Face it: I Stink at Doing Route 66

LA/XC-4 DAY NINE:  POSTING FROM TEMPE, ARIZONA

Today’s mileage:  387

Total LA/XC-4 mileage:  3,155

Road Music:  Sirius cycle; Green Day’s American Idiot; Duke vs. Michigan State

Weather leaving Las Cruces, NM Saturday morning:  68 degrees, partly sunny, breezy, pleasant

Weather arriving Tempe, AZ last night:  88 degrees, but cooling down nicely

Yesterday’s state tally: 2 (New Mexico, Arizona)

Gas money to date:  $221.05

Pacific Coast Highway:  Check, done that — three times.  Skyline Drive:  Yup, last week.  Blue Ridge Parkway: Ditto.  Route 66:  Well . . . that’s another story.

During LA/XC-1, back in 2011, I did a couple of nice short stretches on the Mother Road, one in Oklahoma and another in New Mexico.  But on subsequent road trips, I’d pull onto Route 66, drive a few miles, and then, unannounced, it would turn into an interstate.  And I wouldn’t be able to find my way back onto it.  This happened . . . let’s just say lots of times.  Very aggravating.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I was going to correct that over this weekend, allowing myself ample time for some

slow-mo meandering.  I thought I had positioned myself perfectly at the end of my first week on the road.

So late Friday night  I’m looking at the map for my next day’s travels — and I see that I’m some 225 miles south of Route 66!  I’ve been traveling west on I-10 . . . and Route 66 parallels I-40!  I’m not even close!  What happened is that ever since developing pink eye back in Virginia (all good now, thanks), I’ve been deviating from my pre-planned daily mileages and destinations a bit — and have actually been kind of proud of myself for changing plans on the fly.  But when I spontaneously switched my Friday destination from Albuquerque to Las Cruces, I’d committed myself to going west on I-10 instead of I-40.  So unless I make a major detour — which I don’t have time for since I’m due in L.A. Monday morning — it looks like the Mother Road will elude me once again.  Which is ironic, considering that growing up, one of my favorite shows was Route 66, starring Ed “Kookie” Burns.

Man, my last hopes of having a decent bracket fell apart last night with Kentucky losing to Wisconsin.  I’m now in 22nd place in Matt’s 41-man

pool — and fourth out of five in my own family.  (Thanks, “Mother Knows Best,” for holding down the 33rd spot over all.)  I watched the game from an Applebee’s in Tempe, AZ.  Now you might be thinking, hmm, six of nine nights he’s stayed at a Best Western — and four out of nine he’s had dinner at Applebee’s.  (And had Spicy Thai Shrimp for most of them.)  Here’s my theory.  When I’m in a “destination” city overnight, I go for it:  BBQ and live music at Rum Boogie on Beale Street in Memphis; tacos at Chupacabra and tunes at Chuggin’ Monkey on Sixth Street in Austin.  But when I’m in a no-name “mileage” stop-over, I play it safe.  And by now, as a veteran of 3.5 cross-country-road-trips-with dog, I’ve found “safe” to be Best Western (preferably Best Western Plus) and Applebee’s.  Back home, folks are experts at Four Seasons and Ritz Carltons and Fairmonts, and Michelin-rated cuisine, but when it comes to low-rent, middle-of-America lodging and dining, you might want to listen to the Beagle Man.  Although you can bet that once I hit Santa Monica, I ain’t stayin’ in no Best Western, and I ain’t eatin’ in no Applebee’s.

Had to skip the morning dog park routine for the last few days, and Kemba was none too happy about that.  Got back on track yesterday in Las Cruces, and am aiming for the Mitchell Dog Park in Tempe as soon as we check out of this place . . .

RANDOM ROAD NOTES:

•  On I-10 between Las Cruces and Tempe, saw 3 Hells Angels types doing at least 85, none of them with helmets, and one of them riding shirtless in the blazing sun.  My guess?  Not a very health-conscious group.

•  “Follow the interstate for 434 miles.”  I love when Lady GPS whispers that in my ear . . .

I PLAN TO POST AS CLOSE TO DAILY AS POSSIBLE WHILE KEMBA AND I ARE ON THE ROAD.  BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY:  MAN PLANS, GOD LAUGHS.   OH, AND BTW, YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM.