Day - Sunday, 24, 2011Weather: Warm and overcast
Lowest Gas Price:
Johnny stops: Pasadena, CA
Today we start route 66, score! We don't set the alarm, waking up around 10am for our goodbyes to the Dolphin Motel. Grab a pop tart and soda from the back of the car and hit the road. I am so nervous to fight L.A. traffic, although my nerves were calmed by the fact it was Easter Sunday. Traffic wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Once we make it to the 101, home of the famous O.J. Simpson car chase, I'm in awe of the big city. Our first goal was to make it to the Hollywood sign, an icon in American pop culture. I did my homework before leaving and found one of the best places to see the sign is a dog park in the Hollywood Hills. So we wind up the Yaris and head up the steep hills towards our destination. The incline isn't the problem, but the teeny tiny skinny roads around sharp turns with no warning of cars coming from the other direction, that sucks. We pass up a few Porsche, Rolls Royce and nice ass Cadillacs on the street side, yum. After about 45 minutes of maneuvering around we make it to the top and park the car for a photo op. After a few snapshots we hop back on the 101 and hit up the Hollywood Walk of Fame at Hollywood and Vine. I seek out a few of my favs: Patsy Cline, Mae West, Frank Sinatra and Audrey Hepburn. It's so cool to think about how this intersection shaped modern show business, by harboring so many careers pre-1960s. I stop at a shop to browse souvenirs and head towards another Johnny city, Pasadena.
Skipping through a couple less than attractive parts of town, we hit Pasadena around 5pm. Of course the city sign was located on the highway so we scope out the police station for a quick pic. And hit the road headed towards Barstow, Ca. A short drive away we pull into a very sketchy Route 66 Motel, and unwillingly check in for the night. Our room smelled like death and had marijuana laying on the nightstands, we ask for a refund and get the hell out of town. It's still somewhat early so we decide to roll until we get tired. We follow Rte 66 through the Mojave desert for the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen in my life. The reds, yellows, blues and oranges illuminate the desert sky in an almost indescribable way. The pictures do not begin to describe the beauty, you'll just have to go see it for yourself. We stop for the night at a Motel 6 in Needles, Ca for the night. The place is either brand new or completely remodeled and a great place to lay our sleepy heads. We walk across the parking lot for a quick late night dinner at Dennys and head back for dreamland. Goodnight Cali.
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