WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA

 Bottle Tree Ranch in Helendale, California, comprises of an eclectic mix of “bottle trees”, old road signs, retro toys, broken rifles and other assorted odds ’n’ ends all coming together to produce a very quirky experience. The site is open from dawn until dusk, and donations are welcomed but not essential for entry (although highly recommended). Feel free stretch your legs and take photos of the over 200 “trees” – t’s very hard to take a poor photograph in such an inspiring location! 

 Roy's Motel and Café is a motel, café, gas station, and auto repair shop on the National Trails Highway, the former U.S. Route 66, in the Mojave Desert town of Amboy in San Bernardino County, California. It has been defunct for years, but is now being restored.

Roy's is featured in many a famous photoshoot, movie and Music video, one that sticks in our mind is Hero by Enrique Esglesias, go check it out on You Tube 

 In 2009 the Route 66 Alliance and the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp got together and declared the end of the Santa Monica Pier to be the western terminus of Route 66. It’s now marked by an upright sign stating “The End of the Trail” and is a popular photo opportunity for travelers at the end of their journey. This is actually a replica of a sign that once stood on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Ave before it’s mysterious disappearance 50 years ago. 

 The Cucamonga Service Station opened in 1915, closed during the 1970's but was renovated and reopened in 2015 as a museum. A great deal of work has gone into remodeling this historic building, making it well worth a visit if you want to get a sense of how times have changed in the last 100 years. Gas stations certainly aren't built like this anymore! . 

 The Rialto Theatre is one of a dwindling handful of Pasadena’s grand theatres from the early 20th century. Fortunately, it is also one of the best preserved. Completed in 1925 and trimmed with Spanish tile, the Rialto building’s design included spaces for the grandiose theatre, retail shops, and apartments. Despite minor modifications to the street-level shop frontage, the original Moorish motif is still intact and the building remains largely unaltered. 

 This Route 66 Wigwam Motel is a fun stop and is the final of 7 Wigwam Motels originally constructed (only 3 of which still exist). The motel has been renovated extensively by the Patel Family who were awarded the National Historic Route 66 Federation's 2005 Cyrus Avery Award for their efforts in restoration. The Wigwam Motel is a perfect example of kitsch Americana, and the original "do it in a teepee" sign is still onsite, albeit tucked around the back! .

 Opened in 1940, this original McDonalds's restaurant changed the face of fast food forever. Packed with original pre-Ray Krok news articles, menus, and memorabilia, the museum does an excellent job of documenting the history of an iconic restaurant. Exhibits representing all corners of the world display thousands of items including Happy Meal toys and historical artifacts. Entry is free. 

 On October 17, 2007, Chicken Boy (aka the Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles) was installed on the rooftop of Future Studio Design & Gallery on Historic Route 66 (Figueroa Street) in Highland Park, a neighborhood just north of downtown Los Angeles.

But Chicken Boy's story dates way back to the late 1960s when he was hatched (customized from an International Fiberglass big guy) and installed atop a roof on Broadway (also Historic Route 66). Chicken Boy spent the next many years peacefully standing guard. The story resumes in the mid-1970s.  

Devoted to the art of soda pop and supporting the small businesses behind each bubbly drink, Galco’s Soda Pop Stop features more than 700 flavors of soda at its Los Angeles storefront and nationwide through its online shop at www.sodapopstop.com. As you wander through the store you pass through a rainbow of soda colors, most of which are in glass bottles.

Beginning in 1897 as an Italian grocery store, Galco’s changed “flavors” when son John F. Nese took helm of his father’s store in 1995 and lined the shelves with classic, small-batch, exotic and hard-to-find sodas. In addition to the soda, they also offer a wide selection of craft beers along with such alcoholic spirits as hard ciders, hard-to-find sakes, exotic wines, French champagnes, and honey meads.

 An area attraction: the Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark
The Amboy Crater is an an extinct, 79,000 year old volcano, located about 1.5 miles south of Route 66 

 With its majestic arches rising 150 feet above the deeply cut Arroyo Seco, the Colorado Street Bridge was proclaimed the highest concrete bridge in the world upon completion in 1913. The bridge impressed travelers from the day it opened. Until then, the crossing of the Arroyo Seco required horses and wagons to descend the steep eastern slope, cross a small bridge over the stream, and then climb the west bank through Eagle Rock Pass. Given this harsh topography, the Colorado Street Bridge proved a challenge to design and build. Solid footing eluded engineers in the seasonally wet arroyo bed. 

 The cafe, originally called the Sidewinder, was built in 1975.  In 1987, German filmmaker Percy Adlon used the Sidewinder and the neighboring Henning Motel as the location for his film Bagdad Cafe, starring Jack Palance.  The silver Airstream camper that Palance used for a dressing room during the film is still on the property.

Nearly 30 years ago, in November 1995, Andrea Pruett, her husband Harold, and their son purchased the cafe and soon after renamed it the Bagdad Cafe to capitalize on the film. Although her husband and son have both since died, Andrea still owns the cafe and continues to greet Route 66 travelers from all over the world, primarily from Europe where the film Bagdad Cafe is considered a cult classic.