First stop this morning was Universal Studios in Hollywood. The weather forecast was for some early cloud followed by sunshine, but on the trip to Universal the cloud was so low it was almost fog and the rain started. Perhaps shorts were a bad idea after all? We parked the car in Curious George, 3Q and walked through City Limits, towards the park. It was pretty chilly so when we walked past Abercrombie we couldn't resist nipping in to buy a couple of hoodies. They had a sale on, which was a bonus! Two cosy hoodies later and we entered the theme park.

First stop was the Minion store for a refillable Minion cup, filled with raspberry fanta, as you do! The rain was actually a blessing in disguise as the park was quiet and queues were short, meaning we could whizz round from ride to ride. Great as we didn't want to spend the whole day at the park. First was the Minion ride, a 3D extravaganza, followed by Jurassic park. This is a water ride set on the Jurassic park set, with a terrifying drop, complete with T-Rex! So much fun and luckily we didn't get as wet as yesterday. After Jurassic park we went on the Mummy, an indoor roller-coaster that goes super fast forwards and the backwards! Eeek! Again, really fun! Next stop was the Transformers ride. We had been a bit indifferent about this but there was no queue and we were passing so we thought we might as well. This was actually awesome - a 4D ride combining travelling around in a car with 3D images so you felt you were really part of the whole thing. Rides at Universal are so clever! After Transformers, we grabbed some lunch from Starbucks and had a sit down, then we queued for the Universal Studios tour, which was the last adventure on our list. This is an hour long tour of the studios and combines visiting sets with some great experiences, the best being the King Kong section, and indoor 3D simulation with King Kong and the dinosaurs. Again, it was amazing and felt so real! Other experiences were crazy weather - thunderstorms and a flood (pretty much like we experienced a couple of weeks ago) - a jaws experience and an earthquake simulation on a sound stage. Sets seen included Desperate Housewives, The Grinch and Jaws. All so much fun!

After the tour we wandered through the park looking at a few of the sets and then left. We knew we didn't want a super long day after Disney yesterday and we wanted to see some of LA and finish off our Route 66 trip too. On the way back to the car we couldn't resist a second trip to Abercrombie. This time, Claire bought a whole new wardrobe (it was rude not to, in the sale) and I treated myself to a new bag. Purchases in hand we picked up the car and drove to Griffith Park to get a peek of the Hollywood sign.

By this time the sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Crazy LA weather! I had researched the best place to see the Hollywood sign and discovered that there are several hikes from the Griffiths Observatory, part of the park, so we drove all the way up to the observatory, curving up the hillside and parked up. From here there was a great view of the Hollywood sign and the whole of LA below, and we could have taken a photo and left, but the mountains were pretty so we started to wander along a trail and ended up continuing all the way to the top of the hill, about 3 miles. We wandered slowly in the heat, enjoying the views. There are snakes along the paths as well as coyotes and mountain lions but luckily all we saw were a couple of lizards and a butterfly. Ascending to the top was hard work but well worth it. The views were stunning - a 360 view of LA and the mountains beyond. It was still hazy so we couldn't quite see the sea but it was amazing nonetheless. Descending was a little easier and we were back in the car and heading down the hill towards Hollywood.

We dropped down to Santa Monica Boulevard, picking up just a few miles from where we left off the other day. From here it was a straight road west to Santa Monica pier and the end of Route 66. We drove for about an hour, passing through Hollywood, West Hollywood, where they were preparing for pride, with a rainbow pedestrian crossing running across the road, and into Beverley Hills. It was amazing how each area was so distinct - Hollywood was horrid, followed by West Hollywood with bars and restaurants and then Beverley Hills with huge houses, palm lined streets and Rodeo Drive crossing our path. Finally we entered Santa Monica and turned off on Lincoln, right into Olympic Boulevard and the official end of Route 66. Although this is the official end of the route it isn't marked and so we continued down to the sea front and parked up on the beach next to the pier, just in time for sunset. Then walked up to the pier and here sits the sign showing the end of the route. We had the obligatory photo and then sat down on the pier to watch the sunset over the beach. It was beautiful and actually quite emotional! Driving Route 66 has been such an adventure. We've seen so much and learned so much. It has been far more challenging than we expected - navigating and driving with many long days - but it was a real sense of achievement to finish it. We were really proud of ourselves and so glad we came back to finish the final few miles. We sat and took in the moment, took some photos, spotted a seal in the sea and watched for a while and then headed back to the car, tired but happy, for the hour-long trip back to the hotel. We got back at 9.30 and treated ourselves to room service for dinner. This is our favourite hotel so far and we've be sad to leave tomorrow.

Day: 19
Total miles driven: 3204