Chicken-fried bacon July 9, 2009
Posted by Ron in Books, Food, Restaurants.1 comment so far
In this warm review by Columbus Alive of Roadhouse 66 Bar & Grille in Worthington, Ohio, this excerpt caught my eye:
If you’re snacking with your nightcap, an appetizer menu is served until 11:30 p.m. This means you can get a pint of beer with Betty Boop’s Tickle Pickles – battered and fried dill wedges — or Roadhouse 66 CFB, five strips of chicken-fried bacon served with sausage gravy. (Believe it!)
Chicken-fried bacon. That’s so greasy and wrong, it’s right.
Roadhouse 66 is owned by Route 66 enthusiast David Wickline, who has published two photo books about the Mother Road.
Good start for “Great American Road Trip” July 9, 2009
Posted by Ron in Road trips, Television.add a comment
I finally got to watch online the first episode of NBC’s “The Great American Road Trip.” This is the reality television series in which seven families go down Route 66 for a $100,000 grand prize.
Because the families each had to pilot a large RV, it wasn’t surprising that much of the drive from Chicago to St. Louis during the first episode occurred on the interstates. Those vehicles are huge, and it would have caused a lot of problems with those novice drivers trying to navigate the often-narrow original alignments of Route 66.
Most of the sites in the first episode were familiar even to non-roadies, such as the Gateway Arch, the Sears Tower and the Abraham Lincoln Home. But I also caught glimpses of Jackrabbit Trading Post in Arizona, Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, Santa Monica Pier, the Muffler Man of Atlanta, Ill., and remnants of the now-gone Zia Motor Lodge in Albuquerque.
And it was a nice touch that the family that won the first physical challenge enjoyed a special dinner on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, right on the the Illinois-Missouri border over the Mississippi River.
After a bit of a slow start, I was surprised how much I was caught up in the drama — especially the physical challenges each family had to undergo to remain on their Mother Road journey.
Host Reno Collier’s advice to the families at the start — “It’s not a race. This is nothing about the destination. This is journey about you and your families” — was something that most Route 66ers already take to heart.
And it seemed fitting that the Katzenberg family of Westport, Conn., which seemed too cocky and rush-rush-rush in their approach to the challenges, was the first to be sent home.
I’ll be watching “The Great American Road Trip” again next week. It’s going to be interesting to see how the families cope as the journey gets longer and the climate and terrain grow harsher. “The Great American Road Trip” will air 8 p.m. EST Monday as the remaining six families head across Missouri.
Season 3 of “Route 66″ may be out soon July 9, 2009
Posted by Ron in Television.add a comment
TVShowsonDVD.com reports that despite an announced released date of Jan. 12, 2010, “Route 66 — The Complete Season 3″ DVD set is sitting in Best Buy storerooms and will be on sale in an exclusive early release on Tuesday, July 14.
So if you’re itching to add to your collection of the classic 1960s drama, it looks like you’ll have your chance next week. The suggested retail price for the set is $49.98, although the retail chain probably will sell it at a lower price.
The Web site says the “Route 66″ set isn’t on BestBuy.com, and surmises it may be an in-store sale only.
Former Dixie Truckers Home gets a face-lift July 9, 2009
Posted by Ron in History, Restaurants.add a comment
The Dixie Travel Plaza in McLean, Ill., formerly known for decades as the Dixie Truckers Home on Route 66, recently finished a $500,000 remodeling, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph.
Remodeling is 90 percent complete and among the most visible improvements is a new awning bearing Dixie and Route 66 logos, Kletz said.
Also new is a Hunt Brothers Pizza restaurant as well as updated flooring, ceiling and lighting throughout most of the truck stop.
In addition to the visual improvements, the Dixie Tire and Repair Shop reopened July 1.
Built in 1928, the Dixie Truckers Home was one of the first truck stops in the nation. It never closed except for one day, when it burned down in a massive fire in 1965. Even then, the Dixie reopened quickly, using one of the cabins to continue serving food as the facility was rebuilt.
However, the operation went bankrupt in 2001, and a former operator of the business barely escaped jail time for not paying taxes. Much of the saga can be read here.
Since then, the Dixie has had several owners, but lost quite a bit of its old charm with Route 66 aficionados. Perhaps this remodeling effort will bring back some of the Dixie’s old Mother Road spirit.
T-U-L-S-A straight ahead July 8, 2009
Posted by Ron in History, Signs.1 comment so far
This is pretty neat.
The Reservoir Hill Neighborhood Association in Tulsa re-created an enormous sign made of crushed rock laid on the base of the hill. It spelled “TULSA” with an arrow pointing in the direction of the now-defunct McIntyre Airport on old Route 66, which was what is now Sheridan Road and Admiral Boulevard. That sign helped guide aviator Charles Lindbergh land in Tulsa in September 1927, not long after the Atlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis plane that made him famous.
The re-created sign was placed about 300 feet from the original site because of weight-load concerns. The arrow also points to Tulsa International Airport instead. It required about 140 tons of crushed rock to resurrect the sign. The sign was built with Vision 2025 sales-tax funds and donated labor.
The sign will be dedicated at 9:30 a.m. July 18. It’ll be neat when Google Maps updates its satellite images so that people worldwide can see it. For now, you can see an aerial photo of the sign here, along with a photo of the original sign.
Route 66 traveler dies in accident July 8, 2009
Posted by Ron in Motorcycles, People, Road trips.1 comment so far
Ken Vetrovec, 59, of Racine County, Wis., died Monday in a motorcycle crash near Ely, Nev., while heading home after completing a Route 66 trip from Chicago to Los Angeles, reported the Journal Times of Racine.
Vetrovec was headed toward home when he was involved in the crash that took his life. He was riding his motorcycle east on Highway 6, about 37 miles east of Ely, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.
Just before 5 p.m., Vetrovec was apparently trying to take a photograph while traveling down a slight left hand curve, said a press release from the highway patrol. He drifted off the right dirt shoulder, where his motorcycle hit a steel road marker and overturned several times.
Troopers said Vetrovec was thrown from the motorcycle and sustained fatal injuries as a result. He was wearing a helmet.
According to those who knew him, Vetrovec made an annual trip on Route 66. He was a county supervisor for six terms and was an executive director for the Gateway Technical College foundation.
Vetrovec kept a blog called Motorcycle Riding Route 66, with his last post on July 6.
“Coyotes” July 7, 2009
Posted by Ron in Movies, Music.add a comment
This is cowboy singer Don Edwards, performing his song “Coyotes.” The tune gained considerable attention when it was used in the Werner Herzog film “Grizzly Man.”
I found “Coyotes” to be an appropriate soundtrack to the desert Southwest of Route 66 country.
State budget woes may doom some rest stops July 7, 2009
Posted by Ron in Businesses, Highways.1 comment so far
At least one cash-strapped state in which Route 66 traverses is considering shutting down its rest stops along the interstate highways, according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to the article, Arizona is considering shutting down at least some of its rest stops as a cost-cutting move.
An interesting excerpt:
One hurdle for defenders of rest stops: The facilities don’t exactly inspire nostalgia. Poets and novelists have spilled far less ink on rest stops than on diners, motels and other attractions that dotted older highways such as Route 66 before the interstates put many of them out of business. When rest areas have made the news in recent years, it was often because of police sex stings.
Historians largely have held their noses, even as some of the more ambitious rest areas incorporated tepees, adobe huts, windmills and oil rigs into their designs. “People don’t see it as an academic thing because it’s a bathroom,” says Joanna Dowling, a historical consultant in Chicago who broke new ground in 2007 with a master’s thesis on the development of interstate rest areas. Last year she launched a Web site for buffs, www.restareahistory.org.
(Check out Dowling’s site. Some of the designs are a hoot.)
The American Trucking Association and AAA both oppose the closure of rest stops, the latter because fewer rest stops mean more fatigued drivers.
Illinois, Texas and, most recently, Missouri have opened Route 66-themed rest stops along the interstates that shadow the Mother Road. It seems doubtful those facilities would close because they’re relatively new and their being on very busy east-west arteries.
However, I’m a bit ambivalent about the closing of rest stops. It would force interstate travelers to get off the superslab and find facilities in a town — many of them that serve Route 66. For many of those towns that were bypassed, that would be a form of small, but sweet, revenge.
Bob Moore steps down from Route 66 Magazine July 6, 2009
Posted by Ron in Magazines, People, Radio.1 comment so far
I got this e-mail this afternoon from Bob Moore, the longtime executive editor of Route 66 Magazine:
As of the first of July I will no longer be affliated with Route 66 Magazine. Health issues and the opportunity to further my broadcast career have made this change necessary. It has been a great 16 years and over that time I have met many wonderful people along the Road. So please, if you have items for the magazine – news, stories, etc, please send them directly to Route 66 Magazine (go to www.route66magazine.com for contact information).Thanks to everyone for your support of the original Mother Road Journal and of my books. And I look forward to seeing some of you along the Road – I’ll always be HWYROVR on the license plate, so if you see me give a honk and maybe we can stop for coffee.
He will be missed. Moore was one of the early champions of Route 66 after it was decommissioned, and his guidebooks are still valuable in navigating down the Mother Road.
Moore has the Route 66 Radio Show and Don’t Start Me Talking on Bounceradio.net and KTOX 1340 AM in Needles, Calif.
I’m not sure what long-term implications Moore’s departure will have on Route 66 Magazine. Route 66 Magazine moved its offices to Florida a few months ago, but I thought it was important that Moore stuck around in the desert Southwest as a way to keep his finger on the road’s pulse and maintain the magazine’s credibility.
I’ll post any responses from the publication as I get them.
Ken Burns plans TV series on Dust Bowl July 6, 2009
Posted by Ron in Books, History, Television.2 comments
Ken Burns, the acclaimed producer of documentaries who is most famous for his “The Civil War” series, is planning a new film about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, according to a news release by OETA.
Here’s Burns’ message to OETA and all readers:
I’m asking Oklahomans to help me with a new public television series I’m now working on: The Dust Bowl.
Like our earlier films on World War II, Jazz, Baseball, and The Civil War, we think the Dust Bowl is an important event in all of American history.
We’re in the early stages of our research, but we know that Oklahoma will be a major part of the Dust Bowl story we want to tell.
We’re looking for first-person stories of Oklahomans who lived through those hard, hard times, especially out in the Panhandle, where the Dust Bowl was the worst.
We hope to find people who can share their experiences with us – or their photographs, diaries, or home movies from the 1930s, to help us tell this important story.
If you or someone you know can help in this research project, please contact OETA at 1-800-846-7665 Or Send a Note to:
OETA Dustbowl Stories
P.O. Box 14190
Oklahoma City, OK 73113All we need at this stage is a short, written note explaining how you could serve as a resource. Or, please call OETA with a brief description of your Dust Bowl experience. We’ll take it from there.
Thank you for helping in this important project.
Ken Burns
Florentine Films
Burns also produced “Baseball,” “Jazz,” “The War” and “Lewis & Clark: Journey of the Corps of Discovery,” all for PBS-TV. And nearly 20 years later, I’m still convinced “The Civil War” is the finest moment in the history of television. So I’m thrilled Burns is tackling one of the most fascinating and tragic eras of American history.
When farmers went bust during the Dust Bowl and were forced to move westward in search of jobs, Route 66 was described memorably as “the mother road, the road of flight” by John Steinbeck in “The Grapes of Wrath.”
If you want to learn the definitive story about the Dust Bowl now, go buy “The Worst Hard Time” by Timothy Egan. It won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2006. It was well-deserved.
(Hat tip: Batesline.com)
Open house set for Baxter Springs museum July 6, 2009
Posted by Ron in Events, Museums, Sports.add a comment
The Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum in Baxter Springs, Kan., recently completed a $500,000 expansion, and will be hosting a daylong open house Saturday, reports the Joplin (Mo.) Globe.
The open house starts at 9:30 a.m., with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at 2 p.m.
About 7,600 square feet have been added to the museum, putting the total at 23,000. The expansion was financed entirely by donations.
The addition includes displays on American Indians and black settlement in Baxter Springs after the Civil War. It also includes an exhibit about Route 66. A baseball exhibit features former Baxter Springs Whiz Kid and New York Yankee Mickey Mantle.
Mantle played a lot of ball in Baxter Springs before being signed by the New York Yankees in a Hall-of Fame career. Mantle grew up in the nearby Route 66 town of Commerce, Okla. The house is about a block and a half off old 66.
Tattoo Man’s other story July 6, 2009
Posted by Ron in People.1 comment so far
Rita Thurman Barnes, a columnist for the Bartlesville (Okla.) Examiner-Enterprise, wrote a good story about Bartlesville resident Ron “Tattoo Man” Jones, who sports dozens of tattoos of Route 66 landmarks on his body.
Most people who meet Jones already know about his tattoos. And many see the 1956 Chevrolet car that he frequently drives. But many don’t know this back story about him:
Ron says, “After high school, I was in the army in Viet Nam from 1968 to 1969 and it was there I got my Purple Heart on Hamburger Hill on May 10, 1969. I would like to thank you for (writing my story). It really means a lot. About five years ago I was diagnosed with PTSD. You wouldn’t think that after 40 years the stuff that happened to us over in Nam would effect us the way that it does, but some of the things that I saw I will never be able to get rid of and, of course, you can quote me because it took me a long time to admit it to myself, but I think that it does help. It will never go away, what we saw and did, but we have to try and move on the best way that we can.”
To see some of Jones’ tattoos, go here and here. Jones also frequently goes to Route 66 gatherings, and often hangs out at Afton Station in Afton, Okla., when it’s open.
Scenes from the Rendezvous July 5, 2009
Posted by Ron in Events, Music, Vehicles.add a comment
Here is a slide show of the many great rides seen at the annual Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino, Calif. Rockabilly music is by Three Bad Jacks.
This year’s Rendezvous, the 20th, will be Sept. 17-20.
Let’s celebrate The Mill’s 80th year July 4, 2009
Posted by Ron in Events, Ghosts and Mysteries, Preservation, Restaurants.2 comments
The Mill, a former restaurant on Route 66 in Lincoln, Ill., will mark its 80th anniversary on July 25 with several events, reports the Springfield Journal-Register.
Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County is hosting the festivities that day, beginning at noon. Music and food will be served beginning at 1 p.m., with an informal car and motorcycle show, door prizes and a drawing.
Then there’s this:
At 4 p.m., there will be a free presentation featuring “Coon Hound” Johnny and “Old Mill” Blossom recalling the “broads and bootlegging” of Logan County.
At 8 p.m., Spirits of … Tours will host a paranormal investigation at The Mill. The cost is $20 per person, and advance reservations are required. Reservations can be made by calling (309) 846-4306 or e-mailing info@spiritsoftours.com.
The paranormal probe should be entertaining, even if it’s something that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
Hallie’s on the Square in Lincoln also will be having specials at 6 p.m. on schnitzels, a longtime specialty at The Mill before it closed.
The event undoubtedly will be something of a celebration of The Mill being rescued from a death sentence. In 2006, the long-neglected structure was condemned by the city and was about to be torn down. Logan County Tourism Director Geoff Ladd, other area residents and Route 66 roadies saw the potential in The Mill, moved to acquire the property, and have been restoring it ever since. It eventually will be converted into a tourism center. Just a few weeks ago, The Mill was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame.
New restaurant in an old package July 4, 2009
Posted by Ron in Restaurants.add a comment
Roadies traveling in the Cuba, Mo., area have a new dining option, but it’s housed in a historic building on the Mother Road.
Road House 66, on Highway UU off Interstate 44, recently opened in the former Wagon Wheel Restaurant — a fixture on Route 66 since 1954, according to a newspaper article by the Cuba Free Press.
For weeks, the owners and their workers have been hammering, sawing, tearing apart, building, and cleaning. A new identity has arisen from the chaos. The décor for Road House 66 could be described as a modernized roadhouse look. Joe Sonderman, a Route 66 author and collector of vintage Route 66 images, has shared photos of Route 66 that will decorate the walls.
The stuffed animals from previous tenants are now in storage. Walls have been removed to open up the front dining area. The art deco bar is cleaned, lighted, and ready for service. The back dining room now boasts a small stage and a new bar for the nightclub area. [...]
Future plans include renovating the small building next to the restaurant into a separate bar with its own identity. The outdoor facilities will be utilized, and Road House 66 would like to sponsor events such as car and motorcycle shows from time to time.
Hours of Road House 66 are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for dining Tuesday through Sunday. It is closed Monday.
(Photos by Jane Reed)
Profile of a roadie July 3, 2009
Posted by Ron in History, People, Preservation.add a comment
The Wichita Falls (Texas) Times Record News has a story about Mark Potter of Vernon, Texas, who’s been a longtime aficionado of Route 66.
His credits include stories written for the Route 66 Pulse and the Route 66 Federation News and an appearance in the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels.”
But what I’ve found most interesting about Potter is his collection of guidebooks, maps, phone and business directories, and other historical artifacts from U.S. 66. If you ask Potter about a long-gone business in a town on the Mother Road, he’ll have the archives to look it up if he doesn’t already know off the top of his head. If you wanted the phone number of a certain motel in Gallup, N.M., in 1963, chances are good he’ll have that information.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Potter’s collection eventually ends up in the research center of a museum or university library.
Return to the road July 3, 2009
Posted by Ron in Books, Road trips, Web sites.2 comments
Ten years ago, Tim Steil and Jim Luning traveled and shot photos for their “Route 66″ book. This month, they decided to return to Route 66 to see how the road has changed and meet with aficionados of the old highway.
The Luning-Steil blog is here.
Today, Luning started posting his Route 66 videos of the last month on YouTube. Here they are. I’ll update if more are uploaded.
Nintendo comic takes place on Route 66 July 2, 2009
Posted by Ron in Computer games, Magazines.add a comment
If you’re a user of Nintendo DSi, you may be interested to know that a comic book that has been specifically designed for the console that takes place at least partially on Route 66, reports Newsarama.com.
The comic is titled “Thunder Road #1,” and it has this description:
A high-action, wide-sweeping episodic pulp adventure by writer Sean Demory and illustrator Steven Sanders (Five Fists of Science).
SYNOPSIS: The bomb-ravaged American Heartland has been largely left out of the equation, falling prey to unchecked corporate land-barons and motorcycle-riding, nazidope-smoking MEF veterans ravaging the wastes. Some small towns have become fortresses, while others have followed the Soviet model and taken to the road, with clans roaming from one corp-compound to the next. Route 66, Interstate 70 and a dozen other superhighways have become the new frontier, where fortunes can be made with grit, cunning and a steady hand.
Welcome to the Thunder Road.
Sounds like an American version of “The Road Warrior.”
That comic and two others are launched by DSComics.com. The service is free. Users only need to open the Nintendo DSi browser and go to dscomics.com to to read the comics. The comics are Creative Commons licensed, which allows users to share and remix the comics.
Here’s a video that demonstrates “Thunder Road”:
“Great American Road Trip” premieres Tuesday July 2, 2009
Posted by Ron in Restaurants, Road trips, Television.2 comments
Comedian Reno Collier is the host of "The Great American Road Trip." (Courtesy of NBC)
NBC’s newest reality-television show, “The Great American Road Trip,” which reportedly takes place on Route 66, is ginning up publicity for the series that begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.
In case you haven’t heard, the premise is that seven families are given an RV in which to travel. During their journeys, they have to go through physical challenges. One family each week will be eliminated. Eventually, one family will win an unnamed “ultimate” prize to complement their summer vacation.
I had last checked on the show’s Web site about a month ago, when it was just bare-bones. Now, “The Great American Road Trip” site has photos, video, bios about host Reno Collier and the families, games and other goodies. Roadies probably would like the Happy Trails section — between the goofy stuff such as suggested songs to “drive parents nuts,” it contains sound advice for enhancing your dining experiences and a good list of strange roadside attractions, including Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.
Looking over the still photographs and videos from the show, I spied the Round Barn in Arcadia, Okla.; Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Mo.; and downtown Atlanta, Ill.
Also, this Reality Wanted interview of host Collier was interesting in this exchange:
Q. Where did you stop on Route 66?
A. Reno: We’d stop at a lot of iconic landmarks, like the Great Archway in St. Louis and the Grand Canyon. We also stopped at this really cool place called the Midpoint Cafe. It was what the movie “Cars” was apparently modeled after. We met a couple people that had characters modeled after them in the movie, too, and they were really interesting. I think stopping at these places and meeting the people was just as great as seeing the landmarks themselves.
Collier also noted that the families, even when they were eliminated, wanted to continue their trip — which is a good sign.
UPDATE: This story from Zap2It has a few more details about the show. This part stuck out:
The first challenge is being deprived of iPods, portable DVD players and cell phones. For most teens, this is akin to cutting off oxygen. [...]
As magnificent as the sights are, Pollard says the trip made her realize “how much your day-to-day reaction with each other is limited because of technology. When all of that is taken away, there is so much for your family. We would lie in bed at night and tell jokes, and we would be laughing out loud in the dark in the RV. As adults, we get so wrapped up in careers and our jobs and all the things that don’t matter.”
This is becoming quite intriguing.
Notes from the road July 1, 2009
Posted by Ron in Art, Attractions, Events, Food, People, Photographs, Restaurants.1 comment so far
A few things to clear off my plate:
– Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., told me today that her restaurant would be closed for the July 4 holiday. Roadies who wish to go to their favorite Route 66 hangout on that day are advised to call ahead to make sure it’s open.
– Here are good articles from the Colorado River Weekender about the Route 66 town of Oatman, Ariz., and its annual July 4 festivities, including a contest to fry an egg using the power of the sun.
– Craig “Meathead” Goldwyn of the Huffington Post tells how he would map out a road trip around great hot-dog restaurants. His list includes the Cozy Dog Drive-In on Route 66 in Springfield, Ill.
– Rory Schepisi, owner of Boot Hill Saloon and Grill in Vega, Texas, won the recent Celebrity Chef Smackdown against Tre Wilcox at the Southwest Food Service Expo in Dallas. Schepisi said on a Facebook posting that her winning dish was a “Cajun Campfire, which is a 16 oz ribeye cooked on a cedar shingle topped with crawfish etoufee, served with a 3 herb pancko crusted corn and smoked gouda maple bacon mac n cheese.” Schepisi also has just opened another offshoot business at Boot Hill, called Rorsch Catering.
– The Grill has been resurrected in Groom, Texas, according to the latest newsletter of the Texas Old Route 66 Association. Karen Brown is the new owner of the longtime Route 66 restaurant. A previous owner was Ruby Denton, who ran The Grill for 44 years.
– David J. Schwartz is holding an exhibit of his “Pics on Route 66: A Photographic Journey Down the Mother Road” at the Michael Stefan Salon in Willoughby, Ohio, through Aug. 1. If you’d like to meet Schwartz, there will be an artist’s reception there from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 11. Many of the photos from the exhibit can be seen here.
– Finally, the Sears Tower in Chicago is set to open its newest, gut-churning attraction on Thursday: The Ledge, which allows you to look straight down 1,353 feet to the street below via an enclosed glass box that juts out a few feet from the skyscraper. The Sears Tower is near the official eastern terminus of Route 66.
The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune both have good stories and photos. And here’s a video by the Tribune, which made me actually gasp a couple of times:
Move over, Grand Canyon Skywalk.
