Route 40 / Route 66 road trip in the W203

[elpresidente]

Well, we picked up the Benz yesterday from Long Beach port after they called us to say it was available (originally it was supposed to be the 22nd, not the 20th..so bonus!). I'm creating this thread so anyone can follow along our journey if they want to..and for others who are awaiting our arrival in the STL. I'll be taking pics with my Helio and uploading them to my flickr and posting them then in this thread each night..or each chance I get along the way.

We plan to leave tomorrow morning from Long Beach and venture through some of the Cali old Route 66 sites and museums on our way into Arizona. So if you care to..check back to see where we are and what we're up to. I'll try to make it as interesting as I can..haha.

[SikNLow]

hahahaha good luck to you and your better half Mike!!! and remember to keep it straight hella vippin' stupid doo doo dumb hyphey! hahahahahahahaha Sake bombs on me again when you come back this way! :innoutrofl2:

[jbo]

Dude you rolling in gangster status cant wait to see some pics of the trip...

[JN.FYC]

Right on, a journey thread. I hope you have a safe trip Mike.

[UberE500]

best wishes mang!

[elpresidente]

Hahaha...well, things started out well for the first few stops. Then while going from San Bernadino to Barstow..the "smart car" became stupid. Haha, it's now over at Walter's Mercedes-Benz / Maybach. I think it's either a faulty fuel pump or level indicator (it said we still had over a quarter tank). Guess we'll find out tomorrow. Tonight it's Marriott Courtyard..very comfy beds..wow. I'll update the thread tomorrow with pics and info/progress.

[Caoboy]

Barstow and beyond sucks BAWLZ. That's not a fun trip ( to Las Vegas at least) Be sure to stop off in Baker, as that's the last gas stop for a while, I think all the way to Primm Valley (there might be Tehachapi, but nothing there) if you are planning on going into the Vegas area. Youll see Desert, Desert, some field in the middle of the desert, Desert, OMG Vegas!! Oh wait that's Primm. More Desert, LAS VEGAS, Then off to Utah/AZ. That's if you go 58 east though, which you might not be.

[eight08customs]

have to safe trip..

sorry to here about the problems the car is giving you.. lucky it wasnt after barstow.. I remember a few years back going up with the SE guys.. a guy blows a air hose.. inthe middle of no where.. jucky they had the Hawaiian with them in which we know how to use the aina and amke thing work somehow. BUt getting stuck in the desert aint fun..

I think the benz has to adj to the Mainland air.. and it misses the Hawaiian Trade winds!

drive safe... watch out for the helicopters.. I got pull over by those before!

[elpresidente]

So...just got the call from Derrick, the Service Manager. Turns out it was in fact the indicators had become faulty..looks like I'm going to have to try to file a claim with Matson. Wish us luck on that one..haha. But at least I was right with the diagnosis and the bill amount. I estimated $1200 and it came out to $1100 for parts and labor. The tow was $265, but I'll get that back from AAA. Derrick said he'll come pick us up from the Marriott (which omg..these beds are so awesome! Slept like a log!) and have us back on the road by noon! What great service from the dealer..that's more and more rare these days...on with the voyage!!

[elpresidente]

Just picked up the car..all nice and clean (they wash cars after service). We're now at IHOP for some breakfast then on our way to Victorville to the California Route 66 Museum. We picked up a cool new Harveys signature Mercedes bag for my wife while at the dealer. It,s made of seatbelt material..pretty cool. I'll post up a pic later.

[eight08customs]

glad you got the car fixed.. boy that wasnt cheap to fix.. IF you see blue xb with hibicus stickers passing victorville give him the Shaka!

hows the weather going through the desert? must be nice this time of the year..

[elpresidente]

Okay..time to add some pics.

The day before we left, we went to K1 again and I managed to crack out a 34.35 lap time (made the top laps of the week list..haha).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/2968086427_d157be5dd5.jpg

After we left K1 we went to meet up with Robert (SikNLow) for some sushi and sake bombs:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2965277464_35c2cffdbc.jpg

The next day we started the road trip. We wanted to hit up some original Route 66 spots:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2968914392_8abd97bf78.jpg

We were hungry, so we hit up "Flappy Jack's Pancake House Restaraunt" on old Route 66 (BOMB Nutella Crepes!!):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2966512732_25d4b767ee.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2966512792_47173a580c.jpg

Site of the original McD's!!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2109/2968914396_6deaf275e6.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/2966512706_02ac1ba2dc.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2966512622_d3a8914121.jpg

cont'd

[elpresidente]

We left there to hit up the Victorville Route 66 Museum..but on the way something went wrong as you read above..haha:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2968914398_1b8c19be0b.jpg

Thank the road trip gods for Mercedes Roadside Assistance:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/2968926542_33369dd919.jpg

We ended up "almost" to Victorville and having to be towed back West to Riverside...haha, damnit, going backwards. We ended up dropping off the car right as Walter's Mercedes-Benz / Maybach was closing. They shuttled us 1 town over to the Courtyard Marriott on University Ave for the night..such awesome beds, slept like a log. The next morning they sent a shuttle to pick us up and pick up the car with a clean bill of health. The wife saw a Harveys signature Mercedes seatbelt bag and had to have it:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/2968926546_7d12b627e8.jpg

We ate at IHOP since it was right down the road from the dealer after gassing up the Benz. We then made our way to Victorville:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2968926560_5534a5e0c8.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2968926552_3fb693f766.jpg

I ended up buying a Rout 66 sign that had neon around it and also moonlighted as a clock! Haha..I needed a clock for my new office at the new house. I also picked up a big Route 66 flag for the garage and of course some shot glasses!

The funny thing was we were the second couple from Hawaii today..the first drove up in a Ferrari.

Next we started a looooong trek across the desert of nothing to Kingman Arizona for the night..since tomorrow we head to the Grand Canyon's South Ridge and the "Skywalk". I needed a little snack...ABBA-ZABA!!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2968926562_45b82ed0fa.jpg

We're in the Best Western King Suites tonight...more fun tomorrow!

[JDMGalant]

ABBA-ZABA FTW!

[eight08customs]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2968914398_1b8c19be0b.jpg

this location were you got stuck... must be bad luck becuase it really look like that same place my freinds XB air hose blew and he got stuck.. Thats the hill before victorville right.. i have the same pic with the same sign.. only if i can find it.. I guess that sign dont like people from Hawaii..LOL

Cool pics.. i have driven that route so many times but never went off the interstate to route 66..

[jbo]

Damn sorry to hear about the mishap with the Benzo glad the beds were comfy though...lol Cool to see some pics too looks like its gonna be quite a trip and we cant show the bag to my wifey ssshhh keep it on the down low...and Peanut Butter and Jelly and fries sounds horrible...lol...keep the pics coming and stay safe see you when I see you...

[airmax]

make a side visit out here homie :giggity:

[TristateViP]

Awesome Mike..

[elpresidente]

So we left the hotel after a quick "continental" breakfast and started to make our way towards the Grand Canyon West. I had a feeling it might be a better idea to ask a local how to get there since not all little local roads show up on the GPS. We hit a little convenience store and asked the manager who had some insider directions that ended up cutting about an hour off what GPS was showing us. Now..I knew that part of the road there was not paved...but I figured, well, they don't say "off-road only" anywhere, so why not. Hahaha..they must have thought we were crazy (my wife had robo-chick along for the ride):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2970447021_f3c5f48bf2.jpg

That was the nicest section..basically the only area we could take a visible pic. There are these ruts that go across the road the whole way..some quite large that could shake the fillings out of anyone. But damn is it worth the 40 miles of crap dirt road! (20 miles of it each way):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2970446989_6eede8c962.jpg
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And yes, there are no barriers, no fences or railings. That's the edge..of a 4,000ft drop. That area I'm standing in is an abandoned winch..the edge is right there...no glass, nothing. Haha. The coolest part was the Skywalk. It juts out about 70 feet into the canyon, 4000 ft above the Colorado River and is basically thick glass:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/blogs/travel_blog/uploaded_images/Grand-Canyon-Skywalk-detail-757734.jpg
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/blogs/travel_blog/uploaded_images/Grand-Canyon-Skywalk-757692.jpg

I'll upload the pics later that I took with my Nikon DSLR..but man, it was freakin' cool! To keep from scratching the see-through floor everyone must wear surgical booties over their shoes. There was some people who just couldn't step where there was glass...I on the other hand jumped up and down to try to show them it was okay..haha. I think I scared the crap out of them, the workers were laughing..so it was all good. We left the Grand Canyon and started on our way to Albuquerque, NM. We wanted to get back on schedule...which meant I drover over 600 frickin' miles today. So tired and so ready for that King size Tempur-pedic bed!! Night!!

[sukoshiyoshi]

Some nice pics....always wanted to do Skywalk.....FYI girls just got to make sure that they not wearing a "skirt"......something I am sure that the "workers" there have no complaints about. LOL
Keep the pics coming.

Sukoshiyoshi

[MAX_POWERS]

Are you taking Route 66 through Chicago? I live close by Ogden, use to be part of old Route 66 in Berwyn.

[SikNLow]

Sik pics Mike you did you take any of the painted desert in AZ or you didn't go that way? ooooo when are you passing by the crater?!??! that should be a sick site too!!!

[airmax]

Are you taking Route 66 through Chicago? I live close by Ogden, use to be part of old Route 66 in Berwyn.

hes stopping in st louis. which im pretty sure is before all that :)

[eight08customs]

nice pics of the grand canyon.. and you took the benz through that dirt road! i wouldhave never did that..

[elpresidente]

We stayed at the Blue Motel on Historic Route 66 in Albuquerque, NM which is all art deco styled. We ate that night at the Village Inn, the food was pretty good and the staff was funny and seemed to really enjoy their job. The next morning we went to go go-karting at Route 66 Karting:

http://66kart.com/Prices_files/shapeimage_2.jpg
http://66kart.com/Home_files/shapeimage_2.jpg
http://66kart.com/Track_files/shapeimage_2.jpg

The course layout was nice with elevation changes, off camber turns, and quick kick backs. The carts are gas powered 40mph karts, so it was pretty fun. I was running about 1 second off the times that guys run competing there..so I felt pretty good since I only ran one race and it was my first time on the course.

We then did a little shopping and ate at a Shoney's before heading on our 450mile journey to Elk City, OK.

[eight08customs]

no those carts looked like fun.. nothing like the go carts at Castle park!

[elpresidente]

Elk City...wow, never going there again, hahahaha! There wasn't much there and thank goodness we only went there to sleep. There was pretty much nothing there..I mean, we pull into the parking lot of the hotel, get out and get greeted by echoing "moooooooo"!!! Yes, the cows were echoing..haha. It was actually kind of funny, the wife and I started cracking up. We didn't do anything interesting there...after all, there wasn't anything interesting to do anyhow. So I don't have any pics other than some en route ones my wife was randomly taking as we drove:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2973038340_12d936be46.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2974298135_a8e8fa2f9f.jpg

So we left there and drove to Oklahoma City to make a pitstop and get some Starbucks, gas, a car wash, and some food. The gas prices there were AMAZING. $2.29/gal for premium...yes, premium. I felt like I went back in time. That was like half price gas compared to Hawaii! We ate at Applebee's for lunch which was ALSO cheap..full meal (including appetizer, drinks, and dessert) was under $30 total for us. Next stop? Springfield, MO!

[allstar]

take a detour to norcal!
ill get you hella hyphy in oakland!

[jbo]

Glad the trip was nice for you two...nice pics cant wait to see the rest though and your nuts for jumping on the skywalk I can see the peoples faces now...lol

[AME_VIP]

Man I wish that skywalk was there when I went to the Grand Canyon years ago. Beautiful spot. Damn those gas prices are cheap. We still pay about 4.50 per gallon. For the cheap stuff. Living on an island FTL.

[widebody_Q]

You guys should of tipped some cows =)

[elpresidente]

Hahaha, BTW...I'm here at the new crib. Man...this house is BIG compared to our previous little apartment in Hawaii. I'll have to take a few pics to post up later. We went to Fantastic Caverns on the last day of the road trip. Here's a few pics:

The road on the way to the caverns
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2978813504_9255745032.jpg

Couple of cave pics:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2979103834_0daa8a25d8.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2979103946_ef49c6e3b4.jpg

Yes, they drive you through the cave in a tram that's pulled by a Jeep. Have to duck down in some areas, but the cave is pretty big inside for the most part.

[airmax]

glad you made it home, homie. hit me up when you get settled in =)

[eight08customs]

wow thats pretty fast.. glad you made it to your new place away from home safely..

[OG]

damn... you've seen about 1000x more of america in a couple days than i have in 27 years.

[sukoshiyoshi]

Those are some pretty nice shots of the road trip. Good to hear that you guys made it to your new pad safely....post some shots of the new pad.

Eight08customs,

Go Carts at Castle Park.....wow that brings back some good time memories. So sad when they tore it down.........especially sucked because I was so short (still am) I only got to drive the Go Carts on two different occations. They got to bring back something like that again here to the islands.....some good "Family" Entertainment.

Sorry for the threadjack....LOL

Sukoshiyoshi

[Platinum-VIP]

nice road trip!!!

[elpresidente]

Next small road trip will be jbo and I heading for HIN in Chicago..haha, but I don't even know what date that is. That or the road trip to Philly for New Years to kick it at my bro's "starter castle" as my grandma loves to call it..haha.

[yukis45]

Wow, alot more stuff to do than in hawaii eh?? lol J/J.. hope all is well, take care =)