Subscribe for updates
- All rights reserved.
- Copyright © 2013
Route 66, the end of the road
We had to make the final pilgrimage to the “actual” end of Route 66 – although we weren’t able to traverse the entire California section, we were visiting old friends in LA and knew that our trip would not be complete unless we saw the actual sign (or signs) at the “end of the road”. How many travelers have braved the dusty miles to finally see the glorious Pacific Ocean? We wanted to be a part of that group! So the morning we were heading all the way back to the desert, we drove down the beeline and hunted for the official plaque marking the end of the road. And there it was!
God Bless America!
We traveled a bit further, as it was a beautiful Saturday in Santa Monica and there were oh so many amazing things going on at the beach and the Santa Monica Pier beckoned. I thought I had heard there was a sign at the end of the pier, so we had to venture down there and see what adventures awaited! But amazingly – we came to another sign just ahead – Richard snapped my picture – to commemorate this magical moment!
Welcome to the circus that’s LA! Huge activities going on on the beach – some sort of tournaments between teams in the sand, Cirque de Solelei had its huge tents set up on the beach – performances nightly (wish we could have gone!), street performers abounded as we worked our way through the crowds teaming onto the pier on this balmy southern California day. And there it was – another road sign on the final push to the sea!
When we got to the end of the pier – amidst the various musical acts, belly dancers, and street musicians – vendors selling every kind of food imaginable – behold! the last chance to purchase all the Route 66 goodies you’ve missed if the stores were closed (which many of them were in Arizona in January!) Hooray! Talk about positioning! This store is called The Last Stop Shop, and is owned by Route 66 enthusiast, Mannie Mendelson. (from their promo: “The store provides a unique Route 66 experience as well as a fantastic collection of souvenirs to commemorate your journey along all 2480 miles of it.”) Thank you to Mannie and I can’t imagine how much rent he pays to be the last shop on the pier and the route, but it was well worth it! I got some great cards there including this one – which sums up the whole experience for me.
Dear Route 66 – you ain’t seen the end of me! I have now committed myself to driving every inch of your pavement in my lifetime! And sharing what I find with others. What a blessed commitment! Yahoo and Happy Trails!
Tags:California, end of Route 66, end of the pier, Mannie Mendelson, Santa Monica, santa monica pier, The Last Stop Shop, Will Rogers Highway end
This entry was posted on Monday, April 2nd, 2012 at 12:32 am
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
What a fun end to the story! Do you have a photo of you two at the start of route 66 at the eastern end? Where is that?
Hi Betsy, thank you for your comments! We are planning a trip in the fall to Chicago to take the first leg of Route 66 to St. Louis. We’ll be sure to take a picture at the beginning. Then we’ll have to make excuses to find the time to explore the rest of the route! What fun!
It is a great lifetime experience that my wife & I were fortunate enough to make last October, we travelled Route 66 for 3 weeks and although we seen a lot we also missed a lot, I will definately be going back for another look, thanks to Dale Butel & Route 66 Tours for a fabulous 3 weeks.
Finished my own Route 66 trip last May, and we finished up at Santa Monica Pier, stood user that sign and bought our final souvenirs at the shop on the end. A sad moment to think our glorious adventure was over, but oh, what fun we had!
Thanks for refreshing the memories. Will definitely be back.
Thanks for your comments! I still haven’t done the entire road, but this fall I’m going to do the first leg from Chicago to St. Louis. Do you have any recommendations?