At 100, Route 66 Still Beckons as a Cross-Country Caravan Takes Off From Santa Monica

In song and literature, the route is celebrated as an east-to-west journey.
At 100, Route 66 Still Beckons as a Cross-Country Caravan Takes Off From Santa Monica
Participants in a caravan from Santa Monica Pier to Chicago gather at the sign on the Santa Monica Pier to kick off the trip, in celebration of the centennial of Route 66, on Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Santa Monica, California. Christina House/Los Angeles Times/TNS
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By Christopher Reynolds Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES—Around 7 a.m., Saturday, in a lot beside the shuttered Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, a strange set of cars and trucks began to gather. Three Model A’s. A couple of ‘60 convertibles. A 1964 Chevrolet Impala station wagon. Also, a big bull on trailer wheels.