Well. . . We Made It!

Yesterday (June 24), we finally made it to the end of Route 66, the Santa Monica Pier and the Pacific Ocean! -- The last run was from Needles, in the California desert at the Arizona border. It was 110 degrees in Needles when we arrived after 3 (fairly luxurious) nights in Las Vegas. There were road runners literally running around the campground. We learned they do noit eat bird seed despite what the Warner Brothers cartoons told us - they are meat eaters.-- Our accommodations were spartan but we were comfortable. Had a great dinner at Juicy's in town -- Next day, we headed into the Mojave with extra water and ice -- necessary since there is limited cell phone service out there and who knows where you might be if the car breaks down. Imagine what the westbound migrants of the 1930s had to contend with – I am sure some bones are out there in the desert. -- We did try to stay on the old road alignment for the most part through Barstow and Victorville (home of Roy Rogers for you western movie buffs). After the descent through the San Bernardino National Forest we took the local roads through most of the towns until we hit Pasadena. The old road gets quite commercialized after that, so we went back to the Interstate to Santa Monica. It was a great thrill to reach the plaque commemorating the Will Rogers Memorial Highway - Route 66 -- near the pier in Santa Monica. After over 2,000 miles on the local roads from Missouri to California, the ocean breezes were feeling pretty good! -- But this trip is not over. We are heading north on the Pacific Coast Highway to San Luis Obispo and Monterey over the next few days. A nice contrast to the desert -- This has been a great trip -- seeing the US literally from the ground up through the hundreds of small towns and forgotten byways has been eye-opening so far. More to come/kc