Day Twenty – September 28, 2018
We look out the window and voila – sunshine! The omelet station is open again so we order a repeat of yesterday! Different chef – but same delicious result! Yum!
We pack up the car and head for Santa Monica – the “end of Route 66” is at the Santa Monica Pier. For us, this will be the beginning of our Route 66 journey. It is smogy today with limited visibility of the mountains. The traffic is absolutely ridiculous! How do people do this every day – twice a day?
Wow – this place is crazy! We are actually parking on the pier! It is almost carnival-like in appearance and certainly in atmosphere. So many photo opportunities – so little time!
We find out the Pier is over 100 years old, and opened in 1909. It is a wooden structure as you can see – and as the car travels over the beams there is a loud creaking sound! It is 1500 feet long and 320 feet wide and holds 250 cars and also a full amusement park! People everywhere – in the streets and in the ocean – and hanging off the Route 66 sign. This is fun but we have a long way to go on this particular road.
“America’s Mother Road” stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles and was opened in 1926, 2448 miles. Much of the roadway follows the railroad – after all, the hard work was already done when the railroad people made those rail beds and cut through the mountains. There are parts of the road that are missing, parts that have been repaved, and parts that have been replaced by major highways – such as Interstate 40. Nevertheless, we remember the television show – “Route 66” and of course, the song lyrics – “get your kicks on Route 66.” So, this is a nostalgic adventure for us and we have no idea what to really expect.
We leave the Pier and make our way on some of the original highway through West Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and Pasadena. We are just crawling through this area because of the traffic and we wonder what we have gotten ourselves into.
It is rather cool to be passing through area we have heard so much about – Rodeo Drive, Hollywood and Vine, and all things LA., but still, slow going.
We see we are to go through four different tunnels that are really close together – not sure why, but we are on Route 66 so it’s okay.
In Pasadena we follow a different path to see the Colorado Street Bridge. Built in 1913 it carried Route 66 for a short period but the construction has beaux arts-style arches and pretty street lamps. Worth the little detour – now to try to find our way back.
In San Bernardino we are delighted to visit the Wigwam Village Motel.
Still in operation, this is one of only three examples of this type of lodging left in the country. A one point, this type of motel was very popular and eagerly sought after. Each unit is 30 feet tall and made of wood and concrete. We ask to look inside one – after all, only $99.00 a night and right on Route 66!
Inside there is a queen bed, a sofa and table with a television and an air-conditioner; the bath area is pretty modern – really cool! Feels a bit confining though so we opt not stay here.
We eventually make our way to Victorville to see the California Route 66 Museum. It is almost dark now so we find a place to stay. The museum will have to wait until tomorrow.
Fortunately, we have the chicken alfredo leftovers and a microwave – we enjoy that meal again! Tired from the first day Route 66 – we call it a night.