We found the end of the world.
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Happy Friday, Reader! What do the Pacific Ocean, fish-shaped ice cream cones, freight trains, giant desert letters, and a nearly empty gas tank have in common? They were all part of our first stretch on Route 66. We set out chasing nostalgia and open highway, with surprises at every turn. We'll begin with the end in mind...the end of the route that is. I'm sharing bits and pieces of the behind-the-scenes parts of our adventure. The video will start coming out in the near future and I have an epic blog post to write so I can share my favorite photos. Oh, and I am STILL working on that new trailer walk through, lol. Thanks for the questions that are helping me with what to share. Don't hesitate to reply with more! We spent time taking in the Santa Monica Pier and on our walk back to the car I watched the sunset develop into an stunning display of pink and orange. The scene was irresistible. A lone lifeguard tower and the ideal number of silhouetted figures walking away from it. The clouds added texture and contrast. I sat in the sand to capture the image and from that angle, the tower felt more iconic. I chose not to brighten the shadows, keeping the three figures in silhouette. There was an additional person in the foreground that was fairly distracting so I removed them to keep the composition clean. This felt like an iconic representation of California! One of the best parts of beginning this adventure in California was getting time to spend with Grace. I love that our travel life gives us the opportunity to visit our kids in the places they call home. We wanted to experience more of her neck of the woods and asked what her favorite desert place was. What we expected was a scoop of ice cream. What we got was an experience. Warm, fish-shaped waffle cones filled with Nutella and loaded with toppings. The little details made it playful and over-the-top in the best way! Travel isn't always about landscapes and roadside attractions. Sometimes it's about sharing ice cream with your daughter at her favorite local spot. If you find yourself in Fullerton, CA, I highly recommend giving Somisomi a try! For long stretches, the tracks ran alongside Route 66, sometimes just beyond the shoulder and sometimes stretching into the horizon like a steel shadow of the road itself. Freight trains, stacked high with containers, were our nearly constant companion as we made our way through the California leg of Route 66. It felt symbolic. Route 66 was once the primary artery of westward migration. In the early days, families packed everything they owned into cars and headed toward the opportunities in the west. As we sat on the motorcycle waiting for the long line of railcars to pass, I got lost in the nostalgia. While Route 66 now carries road-trippers chasing history, the railroad beside it continues to carry the economy. And I couldn't help but think about the sheer volume of consumer products were moving along in front of me. As we continued east, the train eventually disappeared into the horizon but for miles, it felt like we weren't traveling alone. Not every stop along Route 66 is historic. Some are just...wonderfully weird. Somewhere near Twenty-Ning Palms, rising unexpectedly of of the desert sand, we found this massive installation: towering white letters spelling out "THE END OF THE WORLD." Which, of course, meant we had to pull over. Things like this are why we prefer the road(s) less traveled. No admission fee, no crowds of people, just oversized letters dropped into the desert to make you wonder...what does this mean? The beauty of Route 66 isn't just in its nostalgia, it is found in these odd, unscripted surprises. The things you would never find if you stayed on the interstate. If you are wondering, yes, I have help finding them. I use the Roadside America app constantly when we travel. It's like having a treasure map in your pocket. Although this find was truly a surprise, I expect to use it plenty as we continue into the Arizona leg of our Route 66 adventure. As we made our way back toward Salome, we left Route 66 behind and entered one of the most unpopulated stretches of land we've driven (well, since that time in Wyoming). The road was like a narrow ribbon cutting through the endless desert. No towns. No lights. Little traffic. Just horizon. And then I noticed the gas gauge. And the map informing us there was still 30+ miles to the gas station. The desert sunset was gorgeous but it didn't completely distract me from wondering how many of those 33 miles we would be walking. The road gives you beauty and plenty of adventure. We made it to the last gas station in California without the walk and gave some thought to the choice to pass on a fill up back in Amboy where the cost was $6.99 a gallon. We are now 3-0 in gas station roulette! 
The morning after the long desert drive, I stepped outside the camper to capture this stunning sunrise. No traffic. No train. No oversized roadside letters. Just stillness. And color. The desert has a different personality at dawn. The harshness softens. The colors shift to quiet pastels with pink and orange brushing across the mountains. The air is cool and the movement is slow. The desert landscape is a visual treat. It doesn't demand applause. It simple exists, vast and steady without a single care to your timeline. But if you wake up early enough and step outside before the day starts throwing chaos at you, it will give you something unforgettable. And remind you why you are on this journey. Until next week!
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