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First touch of Route 66, it is Illinois

"REBEL is here now, REBEL has his own flaws, REBEL stay here... he laughed at all!" - Starting at the historical marker indicating the end, but in our case, the beginning of Mother Road - Route 66located at the cross roads of Michigan Ave. and Adams St. in Chicago, IL. Reset the counter miles to your motorcycle and let’s go! Passage Chicago is as the passage of every big city, it fucked up. Just traffic-jam and colony...

Advance warning: “Be careful at the American Hwy’s. Why? Because there is a lot of oil on the roads, especially at front of cross roads! Oil is soaking into the porous asphalt! Why? This is due to production technology of American cars and motorcycles, when the Yanks make engines, transmissions and other components with an accuracy of 0.1 mm. The result is those liters of oil drop down to the roads from the big US cars! Where to get it? On the road! So carefully with the front brake, especially during rain, when there is fucking oil emulsion!”.

Before you go on to the Mother Road - Route 66 trip you should visit the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What does it mean? It is necessary to count whole day trip beyond the time when nobody takes care about handling, fuel consumption and weight. That was the time and place where nobody takes care about 0 to 100 miles per hour acceleration or if you feel engine vibration at your handlebars… If you are interested in famous Harley-Davidson Motorcycle please read the article about my visit Harley-Davidson Museum with lots of pictures.

We took the first couple of the total 289 miles of Route 66 in Illinois. The first stop is in the historic city of Joliet, IL. The unique ancient atmosphere is influenced you and you completely back to the time of Easy Rider and Rock 'n' Roll. The times when nobody was in the hurry and speed about 60 miles per hour considered almost sinful. This is my period... You can find wonderful Route 66 Museum located in Joliet, the old restaurant Rich & Creamy or memorial to the victims of the Nazi massacre at Czech village Lidice. By the way, I did not know that there is anything like that... and it's been here since 12^th July 1942!

TheMother Road - Route 66 continues through Wilmington, where is one of the most kitsch on Route 66. What is it? Statue called „Gemini Giant - Muffler Man"! Great cosmonaut statue in gaudy green suit with a rocket in his hand... It is located in front of the old traditional American restaurant „Launching Pad - Drive Inn". Originally it was a banner at front of the pub, which had only one task. What? Surely you can reply yourself, aren’t you?! I recommend stopping here because food and service is great!

Route 66 continue through Braidwood and Gardner, where is monument of American Legionnaires or „homy" prison. Next stop is in Dwight. Here is a beautifully maintained old gas station Ambler-Becker Texaco Gas Station. Must to see it! If you are hungry there is old style family restaurant over the way. Good food, good service. There is a lot of original Route 66 signs in Dwight just painted on the roads. The signs made by color or beton. See it or take a picture.

Nearby is old blue-white gas station from 1932 located at Odell, which is famous roadside attraction. Stop here, visit, make some picture and continue to your Mother Road - Route 66 trip. We get the Pontiac town, which is known by well-known Abraham Lincoln, one of USA president. He lives here as younger. There is a numerous wall paintings. Yanks love mural and often paint their walls and houses, but it's really very nice. No stupid graffiti, but the murals. Convince about it in other cities located on Route 66. I recommend stopping, walking and enjoying the arts.

Despite the Lexington you can get the Bloomington. In Bloomington I must to solve a technical problem with my kickstand. I had fooling accident at front of Ambler-Becker Texaco Station at Dwight. I did not mention a curb-stone and the machine touched its edges. Thus it happened that more than 400 kg lump down on the spring that holds the kickstand. Springer was deformed by pressure and kickstand hangs down. I fixed it on the frame by cellotape and I can not dismount a motorcycle. Well I had call to EagleRiders, explained my problem which was quit difficult because my English and find out the nearest Harley-Davidson dealer or service. EagleRiders informed Harley-Davidson dealer in Bloomington about my problem, made understand the meeting, reserve serviceman and new Springer. I arrived about an hour after closing time, to my misfortune was Saturday, but luck that serviceman kept their word and actually wait. I arrived, changed the spring in 5 minutes and went to hell. So big thanks guys from Chuck's Harley Bloomington. The sad thing is that I expect help from Zdenek Jurásek, founder of the Czech Route 66 Association, or from other members of the expedition, but I did not get it by their side. It was in the style like „Do you have problem? Take care yourself! We will meet in Motel #6, Springfield, IL. See you later."... Great support guys, thanks.

When I solved the problem, continue alone and it was great. I was alone at huge open landscape. I always imagine this kind of Mother Road - Route 66 trip. Just me, road and motorcycle… I can enjoy slow and sluggish ride through beautiful and endless landscape. I stopped where and how long I wanted. No stress, no hurry, nobody near myself. So I had plenty of time for Route 66 roadside attractions. First stop was the city McLean. There was traditional US restaurant, gas station and museum in one called Dixie Truckers Home. Bad luck, museum was closed so I was not inside.

Continue through Atlanta, where the kitsch like was in Wilmington. Here everybody knows him as „Hot Dog Man". There are a lot of traditional and homy restaurant. Great place to warm up a have a rest. Prefer cool? It is up to you...

Yanks are really strange... all drinks tipple with ton of ice, even in the cold weather, who cares… When I was in the USA the weather was really weird... hard raining, strong wind, snow and winter temperatures slightly above zero in average. So grab your warm clothes!

I got a small town name Elkharth after the wasteland. It seems as classic American small sleepy town with white houses, grass, flag with the stars and stripes. There's quiet and peaceful atmosphere. I think I am an attraction for natives…

Hooray to Williamsville, which is essentially no different from the previous town. You can stop at old gas station named Shell Station. It's full of junk, but the original. Only the owner could be a little nicer. Take a picture, buy the presents and go on…

I'm hungry again… so hurry to the town of Litchfield, where is Ariston Café, the traditional old Route 66 restaurant. The restaurant is owned and operated by Adams family since 1926. Great service and food. Beware of sexy waitresses and account... waitresses originally wanted US$ 20 for hot tea and soup. We explain the misunderstanding and easily transcribed account already seeking about US$ 10.

Do you know slogan „Hare it is"? Well really we are in the Staunton, Henry's area. Henry's Rabbit Ranch is famous for an old gas station. There is nothing „replica", everything is original and come from old Mother Road - Route 66. Henry is a really nice guy and he is fascinated by rabbits, all type of them, live, plaster or metal. He's even kind of imitation or a replica of the Cadillac Ranch, TX. But he used Volkswagen Rabbit instead of Cadillac’s... anywhere, we are at the Henry's Rabbit Ranch, aren’t you?!

Mother Road - Route 66 ends in the middle of Chain of Rocks Bridge, IL on the edge of Granite City, IL and Wed Louis, MO. On the bridge driving motorcycle or car is prohibited, you have to walk. Bridge is quit long but there is no problem to hit the border between Illinois and Missouri, which is in the middle. The distance is cca 1 km from beginning of the bridge... Grab cap on your head in cold weather or rain. There is windy… Chain of Rocks Bridge is interesting, because it is broken. The reason is ideal connection the points located at the narrowest point of the Mississippi River. To be on the bridge is positive experience. You can see the famous Gateway Arch from 1965, which is in the heart of St. Louis, MO. However, we are in Missouri instead of Illinois.