Day 13

21st May 2006

Victoriaville – Santa Monica Los Angeles CA

29441 – 29545 (104 miles)

A late start for the day van loaded at 8.30am and off on the road at 9am. Don has said this is going to be the worst part of the trip, although he hopes as it is a Sunday it will not be as bad as a weekday. He says that LA traffic is bad; they travel too fast, too close and will go through any gap, so keep the bikes close and eyes wide open (safety tip given is that if anything happens always go to the right). It is highway all the way to Santa Monica now as Route 66 cuts through so many districts some of them not particularly good that for time we need to the highway.

We learn that the Hungarian has been moved to a medical centre nearby and has had his arm set in a temporary cast and will be operated on back in his home country. We will be meeting up at the end of the journey.

We set off and onto the highway; traffic is flowing and probably the heaviest since leaving Tulsa. The San Bernardino Mountains lay ahead of us snow capped some of them. We roll into the outskirts of LA around 9.45 traffic is getting heavier and the one thing Americans cannot do and that is drive safely. We are travelling at the speed limit and are the slowest vehicles on the road, traffic just cuts through any gap and there are nearly several collisions.
11am and still travelling into LA traffic is extremely heavy and we almost come to a stand still, having safely negotiated LA traffic we arrive at Santa Monica Pier at 11.30 the unofficial end of Route 66. We park up in a small car park just to the left of the pier and walk the few hundred yards to the official end of the route, marked by a plaque on the sidewalk; we have ridden 2661 miles since leaving Chicago.
The weather is dull but it is still warm, the hot air of the desert is drawing in the cold air of the ocean and bringing with it a sea mist. A walk to the end of the pier, walking over the Pacific Ocean, whilst looking at its amusements and vendors. See the Bay Watch towers but no Bay Watch Babes and visit the original Muscle Beach now a play area for kids, (it moved further up the beach).
We visit Venice Beach and we do a lap of honour on the way out to Eaglerider to return the bikes. This adds an extra 14 miles making our total for the trip 2675 miles in 13 days. It has been a great time, we met up with the Hungarian and he seems happy enough considering said our good byes, at Eaglerider and it was off to the airport.