Route 66 Road Trip Day 16: Rialto to Pasadena

Our Route 66 Road Trip Day 16 from Rialto, California to Pasadena, California was a bit of a short day because we live in Pasadena and basically just drove home, but there is plenty to do and see in Pasadena and Los Angeles! The day included a tour around the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, a stop at the Unofficial McDonald’s Museum, a strawberry donut from The Donut Man, and, as usual, amazing vintage signs for motels, restaurants, and shops!

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Route 66 Road Trip Day 16: Rialto to Pasadena

Wigwam Motel in Rialto, CA

We started our morning in a teepee. Since we arrived too late in the evening at the Wigwam Motel to take photos, I spent some time the next morning wandering around taking photos. I seriously love these Wigman Motels, this one was Wigwam Motel #7, and I am so glad they are on the National Register of Historic Places. Also, it is really difficult to see as it is extremely faded, but they have a sign that asks “Have you done it in a teepee?”

2020 Update: From looking at their website, it looks like they have painted the red lines onto the wigwams! Yay!

Here’s the sign that says, “Do it in a teepee.” I swear it’s there!

Unofficial McDonald’s Museum

We then stopped by the Unofficial McDonald’s Museum. It is owned by the man who owns the Juan Pollo chicken restaurant chain and is located inside the company headquarters offices which is the site of the first original McDonald’s.

They have a history section of McDonald’s and I learned that basically McDonald’s is as big as it is because Ray Kroc was selling milkshake mixers and the McDonald brothers’ restaurant was using eight mixers, so Kroc thought that if they expanded into more restaurants and each restaurant needed eight mixers that he would sell a lot of mixers!

The “museum” has a few of the old tiles and the french fry fryers of the original McDonald’s that Ray Kroc built, so that’s pretty cool. It’s all very bizarre, but it’s free and McDonald’s is very much part of California car culture and Route 66, so I definitely recommend it.

And the outside is an assortment of different cars that are Juan Pollo themed. Like I said, very bizarre.

Old Signs and Restaurants in California

And then of course we hit the road and started stopping at all of the excellent signage, orange stands, and restaurants along Route 66.

Update: I think Bono’s Historic Orange has been temporarily relocated and is currently in storage while they look for a new home.

The Donut Man

Our last stop was a very important stop! The Donut Man! Known for his amazing strawberry and peach donuts, there is always a line at The Donut Man. It’s open 24 hours a day, so even if you’re in town late at night, go for a late night snack!

We live in Pasadena, so we stayed at our own home for the night. Looking back, this was probably not the best idea because it made it hard to finish the trip.

Planning your own Route 66 Road Trip? I used the Route 66: EZ66 Guide for Travelers to plan our trip and I highly, highly, highly (I truly cannot emphasize it enough) recommend the book/maps if you’re planning to drive most of Route 66 turn-by-turn – meaning all of the historic route, no modern-day highways.

Follow along on the rest of our Route 66 Road Trip with my day by day guide:

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Land Acknowledgement

Salty Canary wants to acknowledge that we live, operate, gather, and benefit every day on the traditional stolen lands of several Indigenous peoples and nations including the Tongva (Gabrieleno), Kizh (Gabrieleno), Chumash, Popeloutchom (Amah Mutsun), Ohlone, Awaswas, and Fernandeño Tataviam peoples who have stewarded the lands and waterways throughout their many generations in what is now the state of California. I wanted to personally acknowledge these Indigenous people and nations and both their commitment and current contributions to the land with a donation to the American Indian College Fund because acknowledgment without action does not begin to address the systemic issues facing Indigenous people. If you feel as though you benefit from the land you’re living on or traveling to and you have the means, I kindly ask that you donate to a Native-led organization such as the Native American Rights Fund or the American Indian College Fund.