Day Seven: Rialto, California to Santa Monica (100 miles)

Our final day's agenda was simple: a stopover in Pasadena for lunch and then on to the Santa Monica Pier. En route to Pasadena, we stopped in Monrovia at the Aztec Hotel and Elephant Bar and Restaurant. This landmark Robert Stacy-Judd hotel opened in 1926 and is another example of roadside heritage saved from overzealous developers.

We arrived at the Santa Monica Pier at dusk, positioning each of our muscle cars to snap them under the famous sign leading to the pier's midway. It was a fitting end to a trip spanning seven days, eight states, and an official total of 2,448 miles.

What most surprised this group of muscle-car enthusiasts--beyond the universal friendliness we encountered--was the number of people from outside the United States who were making their own Route 66 pilgrimages. As we traveled the Mother Road, we met tourists from Canada, England, Germany, Norway, Italy, Australia, and Japan, each with their own reasons for exploring this unique slice of Americana.

And, yes, all seemed envious of our group--and of the four seriously cool machines we drove.