Scenes from a desolate desert September 9, 2010
Posted by Ron in Movies, Photographs.add a comment
Ry Cooder‘s slide guitar score from the movie “Paris, Texas” — and these desert photos, many from Route 66 — cast a desolate but lovely mood in this video.
A refreshing stop at Russell’s September 8, 2010
Posted by Ron in Businesses, Gas stations, Museums, Restaurants, Vehicles.add a comment
During trips this past year to eastern New Mexico, we noticed the construction of a massive truck stop and travel center at the Endee exit, off Interstate 40.
A few weeks ago, Russell’s Truck & Travel Center opened. We stopped there during a recent journey to Tucumcari, and we were pleasantly surprised by what we found. This will become a very good pit stop for Route 66 enthusiasts.
This is what you see from outside of Russell’s. Except for the New Mexican accents, it’s mostly nondescript.
But the western statues outside the entrance provide some inkling that this place may be a wee bit different.
Once inside, you notice that Russell’s wants to appeal to those who grew up in the 1950s, which includes a fair number of Route 66ers.
Russell’s houses a small Subway restaurant, but also a nicely decorated, full-service diner. Bill Kinder, co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, says the pot roast and meatloaf there are terrific.
Another big draw is going to be Russell’s car museum, which contains 22 vehicles ranging from a 1929 Model A pickup to a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT. Seventeen of the vehicles come from the 1950s.
And, as you’ll see, the museum contains plenty of other memorabilia, too.
The museum was free when we went there, but a bucket near the entrance collected donations for charities — Faith City Mission in Amarillo and House of Hope in Tucumcari.
In addition to the services mentioned, Russell’s houses a tire shop, gift shop, a chapel, free Wi-Fi, and gasoline and diesel islands.
The selection of food, beverages and necessities turned out to be vast. The facilities were exceedingly clean. And Russell’s is much roomier than it first appears.
We were impressed. Considering that we regularly patronize the Tulsa-based and oft-praised QuikTrip convenience store chain, that is not easy to do.
We noted that Russell’s sprinkles Route 66 decor throughout the complex. This isn’t just lip service for tourists. Russell’s sits on the former Longhorn II site — a motel, service station and cafe built by Homer Ehresman after the nearby border town of Glenrio, Texas, was bypassed by Interstate 40 during the 1970s. The frontage road that runs directly in front of Russell’s served as Route 66 from 1952 to 1980.
The Ehresmans owned the Texas Longhorn Motel, cafe and service station in Glenrio for many years. You can still see the ruins of the complex in Glenrio, including the famous “First/Last Stop in Texas” sign. After the I-40 bypass, the Ehresmans moved their business a few miles northwest to the interstate. But that, too, eventually closed, and was abandoned for many years.
Even if you prefer to travel the old 1926-52 gravel section of Route 66 west of Glenrio, you can still visit Russell’s. At the ghost town of Endee, you turn north on New Mexico Highway 93 (also a gravel road) and go north less than three miles. Russell’s is at the Highway 93 and Interstate 40 intersection.
Swing time September 7, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Here’s a fresh arrangement of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ by the Beantown Swing Orchestra.
Thoughts on film September 7, 2010
Posted by Ron in Movies, Radio, Road trips.add a comment
Jim Luning, director of the “Route 66: Ten Years Later” documentary that will screen Thursday at the Portage Theater in Chicago, was interviewed on the Steve and Johnnie Show on WGN radio about the film this week.
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Bringing back the Illinois prairie September 7, 2010
Posted by Ron in Attractions, Preservation.add a comment
I didn’t know this existed, but the Montgomery County Natural Area Guardians have been diligently trying to restore an 8-acre tract off of Route 66 north of Litchfield, Ill., into its original prairie state.
According to the Journal-News in nearby Hillsboro, Ill., the group will hold an annual free education day at 4 p.m. Thursday at the tract. The Route 66 Prairie, as it’s called, is about 3.5 miles north of the turnoff of Illinois 16 off Route 66.
The long term goal of MCNAGs is to make Route 66 Prairie a tourist stop for travelers following Route 66. Eilers believes that it could bring many additional tourist dollars to the area as well as serve as an educational stop.
After that, the group will go to Doug and Karyl Dressen’s home on the other side of Interstate 55. The Dressens are using native grasses around a burrow pit used during I-55′s construction.
At one point, Illinois was covered with 22 million acres of prairie. Now, just 2,000 acres remain.
Sneak peak of Czech documentary September 6, 2010
Posted by Ron in Movies, Road trips, Route 66 Associations.1 comment so far
Here’s a trailer of a documentary from the Czech Route 66 Association about the group’s Route 66 trip. If you’re a roadie, you’re going to see a lot of people you’ll recognize.
The film is set to be released in October.
“Airstream Song” September 5, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Country-music star Miranda Lambert apparently owns a gypsy soul, too.
Fire destroys Admiral Twin Drive-In screens September 3, 2010
Posted by Ron in Movies, Theaters.3 comments
The remains of the Admiral Twin Drive-In theater's screens after a fire on Friday.
A fast-burning fire on Friday afternoon destroyed the double screen of the historic Admiral Twin Drive-In theater in Tulsa. Whether the Admiral Twin, beloved by Tulsans for nearly 60 years, will reopen remained in doubt.
Blake Smith, whose family has operated the drive-in near the Admiral Place alignment of Route 66 since 1987, told the Tulsa World that the screens were not insured. He said because the screens were within a wooden structure, insurers refused to underwrite it. Smith estimated that rebuilding would cost up to $300,000, and he voiced doubts early Friday afternoon whether it would happen.
The remains of the Admiral Twin's screen can be seen at right, behind the ticket booths.
However, a Save the Admiral Twin Drive-In page launched on Facebook within hours of the blaze. By 7 p.m. Friday, the page boasted more than 5,000 followers. By early evening, a fund for donations to help rebuild the screens had been set up at Security Bank. A SavetheAdmiralTwin.com site also was launched.
The Admiral Twin's screens before the fire. (Photo by Emily Priddy)
The cause of the fire, which started shortly before 2 p.m., remained unknown. Witnesses reported that the blaze had rendered the screen to almost nothing within 15 minutes. Photos of the fire in progress can be seen here and here.
Burning embers drifted across nearby Interstate 244 and forced the closure of at least one lane for a short time.
The ticket booths, projection booths and concession stands appeared to be undamaged.
The drive-in opened in 1951, and the second screen was built a year later. Even as the number of drive-ins in the United States dropped over the decades, the Admiral Twin continued to show first-run movies during the spring and summer.
In addition to its long association with Route 66, the Admiral Twin served as an inspiration during a scene in Tulsa native S.E. Hinton’s famous novel, “The Outsiders.”
This clip by TulsaFilms.com explains the Admiral Twin’s historical significance and its “Outsiders” link:
A scene shot at the Admiral Twin in “The Outsiders” movie in 1983 can be seen at the 4:15 mark in this clip below. Director Francis Ford Coppola filmed the entire movie in Tulsa and the surrounding area.
Again, it remains iffy whether the Admiral Twin’s screens will be rebuilt. But the massive outpouring of support and love for the drive-in from Tulsans and around the world has to be encouraging, at the least.
UPDATE: KMOD radio reports that the Admiral Twin’s owners will try to rebuild.
It’s remarkable how Tulsans are rallying in an effort to bring back the Admiral Twin:
- Bigfoot Prints is printing up “Save the Admiral Twin” T-shirts for $10. All profits go to rebuilding it.
- A benefit concert will be held at the Rose Bowl Events Center on Sunday, Oct. 10, with shows by Chuk Cooley & the Demon Hammers and other bands to be announced.
- Boomtown Tees in Tulsa will give a portion of its proceeds from its special Admiral Twin shirt.
I’m sure there will be more announcements.
UPDATE2: The Tulsa World this morning reported that although the ticket booths were still standing, they were damaged by the blaze’s intense heat.
The fire department also said the fire started on the north side of the screens. FYI, the screen did contain lighting fixtures, so an electrical fire cannot be ruled out.
The Save the Admiral Twin Drive-In page on Facebook had almost 12,000 fans by Saturday sunrise.
Here are a couple of videos from passers-by. The second one shows why the highway was closed for a while:
Saviors of the Wigwam Motel September 3, 2010
Posted by Ron in Motels, Preservation.5 comments
Gary Warner of the Orange County (Calif.) Register takes a closer look at the three remaining Wigwam Motels in the United States, two of which are on Route 66. The third is in Cave City, Ky.
All of the motels are praiseworthy. But the one that receives the most accolades is the Wigwam in San Bernardino, Calif.
It should be dead and gone. It sits in the middle of what would politely be called an “economically challenged” strip of historic Route 66, the road that brought millions to Southern California. But it’s not only still there, it’s better than at any time in the past 20-plus years. [...]
The change is because of the Patel family, which bought the rundown place a few years back. At the time it was a sleazy dive on the border between Rialto and San Bernardino. [...] By the late 20th century (that phrase still sounds strange, 10 years into the 21st), the Wigwam was in sad shape. The “Sleep in a Wigwam” sign had been replaced by one that beckoned, “Do It in a Tee-Pee.” Charming. But over the past few years, the Patels have restored it to its status as roadside attraction.
“During the recession, we have found the slowdown with our overseas and out-of-state travelers,” said Kumar Patel. ”But we have not stopped updating the property.”
Patel said the family is renovating the rooms again, with new beds, TVs and upgraded air conditioning. The parking lot is repaved and the pool restored. [...]
“My family and myself work 24 hours, 365 days a year keeping this property the way it is,” Kumar Patel said. “It would be a great honor for us to be part of the National Register of Historic Places, an even a higher honor to be a National Landmark, being that this is the original Wigwam Motel on Historic Route 66.”
While German and French tourists can often be found there, Patel says it is locals and American vacationers who keep it a going business.
“Of course, weekends always seem to keep busy with families visiting or if some big event is coming into town,” Patel said. “We have a loyal following with new ones always coming. Overall, it has been a good summer for us in Southern California.”
The other Route 66 Wigwam is in Holbrook, Ariz., and it also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
I’ve stayed at the Wigwam in San Bern before, including last summer, and I can also attest for its quality. The Wigwam is among the first motels that I cite when I rebut the wrong-headed notion that Indian-owned motels are poorly run. It consistently gets stellar reviews from travelers, and it’s rated No. 1 of 27 motels in the San Bernardino area by the folks at TripAdvisor.com.
Booklet on Tulsa’s neon signs to be published September 2, 2010
Posted by Ron in Books, Events, Preservation, Signs.add a comment
The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and Leadership Tulsa are publishing a booklet about the city’s historic neon signs, including many on Route 66.
The booklet, “Tulsa Vintage Neon Signs,” will be distributed during a release party at one of the sites of a historic sign, El Rancho Grande restaurant on Route 66, at 5-6:45 p.m. Sept. 14. Tickets to the event are $15, and include the booklet.
TFA also recently completed a survey of the city’s neon signs, thanks to a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Ruth and Allen Mayo Fund.
According to an article in the current print edition of the Tulsa County News, the neon-sign booklet was inspired by the restoration of the historic Meadow Gold sign on Route 66.
Joplin marathon attracts runners from far and wide September 2, 2010
Posted by Ron in Events, Sports.add a comment
The inaugural Mother Road Marathon that’s set to run from Commerce, Okla., to Joplin, Mo., on Oct. 10 has already attracted 1,000 entrants from 34 states, according to the Joplin Globe.
The event includes the full 26.2-mile marathon, a half-marathon, and a fun run.
To attract that many runners with weeks to go before a first-ever race is impressive. Organizers attributed the race’s drawing power to it being run through three states — Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri — and because it’s on old Route 66.
UPDATE: Here’s a story about the marathon from KOAM-TV.
UPDATE2: The Joplin Independent posted a good overview of the upcoming race. This excerpt is worth mentioning:
Initially, Reinke said organizers had been planning for 500 entrants, now with all the enthusiasm expressed for the event, he thinks that 1500 would be a better estimate.
“We get 20% to register the last week,” Reinke said. “So, do the figures.”
Gallop to Gallup September 2, 2010
Posted by Ron in Businesses, Motels, Road trips, Towns.add a comment
Because The Huffington Post is primarily serves as a political site, I ordinarily don’t surf there.
But this decidedly nonpartisan post by travel writer Karen Tina Harrison serves as good overview of the Route 66 town of Gallup, N.M. It contains plenty of photos, and shout-outs to El Rancho Hotel and Richardson’s trading post.
Harrison describes Gallup in the opening paragraph as “fantastically funky.” And she’s not being critical.
Chili that’s older than the road September 2, 2010
Posted by Ron in Food, Restaurants.add a comment
Central Illinois has long been praised as a haven for chili. And here’s more proof with Taylor’s Mexican Chili Parlor, 0n the old Illinois 4 alignment of Route 66 in Carlinville, Ill.
Here’s a fan of Taylor’s:
A little Internet surfing revealed that Taylor’s Mexican Chili was established in 1904 in Carlinville. That’s more than 20 years before Route 66 existed, and even predates the famous Ike’s Chili in Tulsa.
According to its history, company founder C.O. Taylor developed his product while cooking Mexican dishes during the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The first Taylor’s restaurant in Carlinville that year boasted six stools and one table.
Taylor’s chili has been served next to the Anchor Inn tavern off Illinois 4 since 1998.
If you can’t get to Carlinville, you can have a case of Taylor’s chili shipped to you.
Tire store on Route 66 marks 75th year September 1, 2010
Posted by Ron in Businesses.add a comment
This is pretty amazing. Bay’s Tire Service, at 112 E. Osage St. in Pacific, Mo., recently marked its 75th year at the same location and the same family ownership, reported the Washington Missourian.
According to the story:
Lee and Hazel Miles Bay purchased a farmhouse at present-day 112 E. Osage St. on the new Route 66 and opened Bay’s Service June 1, 1935, doing general mechanics including tires, tire repair, oil changes and brakes.
When Lee went to serve in World War II, he rented out the business but took over again when he returned.
Edward “Miles” Bay, the couple’s only son, took over the business in June 1965, which he incorporated as Bay’s Texaco Service and Supply.
According to the family, the business has been expanded 13 times over the years. The fourth generation of Bays is operating the tire store, and they’re counting on a fifth generation — a 22-month-old toddler — to carry on the business.
The challenges of a minicar cruise September 1, 2010
Posted by Ron in Events, Road trips, Vehicles.add a comment
The New York Times published a good article today about the hurdles that drivers encountered in during the recently completed microcar cruise on Route 66 from Santa Monica to Chicago.
A few of those vehicles, many of which boasted itty-bitty engines of just 500 cc, encountered problems along the way:
“When we got to Kingman, Ariz., we ended up having to tear a motor down and completely rebuild it,” said Larry Newberry, an enthusiast and parts dealer from Knoxville, Tenn. He organized the rally of eight tiny vintage cars, which included two Goggomobils, three Vespa 400s, two Fiat 500s and a BMW Isetta. It was a motley band of misfits, far from the classic Detroit machines, all tailfins and booming V-8s, that one imagines bounding down the historic highway.
One of the Vespas broke down first. “The gentleman who built that engine put the pistons in backwards and caused a catastrophic failure,” Mr. Newberry said.
Another glitch involved an old Fiat 500, whose transaxle blew up near Joplin, Mo. Fortunately, the owner lived not too far away, in Kansas City, and a family member quickly delivered a replacement. “We did all the repairs at night and drove at day,” Mr. Newberry said. “So there were several nights I didn’t get any sleep.”
The story includes a video from the microcar gathering after the Route 66 cruise, in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake.
Springfield festival will honor Bob Waldmire September 1, 2010
Posted by Ron in Art, Events, Museums, People, Vehicles.add a comment
The International Route 66 Mother Road Festival and Car Show in Springfield, Ill., on Sept. 24-26 will pay tribute to deceased Route 66 artist and area native Bob Waldmire, according to a preview story in the Springfield State Journal-Register.
Organizers announced Wednesday that proceeds from the event will go toward the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum in Pontiac, which is building a permanent exhibit to showcase Waldmire’s work and vehicles. [...]
The festival’s “Travel Illinois Expo” will feature a commemorative exhibit honoring Waldmire. The display, which is being put together by his son, Jimmy Graham, and brother, Buz, will feature Waldmire’s Volkswagen bus and Mustang along with displays of his artwork.
It was previously reported that Waldmire’s Volkswagen minibus would be displayed at a Route 66 museum in Tulsa that eventually will be built.
But Jim Conkle, chairman of the Route 66 Alliance and caretaker of the minibus, clarified that the Volkwagen will essentially be a moving exhibit. Conkle said he promised to Waldmire he would honor his wishes — to share the Volkswagen minibus with the Route 66 community and keep it moving on the Mother Road periodically. That means, Conkle says, that the minibus would be on loan for up to a year at a time at a Route 66 museum — including Tulsa’s — but would be moved to other Route 66 museums or similar-themed events.
However, the Illinois Route 66 museum probably will take permanent possession of much of Waldmire’s artwork and a school bus he converted into a home.
Waldmire died in December 2009 from abdominal cancer.
Caravan of motorcycles older than the Mother Road September 1, 2010
Posted by Ron in Events, Motorcycles, Preservation, Road trips.add a comment
Dozens of long-distance motorcycle cruises are organized on the Mother Road each year. But this one is too unusual to ignore.
In a few days, the Pre-1916 Motorcycle Cannonball endurance run begins in Kitty Hawk, N.C., and ends 17 days later at the shores of Santa Monica, Calif. The caravan will drive on a large chunk of Route 66 west from Albuquerque.
Barry Brown gives a good overview of his very rare 1913 Harley Davidson:
And here’s Matt Olsen’s cherry-looking Sears Twin motorcycle:
Here’s a complete list of entrants. The oldest machine in the event is a 1907 German-made JAP model.
If you want to see these old and rare machines, here’s a list of tour stops.
(Hat tip: Denny Gibson)
Lincoln Motel sign gets face-lift next weekend August 31, 2010
Posted by Ron in Motels, Preservation, Signs.add a comment
Volunteers with the Oklahoma Route 66 Association will put a new coat of paint on the historic Lincoln Motel’s neon sign in Chandler, Okla., on Sept. 11-12, and you’re invited to join the effort.
Repainting will begin from about 8 a.m. and end at dark each day, weather permitting, at the motel at 740 E. First St. (aka Route 66). Map to the motel is here.
Materials will be provided. If you want to participate, all we recommend is a pair of work gloves and to wear work clothes. The idea is to erect scaffolding, scrape off any loose paint, then put a new coat of the same color.
The Lincoln Motel has been operating on the Mother Road since 1939. It recently gained new owners who are renovating the rooms but want to keep the motel’s stately old appearance.
For information, call the association at 405-258-0008.
A cell built for two August 30, 2010
Posted by Ron in Attractions.1 comment so far
Mark and Sarah Owens of TravelShorts.com recently took a three-week trip on Route 66.
Here’s a clip of an odd but fascinating attraction that gets frequently overlooked — the two-cell jailhouse that was built more than a century ago in Gardner, Ill.
Bicycle trail hits a roadblock August 30, 2010
Posted by Ron in bicycling.4 comments
John Fritsche, a cycling enthusiast who’s been leading an effort to establish a 17-mile bicycle trail on an abandoned section of Route 66 between Staunton and Litchfield, Ill., said in a letter to the editor in The Journal-News in nearby Hillsboro that the project has run into a snag.
The roadway is under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Transportation. Our proposal was simple, in that our request was for the department to remove selected sections of guardrail, level any bumps and potholes, and sign the trail for safety between Staunton and Litchfield.
It was clearly demonstrated by the department that our request was not possible because of liability and precedence issues. [...]
It is now time to present our case in writing to our Governor and to our U.S. Senators and Representatives to request their assistance in making this recreational trail a reality for the people of South Central Illinois.
It seems clear that IDOT is reluctant to remove the earthen barriers because ne’er-do-wells in motorcycles and cars might drag-race on the old roadway. Post barriers spaced so no car can enter the road ordinarily would solve part of the problem. But just a grassy median separates the old road from the current Route 66 that’s still used by motorists.
IDOT basically has two options. One is installing cable barriers in the median, plus the previously mentioned post barriers, to prevent unauthorized access by cars.
Or the agency simply could turn over ownership of the old roadway to the appropriate township or county, where either can assume the liability or take steps to create a safe and enjoyable bicycle trail.
Either way, Fritsche seems adept at getting politicians on his side. I wouldn’t be surprised if a compromise is hammered out so the trail can proceed.
