15 for ’26 Ride #2: Route 66—End of the Trail
Santa Monica, CA
Check-in Location
“End of the Trail” sign at the Santa Monica Pier. Approximate address: 322 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401. The sign is located near the pier’s western end, just past Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (NOTE: you will need to park and walk to this location. Paid parking is available nearby).
Few American icons conjure nostalgia for the golden age of motoring like Route 66. Celebrated in film, television, and literature as the “Mother Road” and “America’s Main Street,” the 2,400-mile highway stretches across two-thirds of the country through eight Midwestern and Western states.
The road carried generations westward from Chicago to California—some seeking fame and fortune in the Golden State, others fleeing poverty during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and countless families road-tripping in station wagons, stopping for kitschy souvenirs at roadside attractions.
U.S. Highway 66 was established in 1926 by the Bureau of Public Roads as part of the Federal Highway System and was decommissioned in 1985. Although portions have long been absorbed by interstate highways, Route 66 has enjoyed a renaissance and remains a bucket-list road trip for drivers and motorcyclists.
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