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"The Golden State" has long been a popular designation for California and was made the official State Nickname in 1968. It is particularly appropriate since California's modern development can be traced back to the discovery of gold in 1848 and fields of golden poppies can be seen each spring throughout the state. Route 66 is the main street through Barstow. Across the street from our hotel is a nice restaurant; the hotel serves a complimentary continental breakfast - if you would like a heartier start to the day you must go to the restaurant across the street.
Ten minutes drive, south of the hotel, you will find an Outlet Mall, they carry all sorts of brand name merchandise at very competitive prices. This is your last chance for major retailing before we reach Los Angeles.
We hit the road at 8:30am for our last day of adventure. We detour off Route 66 today, in order to experience the beautiful high desert and the San Bernardino Mountains. For the first hour we cruise Highway 247 over the high desert towards the Lucerne Valley. We continue up Highway 18 on lovely winding roads to Big Bear (elevation 7000ft).
Big Bear is a quaint little town on the shores of Big Bear Lake. During the summer season this town is buzzing with boating enthusiasts, during the winter it is known for its superior skiing facilities - and all this only 2 hours drive from Los Angeles! Passing through Running Springs we head down the hill on Highway 330 riding through stunning landscape until we reach the foothills. We pause at a gas station to refuel and prepare ourselves for our last run which will take us about 1.5 hours. We are headed for Los Angeles and the bike shop where we will return our Harleys. In formation we travel I-10. It starts out easy as a 2-lane highway, gradually expanding to 6-lanes. Keeping a clear head and not letting the surrounding traffic distract us, we stay in lane number 2 from the left, holding a steady speed of 60mph - in doing so you will find that we are left to ‘travel in peace’.  6-lane highway, Los Angeles We will first check in to the hotel and then carry on to the bike rental shop. We need to refuel as the bikes are to be returned with a full tank. You may either return the bike now, or make your own detour and continue down Lincoln blvd to Santa Monica Beach. We are not required to return the bikes as a group - but be sure that your bike has been returned before closing time at 4:30pm. Leave the key in the ignition and deliver the rental agreement papers at the desk. If you have not had any damage to the bike during the trip, you may now take a taxi or bus back to the hotel. We all meet at 8:00pm for a farewell dinner.  Santa Monica Beach You will have plenty of time the next morning to visit Santa Monica Beach if you wish. We have been granted late checkout by the hotel and can keep the rooms until 1:00pm, at which time you can take the hotel’s courtesy shuttle bus to the airport. The flight to Norway leaves around 4:00pm, remember that you need to check in 2-3 hours prior to departure. ATM would like to thank you sharing the magnificent Route 66 with us. We trust that you enjoyed exploring and experiencing the Mother Road and our time together. We wish you a safe journey home.
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