Ah, young grasshopper February 7, 2010
Posted by Ron in Religion.1 comment so far
Some truly bizarre episodes of “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible” have been posted. The latest, which focuses on the Book of Joel, may take the championship trophy for the weirdest.
And the guy who portrays the man-grasshopper should be informed that Academy Award nominations aren’t given to YouTube performances.
Bootleg Stones February 7, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Here’s a live-in-concert, bootleg recording in 1977 of the Rolling Stones performing “Route 66.” Mick Jagger’s slight change in a lyric might offend a few Oklahoma City residents (and make a few Tulsans snicker).
The recording came from El Mocambo Club in Toronto, Canada. The gig became rather infamous, and not for the music, as this blog post will explain.
A Humbler fumble February 6, 2010
Posted by Ron in Television, Vehicles.1 comment so far
As the Super Bowl fast approaches, here’s a fascinating Super Bowl ad from 1970, for the Pontiac GTO Humbler built by General Motors.
Longtime roadie Mark Potter, who’s done a lot of impeccable research about Route 66 and classic cars, said the ad aired only one time. He explained why in a comment on his Facebook account:
This GTO featured the rare VOE or Vacuum Operated Exhaust option that could bypass the mufflers for increased horsepower … and noise, activated by a knob marked “Exhaust” as seen in the ad. GM’s bigwigs were also offended by this scene in the ad, and ordered Pontiac to drop the VOE option. [...]
The men in GM’s stuffy executive suite, also known as the 14th Floor, disliked the ad because it smacked of “street racing” or “irresponsible driving” due to the scene of fast driving out of the drive-in restaurant, the rumbling exhaust sound and the sight of the driver pulling out the “Exhaust” knob to activate the VOE. After seeing the ad on Super Bowl Sunday, they called the head of Pontiac onto the 14th Floor Monday morning and ordered the ad and VOE option pulled.
As a result of GM executives’ decision, only about 130 of the GTO Humblers with the special exhaust system were made. Here’s a video that demonstrates how the system worked — and how the car’s sound changed when it was activated:
GM had an extraordinary muscle car with a device that was utterly unique, and its bosses killed it. This story of tone-deaf executives serves as a harbinger for GM’s eventual downfall.
Ironically, GM reintroduced the GTO in 2004. But by then, the company already was a shadow of its former self.
Top this February 5, 2010
Posted by Ron in Road trips, Vehicles.add a comment
One of the dreams of many motorists is to drive Route 66 in a convertible with the top down.
David Loveall of Kansas City, Mo., certainly did — more than 555 hours’ worth on the Mother Road and other highways across the country, reported Automobile Magazine.
Loveall drives a Mini Cooper convertible equipped with a factory-installed “openometer,” measuring the number of hours the vehicle’s top was down. He accomplished all this between August and December 2009, giving him the title in Mini’s Open One Challenge.
Already frequently on the road for business, Loveall used the contest as an opportunity to see the entire continental U.S. in his Mini. Loveall packed his tent and sleeping bag, allowing him to camp over the five-month tour, which took him over Route 66 and the lonely U.S. 50.
“I took on the challenge for the story I’d get to tell,” said Loveall. “My Mini Cooper Convertible is the first car I have ever bought, and the experiences I have had within the first year of owning it have been amazing.”
Of more than 4,000 entrants in the contest, Loveall held the top spot in all the months he competed but one — and he was third in that one. Loveall won a trip for two to see the Mini factory in Oxford, England, in addition to $1,000 in gift cards.
More Route 66 in miniature February 4, 2010
Posted by Ron in Art, Restaurants.2 comments
Here is Willem Bor’s latest Route 66 miniature creation — the Little Juarez diner in the ghost town of Glenrio, Texas. It is in 1/25 scale.
You can read more about Bor’s creations here.
Notes from the road February 4, 2010
Posted by Ron in Animals, Attractions, History, Movies, People, Restaurants, Towns, Web sites, bicycling.add a comment
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has nominated the Route 66 city of St. Louis as one of its Dozen Distinctive Destinations, it was announced this week.
Such destinations “offer cultural and recreational experiences different from those found at the typical vacation destination. From dynamic downtowns and stunning architecture to cultural diversity and a commitment to historic preservation, sustainability and revitalization, the selected destinations boast a richness of character and exude an authentic sense of place.”
St. Louis was praised for its “historic brick buildings that line St. Louis’ cobblestone streets, proving the city lives up to its iconic status as the ‘Gateway to the West.’”
The dozen are:
- St. Louis
- Cedar Falls, Iowa
- Marquette, Mich.
- Fort Collins, Colo.
- Provincetown, Mass.
- Simsbury, Conn.
- Rockland, Maine
- Chestnut Hill, Pa.
- Huntsville, Ala.
- The Crooked Road in Virginia
- Bastrop, Texas
- Sitka, Alaska
For the first time, online voters will determine which of the 12 destinations will be the 2010 Fan Favorite. Voters can vote as often as they’d like until Feb. 28. The winner will be announced March 1. To top it off, voters are automatically entered to win a two-night stay at any Historic Hotel of America.
To vote, start the process here.
— Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., was honored by the Oklahoma Senate with a resolution today, reported the Shawnee News-Star. “Dawn has truly been an ambassador, not only for her community but for our entire state,” said Sen. Harry Coates, R-Seminole. “When the movie ‘Cars’ was released, people came from all over the world just to relive the Route 66 experience and meet the real-life Sally.” Rep. Danny Morgan, who represents Welch’s district, also singled her out for praise, including “putting Oklahoma on the map” for foreign visitors who flock to the restaurant.
– Speaking of “Cars,” here’s the first image released from the Disney-Pixar sequel, “Cars 2,” which will be in theaters in summer 2011. It’s not an actual still from the film, but a production artist’s rendering that was published in Disney’s annual report. It looks like Lightning McQueen is racing near Japan. (Hat tip: AutoBlog and Pixar Planet)
— Carthage, Mo., soon will have a 6,000-pound granite slab installed to show motorists on Highway 96, aka old Route 66, that they are driving by Kellogg Lake Park. According to the Carthage Press, the monument’s wording likely will note the park’s link to Route 66. The park was established in 1953.
— The city council of St. James, Mo., approved an effort by a volunteer group to establish an eight- to 10-mile mountain bike trail in town, according to the St. James Press. The trail will begin on East James Boulevard, which is the old Route 66 alignment through the city.
— Claudia Heller continues her ongoing series in the Pasadena Star-News about old Route 66 in California’s Mojave Desert. The latest entry takes a closer look at the isolated hamlet of Amboy, including a remarkable prank that local schoolkids pulled at nearby Amboy Crater during the 1940s.
— Read this story in The Desert Trail about a man and his dog traveling by bicycle (or hitching rides) from Chicago to San Francisco — much on it on Route 66. Marshall Wayne Lee lost his job and entertained thoughts of suicide. But his Basset hound Antigone helped him reconsider. They are traveling together to California so he can search for work there. He was in Twentynine Palms, Calif., a few days ago. Antigone’s blog is here.
— You may be noting ads between posts on Route 66 News. WordPress.com, which provides much of the infrastructure for this site, and I are beta-testing a revenue-sharing arrangement using AdSense. This pact won’t make me a millionaire, but Route 66 News is actually earning cash for the first time. If nothing else, it’ll help pay a few bills concerning domains and photos.
Kicks with King of the Jukebox February 3, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Here’s a sizzling version of “Route 66″ by jump blues artist Louis “King of the Jukebox” Jordan in 1958. Singing is Dorothy Smith, who does some swell improvisation with the lyrics.
Prime Prima February 2, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
Here’s a jaunty version of “Route 66″ by jazz legend Louis Prima.
A story with long legs February 1, 2010
Posted by Ron in People, Road trips, Sports.add a comment
Many, many people have traveled Route 66 in a number of ways — walking, running, driving and more.
However, this one has to be a first. French native Manu Cuadra is beginning his journey this spring on the Mother Road from Chicago to Santa Monica … on stilts.
He plans on covering 70 kilometers (43 miles) per day, and hopes to receive some support along the way. He has one support vehicle lined up. You can e-mail him at manu-40(at)live(dot)fr if you need more information.
He’s no amateur; he participates in marathons and other running events across Europe on stilts. You can see his adventures here:
Cuadra says in the video that he’s doing it for the adventure. I sure hope he carries plenty of water when he hits the Mojave Desert in June.
Cuadra’s blog is here.
(Hat tip: Route 66 Association of Illinois)
More Harley & Annabelle February 1, 2010
Posted by Ron in Attractions, Music, People.add a comment
Here’s a new video of Harley and Annabelle Russell at the Sandhills Curiosity Shop in Erick, Okla., performing “Route 66.”
Save for Harley half-doing the splits during the song’s conclusion, it’s mostly the same schtick during the song that the two have been doing for years. But it still brings a smile to my face.
Dew it to it February 1, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.3 comments
Here’s a blast from the past: an altered version of “Route 66″ (for reasons that will be apparent) by John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, for a Mountain Dew ad in 1996.
Route 66 in miniature January 31, 2010
Posted by Ron in Art, Attractions, Businesses, Gas stations.4 comments
Willem Bor of the Netherlands is a big Route 66 fan, and has decided to make models of landmarks along the Mother Road. The models are in 1/25 scale.
Here’s one of Lucille’s near Hydro, Okla.:
Here’s one of the 66 Super Service Station near Alanreed, Texas:
These amazingly intricate and accurate models are not for sale. Bor says he’s doing them for his own amusement.
Bor is finishing a model of the Little Juarez diner in the ghost town of Glenrio, Texas. If you know any history about that diner, please explain in the comments portion of this post.
Each model, he said, is made of painted balsa wood and cardboard.
Possible future projects include the Blue Swallow Motel of Tucumcari, N.M.; the 66 Diner in Albuquerque; the Nelson Tavern and old water tower Nelson Dream Village water fountain in Lebanon, Mo.
Hosea and the harlot January 31, 2010
Posted by Ron in Religion.add a comment
Here’s the latest entry of “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible.” It’s the book of Hosea, and it features a character named Gomer — and not Gomer Pyle.
Book about U.S. 89 published January 29, 2010
Posted by Ron in Books, Highways, History, Photographs, Web sites.1 comment so far
We at Route 66 News concentrate on news concerning the Mother Road, but occasionally pay attention to developments about other historic two-lane highways.
So it is with interest that we take note of a new photo-and-essay book by Ann Torrence titled “U.S. Highway 89: The Scenic Route to Seven Western National Parks” (Sagebrush Press, 160 pages, $29.95). Historic U.S. 89 runs 1,600 miles from the Mexico border in Arizona to the Canadian border in Montana.
New West has a review of the book:
U.S. Highway 89 makes for an enchanting journey, celebrating natural beauty alongside neon roadside kitsch. In the epilogue, Torrence writes, “When I began photographing the Highway 89 project, I thought my subject would be the exquisite beauty of its seven national parks. Gradually…I fell in love with the small towns in between my supposed destinations. I wasn’t interested in photographing a nostalgic West that no longer existed; I wanted to show how the people I met were reinventing their Western lifestyles to retain their heritage as change encroached on their communities.”
It sounds like something I need to put on my reading list.
Torrence keeps a blog here, including a section about U.S. 89 here.
Grants property nominated as historic site January 29, 2010
Posted by Ron in Businesses, History, Preservation.1 comment so far
Charlie’s Radiator Service, a business that was established in the 1940s on Route 66 in Grants, N.M., was nominated as a state historic site, reported the Cibola County Beacon.
The designation would make it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
On the west end of Grants, Charles Diaz opened Charley’s Automotive Service in 1943. The business later became Charley’s Radiator Service when Diaz began specializing in radiator repair.
It is located at 1308-1310 West Santa Fe Avenue. Two of the buildings were commercial enterprises, Charley’s Automotive Service and the Star Café. The extended family utilized the remaining buildings for residential purposes.
Diaz’s maternal grandfather, Joseph Capelli, an Italian-born stonemason partnered with Diaz in constructing five buildings on the site. In the early 1940’s, their use of pumice-block materials was innovative. Pumice block has sufficient compressive strength for building construction. In addition to better insulating qualities, it has less weight than cement block.
A photo of the Charlie’s Radiator Shop can be seen here and here.
The long-closed business has been issued an “abatement of nuisance” resolution by the city. However, according to the newspaper, the property’s owner, Joseph Diaz, is seeking help from a number of agencies, including the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, to restore and revitalize the building.
The city said it would have no objection to the historic-site nomination.
Hello from Switzerland January 29, 2010
Posted by Ron in Music.add a comment
It’s just a couple of guys with guitars, playing Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.” But it’s a good performance.
Notes from the road January 28, 2010
Posted by Ron in Art, Books, Bridges, Motels, Motorcycles, Movies, Museums, Signs, Theaters, Towns, Weather.2 comments
If you’re traveling the Mother Road this week, you may have to make other plans for the midsection.
As this map from the National Weather Service shows, the Route 66 corridor is under a winter storm warning all the way from about Springfield, Mo., to Gallup, N.M. — much of it freezing rain.
Authorities closed Interstate 40 and secondary highways in the Texas Panhandle early Thursday afternoon. I-40 from the Texas border to Tucumcari, N.M., also is closed. And power outages are expected to be widespread in Oklahoma later in the day because of freezing rain.
We at Route 66 News headquarters have a wood stove and a gas water heater, so we’ll be fine even without electricity.
— I’ve been informed that the long-closed Pony Soldier Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., was torn down a few weeks ago. Here’s an op-ed written by one of the former owners, was published in the Quay County Sun.
— Jim Hinckley, a roadie and author based in Kingman, Ariz., announced the forthcoming publication of his new book, “Ghost Towns of the Southwest,” in stores in March. A few Route 66 towns are featured. Hinckley is working on a book exclusively about ghost towns on the Mother Road.
— The historic Uptown Theatre in Rolla, Mo., is endangered by a proposal to build an alumni center for the local university. A resident is circulating an online petition to protest the decision. If you want to sign it, go here. (Hat tip to Ace Jackalope.)
— The trade paperback of Michael Zadoorian’s acclaimed Route 66-based novel, “The Leisure Seeker,” will be in stores Feb. 9. The book has been optioned for film, and Zaadorian told me the script is being shopped to prospective actors.
— According to the Kingman Daily Miner, independent filmmaker Kirk Slack recently donated a 1966 Sears motorcycle to the Powerhouse Visitors Center in Kingman, Ariz., which has a large Route 66 display. Slack is working on a Route 66 documentary for Out West Family Films.
— The next round of Preserve America grants has started, and the deadline to submit them is Feb. 12. These grants are especially for towns and tourist centers wanting help to create their own multimedia attractions (iPhone apps, podcasts, GPS tours, etc.). More information is here.
— The Suburban Journals posted a fascinating article about city logos in the St. Louis area. Among them is Madison, Ill., which features the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that once carried Route 66 over the Mississippi River. You can see the seal at the top of this document here.
— Check out this garage owned by Roger Sanzenbacher of Orland Park, Ill., where he re-created the huge mural seen at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac on one of the walls.
Rally ’round the bridge January 27, 2010
Posted by Ron in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
Here’s a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article today about efforts by the Route 66 Association of Missouri and other preservation groups to prevent the razing of the historic Route 66 Bridge at Route 66 State Park near Eureka.
[...] Joe Sonderman of Hazelwood, a local traffic reporter and author of three books on Route 66, said the aging span is one of the last historic links to old Route 66 through the western reaches of St. Louis County.
“We have been working to try to preserve the bridge, to do what we can to make sure that all other avenues are exhausted before they demolish it,” said Sonderman, who hopes someone can buy time until the money is found to repair the bridge. “Once you tear that thing down, it’s gone.”
Sonderman hopes public outcry will save the bridge before another piece of old Route 66 vanishes.
“If you drive it, you understand,” Sonderman said. “It only takes one trip to realize it’s more than just blacktop. It’s history you can touch.”
Good article, but I think one of the angles being overlooked is that the closing and possible destruction of the bridge really hurts the state park. The bridge’s closing puts the park’s offices at a dead end, and the rest of the park can be accessed only through a circuitous route of frontage roads and Interstate 44. I’m wondering whether the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is angry at MoDOT for this.
Opposition to museum tax proposal goes to Facebook January 25, 2010
Posted by Ron in History, Museums.1 comment so far
Less than a week ago, the city council of Joplin, Mo., voted to put a tax referendum on the April ballot to fund a move and expansion of the Joplin Museum Complex to Memorial Hall.
Already, the opposition to the one-sixth-cent sales tax has organized on the Internet, with a “Save Memorial Hall” group on Facebook, according to the Joplin Globe. (Although the title of the group makes it sound as if Memorial Hall would go the way of the wrecking ball, which it is not under the proposal.)
As of Monday night, 219 people have joined the group, including two city council candidates, Kelly Maddy and Erik Wright, reported the Globe.
Maddy said he is not opposed to relocating the museum, but he does not support the current proposal because he believes the hall should remain as it as, a memorial to veterans, and that options for museum relocation should have been studied by the council. [...]
“I’m very much in favor of the museum finding a great location and having the museum downtown,” Wright said, “but there’s a bunch of questions that went unanswered. The City Council voted on this very quickly, and there’s a lot of concerns as to what are they going to do for venues, events, and the fact that we would be losing Memorial Hall.”
Of course, not everyone is against the proposal …
Allen Shirley, president of the Friends of the Museum, said some people who initially were against the proposal based on what they heard from others have given the plan reconsideration after hearing a complete presentation.
“We’ve not had a chance to present our plan to the public yet,” Shirley said. “That is what we are in the process of doing now, setting up opportunities with veteran groups and organizations to express the facts involving our plan. …
“We have between now and April to get our message out, and we will be working with various members of our organization with groups to give them straight information and, maybe just as importantly, to answer questions.”
Perhaps the museum’s education efforts will bear fruit come the April election. But it sounds like the opposition has gotten a head start.
Motel living January 25, 2010
Posted by Ron in Motels, Signs.add a comment
Here’s a nice video of the sights and sounds of two Route 66 icons — the Wigwam Motel of Holbrook, Ariz., and the Blue Swallow Motel of Tucumcari, N.M.
