Part 1: From Victorville to Santa Monica – finishes
route 6
Distance traveled:
100 interstate
miles + ?? route 66 byways.
Part 2 From Santa
Monica to Long Beach – connecting side trip to start route 6 east
Distance traveled:
44 miles staying along the coast
Today marks my last day on route 66. To celebrate I decided to include breakfast
at the Historic Summit Inn. It seems
good fortune was on my side. As I was
leaving Victorville the digital road display signs indicated an accident
ahead. I got off the interstate at Cajun
pass just as traffic ground to a halt.
 |
| Breakfast at Summit Inn |
I
enjoyed a delicious breakfast in a nostalgic setting watching the traffic on
the interstate inch by. I enjoyed an
extra cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun and watched more traffic crawling
along. Luckily by the time I finished
and paid the blockage had finally been cleared I had smooth sailing through the
pass and down into the valley.
 |
| Last stretch of original road. |
Most of the drive to San Bernardino was on the interstate
but there was one last stretch of
original road following a dry riverbed.
 |
| Historic Theater in San Bernardino |
Once in San Bernadino I followed the now busy city route
to see the historic theatre and then the Wig Wam Motel.
I remembered that this is the area where
Simon Reeve used to live and work and took and extra road view picture thinking
of him.
 |
| Today's traffic is a stark contrast to yesterday's empty roads |
After a stop at Sam’s for gas and some groceries, I
followed the major artery route to Santa Monica. I really had no interest in stop and go city
drive all the way through to the coast.
The drive to Santa Monica was very smooth and I reflected on the stark
contrast between yesterday’s drive on mostly deserted roads to today’s big city
congestion.
 |
| The end of the road is in sight |
Santa monica beach & pier is a crazy busy place, so
many people. Crazy parking prices $12.00
and crowded with throngs of beach goers. A quick drive around to rubber neck and get
the feeling of the place was enough for me and with a last look at the beach I
said goodbye to my route 66 journey.
 |
| Venice Beach |
The next part of my adventure was a drive south along the
coast to Long Beach. Once I got past the worst of the stop and go traffic
it was very pleasant, seeing all the beaches.
First I drove past Venice Beach and then Dockweiler State Beach.
Past the beaches the road climbed up into the hills still
following the coast and I was able to stop at some very scenic outlooks in
Torrence and Palos Verdes.
My favorite
stop was Point Vicente, where I enjoyed the park with the lighthouse…ate my
afternoon snack overlooking the pacific.
 |
| Point Vicente Lighthouse |
Smell of the ocean and the taste of moisture in the air
were especially poignant after all the days spent in the arid desert.
As the sun started to get lower in the horizon I completed my route around the peninsula
to Rancho Palos Verdes through Los Angeles Harbour and into Long Beach.
It took some searching to find a suitable place for the
night. There were no camp grounds around
so I had to look for motel for the night.
Some of the places looked like real dives! I ended up at Days Inn which looked respectable.
After settling in for the evening and
enjoying my dinner I spent some time working on notes and pictures and
preparing the route for my drive the next day.
And so ends the route 66 portion of my road trip and the
transition to the start of route 6 headed back east. Tomorrow I will start the next stage of my
trip - back east on route 6.
I want to say a special thank you to my friends (you know who you are!!) that sent me the wonderful guide book for route 66. It was a great help and I learnt so much reading Tom Snyder's interesting stories about the history of the road.
I want to say a special thank you to my friends (you know who you are!!) that sent me the wonderful guide book for route 66. It was a great help and I learnt so much reading Tom Snyder's interesting stories about the history of the road.
Renate Dundys Marrello
2014 – 08 – 21
Photo Link:
Your stunning pictures caught my attention. I did not realize that there was so much diversity. I especially fancied the Route 66 chairs at the Summit Inn Café. I have been retired for a while and had forgotten my love of travel when I was young. Your story has encouraged me to find my own adventure, and why not start somewhere close.
ReplyDeletePaige Hollingsworth @ Baldwin Motors Lincoln