yet happy, to get home. It was luck that it was Jan's turn to lead and we were close to his house and he would leave us first. Jan led us to Paulden, AZ. where we stopped at 4:23 PM after riding 52 miles. While at the gas station/quick mart, J.B. presented all of us with Route 66 wings and a ride patch. We were all happy to receive them. We said our goodbyes to Jan and we left at 4:54 PM. Jan led us to Chino Valley and at the south end of the city, Jan turned right and headed home. We all continued on.

J.B. was third in line and when Jan broke off, J.B. took over the lead. We stopped in Mayer, AZ. at 5:43 PM after riding 46 miles. We stopped at a Circle K because Bruce "needed to go!" While we were there, we took our last bread, had some drinks and gassed up our Motors one last time. We left at 6:10 PM.

Just before we left the Circle K, Chuck asked all of us if he could have the privilege of leading us back home on the final leg. We all agreed that it would be prudent for him to lead us home. We all said our goodbyes to each other, got on our Motors and continued. As we entered Phoenix, Bruce broke away from the group and exited at Happy Valley Road. We all continued until we arrived at the exit for the 101. J.B. and I exited and headed eastbound, while Chuck, Jim and Kathleen continued southbound on I-17 to their homes. J.B. and I exited at the 7 Street exit and J.B. turned southbound and I continued eastbound to 16 Street, then northbound to my home. Laura was waiting for me outside on the driveway. It felt good to be home!

For the final day of our journey, we traveled 337 miles. We traveled more miles on Route 66 in Arizona than in any other State. During the 15 days that we took to complete this fantastic and memorable journey, we traveled through 14 states and a total of 4,921 miles. Next year...The Pacific Coast Highway. We can hardly wait. Thank you all for following us through our journey. It was, indeed, my pleasure to tell you about it. Until next time...