Ben Wilhelmi

US roads, photography while driving

 Route 66 but it could have been shot in many other stunning locations...

 

motorbikes, US roads

 

How does this guy manage to pick such a girl? AND how does he convince her to sit on that non-existent saddle 2 inches from those helmet spikes? In case of heavy breaking she gets a facelift for free....

 

A few pictures in Santa Fe.

 

 

 

between Oatman and Bullhead, Route 66

 

 

on the road, USA

I’ve seen much better marketing than that….

 

those cars had character, right? Look at the ugly shapeless donkey behind the blue Bel Air…

 

road side letter boxes, unseen in Europe.

 

pick a US map and pick all the European names, it will keep you busy for a while. Then the identical names will show by dozens. Like Sacramento. We’re here in Arizona, not near San Francisco.

 

this car wreck must be part of a road safety campaign. Such an old piece of junk must have been left there on purpose. Route 66 near Oatman, Arizona.

 

Ok I’d change the paint but I wouldn’t mind such a toy in Tanzania.

 

typical landscapes nearby towns. Billboards all over. The ad for gun is mind blowing for Europeans….

landscapes on Route 66, neat Oatman, Arizona

 

Harley Davidsons in Oatman, route 66, Arizona

 

there were Harleys all over the place and on miles and miles on the roads around. A big gathering was going on for bikers. It made the scenery quite interesting. Oatman, on route 66,  is not much but on a day like this, it gets very much alive. The western movie decoration was hilarious. Some people are really good at exploring their childhood dreams.

 

here was a rarity, a Russian side-car. An Ural maybe?

the main street, for a second I thought these dudes were waiting for us to start a duel.

 

in the past, this couple would have been at risk to come in such a gathering with a Japanese bike. The Hells Angels would have trashed what they considered sissies’ motorbikes. Besides Harleys, few brands were accepted, usually Italian or English. But nowadays real Hells Angels or other tough bikers are not not alone on Harleys.

 

leaving Oatman on route 66 towards California.

more Bikes kept on coming.

Harley Davidson gathering, Oatman, route 66

 

April 2010, Karine and I were cruising along route 66 and arrived in Oatman, Arizona. The little village was invaded by Harleys and some few other brands. A lot of bike equipment and beer were on sale.

Let’s imagine some dedicated music here, like “the Good the Bad and the Ugly”….

Some bikers seemed interesting characters….

seriously there were 1000’s of bikes that day, here in Bullhead on the Californian state line. Too bad we had booked a hotel in Las Vegas that night. One of the very few bookings we had made…