According to the book - 200 miles today.  Hmmm think that the mileage in the US must be shorter as we did close to 220.

Got up early, breakfast in the hotel and ready for 08.30 in the morning.  Hang on a minute isn't this meant to be a holiday?  Evidently not.

We got picked up at the front of the hotel by what appeared to be a convict transit van.  All it needed was Group 4 signwritten and we would have sworn it was.  We were told however that this was a luxury bus.

We're an assorted group of people.  Four couples: Dee and Jill from Essex.  Hardened Harley owners with all the gear who have done many a tour in their time.  Aging bikers.  Ronnie and Darren, Ivan and another Wendy (brother and sister) and us.  Then various men (Ed and Richard - father and son celebrating Ed's 60th, Andy, Mark, Ross, Bob and Heinz, Don and his friend) enjoying breaks from their wives.  Most again harderned long distance bike riders.  We're beginning to see a flaw in our plan.  We haven't done that much touring.  But they said it didn't matter?

Off we trundled through Chicago morning traffic to pick the bikes up at a huge Harley dealership.  The beast which is ours is HUGE!! And we wonder why so many query why we've chosen that one.  Never mind.

Wendy's first time as pillion.  Gulp, and off we trot through rush hour traffic out of Chicago and onto the Mother Road.

First stop is at one of the old filling stations which still has the giant "Gemini Rocket Man" named after the space programme adorning The Launch Pad filling station in Wilmington Illinois.  A quick stop for photo opportunities and we are off again.

Wendy and John standing under the Gemini Rocket Man

On from Wilmington, John is still getting to grips with the beast and American road rules... they have interesting four way stop intersections where its a second guess as to who goes first.

Next stop is the Standard Filling Station in Odell.  A real step back in time into the early 30's.   It features a glass visible register type pump, in which the amount of gas you wanted to purchase was pumped into the glass tank, and gravity fed it into your bike. This beautiful old gas station was built in 1932 and served travelers on Route 66 until the mid 1960s when it stopped selling petrol . This station then was used as a body shop until it closed its doors in 1975. Years of neglect took their toll on this old Standard station. The station would have disappeared if it had not been for the preservation efforts of the Illinois Route 66 Association and their Preservation Committee.

 After a quick picture oppoertunity its back on the bikes for another truck stop in McClean where we are able to "walk across America on Route 66"  A large painted mural makes us realise the hugeness of the task we have taken on.

As you can see the weather is hot and sunny.  Lovely and the start to a great adventure.

The afternoon continues and we rush through to Atlanta Illinois where we see another "Muffler Man"  like Gemini Man.  This fibreglass figure is holding onto a hot dog.  The town makes us think we are now really in the real America.

A fast journey on brings us to our evening's hotel at 20.00.  A very very long day and everyone is exhausted.