California - Santa Monica to Needles

Hoping to beat the traffic out of LA, I left Santa Monica Pier @ 0700 but not before I got a picture of the Black Bullit under the Santa Monica Pier archway. Following Route 66 northeast around downtown LA through West Hollywood was slow going. Traffic lights at every other corner and I must of hit every one. The only benefit on this leg was Starbucks, there was one every few blocks.

It took almost 3 hours to get out of the LA basin, meaning a distance of about 70 miles to north of San Bernadino. There were some interesting sights along this stretch though, the Wigwam Motel, the original McDonalds and lots of eating & drinking establishments with "66" as part of their name.

Once north of San Bernadino heading towards Victorville and Barstow, the road took on a new feel. Gone were the traffic lights, residential and commercial buildings, nothing more than open space (desert & mountains) and the old Mainstreet. What's left of the original Route here runs along Interstate 15 or merges with it. There were some old alignments that have long since been closed to traffic. They appeared not have been used in decades.

Southeast of Barstow just past Daggett, there's a section of the Route that was so rough I had to get back on the superslab. The surface hadn't be paved in a long time and was extremely rough on the Bullitt and me. The Bullitt's suspension is very stiff (part of her racing pedigree) and you feel every crack and bump in the pavement. Back on the Route at Ludlow, the National Old Trails Road (Route 66) was a blast to drive. Long straight aways with dips and rises, not to mention some great photo ops like the Bagdad Cafe, Roys Motel & Cafe and the Roadrunner Retreat. A nice nostalgic touch at Roys was a well restored 1950's something Plymouth CA State Highway Patol squad car. I'm not that familiar with classic Plymouths, so it could have been an early 1960's vintage.

In California, the typical posted speed limit is 55. In the spirit of Route 66, I tried to to be conservative and held 66 mph most of the way.

It was 105 in Needles today, so it was hot out there in the desert. The Black Bullitt hasn't disappointed me yet. She running cool (it's all relative) and strong. Tomorrow we cross the Colorado River into Arizona and more desert on the way to Flagstaff. I can't imagine what it must have been like for the earlier travellers in vehicles without airconditioning, tinted windows and 315 ponies to move them along the Mother Road.

Spending the night at the Travel Inn southside of Needles, right off I-40.