If anyone has any remaining doubts that the new scenic byway status for Route 66 in Illinois attracts considerable attention, this British travel insurance Web site ought to dispel them.

For more information about the program, go to the byways Web site here.

The Elbow Inn, the venerable old barbecue-and-bar in Devils Elbow, Mo., that’s a favorite hangout of locals, Fort Leonard Wood soldiers, bikers and Route 66ers, suffered a double dose of bad luck during the holiday weekend.

Not only did a burglar force open a door, reports the Waynesville Daily Guide, but the investigation revealed liquor-license problems that will prevent the establishment from serving booze until the problems are resolved.

Here’s the gist of the story:

According to sheriff’s department records, the Elbow Inn alarm sounded at 1:04 a.m. Monday and showed motion at the front door and in the bar area. Deputies arrived at 1:19 a.m. and found that the front door had been forced open. Four deputies gathered and about 20 minutes later entered the building and found no one inside, but left at 1:41 a.m. after securing the building.

Later that day, deputies escorted one of the owners to his home at 2:43 p.m. to get the liquor license from another person, and at 3:17 p.m. noted that the Elbow Inn will no longer be allowed to serve liquor until the woman involved gets a new license.

I hope the folks there get things cleared up quickly.

This time of year, it’s a good time to watch bald eagles near the Mississippi River, especially from the excellent vantage point of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that carried Route 66 for decades. Explore St. Louis, a tourism blog, has the details.

Another writer has decided to road-test the new Corvette Z06 on Route 66, this time one for the Orlando Sentinal.

The writer, Bill Baker, found only one flaw with the car, but it was a significant one — lack of lumbar support. His back ached so much that he had to buy a trucker’s pillow to tolerate the rest of the trip. Either the Z06 isn’t meant for long-distance cruising, or someone at Chevrolet goofed with the seat design.

As for his Route 66 experience, such as it was:

You could take a week or a month to cross the country if you hunt down all the remaining bits and pieces of Route 66 and its various alignments. For this trip I started at the eastern end of the road at Adams Street and Michigan Avenue in front of the Art Institute of Chicago on a Tuesday morning and was back in California on Friday.

I followed turn-by-turn instructions found on historic66.com. But be prepared — sometimes finding the old road can be tedious and kind of depressing as you see rusting gas stations, closed cafes, and even whole towns that have gone out of business.

But with a little research before you go, you’ll be rewarded with a sense of knowing America and its history a little better.

For me, it was as memorable as I hoped. I finally got my kicks on Route 66 — and a Z06 made it that much more of an experience.

My observation: Going 2,200 miles in four days seems like punishment, not pleasure, no matter what car you’re driving. I think Baker would have been better-served by averaging 250 or 300 miles per day and soaking in the sights and the interesting people who live along America’s most famous road.

To heck with limousines. Inspired by a trip on Route 66, a Scottish couple have tricked out a vintage Airstream trailer, called Little Vegas, so it can be rented out for birthday parties, festivals and weddings. It contains a bar, jukebox, casino tables and leather sofas.

The price? A cool 500 British pounds a night, which translates to 879 U.S. dollars.
It’s the first time I’ve read a story in which “glamourous” was used to describe a trailer.

We’d reported some weeks ago about Rick and Jane McKinney’s announcement to walk much of Route 66.

They stated their goal for their “Walk to Reclaim America” on their Web site:

It’s time to reclaim America’s Freedoms, Families, and Faith. It’s time to stand up and tell the truth about this country’s history of faith. It’s time to call America back to the truths that have brought God’s blessings in the past. It’s time to call America to a living, relevant faith that will enable us to deal with the threats and dangers of the present and give us hope for a blessed future.

The McKinneys started their journey Jan. 1, reports the Pasadena (Calif.) Star-News.

With a small huff, a puff and foreheads lightly damp with sweat, the couple walked alongside the speeding traffic on Route 66. They passed through Glendora, San Dimas and La Verne making their way into San Bernardino County.

Their daily goal is 20 miles, six days a week and resting on Sunday. They have 2,740 miles, seven states and 209 days to go.

Along their journey the two will stop to pray for the country, share their beliefs with those they encounter and encourage Christians to voice their faith in society.

“It’s not about us,” said Rick McKinney, 50. “It’s about the effect it can have on our country, our communities and the people we meet.”

The McKinneys hope to stroll into Washington, D.C., by July 4. They’ll probably cross paths with the Pain Walker somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico. And if Steve Vaught slows his pace to a slug’s crawl, maybe they’ll meet up with him near the East Coast.