We meet after lunchtime at the hotel. We also do an orientation with the bikes. Then we go out for dinner to discuss our big adventure in Old Town Albuquerque.

We start the day with breakfast in Old Town Albuquerque. Next we follow the Route 66 path, and end at the little town of Gallup, at the Rancho Hotel.The historic El Rancho Hotel and Motel has hosted a numerous array of movie stars including John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Gregory Peck, and Burt Lancaster. The rugged terrain surrounding Gallup was popular with Hollywood film makers during the 1940′s and 1950′s for the on-location shooting of Westerns. Actors and film crews would stay at the hotel during filming. On 5B Option – we would add a day here, and this day Ride to Santa Fe, and the next day Ride through Madrid to see Maggie’s Diner and more, before getting to Gallup.

We stay on top of the Canyon and watch the sunset the first night. The Grand Canyon. “That’s one big hole!”, enough said.

Hike down a trail the next am. into the Grand Canyon. Ride the donkeys down the trail into the canyon? Check out the Watchtower. Lots of great things to see. We get a full day in The Grand Canyon. When we are done here, we start heading back down the mountain and stop if you want for a helicopter or plane ride into the Canyon. Or maybe an old train ride? We then work our way down the hill after an amazing day to Williams for dinner and a night on the Western town. Or sleep.

The quintessential Western Old RT 66 day! All the RT 66 shopping you could think of. We will be on the forgotten RT 66 a lot of the day. Grand Canyon Caverns, Peach Springs, Kingman…Towards the end of the day we will work our way on an incredible slow winding road to the old mining town of Oatman. Wild burros, real old 49er gold miners with real Colt 45s on their hips to protect their gold. A forgotten town. Not much has changed here the past 100 years. It is almost unbelievable that is winding mountain road was the main East West road until 1953 when Rt 66 was re routed. Time has held still since then in Oatman. Laughlin is a little Gambling town on the way to Vegas on the Colorado River. Let’s get you ready for the Big Time tomorrow. Ribeye Steak and Mico Brewery tonight!

An early morning ride out beats the heat, and gets us to Vegas for an early lunch….. But first the Hoover Dam! Vegas – Pools, shows, fun. We will have a lot of the day to explore Vegas, and the whole evening.

We take a little Rt 66 excursion up into the amazing San Bernadino mountains. A last long hard ride through the desert, we are covered in desert dust. Our bikes are covered in road grime. They and we look and feel like we really did something. We have. Then a climb up into the twisty mountains brings us to an awaiting pool in the cool alpine town of Big Bear Lake.

It is not over yet! We ride the Rim of The World. An incredible ride on the top of a mountain range, with the clouds below. One of our most amazing rides. Then we drop into LA, freeways, civilization. We make it through all the way to the end of Route 66! The Santa Monica Pier. … let’s keep the Ride Free tradition of ending the tour by putting our feet into the cold Pacific! We turn the bikes in at the end of the day. A victory dinner tonight!

We say our goodbyes, and plan for our next adventure. There is so much more to see in the USA in the future. A shuttle will take you to the LAX.