When they turned 66, Claudia and Alan Heller quit work, bought a motor home and took a month to do Route 66 from L.A. to Chicago. They shared their experience and encouraged us to check out parts of the route both local and distant.

Some facts: Route 66 is about 2400 miles long, first commission in 1926 putting together a hodge-podge of smaller roads and decommissioned in 1984.  It did not originally go to the Santa Monica Pier but was extended as a tourist focus.  Claudia explained on both ends the route is complicated as it weaves through cities.

Local icons on the route include Barney’s Beanery on Sunset, Van de Kamps bakery, the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia and Suicide Bridge in Pasadena.

Further out to San Bernadino, Barstow and beyond, Claudia explained to capture the attention of travelers, installations were created.   The Hellers showed us Wigwam hotel accomodations, cars buried nose first in the dirt, and numerous signs and buildings of significance.

The Hellers wrote a book about their experience, stories about the folks they met –  Life on Route 66 – Personal accounts along the mother road to California.