Last Day on Route 66, We finish at the Santa Monica Pier!

We pull out of Barstow California and begin our last day Westward on Old Route 66. The weather is beautiful, as it has been for the entire trip. Driving this morning on roadways that are fun to drive on, rolling hills gentile sweeping curves, to me it feels like driving on Ribbon Candy. Early in our drive we pass and old sign with a picture of a large Parrot, advertising Polly Gas with prices listed for days "long gone by", and when is the last time you heard Hi-Test gas called

"Ethyl".
We pass by Oro Grande and snap a picture of the old bank and a Pizza Shop with an old VW bus out front. Not long after we stop for lunch at the Summit Inn at Cajon Pass, we almost missed it, I had a Buffalo Burger, Noel and I both pass on the Ostrich sandwich. The summit opened in 1928 and has fed travelers ever since. The waitress says many of their guests are from overseas, traveling Rt 66 is apparently very popular for people from Spain, England, Australia, New Zealand, and Holland just to name a few, as we noted in the guest book.
Later on as we drove into Monrovia, we sought out the Aztec Hotel, a hotel with walls decorated with Mayan Pyramids and rare Aztec designs. We find it but it is closed and being renovated for a new business. We then headed to Pasadena and find the Fair Oaks Pharmacy, Noel buys me a treat, a Cherry Ice Cream Soda since today is my birthday. This Soda Fountain has been in operation for 100

years. Delicious!! Now only 20 miles from the end of the route we wind our way through Los Angeles, more or less on old Route 66, we get lost a couple times and finally after 13 days reach the end of the Mother Road. We drive onto the Wooded Pier in Santa Monica, take a couple of pictures, and walk the Pier. The Driver and the Navigator, competing in a road rally with no time constraints, we both felt like we won something crossing onto the pier, it took a team to turn this dream into reality! The year I was born, 1952, this Route was in full swing, most of those old Service Stations and Motels and Diners were alive and thriving, doing what they did best, working hard servicing the travelers of this country. This journey let us relive some of that excitement, and appreciate that hard work, and it also told the sad story of how things move on. It was a great way to experience some Americana History, and honor that history by reliving some of it. It also showed us that no matter how hard they have tried to eliminate

this route, it has been reborn and will continue to carry on, that is the American Spirit, it does still exist. And although not planned, ending it on my Birthday created a great Birthday Indeed!

We slowly roll off the Pier after dark and head toward Santa Clarita to spend the night, to hopefully get a leg up on the morning LA traffic as we head North.