Day Eight – Amarillo, TX to Santa Fe, NM (1 July)

438 km (272 miles) | 2,312 km (1,435 miles) completed

Some days on Route 66 are about the riding. Others are about the places. Today somehow managed to be both.

We spray-painted Cadillac Ranch, stood at the exact halfway point of Route 66, crossed into New Mexico, gained an extra hour by crossing a time zone and finished the day in one of the most beautiful towns we've visited. If yesterday was about covering the miles, today was about living the Route 66 dream.

As we've travelled further west, sunrise has gradually become later. Looking out of the hotel window at 6:00am it was noticeably darker than it had been back in Illinois and Oklahoma. It's another reminder of just how vast this country really is.

The morning routine is second nature now. Breakfast at 6:30, bags onto the support van by 7:45 and kickstands up at 8:00. Steve briefed us on another long day ahead, promising plenty of iconic stops along the way and predicting we'd still make Santa Fe in good time. Temperatures were expected to reach around 34°C, although Santa Fe's higher altitude would make for a cooler evening.

It was a comfortable 20°C as we rolled out of Amarillo.

Our first stop came less than ten minutes later.

Cadillac Ranch.

No matter how many photos you've seen, nothing quite prepares you for it. Ten classic Cadillacs buried nose-first into the Texas soil, each one completely covered in layers upon layers of graffiti. Created in 1974, it's become one of the most recognisable landmarks on Route 66, and unlike most public art, visitors are actively encouraged to add their own masterpiece.

Thankfully Steve and Chantelle had come prepared.

Out came the spray cans and within minutes everyone had embraced their inner graffiti artist. There was plenty of laughter, a fair amount of artistic licence and probably as much paint on riders as there was on the cars themselves.

After the obligatory group photos we stopped nearby to fuel the bikes for another long day. Refuelling over twenty Harleys might sound chaotic, but Steve has the process down to a fine art. Two bikes onto the pumps at a time, everyone fuelled quickly, regroup in the car park, grab some water and back on the road.

Leaving Amarillo, the scenery was much like yesterday. Huge open plains stretched to every horizon with dry grass, cattle and enormous wind farms dominating the landscape. Despite the steady breeze, surprisingly few of the turbines were actually turning.

Our next stop was one every Route 66 traveller dreams of.

Adrian, Texas.

The exact midpoint of Route 66.

1,139 miles to Chicago. 1,139 miles to Los Angeles.

Standing beside the famous sign really puts the journey into perspective. Halfway across America. Half the adventure completed, half still to come.

Coffee and cinnamon buns at the MidPoint Café seemed entirely appropriate before another group photo and back onto the road.

A short while later we crossed into New Mexico and immediately gained an extra hour as the clocks moved back.

Our next stop was Russell's Truck & Travel Centre, home to an unexpectedly impressive collection of beautifully restored classic American cars hidden away behind what appears to be an ordinary truck stop. Naturally there was another gift shop too, although by now I was beginning to wonder exactly how many Route 66 souvenirs one person actually needs.

By late morning temperatures were climbing towards 30°C, so Steve started building more regular water stops into the day. It's one of those little details that perhaps goes unnoticed, but in this sort of heat it's invaluable. Steve and Chantelle constantly keep an eye on everyone, making sure we're drinking enough and staying comfortable.

Late morning brought us to Tucumcari.

I'd always known the name because one of my favourite bands, Goodnight, Texas, has a song called Tucumcari. Long before this trip I'd wondered where it actually was. Today I finally found out.

We stopped first at the Route 66 Welcome Centre before wandering next door to the famous Blue Swallow Motel, one of the most photographed motels anywhere along the Mother Road.

Steve gave us the choice of stopping for lunch here or pressing on to Santa Rosa.

The vote didn't take long.

Lunch at Del's Restaurant was classic American diner food. Simple, generous portions and exactly what everyone fancied after a morning on the bikes. The only surprise was the automatic 20% surcharge for large groups. Bringing twenty hungry bikers through the door felt like it deserved a discount rather than an extra charge!

Nearby stood an abandoned motel proudly advertising that Clint Eastwood had once stayed there. While he never filmed For a Few Dollars More here—that was shot in Spain and Italy—he did spend time in Tucumcari while filming episodes of Rawhide back in 1959.

By this stage most of us were soaking our cooling vests before setting off again. With the temperature climbing into the mid-thirties they quickly became part of the routine. They kept us comfortable, stopped the heat becoming draining and made the long afternoon in the saddle far more enjoyable.

The afternoon involved more Interstate riding than we'd done on previous days. In many places the original Route 66 simply no longer exists, while elsewhere using the Interstate is simply the practical way to cover the distances involved. Travelling at 70–75mph without constant junctions and stop signs certainly helps the miles disappear.

As we continued west, the scenery gradually changed.

The endless plains slowly gave way to rolling hills, rocky ridges and scattered trees. Every mile looked more like something straight out of a classic western. You could almost picture cowboys riding along the skyline or a stagecoach appearing around the next bend.

Without really noticing it we were steadily climbing too. Amarillo sits at around 1,100 metres above sea level while Santa Fe is roughly 2,200 metres. Although we'd climbed more than a kilometre during the day, the ascent was so gradual you barely noticed.

Santa Rosa gave us the perfect excuse for another stop.

Ice cream.

At 34°C, sitting in the air conditioning with a Dairy Queen Blizzard seemed like an excellent decision.

One final fuel and water stop came at the Flying C, impossible to miss thanks to the enormous billboards advertising it for miles beforehand.

During the afternoon I had a slight lapse in concentration and let my fuel gauge get rather lower than I'd intended. Wendy and I pulled off to fill up while the rest of the group carried on and, within minutes, Chantelle had looped back to make sure we were okay and to escort us back to everyone else. We would almost certainly have found the group without any difficulty, but it perfectly sums up the care Steve and Chantelle take with the whole tour. Nobody gets left behind, nobody is ever made to feel like a nuisance, and they quietly make sure everyone is looked after every step of the way.

The final run into Santa Fe was superb.

The roads became more interesting, the hills became mountains and before long we rolled into the hotel just after 4:15pm. The last two days have been the biggest riding days of the trip, so tomorrow's lay day has arrived at exactly the right time.

There was just one slight disappointment.

The hotel swimming pool was closed.

After two long, hot days in the saddle we'd all been looking forward to cooling off, so showers had to suffice instead.

Later that evening the six of us wandered into Santa Fe's historic Plaza.

Within minutes we all agreed it was one of the nicest places we'd visited so far.

The adobe-style buildings, terracotta colours, galleries, jewellery shops and relaxed atmosphere give Santa Fe a completely different feel from everywhere else we've visited. It has a charm all of its own.

We wandered around the Plaza before visiting the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi. Although it had already closed for the evening, the gardens and surrounding buildings were well worth exploring.

From there we made our way to the rooftop bar at the Ronda Hotel. Looking out across Santa Fe with a cocktail in hand after another incredible day on the road felt like a pretty good reward. We sat for a while, enjoyed the views, laughed about the day's adventures and watched the evening settle over the city.

Eventually we wandered back through the historic streets before deciding on dinner at Zeng, a stylish Chinese restaurant tucked away just off the Plaza.

As seems to happen wherever the six of us go, it didn't take long before we were chatting and laughing with the staff. Between the banter, plenty of good-natured humour and the usual Road Ahead nonsense, the restaurant was soon as entertained as we were. The food was excellent, the service was brilliant and we left with full stomachs, sore faces from laughing and yet another great memory from the trip.

The gentle walk back to the hotel was the perfect end to another unforgettable day.

Today had everything.

Cadillac Ranch, the halfway point of Route 66, New Mexico, Tucumcari, classic western landscapes and the beautiful streets of Santa Fe.

Days like today are why people dream about riding Route 66.

Tomorrow we swap motorcycles for walking shoes and spend a day exploring Santa Fe properly.

I have a feeling it's going to be another special day.