My 50th Birthday Route 66 Extravaganza

Celebrating my 50th birthday required adventure! I had the desire to knock some of the places I want to visit off my bucket list and most of the California Route 66 was on my list.

I hooked up my r-pod, loaded her with food, snacks and clothes and headed toward Pismo Beach. When we arrived, the campgrounds was basically a "ghost town" and we were able to pick the site we desired. The weather was perfect, campfires wonderful and driving Beast on the beach exzillerating. We did, however know there was a weather system moving in that looked quite ominous.

Our campsite at Oceano State Beach 

*You realize from past postings, off-season camping can and will provide you with additional adventures. (usually these adventures involve getting you a little damp)

The campsite after the first storm

The storms came into the area in literally waves. We woke up to find our campsite under water. We loaded up Beast on Saturday morning and began to drive (in more rain) to Santa Monica, the end of Route 66.

Traveling on the roads in Southern California can be challenging in great weather with the aggressive driving and crazy folks needing to be someplace hours ago but you add a DOWNPOUR to the mix and a memorable soggy time is in the ole' memory bank.

Arriving into the Santa Monica area, rain was still present. We looked for the sign showing the "end of Route 66" but it was raining so hard, getting out to explore on foot was out of the question. I will return to Santa Monica and find that sign but until then, I will place a picture of it for you to see. 

Santa Monica Pier

Driving down Old Route 66 through Beverly Hills, saw Rodeo Drive, signs for Neon 66 (the street is lit at night with neon lights) and a Winchell's donut sign with no building.

Just the sign remains...

Next stop is Farrell's in Brea where young Master Kristopher works. What mother wouldn't want to have their child sing happy birthday to them as his co-worker serve a birthday sundae to you? It was exciting to see Kristopher enjoying his job and hearing the great things his co-workers and boss had to say about him. 

Momma & Baby Boy!

Time to check-in to a hotel since we left little Polly Pod in Pismo. Another thing to check off my bucket list... Sleeping in a Wigwam.

Talk about a kick...

Happiness filled my morning when I woke to find that the rain was taking a break. Venturing around San Bernardino looking for the original Route 66 was interesting. Sadly, the McDonald's museum eluded us. *Another landmark I will have to try to find later. We did, however find a lot filled with over eight junked Nash Metropolitans. Jokingly, we commented that this viewing was a sneak peak jumping ahead until later in the day when we were to visit the Met Pit Stop in North Hollywood.

Several Mets just rusting :(

The Journey continues with a drive to the Route 66 Museum in Victorville. Amazed by all the old items inside the museum, I have to admit that I am old enough to remember some of them. Do you recognize any of these items?

8 track player?

Wow, what a relic...

Last stop of the day... As I mentioned earlier, the Met Pit Stop Museum was on my list of stops. For those of you that don't know, I own a 1961 Nash Metropolitan convertible named Nellie. She has stolen my heart and my wallet. Many hours of fun have I already had with more to come. Anyway, I really wanted to see some other Mets that are rare and/or restored in the museum. While I was there, I had parts to pick up for Nellie as her mechanic was waiting on them to complete her transmission rebuild. If you have a love for small classic roadsters and find yourself in North Hollywood,  stop by and take a look.

Returning for the one more night's sleep in Polly, Pismo Beach was the next and final stop of the day. In reading this trip log, do you now have a better understanding why I have 62,000 miles on my 2010 Toyota Sequoia?  

Tuesday Morning, Polly in tow, we make out way back home traveling across the valley floor on Highway 41, a large man on a roof of an old building compels us to take his photo and add it to our nostalgia collection. Although he isn't on Route 66, he is definitely from the wonderful era. I tried to Google the  historic highway 41 diner in Lemoore, California but found nothing. If any of you reading this know of any historic details, please contact me.

Hiway 41 Cafe in LeMoore, CA

The Trip is concluded with Polly safely parked back at the storage lot. What an exciting adventure!

Good-bye Polly. Until next time.