Route 66 - Day #20
Thursday, April 30, 2026
It may be the final day on the route, but we had a lot to cover in one day, so it was an early start. We stopped at the Cucamonga Service Station, but it was still closed at this early hour and we could not wait around until 10am for them to open.
From ChatGPT:
Built in 1915 before Route 66 was officially designated, the Cucamonga Service Station in Rancho Cucamonga became a classic roadside stop for motorists. Restored to its 1930s Richfield look, it is now a small museum celebrating local history and America’s Mother Road—one of California’s last surviving Route 66 service stations.
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One final giant on Route 66 - Chicken Boy!
From ChatGPT:
Chicken Boy is a quirky 22-foot fiberglass statue of a chicken-headed man holding a bucket, perched above historic Route 66 in Highland Park, Los Angeles. Originally built in the late 1960s for a fried chicken restaurant downtown, it was rescued, restored, and reinstalled in 2007. Locals call it the “Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles.”
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On our way to the Santa Monica Pier we had to make a stop to say we have at least been to Beverly Hills. Now we fit right in with the Clampetts - on this trip we drove through the Ozarks and ended up in Beverly Hills - just like Jed and his clan.
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And Lisa said, if we are going through Beverly Hills, we must stop to see Rodeo Drive.
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Rodeo Drive was indeed beautiful, even if it is the alter upon which the consumer culture of America bends its knee.
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The brands and prices were commensurately impressive, matching the grandeur of the physical place.
Any fans of the movie “Pretty Woman” may recognize the Beverly Wilshire.
From ChatGPT:
In the film Pretty Woman, Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere, stays at the luxurious Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Opened in 1928, this landmark hotel became famous worldwide because of the movie. Its grand elegance, prime location on Rodeo Drive, and Hollywood glamour make it one of Southern California’s most iconic and recognizable luxury hotels.
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Shopping in general, and big impressive brands are not my thing; but, I do have to admit, this is quite a place.
Before we leave Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, I do need to mention the local automobiles. This particular specimen is a Ferrari, and it is placed there just for photos. However, the cars being driven around are nothing short of amazing. First, one out of three is a Tesla. But the number of Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes in one place is astronomical. You cannot stand in one place for even a minute without seeing SEVERAL Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes drive past. And, these are not the “cheap” models. Heck, we even saw a half dozen Bentleys; where else can you see that number of Bentleys in one place? The money spend on cars is just unfathomable!! It is not an exaggeration to say that there were orders of magnitude more Porsches than Hondas in this part of town.
While talking about cars, this is a Waymo. The entirely autonomous, self-driving taxi of Los Angeles. They are EVERYWHERE!! They are all this same Jaguar model, all white, and all look identical. Each of the four corners have these cameras and a “spinning thing” behind the camera, which I have to imagine is some type of radar device. Watching them drive around town, they seem to fit right in. They were at times “clunky,” in that they would not move as quickly or intuitively as a human driven car, but overall they did well and fit right in to traffic. And there were MANY of them - you might say there were Way-Mo then we had expected to see…..
And after 2,448 miles, we have arrived at the Santa Monica Pier!
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About 1/3 of the way down the pier is the small stand called 66 to Cali. When you finish the route this is where everybody comes to get their certificate of completion and talk about all things Route 66. There is a constant stream of people arriving. In fact, we were the third couple in line when we arrive. So, the Route 66 road trip is alive and well in 2026 for the 100th anniversary. In fact, the day we arrived, April 30th, is the actual 100th birthday of the route - to the day!!
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And just beyond the 66 to Cali booth is the “End of the Trail” sign!
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View from the pier looking north.
The view looking south.
As far west as we could go, any further and we would need a boat or at least swimsuits.
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A view of the underside of the pier. Check out the number of barnacles attached to each of the posts.
The pier is a happening place, with lots of activity and a busy amusement park.
After spending the past 20 days looking westward, we now turn from the end of the pier and head eastward. At this point I asked Lisa if she wanted to just get back in the car and do it again from west-to-east. She wasn’t keen on the idea today.
Now, you might think, “They reached the end of the pier, that has to be the end of Route 66.” Well, not exactly. You see, the Santa Monica Pier has become the ceremonial end of the route because it is the end of Santa Monica Blvd and terminates in the ocean. So, it seems fitting that the end of Route 66 would be when the road ends. However, that is NOT really the end of Route 66, and it never has been. The true end of Route 66 is about ½ a mile away, at the corner of Lincoln and Olympic Boulevards. This is where Mels Drive-In is located, and THIS is the true end of Route 66.
And, when you get to Mels, if you have done all 2,448 miles of the route, you get to ring the bell!!! They also gave us each a nice certificate of completion for doing the route.
We grabbed a quick bite at Mels before braving the wonderful LA traffic as we got out of Dodge and back to Barstow for the night. And, yes, LA traffic is exactly as billed. So happy we don’t have to deal with that every day.
In researching this trip, we have seen several YouTube videos where people have stopped at this pizza place in Oro Grande. It is called the “Cross Eyed Cow.” We couldn’t stop there two days ago on the way out because it was still only 8am. So, we raced against LA traffic and the clock to get here before they closed at 8pm. We made it with one hour to spare and got to experience some FANTASTIC pizza from this little hole-in-the-wall place.
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Admittedly, this photo is out of order, but there didn’t seem to be a more fitting way to end our time on Route 66 than with this image.
It has been absolutely amazing—a true trip of a lifetime. We planned this journey for literally years, and it more than lived up to the billing.
We spent a total of 20 days on the route, which is more than most, yet we still couldn’t possibly see it all.
There is a touch of melancholy in finishing such an epic adventure, but something tells me that, with the passage of time, we may find ourselves revisiting it again.
Now, it is time to return to the Midwest. We are going to take our time and make the trip over the course of four days—using the interstate this time. We are sure to see some interesting things along the way, and we may post one additional blog covering images from our return trip.
Thanks to everyone who followed along the whole way!
