Amboy to Henderson to Kingman

[eorogers]

I am riding Route 66 in early March and want to detour to Henderson (southern Las Vegas) to see family.  Has anyone ridden the route from Amboy through the Mojave Preserve through Kelso, Cima, etc?  Wondering about water availability.  Google says the Visitors center in Kelso is temporarily closed.  the other option is to follow the I-15 corridor from Barstow.

How about Henderson to Kingman.  For some reason Route With GPS and Google both decline to route me down Hwy 93.  Any idea why?

Thank Much

Eric

[John Nettles]

I have not ridden the area.  However, I personally would not be opposed to riding from Amboy to Henderson since the supposed max distance without services is about 90 miles (Amboy to Primm) and in March the temps should be OK.  I would carry extra food and water in case Amboy is closed but otherwise, it is not that bad.

As far as Google goes, for some reason, it does not route across the Hoover Dam even though bikes can ride across the dam.  Of course, US93 has a lot more traffic but it does have a shoulder.

If you go, report back what you discovered! 

Tailwinds, John

[eorogers]

Thanks John.  That is my feeling also.

Do you know if that bridge over the Canadian on Rt 66 by your place is still out?  Heading to Ok City on rt66 & then the Eastern Express you shared with me then diverting in Atlanta to Savannah. 

Thanks

Eric

[John Nettles]

From what I understand about 3 weeks ago, it is not done.  I liked the old bridge (and all old bridges like them) as it had a lot more character than a modern bridge.  I will see if I can remember to send out an update when the bridge is open. 

[John Nelson]

I’ve found that RideWithGps avoids busy highways, even those with good shoulders. Once you use street view to verify the shoulder, it’s best to switch from cycling to driving so RideWithGps won’t route you off the highway at every opportunity.

[John Nettles]

I just read on the Google reviews about the bridge that a commenter said about 3 months ago (Nov. 2023??):

"They have widened it slightly. Construction is coming along. They will allow bicycle tourists to cross, but they recommend a detour (that involves highway 40, or a LOT of extra miles. The old truss work is being refurbished for decoration. It's going to be a nice improvement when complete, I think." so perhaps you can bike across it now. Regardless, I would hope it is completed by Spring.

Also gives me hope they are not replacing it.  I was under the impression it was to be torn down and a new one build.

[eorogers]

I’ve found that RideWithGps avoids busy highways, even those with good shoulders. Once you use street view to verify the shoulder, it’s best to switch from cycling to driving so RideWithGps won’t route you off the highway at every opportunity.

I called the RideWithGPS folks and the cycling mode emphasizes safety - so they take you to dirt roads whenever possible.  The driving mode emphasizes distance, so they use whichever route is the shortest.  If you know what you are doing you can make either work well, but... 

When it works, I have been happy with Google Maps, but there have been some memorable failures.  Trying to ride from Buffalo to Sheridan Wyo and avoid I=25 it took me down many miles of dirt roads before it asked me to turn up some ranchers driveway :-).  And I would really like an easy way to export that route to my GPS to save phone battery.

Good to know about taking the bicycle through the bridge - I have gotten away with that a several times, but also been turned around because the bridge was completely out and many miles of backtracking.  All part of the adventure that makes bicycle touring so much fun!

Eric

[John Nettles]

I wrote the Oklahoma DOT and got a response back that basically says the bridge should be reopened no later than April 15th.  He avoided answering whether cyclists could cross the bridge while it was closed.

Hope this helps, John

[eorogers]

Thanks John - I hope to be there the 16th.  Timing is everything, eh?

Eric

The plan never survives the first pedal stroke :-)