Mileage - ~280 miles (via Barstow, Los Angeles, Santa Monica)
Stayed in the Sierra bar until closing time (drank lots of Bud). The barmaid told us to drive carefully (obviosly we weren't driving)! Everyone else got in their cars / Harleys and drove off. One guy got into his black Firebird, put Nirvana on full blast and shot out of the bar, across the main road with no lights on, narrowly missing a house. It was as funny as hell, like something out of Dukes of Hazzard.
This morning we got up, I opened the curtains to find there was a junk yard next door. I then heard the screech of tyres and someone crashed into the junkyard! Crazy little town but you've got to do something to pass the time when you're living in the middle of a desert. (Editor - also found a credible explination as to Jaffa's skid-marked towels - see photos).
Got to Barstow which is a pretty good place to stop en-route, but we didn't hang around and continued down 66 until I spotted Bottle-Ranch (Google it) which I'd seen on a documentary. We met the old fella who owns it and had a good chat. He's a very friendly chap and he basically makes trees out of bottles just for the hell of it. He's completely non commercial and as he put it to us "I'm a free man with no chains or shackles." Strange but cool.
We eventually got to San Bernadino / L.A. which had more traffic than we were used to after several days of quiet desert roads. My way points for Route 66 went nuts in LA and started sending us around in circles so we ignored it and stumbled across the correct route whilst also finding Santa Monica Boulevard, Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, The Hollywood sign (from a distance), Ocean Drive and finally driving onto the Pier in Santa Monica - the Pacific and the end of the 'proper' road-trip. It was a pretty annoying day of driving but we're releaved to be here as this place is packed and has a vibe. We've just checked into a motel (expensive by our cheapo standards) and over 30 mins back to the pier on foot but nearer to Venice Beach. We're off out now - it's a bit like Magaluf here, warm and lots of party goers who have escaped from LA for the weekend.
Highlights - Bottle Ranch, 5 Weinershnitzel Chilli-Dogs for $5, finishing Route 66 and more in less than two weeks. Over 4500 miles in total - no problem, we could quite easily turn around and do it again now!
Lowlights - Couldn't find a motel with vacancies next to the beach (including the Hotel California), frustratingly slow progress through LA, we have run out of clean clothes and have been re-cycling - we need to do some laundry soon.
Tomorrow - who knows, we have to do a bit of planning tomorrow whilst soaking our feet in the Pacific.
Jaf and Andy.
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