Homeward Bound, but not so fast…, October 24, 2011

Today’s shout-out goes to Earle along with a big thank you.  It was great to stay in a house instead of a hotel and to cook a meal (grilled turkey cutlets, grilled asparagus, and potato salad).  We found the nicest grocery store and the cashier took pity on us and gave us the store chain’s discount card.  She saved us $25.00.  So, Malibu can be a friendly place.  We went to a winery yesterday, too.  That was fun and casual, and we are bringing some of the wine back with us.  Dennis and I each went for a ride in Earle’s hot rod (see picture) – it was fun and different than driving my speedy but comfy car.  You could really feel the road in the open hot rod.  Earle built it himself – it’s cool.

 Zoom Zoom!

Before we went out for all of that fun yesterday, we went to the beach (El Matador State Park)for a walk.  It was very foggy but not cold – or at least not cold to us, the locals were all wearing coats or sweatshirts.  The hard work in this beach walk was getting up and down the 78 steps and the steep ravine.  Walking on the beach I found a few stones to bring back for my collection. The foggy conditions and the rocky shore made for some nice photos.  Here are a few.

We did not take photos of the beach activities we saw.  One group of good looking young people was doing some kind of video shoot – a pirate sort of thing.  All of the people coming down to the beach kept getting in the way.  But what else can you expect on a public beach?  The other group we saw was a mom, dad, grandpa, and twin boys (about 6 yrs old) and another man with lots of gear.  They were carrying red things that looked like letters of the alphabet.  When they got down to the beach, they gathered around one of the large rock formations and I noticed that they were all wearing blue or white or blue and white.  The man with the gear began to unpack – he was a photographer and the red letters were J-O-Y.  They were shooting photos for their Christmas cards!  What a fun idea and what a handsome family.  We did not take a picture of them doing the photo shoot.  Dennis thought that would be an invasion of their privacy.

This morning we were up early and on the road by 9:00.  We drove south on the Pacific Coast Highway to I-10 and headed east.  Even though we were past the rush hour, traffic was very intense!  We focused on getting out of the L.A. area and then tried to find a place to stop for breakfast.  We had planned to head up to the North end of the Joshua Tree National Park and got into the area pretty early.  So instead of finding a hotel, we headed to the Park to get a map, do a little sightseeing, and make plans for tomorrow.

When we got to the Park, we discovered that part of our plan would need to be altered.  We planned to spend the whole day at Joshua Tree tomorrow walking and driving from the north to the south end of the park and then joining I-10 to head into Arizona.  The southern part of the park road was washed out this spring and they have not yet reopened it.  So we toured one part of the park starting at the Joshua Tree (West) entrance and then came back up on the Twentynine Palms side to find a hotel in Twentynine Palms.

We went to the Keys View overlook from which you can see the San Andreas Fault.  We were at 5800 feet above sea level and the view was astonishing.  The park information platform clearly showed where to look and noted that, if we came back in a year, we would be standing farther away by two feet.  What a strange thought – and you can’t even feel the ground moving (and it’s not Dennis’ fault!).  We took a few photos at that location.

We went on to Cap Rock to do a short walk through the huge rocks and the Joshua trees.  The Joshua trees totally captured my imagination.  They looked like people frozen in a variety of positions.  I took lots of pictures but we are only posting a few of trees and rocks.  Tomorrow we will go to see the Arch Rock and the Cholla Cactus Garden.  Due to the road being closed we will be adding many miles on to our route tomorrow, but we will still cross into Arizona.  And we will post some more about the fabulous Joshua Tree National Park.

The Western End of Route 66, Santa Monica, October 23, 2011

Yesterday we left Barstow and took Rte 66 and I-15 west toward Los Angeles.  The most beautiful part of our morning drive was through the Cajon Pass.  We drove up and over and down very steep stretches of highway.  The semi-trucks had their own special lane and also had “runaway truck” lanes.  Although we could smell burning brakes at the foot of the pass, no one had to use the runaway lanes.  We were marveling at the continuing beauty of the blue sky and the high desert.  Even though they are short on water out here, it is clear why people live here. 

We drove into the outer suburban fringe of L.A. through some very poor areas and then we got to Rancho Cucamonga.  The folks in this beautiful, palm-treed community take great pride in their Rte 66 heritage.  They had many signs and many refurbished motels and restaurants and they had colorful banners lining the road.  They also had many car wash places, so we stopped to give our beautiful “trail buggy” a special bath.  This was a person-run car wash.  The inside surfaces were dusted (those that were not covered with maps and souvenirs) and the outside was pre-washed to de-bug, washed, and thoroughly dried by hand.  I’m pretty sure we lost at least five pounds of dust and bugs.

Then it was on to Sunset Blvd.  When we drove Sunset to the Santa Monica Blvd, we passed through some very poor, rundown neighborhoods – not at all glamorous.  Then the neighborhood started to look up – it was the home of young hipsters replete with tattoo places, coffee houses, small theaters, and wild, dark posters.  And then we got into Hollywood and Beverly Hills – big change.  We didn’t want to linger too long anywhere for fear of incurring a fee for not being cool and beautiful enough!  We also drove through some very business-like places where the work of moviemaking gets done.

Last, but certainly not least for these road warriors, we reached Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean.  Because of a cool front the beach area of Santa Monica was wrapped in clouds and fog and the temperature had dropped to 63.  The beach was still crowded with people – both locals and tourists. 

The drive down Santa Monica Blvd had tried our patience with the multitude of traffic lights (every 100 yds or so) timed so that you had to stop for each one.  The drivers in this part of the country are worse than the drivers in Ann Arbor!  So we were challenged to find a place to park so that we could get our “end of the road” photos.  Dennis wound up on the Pacific Coast Highway and we had to turn around.  I directed him to a parking lot by the Pier and he balked at the $8.00 parking fee, but I pointed out that he didn’t want to do a lot of walking and climbing and this was the perfect parking lot for us (tourists).

The Santa Monica Pier was a true tourist destination!  It was packed.  Everyone had a camera.  There were street vendors and performers.  There were carnival rides filled with screaming children.  There were restaurants and fishermen – and people, a few hardy souls, playing in the surf.  After walking the length of the Pier and taking in the people and activities, we stopped for a snack and a toast to the end of the road (the restaurant, Mariasol is pictured in one photo).

 Our Route 66 destination.

 

Sunny Santa Monica?

 

It was really more than 2448 miles because we got lost and turned around a few times!

My skin and hair gave a sigh of relief to have so much moisture in the air!  Even though it was cool, we walked and stopped to look, and enjoyed the beach atmosphere.  It must be crazy in the summer, jammed with people and a carnival on every square inch of the Pier.  When we left the Pier, we headed North on the Pacific Coast Highway (we will drive the whole thing on another adventure) to find Earle’s house.  Earle is a person for whom Dennis has done some work.  He is unique and an inventor.  He is getting close to realizing his dream of building a magnesium car – light, fast, and cool-looking.  Earle has a house in Malibu where he lives sometimes.  He also lives in Michigan sometimes.  He invited Dennis and me to crash at his house and we accepted.

We called Earle and he gave us instructions to get into the gate and the house.  We settled in late yesterday afternoon and Earle joined us and took us out for a bite to eat (very generous!).  Today we are having a hang-out day to explore the area.  I am delighted to say that I will cook a meal tonight (yaayy!) and we will head out tomorrow.

We plan to take I-10 east to Tucson but we want to spend one day exploring Joshua Tree National Park on the way.  We will visit my brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Betty, on Wednesday for a few days.  Even though we are not on Rte 66, we plan to blog along the way home.  We are looking forward to continued discoveries.