Ballarat, California, 1969. Theres some history there for a lot of things. It’s one of those spots that maybe I need to head out this weekend and visit again.
Here’s some pictures of Easy Rider, from Ballarat California
Screenshot from Easy Rider, 1969Same shot in Ballarat, Today
I’m riding out there saturday night If I can pull it off to go see what it looks like, take some new pictures and get me a 3 part ride in.
This is the part of the movie before the credits. This house in 1969 was where Wyatt rolled up the dollar bills, put them in a plastic tube in his gas tank, and put a cork in them. It’s also where both Billy and Wyatt threw there watches on the road.
Here’s some more scenes from the house, sent to me by a friend who made a film about the movie, on replica panheads like the bikes in the movie. This was Shorty’s house, from the film, and what it looks like today.
I’m heading out to ballarat. Call it a tune up ride. I need me a tune up. It’s gonna be good.
The Pine Breeze Inn is the first famous Icon from the movie Easy Rider. This is where after leaving Ballarat California, Wyatt and Billy Rode till dark, almost to flagstaff where they asked for room at the pine breeze, and the proprietor immediately walked back in and turned on the no vacancy sign. They left, and billy shouted “you asshole!”, to head down route 66 a little further and camp by the road at some old ruined shacks. The pine breeze inn is still somewhat famous. For years bikers we’re still allowed to camp there, where the hero’s of easy rider we’re denied. It’s still alive, and in Bellemont Arizona. The famous NO VACANCY Sign has been altered somewhat since 1969 when Easy Rider was made, and it’s hanging at the entrance of the bar just a short distance down the street, still flashing no more rooms for hippies.
Cabins at the Pine Breeze InnCabin at Pine Breeze InnIf Billy and Wyatt would have gotten a room, it would have been one of theseLooking south. Thats route 66 in front of the Office there.The no vacancy sign hangs in the bar a half mile up the road. They’ll claim its the one from the movie but it’s not. It hangs prominently in the front of the bar.The Pine Breeze, at dusk. 1969Hey Man! You got a room??
Route 66 heads off in the distance. Billy and Wyatt slept up this road. If you’re a fan, grow a pair and sleep here too. You’ll tell your grandkids about it.
For those of you who have seen the movie Easy Rider, you may or may not know the iconic cafe in Morganza, Louisiana. It was torn down a few years ago, but here it is in 1986. A friend of mine emailed me this picture. If you lived then, you could have gone in and got service where they got none. Hell, you coulda ordered kidney beans, because you left yours on the freeway.
I’ve got several pictures of the Easy Rider Cafe in Morganza, but they didn’t match up. This one is the real cafe, taken before it was torn down.
Anyone Seen this? I’m gonna find it tonight, but theres some things you don’t touch. Easy Rider was one, and covering stairway to heaven was the other.
Bellemont is another great route 66 place for me. It’s only 10 miles from Flagstaff, and I’ve stopped here often as it’s the only harley dealership till Kingman. There’s also a bar and grill next door that’s really clean and big, so I stopped in for a beer as it was the afternoon and I needed a Guinness.
No Vacancy Sign, from the 1969 Movie "Easy Rider"
Right over the pool tables is another reason I came into Bellemont. Have you seen Easy Rider? If you haven’t, then X out of your browser, shut off your computer and run down to hollywood video and rent it. It’s a classic. Not only did it change the movie industry, its got some of the best riding scenes with some of the best music around. At the start of the movie, right after the credits Wyatt and Billy go to get a room at the Pine Breeze inn after riding all day, and the man comes out, takes a look at them then closes the door and turns on the sign above. Thats the very sign from the movie, and I had to see it. The people here are one of a kind. I walk in from out of nowhere, and at least 3 people came up and introduced themselves and we talked. The bartender was even very nice and listened to my stories. Theres just a good feeling here. I’d love to be here with Mrs Zip on a friday night. That’ll happen.
I stayed for a couple brewskis then took a few pictures and headed on down the road. It was getting colder and windier.
Before I left, I had to come get a picture of the Pine Breeze Inn, from the movie Easy Rider again.
I’ve got other pictures here, from a previous visit last year with some screenshots from the movie.
The Pine Breeze inn from the Movie Easy Rider on Route 66
Friday June 6 2008
Asked Meg if she wanted to go for an overnighter to Caliente Nevada and be back by noon on saturday. She said yes, so we went to northern Arizona instead. Theres nothing to do in caliente, thats a ride to do by myself.
Friday around 3pm we loaded up, and headed out with one saddlebag of stuff. The other saddlebag had a tent and 2 sleeping bags. We were going hardcore: ride hard, sleep on the ground! oowrah!
The weather was nice and warm, but pretty windy. Gusting Bike-leaning windy. We went through overton and behind lake mead, and over to hoover dam to get to kingman. We stopped on the Arizona side and took it all in, and took a break to stretch our legs and I noticed a pillbox on top of the hill. I figured there must more on other hills, but didnt see any, and the area was blocked off so I couldnt get up there. The lady inside told me it was the last remaining from WW2. Back then, like today the hoover dam is a place of high national security. In one of my pictures you can see the new bridge theyre building across the colorado to protect the dam more. Im sure theyll convert to a tram system like they did at Zions.
We got into Kingman around 10 and my nav or google maps wouldnt work on my phone so had a helluva time finding the campground. Robyn as usual was the most reliable option, she helped us out. Damn verizon. My phone comes with a built in GPS, but verizon disables it so its dependent on their network now.
Anyway, after getting to the campground, and 2 more unorganized trips to get a flashlight to set it up, and another to get food, we finally crashed out and we sleeping on the ground like we’d planned. Im too old for this. I need a bigger bike where I can bring an air mattress. Even so, it was a cool experience. Havent slept in a tent for years, and the first time we’d slept in those tiny mummy bags was when robyn and I slept in them at the same campground in 1991, 17 years earlier.
We rode 250 Miles that Day.
Hackberry, Seligman, Grand Canyon Caverns and Kingman:Saturday, June 7 2008
Slept ok, but we both woke up early so we broke camp and headed to get breakfast at Denny’s. Today was a mellow day, we had about 170 miles to ride and all day to do it. After breakfast, we took our time, drove around Kingman a bit, took some pictures of Trains and Old route 66 Motels, then headed north on the mother road.
I dont really remember the hackberry general store when I first hit route 66, but wanted to see it now. It wasnt open for yet another hour, so we just looked around and then headed out again. The ride was nice, windy still, but it had that feeling that it was early morning on the first real day on vacation, and with my daughter with me, it made it even better.
The next stop was the Grand Canyon Caverns. Meg had been there before, but didnt remember it, so we took the tour again. It struck me how much Route 66 has made a comeback, even in the 20 years or so that I’ve been interested in it. The guide told us that before the bypass in 78, they did 500 people a day, then overnight, nothing. Now its doing well again, and the tours are going strong. They do around 150 people a day steadily, enough to keep it going well and keep jobs going in the area. Pretty cool.
Then we hit Seligman. Everyone knows the snow cap, and as we pulled up the place was packed. Still, the BEST hamburger ever made, period. Juan’s kids are running the place and have kept up the tradition, enough to make my 13 year old daughter laugh and have a good time. They even spotted me the 3 bucks I was short (I went and got them the money later), PLUS they had a terrible towell, signed by Big ben himself right inside the window. I couldnt be any more loyal now.
we went down crookton road, and crossed the freeway to see the Partridge creek bridge again. Took a breather, then headed east through williams, parks, and to the harley dealership in Bellemont. I finally was able to get internet on my phone, so looked up the overnight low in Flagstaff, and decided 40 degrees was a hair too cold in a tent for my daughter. So I called Robynski and she was able to book us a room. Apprantly the night before there were NO rooms in flag for under 200 bucks, but whatever convention or whatever was gone now, so she got a room with no problem. While at the dealership, Meg and I sat on a 2008 Ultra classic. Megan decided she loved the back seat. Dammit, I gotta get one. Granny glide or not, I want to tour and don’t want back seat comfort a problem. Im hoping its comfortable enough Robyn will want to go ALOT once the kids grow up.
after we left the dealership, we went a quarter mile down the road to the pine breeze inn. Whats that? In the opening scenes of Easy rider, toward the end of the opening credits Wyatt and Billy go to get a room and the guy shuts the door and turns on the no vacancy sign.
Well, its in Bellemont. Looks like this now:
Someone is trying to turn it into an RV park now, hopefully it flies, and he restores the building. It had an easy rider poster on the wall and some inside too, so the guy is a fan. Here’s another screenshot from the film, and if you really want to geek out, you can watch the whole intro. The pine breeze inn is the last sequence.
From there, we headed the 10 miles into Flagstaff. We parked at the hotel, and within seconds 2 drunk indians stumbled across the street, and one passed out within a foot of my bike. Kind of awkward, I pretended I didnt see him and got my daughter inside the motel as quick as I could. He was there 15 minutes later when I decided it would be best to move the bike. Nice motel, i thought.
After a full days riding, I thought I had meg wore out, but she doesnt go down without a fight, so we kicked back for an hour, then went and saw the new Indiana Jones Movie. After that, headed back and I was asleep within an hour.
Sacred Mountain Gas Station from Easy Rider: Sunday, June 8 2008
We woke up, had breakfast at the motel restaurant (aptly named “hogs”) and then hit the road. At the bottom of mountain outside flagstaff was another Easy Rider Icon I was wanting to see, so we stopped again. Here’s the picture from the movie:
And here it was, this Morning:
A guy who must live there popped his head over the wall and confirmed that this was the one from the movie (the pictures pretty much confirm it) and he also told me about another little stretch they rode that was in the movie through wupatki national monument, 5 miles away. We needed to head out, so I’ll go check it out another time. Im wondering if it was the scene where they slept in the ruins, I bet it was. Its been a national monument since before then, and the story goes the park ranger watched them like a hawk as they filmed. Now that I type this, that makes sense. I’m nearly sure thats the place.
We stopped at Cameron to get get some water, rest our butts a bit then flew on to Marble canyon, another hour away. We stopped for a minute to check out the old Bridge spanning the colorado river, built in 1927. It was a pretty big deal that bridge. The grand Canyon and the colorado river is still a major obstacle today, and building that bridge was huge. Before that, Lees ferry was the only way to cross the colorado for hundreds of miles.
After that, we went over the bridge to marble canyon and ate lunch, and fueled up again and headed for the home stretch. It was a little cold over the Kiabab, but nothing too big of a deal. From there, it was pipe springs where we made our last butt resting stop, then opened it up and made the last hour home.
I had a blast. I love it when my girl’s go riding with me. We don’t spend alot of one on one time together, and when we can do 2 or 3 days at a time traveling together and enjoying each others company it means the world to me. I couldnt ask for better kids. I hope they never get tired of going with Dad on motorcycle trips.
