Day 32 Upland, CA to Santa Monica, CA via the Hollywood Hills 54.3 miles

Left early again today to miss out the afternoon heat but I needn't of worried, the amazingly large trees from Pasadena to Santa Monica Boulevard kept me in the shade. Sometimes there was so much shade that I couldn't actually see where I was going with sunglasses on, I didn't realize that LA was so green. Took a detour to get the inevitable Hollywood sign photo and ended up climbing through the Hollywood Hills to get a good angle. Hollywood's really nice, not overly showy or tacky as I expected but it must be said, it's the least friendly place I've been in on this trip, it's difficult to get a smile out of anyone here. The complete opposite of Oklahoma on so many different levels.

Massive trees line Route 66 as it passes through East LA.
Check out the scale of the parked car.

Route 66 passes through some of the nicer parts of LA as it heads west towards Santa Monica. Don't get me wrong, the place is still the work of Satan and I wouldn't want to live here but as a tourist passing through, it's actually alright and doesn't feel plastic and phony as expected. Mind you though, I only saw the nice parts. The traffic is bonkers; 8 interstates and God knows how many freeways, highways and overpasses cut through LA, so this made cycling really difficult at times. Everyone drives everywhere and the only people that use the sidewalk are joggers. There were also too many people with small dogs.

Palm trees on 66, Pasadena, CA

Santa Monica boulevard at night. The end of Route 66.

The LA smog at 8.30 in the morning. I don't know how they live with this.

My bike on Santa Monica beach. End of road.
That's all folks!

Day 31 Barstow, CA to Upland, CA 86.6 miles

A nice relaxing dip in the pool. Only in LA.

Left Barstow at 7am to beat the heat. by 3pm it'll be 110 deg and I need to be over the mountain and into the LA sprawl by then. Cycling in the afternoon in California isn't healthy. It's September and it should be in the 80s by now, that was the plan anyway. Interstate 15 all the way; A little shortcut to get the mileage in.

Pass a lot of California Highway Patrol, nods of recognition and some even smile. No tickets were issued. All was going well until a rookie CHP decides to try it on. He even insisted I climb over a barbed wire fence to get off the Interstate. Luckily a more senior officer rolls up, I explain the situation and where I'm trying to get to. He seemed a little angry with the rookie for pulling me over and lets me carry on. The rules about cycling on the Interstate shoulder seem a little hazy. Pass 3 more cops, more nods and smiles. One of them even gives me the Lance Armstrong 'V for victory'. Must have been the US Postal team jersey.

Historic Route 66 road stencil marking.
It mimics the old Californian speed limit numbers that were painted on the road.

Old 4 lane section of Route 66, Cajon Summit, CA
You can just make out the LA smog.

Come down the side of mountain and into the valley, take a little detour off the Interstate to ride an old 4 lane section of Route 66. The smog in the Valley is unbelievable; a thick yellow-brown haze. I'd heard about it but I didn't realize it was this bad. It effects the light, everything has a silvery sheen.

Shed World, Victor Valley, CA

Day 30 Ludlow, CA to Barstow, CA 56.8 miles

Nice easy day today. Glad because I'm still feeling sick after my ride to Ludlow through the desert. Not much to see but if there was, I wasn't in the mood for noticing it. The landscape round here is volcanic, black rocks and lava flows everywhere. Even the mountains are black. I haven't seen a tree since Needles.

Ludlow gas station, CA. That's all there is here. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Volcano, Pisgah, CA

I can't get over how nice people are here. Pulled over into a rest area to have a drink and a look at the map and a guy comes over and gives me an ice cold bottle of water. Would this have happened in England? Not in my experience.

Day 29, Needles, CA to Ludlow, CA 108.4 miles

Lonely road to Amboy, Mojave desert, CA

The hardest day of the trip so far, 108 miles in 108 degree heat. I Didn't take that many pictures as I was too busy suffering and there was only one famous landmark, Roy's Diner & Motel in Amboy. In hindsight I wish I'd ask them if they had a room for me here rather than push the extra 25 miles to Ludlow. I'm not sure if it's still open to the public but in the circumstances I'm sure they'd of understood. It was the only Motel I passed in 100+ miles; very surreal place Amboy, just Roy's and a post office in the middle of the Mojave desert.

Roy's Motel, Amboy, CA

Rolled into Ludlow at 7.45pm, after sunset. Ludlow wasn't really a town, just a stopping point on Interstate 40 with a gas station and a motel. Had to ask at the gas station to get a room for the night, the motel manger also sells the gas. I got the last available room in the last motel for 60 miles.

Day 28 Kingman, AZ to Needles, CA 71.1 miles

Cycled up over the Sitgreaves Pass to reach Needles, California. Hard climbing but worth it, the view from the top was amazing. Passed through Oatman, an old frontier town halfway down the mountains. They have a wild donkey infestation at the moment; the summer drought has killed off all the plants in the mountains and they've come further down looking for food.

Crossed over the Colorado River and entered Needles, CA. Being directly South of Death Valley and on the river, it makes it the hottest and most humid place in California. There's palm trees everywhere.

Old 7UP sign, Needles, CA

Trailer park, Needles, CA

Thermometer on the wall outside the Hotel in Needles.
This picture was taken at 10.30pm

Reaching the top of the Sitgreaves pass, AZ

view from the top, Sitgreaves Pass, AZ

The wild Donkeys of Oatman, AZ

Ruins, Oatman, AZ

Oatman, AZ

Signage, Kingman, AZ

Early 80s Corvette Stingray stripped for spares, Kingman, AZ

Me, somewhere in the desert, AZ

Mountain for sale, call 692 9872

Mailboxes, Kingman, AZ

Day 27 Seligman, AZ to Kingman, AZ 87 miles

Massive beetle, Seligman, AZ. There's lots of big insects here.

Cycled 87 miles of uninterrupted of Route 66 today through some very desolate country. Passed through only one largish town, Peach Springs. There's nothing peachy about it; a very depressing Indian reservation town built from prefabricated homes and a lot of poverty on display. Gangs of bored Native American kids dressing and talking like they were straight
out of Compton. There's seems to have been a lot of investment in Peach Springs; a sports centre & cafe, a new school and some other civic buildings, but it doesn't disguise that there can't be anything to do here.

Peach Springs, AZ

Really nice decent through the mountains, Valentine, AZ
Hills like this make me glad I'm riding 66 from East to West

Model T Ford, Hackberry, AZ

Roadside 66 nostalgia store, Hackberry, AZ

Day 26 Flagstaff, AZ to Seligman, AZ 76.4 miles

Dummies outside a shop, Seligman, AZ

Old Areostream trailer, Seligman, AZ

Barbershop, Ash Fork, AZ

Had an amazing day today, a lot of descending and climbing through some amazing and very varied country; Arizona has to be seen to be believed. Climbed a thousand feet from flagstaff, 7000ft up to 8000ft and then descended below the treeline and back down into the desert (5000ft). The only problem was a 25mph SW headwind which made progress slow.

Me outside a 60s gas station, Williams, AZ

Route 66 to Seligman, AZ

Seligman is a strange place, it's very remote and there's no large towns for 70 miles in either direction of 66. The girl behind the bar said she has to drive forty miles to get out here from the cattle ranch she lives on. No one can believe that I cycled out here. Had dinner at the Road Kill Cafe, the whole place was decked out with Moose heads and rifles. Had the best steak of my life so far and chatted with a couple of fellow travellers who kept on telling me I should go to the Grand Canyon.

The Roadkill Cafe (best steak ever) Seligman, AZ

Hunting is big round here, elk in particular. There were a few surly looking hunting types around, staying in the motels. They drive round in camouflage pickup trucks and don't smile at anyone. I Wouldn't surprise me if they were ex-military and that they'd rather be hunting Cheyney style, the great white sport.

Classic American cars, Seligman, AZ

Seligman is full of Route 66 nostalgia; has some fantastic American cars and motel signage. The guy who owns the motel I'm staying in said he spent 14k getting his 1956 motel sign restored. See the pic below.

Supai Motel sign, Seligman, AZ

Barbershop pole, Seligman, AZ

Sunset on BNSF line, Seligman, AZ