Route 66 - Day 1

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We planned on getting ready and leaving by 9.. 10 at the latest. We got out just before 11am.


After a Rather uneventful drive down 101 to Oxnard, then along the coast on Hwy 1 (oh... right... it's called "The 1" south of SLO). We arrived in Santa Monica. We knew, but hadn't fully internalized, that there would be no parking available for our car and our trailer near the actual end of Route 66 (Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean St)... but we found a Tour Bus drop-off zone 1/2 block down, and jumped out to take pictures.

We ACTUALLY started on Route 66 (turning off Ocean onto Santa Monica Blvd) at 4:50PM. For those of you who know the area, we were headed down the main drag in Santa Monica towards the 405 (a main artery through LA) at quitting time. Cringing is definately warranted at this point.

The mileage from Route 66 start to our KOA campground in Pamona was something like 55 miles. We arrived at 8:20pm (3.5 hours later without stopping). Traffic was TERRIBLE. We sat for about 15 minutes at an intersection near the 405 watching what can only be described as a ballet balancing on the edge of chaos. I wish we had thought to video tape it. At one point, 4 cars, 2 bicicylists, 3 skateboarders, and 2 pedestrians tried to occupy the same space at the same time, narrowly avoiding making actual physical contact.

The KOA is really nice. It's Quiet, shaded with little strips of grass in-between the sites... level, with a pool. Unfortunately, the pool/hot-tub closed early tonight, so we just went to sleep.
(Note: our intentions to eat healthy on the trip have so far failed. Additional note: Habit burgers are YUMMY!)

Michelle's Musings: If there is a bathroom available where you stopped, use it.
Tony's Trailering Tips: Driving a trailer through rush hour LA traffic is NOT a good idea.
Anne's Anecdotes: The desire to drive the ACTUAL route 66 path is inversely proportional to the number of cars on the road

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Photos

1.2.3. GO
All packed up, ready to leave, and we're off

Anne
Driving the trailer in the wind takes a little getting used to. No, you can't go faster than 55.... Cruise Control helped a lot!

Michelle
Right at home surrounded by books and electronics (note the lack of all other seats)

Santa Monica
Beautiful City.. too bad we were double-parked.

1.2.3. go umm.. Again
At the official end of Route 66. We start at the ending.

Pier
Route 66 related landmark of historical significance... and it looked cool.

5:01
Right on Time, the cars flooded the streets, and our progress slowed to a snails pace!

KOA
Easiest setup yet... level, clean spot.. easy access to hookups... so far, our 2 KOA experiences have been great