A trip down Route 66 on Google Earth February 6, 2006
Posted by Ron in Maps, Web sites.2 comments
Albert of Germany has made available a slew of Google Earth placemarks on Route 66. Albert has marked just about every town on 66 and a few landmarks. Very cool.
The placemarks can be found here for download. If you don’t have it, Google Earth can be downloaded here.
To see Google Earth’s capabilities, click on the Chain of Rocks Bridge placemark in Missouri. Once you zoom in, you’ll be able to see the water intake towers just south of the old Route 66 bridge and the turbulent flow of water over rocks in the Mississippi River from where the bridge got its name.
Illinois town may jump on bike trail bandwagon February 6, 2006
Posted by Ron in Vehicles.add a comment
The zoning and planning board of Wilmington, Ill., is considering the establishment of bike trails, according to the Herald News. The town has none none currently, although a guidebook is being created for cyclists who want to pedal down Route 66.
Wilmington is on Route 66, south of Chicago.
Rick and Jane make new friends February 6, 2006
Posted by Ron in People.add a comment
Rick and Jane McKinney, the evangelist couple that is walking east on much of Route 66 in their Walk to Reclaim America, have posted their latest tales from the road. They’ve covered 550 miles.
The most interesting story is their encounter with a ragged couple on the streets of Flagstaff. Rick and Jane say their walk is to reclaim America’s freedoms, families and faith. But I personally think the true purpose of their walk is to extend kindness to down-on-their-luck strangers like Will and Linnea. Read the Week 5 entry and see whether you agree.
Going, going … February 6, 2006
Posted by Ron in Restaurants.add a comment
… just about gone. The “new” Diamonds restaurant on old Route 66 near Pacific, Mo. (seen above), has been gutted and is about to be torn down, reports Kip Welborn of Friends of the Mother Road.
It has been closed for years, and it’s going to make way for a reconstruction of the Gray Summit interchange at Interstate 44. “This is something that’s been in the works for a while, so it is not a surprise that it is finally ‘gone,’” Welborn wrote.
Incidentally, the “old” Diamonds restaurant building, built in 1948 on Route 66 near Pacific, now houses the Tri-Country Truck Stop, and it’s still going strong. The “new” Diamonds moved to its current location in 1967.
To see what the complex, which included the restaurant, looked like in its heyday, check out this vintage postcard below:
