We made it to the end!
After 2,845 miles (4,552 km) we reached the end of Route 66 at the Santa Monica Pier. The actual route is 2,448 miles, but with detours to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, with added on a bit more. Everyone in our group cheered in the Santa Monica car park as we got off our bikes for the last time on the Route. We posed at the “End of the Trail” sign with a sense of relief and achievement that we all arrived safely to this point. It felt great to complete America’s iconic road and I loved every minute of it.
This last day was one of the shortest rides on our tour. We set out to ride the Angele’s Crest Highway in the Angele’s National Forest, but a road closure knocked about 60 miles off our total. Nevertheless, it was a great ride weaving in and out of the twisty road. We circled around northern Los Angeles through Topanga, until suddenly the Pacific Ocean comes into view. It was a short ride to Santa Monica Pier where we celebrated our achievement. After the inevitable photo shoot, Roma and I wandered along the pier, had a hot dog and coke for lunch, and bought some more souvenirs. Soon it was time to go and we got back on the bikes to drop them off at Eagle Rider. A visit to Los Angeles is not complete experiencing the heavy traffic on six lane highways - we got this and more, but made our way through the traffic like a professional biker synchronized gang. It was a bit sad to drop my Electra Glide off, but it makes me hungry to get back onto my Road King in Ireland.
Our final dinner together was a great celebration of our ride. We made great friends on this trip and it is already sad to think that we might never see some of them again. Route 66 is an incredible experience and I would certainly recommend Eagle Rider to lead any tour. What next? We’ll have to wait and see!
Good bye Route 66!
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| We did it! |
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| A fun bunch to ride with. |
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| Making shadows. |
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| On the road in California. |
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| At the start (and end for us) of Angele’s Crest. |
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| Taking the shade at the last petrol stop in Los Angeles. |
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| I enjoyed every single one of the 2,845 miles. |
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