Steve Vaught, who’s walking across American in an effort to lose weight, says on his thefatmanwalking.com home page today that he will appear on NBC’s “Today Show” on Wednesday, Jan. 18. There’s no mention of what time slot.

On for his journal, he writes that he’s been dealing with physical problems (that mostly have been fixed with an adjustment to his backpack), illness, erratic weather and state troopers. But he keeps walking.

Ace Jackalope from the lope blog took a trip in August on Route 66 through the Mojave Desert towns of Essex and Amboy.

The photographs alone make it worth visiting the site. But Ace also added some history to it as well, including the horrifically bad idea in the 1960s of nuking the mountains in the area so that highway engineers could eventually shorten Route 66. Fortunately, smarter heads prevailed.

Ace also has posts on his visits to Needles, Goffs and the Colorado River.

The Palisadian-Post weekly newspaper of Pacific Palisades, Calif., published a terrific article about David Houston, the owner of Barney’s Beanery, a Route 66 institution in West Hollywood.

The article also contains tidbits about Barney’s history, including with original owner John “Barney” Anthony, who started the restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard in 1927.

The area was sparsely populated, and the Beanery was not much more than a shack surrounded by a poinsettia field. “A little wooden shanty, with a whole row of cheap floor lamps illuminating the counter, and a dinky little bar down at one end,” was Rob Wagner’s 1942 description.

The establishment became a Hollywood hangout, starting with regulars like Clara Bow, John Barrymore and Jean Harlow and continuing well into the ’70s, when it was frequented by rock groups like The Doors and Led Zeppelin. Morrison loved to tease Janis Joplin until one night the teasing ended when Joplin belted him. Joplin had her last meal in Barney’s at her favorite booth (number 34) before overdosing and dying later that night in a hotel. Her initial is carved in the table. It was common knowledge that Anthony treated all of his customers the same. According to Herald-Examiner columnist Mike Jackson, speaking about Anthony, “You do not get that great big smile when you are up. And you don’t get the brushoff when you are down.”

After Anthony died in 1968, Edwin Held acquired the restaurant and tried to keep it as close to the original as possible. The movie stars still came. When Drew Carey protested the 1999 ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, he chose Barney’s as the place to invite the press to watch him light up. Reportedly, Quentin Tarantino holed up in one of the booths to write “Pulp Fiction.”

In a sprawling city where buildings are torn down on a regular basis — with occasional help from earthquakes — Barney’s is as close to a non-religious landmark as exists.

It sounds like the original Barney’s dealt with soft profits and health-code issues. But Houston turned it around, and it has become a popular place for families. There now are two Barney’s, with a third on the way — all on 66.

The Daily Oklahoman has a story about a “human chain” at 11 a.m. Saturday to kick off the restoration of a historic National Guard armory in Chandler, Okla.

The building will be converted into a Route 66 interpretive center, and it’s hoped to be open in about a year. The building also will serve as exhibition hall and community center.

I’ll be there to see what happens.

CanMag.com reports that Disney has released two movie stills for Pixar Animation’s upcoming Route 66-themed movie, “Cars.�

The still of Mater the tow truck and Lightning McQueen the NASCAR stock car driving in the middle of the desert has been on Pixar’s site for the film for months. But the second still, the one above of McQueen holding the lead on a NASCAR track, is one I hadn’t seen. You can click on the image above and read other news about “Cars” at CanMag.com.

CanMag.com also says it’s acquired an updated synopsis:

Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town’s offbeat characters –including Sally (a snazzy 2002 Porsche voiced by Hunt), Doc Hudson (a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, voiced by Newman), and Mater (a rusty but trusty tow truck voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) – who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.

The all-star vocal cast also includes free-wheeling performances by racing legend Richard Petty and. Fueled with plenty of humor, action, heartfelt drama, and amazing new technical feats, Cars is a high octane delight for moviegoers of all ages.

The movie’s set to be released June 9.