To Santa Monica and the end of Rt. 66

To finish up on the Bottle Man creations...

This was his childhood train set that he put on top.

Remember the old typewriters?

In Victorville, the New Corral Motel.  You can see the influence of the area Roy Rogers lived in.  There was a Roy Rogers Museum in town, but it was moved to Branson, MO.

The old drive-in theater in Azusa was taken down by the university that bought the land,

but they left the sign which they still use.

Don't remember where I was when I saw this Denny's, made to look like an old diner.

Monrovia was one of my favorite little towns.  It had a gentle character to it, inviting, warm, a small-town feeling.  The Aztec Hotel was built in 1926 and is a beauty. 

 They are restoring it so I couldn't go in, unfortunately.

As I got closer to Los Angeles, I hopped on and off the highway according to my guidebooks.  Again, I wanted to avoid spending hours getting through a big city, and one of the books warned that some areas were not as safe as they used to be.  I went through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, saw Rodeo Drive, studios, beautiful homes, and finally got to Santa Monica Blvd.  It is a VERY long street, eventually leading to the ocean and the Santa Monica Pier.  First, a few photos on the way.

Santa Monica was a disappointment.  It was a weekend, very hot, very busy, and I couldn't find a parking spot.  People generally call the Pier the end of 66, but it's really a couple of blocks down.  The last time I drove 66, I was able to easily park and see the tribute to Will Rogers and the end of 66.  I drove around for well over an hour and couldn't find a spot to get out of the car.  Finally, I drove to a beach down the road a few miles where I could park on the side of the road. I was determined to get my feet in the Pacific Ocean!

The beach was quiet, with just a handful of people there...exactly what I needed after the craziness of Santa Monica.  I walked in the water for a bit, then sat down on a rock and gave thanks for having made it this far.  I later calculated that I traveled 4317 miles at this point.

It's late, time for bed.  I'll share more thoughts of Route 66 and my travels beyond in the next posting.

Thanks for reading!