Those who saw the object descending, claim that it was of a turquoise color. Any idea of the object being a meteorite was quickly dismissed because of the presence of a number of helicopters, which appeared to be searching for the object. Eyewitnesses claimed that the group of helicopters eventually located the object, and toted it to an unknown location.
Flash flooding reported in Flagstaff July 31, 2010
Posted by Ron in Weather.add a comment
A cloudburst Friday in the Flagstaff, Ariz., caused scattered flash flooding around the city, including standing water at the Milton Road underpass on Route 66, reported the Arizona Daily Sun.
The mid-afternoon bursts led the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office to temporarily close Highway 89 between Silver Saddle Road and Sunset Crater, along with several other residential roads. Reports from county officials had water flowing curb to curb on Campbell Avenue, washing over debris and large rocks. However, there were no calls for help for injured or stranded area residents.
Localized street flooding also snarled traffic and activity throughout the city, especially near downtown when the Milton Road underpass flooded and all four lanes of traffic were closed for about two hours.
For the day, Pulliam Airport recorded 1.32 inches, most of it falling between about 3 and 4 p.m. Northern Arizona University saw 1.71 inches, and about 1 inch fell outside a weather spotter’s home in Timberline.
That’s an astounding amount of rain in one day for northern Arizona. No injuries or deaths were reported. More rain is forecast for Sunday.
Here’s some video of the flooding along the Mother Road:
Wayne the Train takes a cruise July 31, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Country-swinger Wayne “The Train” Hancock performs “Route 66″ from his live-in-concert “Swing Time” album. A true road warrior, Hancock plays this sing at virtually every gig.
A closer look at Chandler July 30, 2010
Posted by Ron in Attractions, Television, Towns.add a comment
Here’s a nice and informative video about the Route 66 town of Chandler, Okla. The clip was produced by the good folks of OETA.
Santo Domingo Trading Post gets $1 million restoration grant July 30, 2010
Posted by Ron in Businesses, Preservation.add a comment
The former Santo Domingo Trading Post along old Route 66 north of Albuquerque was awarded a $1 million federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to restore the property, reported the New Mexico Business Weekly.
The trading post is on Kewa Pueblo, formerly called Santo Domingo.
From the report:
The trading post is adjacent to the New Mexico Rail Runner Express stop on the pueblo. It was consumed by a fire in 2001. Pueblo officials expect the revitalized trading post to generate 30 jobs. Plans for the site include a restaurant and other services for Rail Runner commuters, tourists and local residents.
The dilapidated building still bears a faded sign that proclaims “where real Indians trade” and was on Historic Route 66 and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail line. That made it a well-known tourist stop for the Southwest Chief and motorists. Dignitaries, including President John F. Kennedy, visited the spot as well.
The trading post was listed on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in 1997 and on the National Register of Historic Properties in 1998. Tony Tortalita, governor of Kewa Pueblo, said the trading post has been an icon of the pueblo’s history and the plan is to use it to showcase its culture and traditions through arts and crafts.
Some photos of the old Santo Domingo Trading Post can be found here.
Hula hoops and malt shops July 30, 2010
Posted by Ron in Restaurants.add a comment
I’m posting this just because I like it, plus you get to see the Route 66 Malt Shop at its new location in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque.
Santa Rosa scoops July 29, 2010
Posted by Ron in Gas stations, Museums, Preservation, Publications, Restaurants, Towns.1 comment so far
I always enjoy the print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based out of Santa Rosa, N.M., when it arrives in my mailbox each week. It’s a lively newspaper owned by a former Rocky Mountain News reporter, and the fact it’s on Route 66 is bonus.
This week, the Communicator contained these items of interest to Mother Road fans:
- Longtime New Mexico Route 66 advocate Johnnie Meier is considering a Route 66-themed museum in the 1906 Charles Ilfeld Warehouse in Santa Rosa. I’d known that Meier, who owns a Classical Gas petroliana museum in Embudo, N.M., was looking at Santa Rosa for another museum. But this was the first I’d heard about a specific location. Meier also may put the museum in Tucumcari.
- The nearby Route 66 ghost town of Cuervo may put its long-closed schoolhouse on the market. The school was built with stone, and sits on a rise just south of Interstate 40 and Route 66. But the roof is decaying, but townsfolk want to sell the building before it deteriorates to where it’s no longer salvageable. Cuervo, which once boasted a population of 240, now counts only 11 residents. The Santa Rosa School District, which owns the property, will likely put it up for bid.
- Meier, investigating whether the long-defunct Club Cafe still stands in Santa Rosa, found a building on the property that contains an old sign of the Club Cafe’s famous “fat man” mascot, plus ”a lot of dust.” It had been reported that the Club Cafe has been torn down, but Meier disputes that. It’s not certain whether what Meier found is proof that the building was the Club Cafe, but the sign was quite a find regardless. I reckon this fellow would settle the matter once and for all.
Red Cedar Inn to be converted into a business center July 29, 2010
Posted by Ron in Businesses, Preservation, Restaurants.add a comment
Today, the Washington Missourian provided a bit more clarity about what’s happening to the closed Red Cedar Inn restaurant along Route 66 in Pacific, Mo.
According to the newspaper, owner Jim Smith is turning it into the Historic Red Cedar Business Center. He’s moving his real estate office in there, and other tenants will eventually follow.
He says changing the primary use of the building will not alter the original appearance of the structure. Only the empty kitchen area will be changed.
“I can tell you that the integrity of the interior of the building will be maintained,” Smith said. “The bar will remain exactly as it is and will be used as a break room.” [...]
“We reached a point where we had to do some renovations to the building,” Smith said. “We have some plans for the business center, but we’re not ready to reveal all of them yet.”
The Red Cedar Inn operated as a restaurant and tavern for more than 70 years until it closed abruptly in 2007. The City of Pacific once held an option to buy the building and convert it into a local museum, but those plans fell through.
Old motels and restaurants on Route 66 have been adapted into new uses before, including the Nob Hill Motel in Albuquerque.
Hello from Austin July 29, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Here are Asleep at the Wheel, with longtime Texas Playboys singer Leon Rausch, performing “Route 66″ during an in-store appearance at Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas.
Rausch and Asleep at the Wheel were at the store promoting their new album, “It’s a Good Day!”
Notes from the road July 28, 2010
Posted by Ron in Animals, Attractions, Events, Movies, Museums, Restaurants, Web sites.add a comment
The Fanning 66 Outpost in the Route 66 hamlet of Fanning, Mo., is hosting its annual Picture in the Rocker Day on Aug. 7, where you can enjoy the rare opportunity of sitting (or standing) on the World’s Largest Rocking Chair.
The Viva Cuba blog had some of the details:
The Outpost charges $5.00 per person for you or your group to be lifted to the seat of the rocker. You bring your camera and take your own photos. In the past, photos have been taken for Christmas cards or other special events as well as just for the fun of it. The Saturday, August 7 event runs from 9 am to 5pm.
Previously, the Cuba Fire Department used their lift truck for the fund rasier, but they sold the truck. Rather than end the event, this year the Outpost is renting a lift truck, and the money raised will be used to pay for the truck.
In case you’re wondering, the chair is more than 42 feet tall.
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TOP ATTRACTIONS: The Blue Whale along Route 66 near Catoosa, Okla., was named one of the “Top 50 American Roadside Attractions” by Time magazine this week. Also cited were the World’s Largest Rocking Chair at the Fanning Outpost near Cuba, Mo., Devil’s Rope Museum in McLean, Texas, and Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.
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RESTAURANT REUSE: Ron Sanderson reported on the Route 66 yahoogroup this week that the long-vacant Red Cedar Inn in Pacific, Mo., saw some good news and bad news. The good news is that the former restaurant’s roof has been repaired, and much of the complex has been brought up to code. The bad news is that the complex apparently is being converted into a used-car lot. That’s better than having a date with a bulldozer, I suppose …
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GRIN AND BEAR IT: Amid this story from the Arizona Republic about the Route 66 town of Williams comes some news about a new attraction, Bearizona. It’s a drive-through outdoor animal habitat that features burros, bison, Dall and bighorn sheep, and bears on 158 acres. It also includes a walk-through area where you can see the newborn or young animals. The complex remains under construction, but is open.
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REVAMPED WEBSITE: The City of Webb City, Mo., is set to roll out a refurbished website later this week, reported the Joplin Globe. Among the new features is a history of Route 66 in the city. The site can be found here.
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TOUR TIME: Here’s a report from the Quay County Sun about the first day of the inaugural New Mexico Route 66 Motor Tour in Tucumcari. More than 40 people participated.
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ENCHANTED FOOD: Jane and Michael Stern of Roadfood.com, one of our favorite sites on the Internet, are planning a 2010 Roadfood Eating Tour in New Mexico on Sept. 17-18. On the itinerary so far are such Route 66 favorites as The Frontier and Mr. Powdrell’s in Albuquerque and a slew of Sante Fe restaurants. Tickets go on sale Aug. 2.
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OUTDOOR MOVIE: The Rolling Roadshow Tour by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Levi’s is presenting a free outdoor screening of “The Blues Brothers” at the Old Joliet Prison Park, on Friday, Aug. 13, just outside the walls of the now-closed but infamous prison. The prison, which becomes the setting for the first scene in the film, is just off Route 66. Alamo and Levi’s are taking a portable outdoor movie screen to select areas across the country this summer.
Author begins work on Route 66 encyclopedia July 27, 2010
Posted by Ron in Books, Maps.add a comment
Jim Hinckley, a Kingman, Ariz.-based author of several automotive and Route 66-related books, announced this week he is beginning work on a Route 66 encyclopedia and atlas. And he is soliciting help from the Route 66 community to help make the volume more complete.
In a news release, Hinckley said:
To ensure this work is historically correct, provides a comprehensive overview of Route 66, and is as current as possible, I am petitioning historic societies, museums, businesses, and Route 66 organizations for assistance in the form of suggestions for material to be included, contact information, historic information, and information pertaining to the acquisition of material to be used as illustrations.
General topics for inclusion:
1.) Community profile – a profile of each community on all alignments of Route 66.
2.) Biographies – concise biographical sketches of individuals that have played key roles in the roads history. Examples; Bob Waldmire, Cyrus Avery, Micahel Wallis, etc.
3.) Notable events that are directly associated with Route 66 or its predecessor auto trails such as the National Old Trails Highway or Ozark Trail. Examples; the Desert Classic automobile races 1908 – 1914, the Bunion Derby, etc.
4.) Predecessor highway history – the National Old Trails Highway, Ozark Trail, etc.
5.) Current businesses and their history – this category would be historic or new businesses such as Pops in Arcadia and Afton Station in Afton.
6.) Historic businesses now closed – examples for this category would include the Painted Desert Trading Post and Coral Court Motel.
7.) Route 66 entertainment – television shows and movies filmed on Route 66 or locations that were used in these films.
8.) Personal stories – short stories of personal experiences on Route 66 that will serve to illustrate its evolution.
My goal with this project is to chronicle the first 85 years of Route 66 history, to preserve it for future generations, and to further fuel the resurgent interest in the highway.
Those who wish to give information or offer to help Hinckley should e-mail jimhinckley(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Hinckley has written “Ghost Towns of the Southwest,” “Backroads of Arizona,” “Route 66 Backroads” and “The Big Book of Car Culture.” In the pipeline for this fall is “Ghost Towns of Route 66,” and he’s a contributor to the upcoming “Greetings from Route 66.”
The encyclopedia and atlas will be published by Voyageur Press. In a follow-up e-mail, Hinckley said the book is limited to 150,000 words and 2,000 illustrations, making it a sizable volume indeed. He has 18 months to turn in a manuscript, and the clock began ticking on June 1. So it won’t be in stores until 2012 at the earliest.
As for the atlas portion of the book, Hinckley wants it to be similar to the look of Stefan Joppich’s online Route 66 Atlas, and has enlisted his help.
Hinckley said he knows the book will be a huge undertaking, hence his plea to the Route 66 community for assistance.
I accepted the project for a number of reasons but topping the list would be an opportunity to provide a promotional resource for businesses along the highway as well as encourage others to create an Afton Station or Goffs museum. [...]
I fully understand it will be impossible to document every aspect as a result of time constraints, size restrictions, and the changing face of the road as evidenced with the fire at the Riviera and the resurrection of the Wagon Wheel Motel. I am also aware of my limitations and that is one of the reasons for seeking assistance in regards to the acquisition of material. [...]
For illustrations Joe Sonderman has graciously offered access to his post card collection. Likewise with Laurel Kane and Mike Ward. I will photograph the California section in October and if all goes as planned we will combine a photographic safari of the eastern section with a visit to Amarillo in June.
If Hinckley pulls this off (and there’s no reason to think he won’t), this exciting project may become a one-stop place for people wanting to know more about Route 66.
Driving Route 66 and hunting for UFOs July 27, 2010
Posted by Ron in Ghosts and Mysteries, Television.add a comment
A film crew from Europe is coming this weekend to Needles, Calif., to do a story about Route 66 and a UFO crash that occurred in 2008, according to the Mohave Daily News.
The crew will mainly be there to talk to Frank Costigan of KTOX radio in Needles.
He said the radio station, KTOX, gets inquiries from Europeans all the time. Costigan is one of the witnesses to have seen the object crash and saw the government officials caravanning into town.
Costigan didn’t have the name of the crew on-hand, but knows they intend to try and have the show available on the Travel Channel for U.S. residents to view. The intention is to have the video viewed all over Europe, Canada, the U.S. and Australia, Costigan said.
I confess that I hadn’t heard about the UFO crash. This report from About.com provides a summary of what happened (that we know of) on March 14, 2008:
And here’s a good overview from a local TV station:
I reckon it was an experimental military drone aircraft — like the ones used in Pakistan against al-Qaida and the Taliban — that wandered too far from a nearby base during test flights. I certainly don’t think it was from outer space.
Trying TV coverage to boost a bridge rehab July 26, 2010
Posted by Ron in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
The Pulaski County Daily and Waynesville Daily Guide published stories within days of each other about Pulaski County’s ongoing efforts to repair the decaying Devil’s Elbow Bridge in the Route 66 hamlet of Devil’s Elbow, Mo.
The gist of it is:
- Jerry Plunkett, a local military contractor, is looking for a variety of ways to rehabilitate the 1923 bridge, which can no longer support the weight of tour buses traveling the Mother Road.
- Rehabbing the bridge may cost up to $3 million — considerably more than the county originally estimated.
- But Plunkett said he’s talked to television producers, including the Discovery Channel, in an effort to produce a program drum up interest in the historic Route 66 bridge …
- … which would lead to a greater possibility of getting the federal grants needed to fully repair the bridge.
One of those grants, Plunkett said, can come through the Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment program, via the U.S. Department of Transportation. He said he’s built five bridges through the program.
The grants also could possibly include “green” technology to heat the bridge’s deck to prevent icing during the winter. (That grant, however, which sounds far-fetched.)
New Route 66 Malt Shop holds soft opening on weekend July 26, 2010
Posted by Ron in Events, Motels, Restaurants.add a comment
Kelly Vickers at the Duke City Fix collective blog posted some photos from the Route 66 Days and Nights street festival in the Nob Hill district of Albuquerque this weekend.
One of the interesting items is that the Route 66 Malt Shop, which once occupied space at the former Horn Oil Co. site, held a “soft” opening during the event and Vickers included a photo of its spiffy new digs.
Vickers wrote:
Great service made up for our new Malt Shop’s lack of preparedness—they were so popular that they ran out of ingredients a few times and had to rush to the store to restock. This was just a teaser opening for them, and they’re poised for great success when they officially launch in August.
According to the Malt Shop’s site, the restaurant is on Central Avenue (aka Route 66) one block east of Carlisle (map here).
According to the New Mexico Business Weekly, the Route 66 Malt Shop will be an anchor to several properties owned by developer Gerald Landgraf:
Route 66 Malt Shop co-owner Eric Szeman anticipates tripling his business there, after 15 years on the periphery of Old Town.
Since 2005, Landgraf and his partner Matthew Terry, through Nob Hill Development Corp., have acquired 12 parcels totaling more than 400,000 square feet. Among the buildings are six downtrodden Rt. 66-era motels, including the Premiere, Royal, Town Lodge, Nob Hill Motel and American Inn.
The Nob Hill Motel, an especially notable motel from the vintage Route 66 era, was retrofitted into an office complex without altering its appearance much.
Nob Hill Development Corp. also owns the historic Aztec Motel; it’s only available for weekly or monthly rentals, but its neon sign has been restored.
Hello from Venezuela July 25, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Here’s a version of “Route 66″ by Biella Da Costa, one of Venezuela’s most popular jazz singers. But it’s her band that does a lot of the heavy lifting here:
“Alien outhouses” in Flagstaff saved from scrapyard July 24, 2010
Posted by Ron in Art.add a comment
Remember the “Solar Calendar” art piece, also called “alien outhouses” by locals, at Route 66 and Postal Boulevard in Flagstaff, Ariz.?
The city had dismantled the 12 illuminated pillars after they were deemed a safety hazard after two motorists struck them. The display also had multiple problems staying lighted at night. A businessman bought them, intending to sell them as scrap metal. But locals have apparently shown enough interest in the pillars that they’ll be used as lawn ornaments and lobby decorations, reported the Arizona Daily Sun.
All but one, however.
A blue tower that suffered the most damage will take center stage at the Flagstaff Sunrise Lions Club’s annual demolition derby over Labor Day weekend. [...]
[Clint] Bleeker, owner of a local storage container rental company, said the accident had taken a heavy toll on the blue column. The plastic had cracked in several places and the metal was warped too much to be bent back to its original form. [...]
So its final fate will again be as a vehicular target — only this time for a good cause. Bleeker said either the winner of the derby or possibly a raffle ticket holder will be allowed to barrel down on the artwork.
The artist, Mary Boone Wellington, said she was disappointed that one piece of the artwork would be headed to a demolition derby. “This is how Flagstaff treats objects of beauty and cultural value,” Wellington said. But she was unhelpful when the city asked her what to do with the display’s design problems. So her sullen attitude isn’t surprising.
And if one of the pillars is unrepairable, it’s hard to see a downside if it’s going to be demolished for charity.
Bye bye, bridge July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron in Bridges, History.add a comment
The 81-year-old Pacific Electric Railway bridge that goes over Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66) in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will be dismantled starting Sunday, reported the Contra Costa Times.
Two cranes will remove the bridge and place it on the north side of Foothill Boulevard, where workers will spend the next two weeks removing paint and dismantling the bridge. It will eventually be replaced by a longer, more modern one as part of a massive street widening project aimed to resuscitate an oft-ignored corner of the city. [...]
Starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, Foothill Boulevard will be closed from San Bernardino Road to Baker Avenue for no more than 72 hours, Billings said. However, access to the three businesses east of San Bernardino Road on the west side of the bridge – a storage facility, RV shop and Sycamore Inn – will be provided.
All lanes will be opened by 7 a.m. Monday when motorists will drive through the skinny portion of Route 66 with nothing overhead. The bridge that carried the San Bernardino line of the Pacific Electric Railway in the 1920s and ’30s will be gone.
The rest of the story contains a lot of interesting history about the railway, which has been gone for decades but is needed now in the traffic-snarled Los Angeles region more than ever. The bridge is now used as a hiking and cycling trail.
The news about the bridge is a bit sad, but good news is shining through, too:
Only a couple of days remain to get a glimpse of the 81-year-old bridge before it’s torn apart. But when the entire project is complete, there will be a chance to see the historic bridge at the trailhead park on the north side of Foothill. A portion of the old bridge will be preserved as a decorative feature of the park.
The trailhead, just east of the bridge, will also preserve a portion of the original Route 66 pavement found north of Foothill and will also include equestrian facilities, restrooms, benches and a table.
In case you can’t get to Rancho Cucamonga to see the bridge in its current configuration, here’s a Google Street View image of it.
UPDATE: Here’s a photo gallery of the bridge’s removal over the weekend.
UPDATE2: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist David Allen was there when the overpass was being dismantled on Sunday. And he passes along some news about the park where the bridge structure will be displayed:
That park sounds like a nice amenity. It will allow direct access to the trail, feature a timeline of city history and include a portion of the bridge.
A section of original Route 66 pavement has been uncovered, from an earlier alignment of the road, and that will be incorporated too.
Endurance athlete suffers serious injury on Route 66 July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron in People, Road trips, Sports, bicycling.add a comment
James Cracknell, the British Olympic gold-medalist who was attempting to traverse the United States by bicycle and running in a mere 18 days, suffered a fractured skull Tuesday on Route 66 when he was hit by a truck in Arizona, reports The Independent of London.
The 38-year-old was filming for the Discovery Channel on a 2,500-mile stretch of Route 66 when the accident happened. [...]
Cracknell was thrown from his bike after being hit from behind by a truck on Tuesday afternoon, but is said to be making “good progress”. He is in hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Beverley, and their children at his bedside. He was not being filmed at the time of the accident, the Discovery Channel said.
His trek included 80 miles of running in one day and about 150 miles a day by bicycle. He was attempting this in some of the harshest terrain, including the Mojave Desert and Death Valley during the height of summer.
The Daily Mail in London said that Cracknell was struck shortly after dawn near Winslow. Cracknell’s friend said the helmet he was wearing during the crash probably saved his life.
Cracknell’s prognosis is good, the Discovery Channel said in a statement.
UPDATE: Hmm. According to ultramarathoner Pam Reed, who was to accompany Cracknell during an 80-mile run through Death Valley, the British athlete quit after two miles there.
According to an interview in the Arizona Daily Star:
She agreed to meet Cracknell as his crew at noon in Death Valley. It was more than 120 degrees when Reed got there. She waited and waited and waited. At 3 p.m., Cracknell arrived and said he needed some rest.
“It wasn’t getting any cooler,” Reed says with a laugh.
Finally, at 5:55, Cracknell emerged from his RV and ran a mile. Then he walked a mile. Then he quit, about 78 miles shy of his planned finish.
“I’m not being critical of James,” says Reed. “But he would’ve never made it through Death Valley.”
Reed probably knows what she’s talking about. She won the 135-mile Badwater Marathon in Death Valley in 2002 and 2003.
Sweet addition to the Pier July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron in Businesses, Restaurants.2 comments
Soda Jerks, an old-time soda fountain, opened less than two weeks ago on the historic Santa Monica Pier, according to L.A. Weekly.
Because setting up a real soda fountain — the kind with historically accurate egg creams; 18 flavors of ice cream from Fosselman’s, the Alhambra ice cream shop where McCaffrey held his first job; 14 specialty sundaes, including the Route 66 banana split; soda jerks dressed as if they escaped from a 1930s department store, or a Woody Allen movie about one — takes time.
Soda Jerks is in a 1916 building that houses a retro carousel, and the restaurant includes a 1905 candy case that once graced a country store in Oklahoma. So the retro vibe isn’t just cosmetic.
It’s nice that the 66-to-Cali souvenir stand also has some company with another business that pays tribute to the Mother Road at the traditional endpoint of Route 66.
Notes from the road July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron in Animals, Art, Businesses, Events, Movies, Photographs, Road trips, Route 66 Associations, Television, Weather, Web sites.add a comment
It wasn’t a pleasant afternoon or evening in the St. Louis region for Route 66 travelers — or for any travelers, for that matter.
Two to four inches of rain fell in a short time Wednesday afternoon, causing flash flooding in low-lying areas, according to various media reports. That included several feet of water at Interstates 64-55-70 in East St. Louis, snarling traffic.
Flooding also kept motorists from accessing the McKinley Bridge, an early alignment of Route 66, in north St. Louis.
Lightning also struck an unused corner of the City Museum in St. Louis. It knocked some bricks loose, but there were no injuries and no fire.
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READY TO CRUISE: About 40 people were signed up as of Monday for this weekend’s New Mexico Route 66 Motor Tour, starting in Tucumcari, according to the Quay County Sun. That doesn’t sounds like a lot, but it’s a first-time event, and the number will almost certainly swell as the weekend approaches. You can even join in on the first day of the tour Friday. The tour ends in Gallup on Sunday.
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BEER THIRTY: If you’re traveling through Joliet, Ill., during a typically hot mid-August, you’d do a lot worse to wet your whistle than the Craft & Import Beer Tasting Event on the rooftop of the Joliet Area Historical Museum & Route 66 Visitors Center. The 4-8 p.m. Aug. 14 event will feature a surprise guest speaker, brewery collections to view, free gifts, free food, and more. The museum said that Route 66ers greatly enjoyed the event last year. Registration is here.
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POP LIFE: Lien Velghe of Belgium and a cameraman will be traveling Route 66 starting Friday to make a documentary for MTV Europe. She said she wants to “experience and investigate the great rock era of the ’60s-70s, and to follow my dream, which has always been to make this trip, and for which MTV Europe is giving me this chance! … The goal of the program is to encourage young people to rediscover classic rock and its icons, particulary the ’60s and ”70s era.” She’ll be on the road for a month. A blog about the project is here.
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ROAD PHOTOS: Photographer David Schwartz is holding a “Pics on Route 66″ solo show at Lake Farm Park Visitor’s Center in Kirtland, Ohio, through Aug. 15. While you’re at it, make sure you order his excellent 2011 calendar.
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A DOG’S LIFE: A post at the ohmidog! blog, a site devoted to dog owners, talks about the increasingly fragile Route 66 landscape of Tucumcari, N.M.
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CALL OF THE WILD: The Keepers of the Wild Nature Park exotic animal sanctuary north of Kingman, Ariz., off Route 66 is offering $5 the admission price to all residents of Mohave County through Sept. 30, according to the Mohave Daily News.
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EASY RIDING: Big Think posted an overview of the Dennis Hopper photography and paintings retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The late actor and director boasted two significant links to Route 66 — his famed “Double Standard” photo of a corner of Route 66 in Los Angeles, and his film “Easy Rider,” portions which were shot on Route 66 in the desert Southwest.
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BUSINESS-FRIENDLY: We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth telling again about the Route 66 business directory at Carolyn Hasenfratz’s John’s Modern Cabins News site. Historic Route 66 businesses can put their information on it for free.
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La Posada will redevelop east grounds July 21, 2010
Posted by Ron in Motels, Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
A new project is being planned for the east grounds of the already-impressive La Posada hotel on Route 66 in Winslow, Ariz.
According to an entry today on the hotel’s Facebook page:
For the last few months Allan Affeldt and his staff have been working on the development of a project that will transform the eastern portion of the La Posada grounds. It’s a complicated project involving the donation and creation of a Sky Space designed by internationally recognized artist James Turrell, the application for a TE (Transportation Enhancement) Grant, the rehabilitation of Mary Colter’s Train Station into a museum/exhibition space, the transformation of acres of desert into sustainable gardens and the formation of The Winslow Art Trust which includes 28,000 square feet of exhibition space in four seperate buildings. These images document the design process for this project.
Here is a photo of the current depot grounds, the only part of the complex that hasn’t been extensively renovated:
Here is an artist’s rendering of what’s planned:
Affeldt also said in an e-mail that the hotel’s last seven guest rooms are being built in the complex’s northeast second floor, and should be open by fall. La Posada also soon will open a 3,000-square-foot gallery connecting the tower with the east wing on the second floor.
If it seems ambitious, one should remember that La Posada is at over 90 percent occupancy — and is full night after night during the summer months. People have fallen for this marvelously restored former Harvey House and its Turquoise Room restaurant in a big way.
Affleldt also said that another project involving a long-dormant Harvey House — El Garces in Needles, Calif. — will resume construction in the fall after a construction manager is hired. This $5 million phase, he said, will involve work on the infrastructure, exterior and all public spaces.
(Images courtesy of La Posada)
