Where Does Route 66 Really End?

Jack Kerouac got his kicks on it, "Oakies" took it to flee the Dust Bowl, and it's storied in music and movies. The destination of Route 66 is one of Santa Monica's claims to fame.

But several locations are said to be the terminus, according to the Santa Monica Conservancy, so where does it truly end?

Dan Rice, Past President of the California Historic Route 66 Association, promises to "unwrap the mystery" Sunday during a lecture at the Santa Monica Main Library. The talk, titled "The Aullure of the Road" is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.

Rice, who has traveled the route 27 times, and who runs the "66-to-Cali" shop on the Santa Monica Pier, will of the famed highway and reveal its true final location in Santa Monica.

The highway became obsolete with the emergence of the interstate highway system in the 1960s, but Route 66 "has enjoyed a nostalgic resurgence" according to the conservancy.

Rice will discuss the history of "America’s Main Street," and "how everyone from real life characters like Jack Kerouac and Al Capone to fictional ones like Forrest Gump 'got their kicks on Route 66.'"

Sunday's event is free, but reservations are recommended. Leave a message at  (310) 496-3146 or email rsvp@smconservancy.org.