Santa Monica CA - THE END - Rt 66

Sunday was perfect for riding into Santa Monica, the final leg of our Route 66 trip. Almost no wind and not too hot (at least as compared to our early days of this trip). We easily followed the route on the trike with me on the back trying to snap photos.

We found there weren't too many things to snap pics of and some of what I did snap weren't Route 66 icons, just things I found interesting. Here's a few....

The project two hour trip took almost four hours thanks to heavy traffic...and this was on a Sunday. It would have been even worse during the week...at least we suspected so. We finally arrived at the GPS marked END of Route 66 - no sign of a sign so I snapped what was there. LOL!

From there we continued on a bit further in absolute gridlock to Santa Monica pier. $12 for parking and HUGE crowds convinced us pics were all we were willing to get and we quickly headed back towards the Wigwam.

We finally stopped for dinner, after several jumps off the interstate to get past more gridlock, at a TGIFriday's. A well earned beer was enjoyed by us both as we ate and listened to the cheering of the locals for the Dodgers.

We'll set the alarm for around eight on Monday, getting a head start on the our trip to Vegas. It's about 220 miles and we plan to do only interstate, making it easier on me and my ribs.

California here we come...and stay...and get blown away...again! - Rt 66

A fairly quick trip into Barstow, CA for the night...windy, windy and windy. My ribs were still bothering me, especially at stops and starts so I was glad to not have much city to go through before we got to our hotel, the California Inn. A nice king sized bed although a bit hard, we both slept till 9am, missing the breakfast. Good thing there was an iHop next door!

We headed out after breakfast for a nice ride into San Bernardino, CA. We stopped in Ludlow for lunch at an historic little cafe. Great food and a nice stop to rest. We made the decision to spend two nights at the Wigwam Motel if the second night was available. This would allow me to ride on the back, take pictures and get another day of rest when we rode into Santa Monica for our last leg of the trip.

We rode through a mountain pass, not sure which one, but it definitely got cool until we finally rolled down into the lower altitudes. We easily found our hotel and fortunately for me, got mostly green lights. We spend a few minutes chatting with the manager before heading over to our tee-pee. We loved it! Absolutely adorable...

Good thing we loved it, when we got up the next morning the Santa Ana winds had moved in...BIG time! We headed out around lunch time but in less than 20 minutes we turned around and headed back. Stu could barely keep the trike on the road and even as a passenger I was getting blown all over. Safety first....

Well, the windy weather extended into Sunday on the forecast so we made the decision to add another night, checking out on Sunday. I am writing this on Saturday night and guess what, we've decided to add another day, now planning on checking out on Sunday. While not the cheapest place, we have breakfast foods with us (since we planned to camp some), a refrigerator, a SUPER comfortable bed and great staff.

So, the plan is to ride the last leg to Santa Monica tomorrow, Sunday, enjoy the day (yes, the winds are supposed to be gone) and head back east on Monday morning. Our first stop may be Las Vegas for a few nights. Stu has a few places he'd like to visit there and we always enjoy the people watching. ;)

Current plans are to ride US Highway 60 back towards home, but that is weather dependent. Plus, we need to see how time passes. We truly need to be back home by November first.

Baby burro bites back and more fun in AZ - Rt 66

We left you as we checked in to our hotel in Kingman, AZ. I mentioned that I took my bike into the HD dealer for a clutch adjustment. I mentioned that we were having breakfast with friends the next day. But I neglected to mention that I almost dropped my bike in the dealer's parking lot. I did manage to keep it upright so I thought nothing of it. Breakfast was great and I really enjoyed seeing my good friends Bill & Marty.

We then rode up Route 66 to Oatman, me on the back of the trike, taking a day off my bike - a very twisty and rough road up, around and over the mountain. We stopped at the little store in Cool Springs to get water and buy a t-shirt for Stu. We continued on with breathtaking views, burro fun in Oatman, nice lunch and a steadily warmer ride down the mountain into Bullhead City (thanks to a road closure on Rt 66). We did get to see two gunfights as well as chatting with Mr. Hornfeathers (not his real name, but his biz name) and buying a nice handcrafted pendant from him. Anyway, by the time we got home, I was noticing pain in my right ribcage.

Come morning it was worse but I climbed on the bike for the relatively quick trip to Laughlin, NV where we had booked three nights at Harrah's (for under $20/nite). Stu had booked a timeshare for our Yosemite visit that gave us this leeway for some relaxation. Little did we know how badly I would need it. By the time we parked in the parking garage, I was in agony.

So for the last two days I have rested, applied ice and taken Aleve and not much else. Thus the late blog. Today is the best day yet but Stu is now out trying to find a wrap for my ribs to help with the ride tomorrow as we move into California. We have a room booked in Barstow tomorrow and then a one night stay at the Wigwam Motel in San Bernadino before we, hopefully, get into Santa Monica (photos only) and get outta dodge quickly.

So, here are some photos to enjoy [lots more in SmugMug].

Oh, the title? That came from this shot....