41. END OF THE ROAD - The Santa Monica Pier with Dan Rice

Route 66 Podcast

Dan Rice operates one of the most famous Route 66 souvenir shops along Route 66, located on The Santa Monica Pier. Dan is a past president of the California Route 66 Association and was instrumental in placing the famous End of the Trail sign on the Santa Monica Pier. This is the final episode in a 3 part series featuring The Beginning, The Middle, and The End of Route 66.

Join host Anthony Arno as he talks with Dan about:

• Earliest memory of Route 66
• Background in Family Therapy
• Surviving a traumatic brain injury
• Selling American made Route 66 t-shirts
• Origin of End of the Trail sign
• Convincing Santa Monica Pier to erect a historical Route 66 sign
• Does Route 66 officially end on the Santa Monica Pier?
• Transitioning from a shop on wheels to a permanent shop on the Pier
• Early history of the Santa Monica Pier
• The 1939 Battle for Santa Monica Bay with mobster Tony Cornero
• Suggested sights for travelers arriving into Santa Monica Pier
• The Georgian Hotel
• Where is the original mobile vendor cart that Dan started his business with?
• The day Bobby Troup’s daughter Cindy stopped at the shop
• President of California Route 66 Association
• Traveling the road today
• Similarities between Route 66 and Dan’s life

Website: 66 to Cali

Facebook: 66 to Cali

Thank you to Route 66 Podcast & Scholarship supporters!

• MidPoint Cafe, Adrian, TX – Featuring both their Ugly Crust Pie and one of the most popular photo ops along Route 66, located exactly halfway between Chicago and Santa Monica in Adrian, Texas.
• Gilligan’s Route 66 Tours featuring tours of Route 66 in Ford Mustang convertibles, stays at historic Route 66 motels, and daily breakfast.

• Jon B – Rhode Island
• Mary Beth Busutil – Florida
• Jim Crabtree – California
• Mike Fort
• Route 66 author and photographer – Shellee Graham and also my guest on Episode # 10 where she talks about her book, Tales from the Coral Court Motel.
• Kristin Haakenson – Washington
• Rich Havlik – Minnesota
• Mary Nicholson – Pennsylvania
• Brian Sawyer – Indiana

And from the United Kingdom

• Charli Beeton

Please consider supporting both The Route 66 Podcast and Scholarship Program through Patreon. This episodes Patreon supporters will have access to an additional 25 minutes of conversation with Dan, including Dan discussing:

• First road trip on Route 66
• Publishing End of the Trail, an autobiography featuring the recovery from a near fatal car crash
• Business lessons learned while driving around Los Angeles
• International News covers the placing of the famous Route 66 sign on the Pier
• Suggestions for famous Route 66 attractions in California
• Suggestion for nearby budget accommodations
• Original hints of Route 66 in Los Angeles and current resurgence taking place in LA
• Celebrity customers visiting the shop
• Memorable everyday people to visit the shop
• Potential business opportunities along Route 66
• Details about the progression of the California Route 66 Association
• Other popular stops along Route 66 in California

Congratulations to this months Patreon winner, Kristin Haackenson, from Washington, who has won a bag of Route 66 brand Santa Monica flavored snack mix.