Kristy’s Coffee Shop, which occupied a former Denny’s on Route 66 in Gallup for 40 years, has closed.

The Gallup Independent reports that the restaurant’s longtime owner, Barbara Stanley, decided to retire in December.

The story contains some great anecdotes, including this gem:

Stanley said officials for Denny’s weren’t exactly unhappy to see the restaurant go independent, mainly because there were times when the Stanleys would complain about various restrictions put in place by the head company that made no sense to them.

Take the uniforms, for example.

The company provided uniforms for its waitresses but only in small and medium sizes. For those who wore a dress size above 10, well, the company’s policy was not to hire someone who would not fit into their size uniforms.

This didn’t sit well with the Stanleys.

Stanley said she remembers talking to an official of the company and telling her that the Stanleys had this well-known California attorney who loved to take on the big companies. The larger sized uniforms were ordered.

Bully for them. A restaurant known for such culinary achievements as patty melts and wet fries can’t afford to stand on ceremony about its waitresses’ weight. Wet fries are as irresistible as deep-fried Twinkies … and almost as good for you.

The Independent also reports that the Stanleys annoyed Denny’s officials (and endeared themselves to the local populace) by allowing teenagers to hang out at the restaurant so they would have a safe place to sit and talk to their friends. When the Denny’s lease expired, the Stanleys renamed their 24-hour coffee shop in honor of one of their kids.

The complete article can be read here.

Thanks to Mike Taylor of the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, for the heads-up.

Emily

Rick and Jane McKinney, the evangelists who are walking the length of Route 66 as part of their “Walk to Reclaim America” crusade, posted this notice on their Web site:

Week #4 - Help Wanted

We have a real need for a driver for the week of Feb. 5th through Feb. 11th. We will be in the Eastern Arizona area. This person would need to get to us (fly or drive) and spend the week. It helps if you have a camper or RV, but if not, we’ll make a way. All you need to do is drive the van each day as we walk. It’s exciting, rewarding, and will allow you to see the “walk” up close and personal. Please pray about helping that week.

1-866-462-7464 (Toll Free)

E-Mail: walk@walktoreclaimamerica.com

Any takers?

Talk about luck in spades. First, this Motor Trend writer decides to take up marathon running and ends up getting to meet Jeff Galloway — which, in distance-running circles, is the rough equivalent of having an audience with the pope — and then, in the course of conversation, Galloway mentions he just happens to have a ‘57 Chevy Bel Air that his wife wants out of the garage.

The Motor Trend writer buys the car, and he and his boss decide it would make a cool story if they restored it and took it out for a spin on Route 66.

The trip journal starts here.

Incidentally, I used Galloway’s method to survive my own little 26.2-mile Route 66 fundraiser last fall, and I highly recommend it for those of you planning to participate in the inaugural Route 66 Marathon this fall in Tulsa.

Emily (filling in for Ron in his absence)