It never rains in California
But girl, don’t they warn ya
It pours, man it pours
–Albert Hammond & Mike Hazlewood, “It Never Rains in Southern California”
SANTA MONICA, CA — And so I finally ran out of Route 66 to follow at the junction of Lincoln and Olympic boulevards Tuesday at 4:55 PM in rainy Santa Monica.
Thinking about all I took in these last two days of my journey dizzies the mind.
Leaving Flagstaff, AZ, Monday on a cool fall morning with mixed sun and clouds, I had to snap a picture of the Crown Railroad Cafe and its circa 1960s “space-age” stylings.
On through Williams I steered the Mini along the Mother Road past rambling hills of Ponderosa Pine…
…as well as slowly disappearing slogans…
Rail overpass with ad reading It's fun to ride Santa Fe, Williams, AZ.
…and enduring roadside enterprises.
Rod's Steak House, Williams, AZ.
Around Ash Fork, the greenery appeared more scarce and the towns more weather-beaten.
Hi-Line Motel, Ash Fork, AZ.
Emmanuel Trinity Methodist Church, Ash Fork, AZ.
Past Seligman, Route 66 veered northwest and away from I-40, wandering among the mesas…
…and into the beginning of the Mojave Desert.
Recreations of famous Burma Shave ads appear along the Seligman-to-Kingman loop. These ads, popular along Route 66 in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, consisted of short poems revealed on a series of small billboard planks. One such ad I encountered read:
He tried / To cross / As fast train neared / Death didn’t draft him / He volunteered
Followed by:
In Peach Springs, home base of the Hualapai tribe, this abandoned building showed the scars of the desert’s merciless forces.
Entering Kingman, it’s hard to miss the El Trovatore Motel with its vertical sign right out of the radio age.
The day’s adventure intensified outside Kingman. Again the route meandered away from I-40 and out into the desert wilderness. The road roughened, agitating the Mini and its contents, and then started climbing into the Black Mountains. I engaged the Mini’s “Sport” mode and prepared for a wild ride.
Soon enough I was steering her through multiple switchbacks and esses and along steep drop-offs without guard rails. Yahoo! This was the type of roadway the Mini was made for.
Reaching the summit at Sitgreaves Pass and close to the California border now, I paused to commemorate the Mini’s outstanding performance.
Tomorrow: California and a night drive in the Mojave Desert. Thanks for reading!
Route 66 Dispatch 
nice job joe- joe how many days did you ride the rt66?
Thanks, Paul. I drove the roughly 2,400 miles in 10 days.
It was lovely to meet you Joe. Next time you find yourself in Carmel, California..stop in and say hello. Best of luck to you.
Francesca