What did our guests think of our tours?

Carla from Gloucestershire

Every now and then in life you end up doing something that you’d never before imagined.

I have spent a lifetime collecting and riding Italian motorcycles so the thought of riding a Harley along one of the world’s most iconic roads was not really on my radar!

Supporting our service men and women both active and retired has always been an important commitment of mine. I met Darren, a retired member of our Armed Services, at the Motorcycle Show at the NEC and found myself smartly conscripted on to the tour of Route 66.

The first task after having paid for the trip was to set about raising funds. As I write this, we hope to raise over £3000 in support of the charities.

The tour began in San Diego where I collected a Roadking for the trip, reassuringly the bikes were all in “mint condition”. From that point on, for six days, I found myself constantly smiling, amazed by the warmth of the Route 66 communities, the iconic sense of humour and sheer joy of the open road. The bike, contrary to popular myth, handled very well indeed!

I was a little dubious about a “package” style trip as I generally travel alone, I guess like many independent motorcyclists I don’t like to think of my style being cramped. The organisation, care and local knowledge provided by Darren and Dave was fantastic and certainly made my trip.

In summary, great trip, great value for money, great cause.

Irene from Devon
After missing the Wootten Bassett bike ride in honour of our troops in Afghanistan, I decided to look on the Afghan Heroes website to see what I could do to raise some money and awareness for this charity. I could not believe that first page that came up read Afghan Heroes Route 66… It had been my dream to ride Route 66 on a Harley Davidson ever since I was a teenager.

I had six weeks to prepare for this trip of a lifetime. From the moment I contacted Darren it was made easy, lots of help and support and good advice. When we all met at Heathrow it was the beginning of a fantastic adventure for me. The trip was well organised, even though we did do a few ‘U’ turns for photo shoots this just made it more interesting and fun.

Arriving at Santa Monica Pier on a Harley Davidson Low Rider and seeing the Route 66 sign on the pier was such a thrill, this feeling just continued the entire trip! I proudly got my first tattoo in Las Vegas, (Route 66 sign with Afghan Heroes written above and below with the date). This was my way of honouring our heroes. I took the helicopter flight over the Hoover Dam (at my cost) it was incredible; it’s an enormous engineering achievement and well worth taking the time to see. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than this, we rode to the Grand Canyon National Park, crash helmets optional within the national park!!!

The people I met whilst riding though Flagstaff, Winslow, Holbrook and Show Low, just to name a few of the places, were friendly hospitable and interesting. Riding though the Desert in intense heat was certainly a challenge, how my son copes with the heat in Afghanistan wearing armour and combat gear I will never know! My only complaint is the time went far too quickly and I would have liked another week. Would I do this again? Definitely!

Many thanks to our guides and staff of Blue Cucumber Tours, Darren, Dave, Amy, and Spencer and to the rest of the group, you were all great company.

Matthew from Somerset
I approached this trip with some trepidation … never having ridden a Harley (and never particularly liking them !) the thought of 1600+ miles on one seemed quite a challenge. That said it's for a great cause and it was a trip I always wanted to make.

All my fears were completely unfounded, the guys on the tour take care of everything for you and ease you into the riding gently. The trip itself was awesome, you couldn't hope for more enthusiastic or knowledgeable guides, the scenery was breath taking and if people think it's a holiday not a challenge … wait til you get to Arizona !

Can't recommend the tour highly enough … suffice to say I'll be doing another ! Am I Harley convert? .. not quite but my bike did end up with a name, “Monty” .. if you want to know why do the tour and ask Darren and David !

Carol from Sussex
As one of the founder members of Afghan Heroes and a mum of a fallen soldier I went on this bike ride down Route 66 to raise money for Afghan Heroes.

Not being a biker I really did not know what to expect, but what I had was a fantastic adventure. Riding pillion (thanks Steve) on a Harley to visting towns of real old America along the way. The scenery was breathtaking, the food was amazing and the hotel/motels we stayed in were lovely. We visited different sights and learnt things about Route 66 on the way. We rode through both small and larger towns over the days but seeing the sights of the Grand Canyon were of course the best for me personally, it was truly awesome.

The organisers looked after us all the way and were always there to answer questions or to guide us on what we were doing. Riding Route 66 was amazing and hearing stories about the route from our guides was great.

I would definately recommend this tour to everyone. Not only did I have a fantastic time, I also met some lovely people and made some lovely friends.

Rating 10/10

Amy from Derbyshire
If someone had said to me prior to this trip, “fancy riding route 66 on the back of a Harley Davidson”? In all honesty, it wouldn’t have been something I would have chosen to do, but after hearing my father talk about his experiences on Route 66 I felt I had to see and do it for myself. I didn’t have a bike licence so road as Darren’s pillion. I had never been on the back of a bike before so I was quite anxious about it.

I have just returned home after the trip and want nothing more than to go back! The weather was fantastic, 100 degrees plus, the accommodation was always very comfortable and clean, three out of seven hotels/motels having pools which was a fantastic end to a day having been in the sun. I saw so many different places during the tour, the hustle and bustle of a night in Las Vegas, the breath taking views looking over the Grand Canyon, the typical small route 66 towns, and the very tempting yet very expensive shops on Rodeo Drive, LA.

The food was on another level, we were fed very well, from typical burgers and chips at a Route 66 cafe, to a new experience of Soul food, which is one I certainly won’t be forgetting any time soon. David, our US tour guide’s knowledge of the route and Darren’s biking skills and road experience make a perfect match, I felt so comfortable on the back of the bike with him, almost like sitting on a moving sofa. I felt we were always safe, and in very good hands, and would highly recommend one of Blue Cucumber's tours to anyone looking for a truly amazing experience.

So if anyone ever says to you “fancy riding route 66” don’t ever hesitate!! It’s a phenomenal opportunity and supports such a brilliant cause.

Mick and Helen from Doncaster
Mick was able to fulfil one of his life time ambitions by riding Route 66 with Blue Cucumber tours in 2010 and had the most amazing time. He says that the experience was something not to be missed, if you're a biker and love the open road then it is something that just has to be done!! He cruised along the highways, experienced old town America, enjoyed different taste explosions at a variety of eating establishments, was in awe of both the Grand Canyon (or as Mick says the 'giant hole in the ground') and the Hoover Dam, wasted money in the casinos of Las Vegas and just soaked up the sounds and smells.

On his return he said that the only thing missing was having me by his side (or behind him) so it was then that we decided that the next trip of a lifetime we would do together.......we have just returned from doing the Pacific Coast Highway.

We arrived in LA and were met by our American tour guides who promptly introduced us to the American buffet, a huge selection of anything you could possibly imagine to eat. We sat and chatted and slowly acclimatised. We then headed on down to San Diego for sleep and to be ready to collect our bikes the following morning. Only having been a pillion on maybe three previous occasions I was a little apprehensive but also really excited.

The bikes were amazing, we hit the trail and started to eat up the miles. We rode, we saw, we enjoyed. The views along Highway 1 and 101 were just breath taking. Pictures don't do it justice, you really need to experience them for yourself. The biggest surprise was the elephant seals, a whole beach covered in them just basking in the sun, and boy did they smell!! We all thought it was Darren at first.....

The Redwood forest was awesome, a 22 mile stretch of winding forest roads was a thrilling experience, riding past the miles and miles of strawberry fields, oh you could smell them, the coastal views, the mountains, the sun and even the drizzle made it the most amazing road trip ever. All my fears of being a pillion were laid to rest after the first hour, I loved every minute of it, and after 1800 miles, I would do it again......

The tour guides were very friendly, helpful, informative, and supportive, the only downside was they just kept feeding us!!!!!!!!

What's next David and Darren?