CaliAves of the Aves Takes on California blog is going to take a road trip in the next couple weeks, with some of it on Route 66.

She seems to have the right mind-set for it:

I firmly believe that at some point in every person’s life, they should take a road trip. A serious drive-across-the-country road trip. A throw-away-the-mapquest-directions road trip. A don’t-make-any-motel-reservations road trip. This is something I have wanted to do for the last six years now. Ok, so maybe seeing the worlds largest cross west of the Mississippi or the ten old graffiti-covered cars planted nose first into the ground aren’t completely necessary. But having a picnic lunch at the Grand Canyon, seeing the oldest inhabited town in the country, the Acoma Pueblo, walking where a government building once stood in Oklahoma City that now preaches intolerance to terrorism, seeing the motel room Martin Luther King Jr. slept his last night in exactly as it was left, crossing the great Mississippi, seeing the home of country music… these are the experiences I’m talking about.

Ace Jackalope of The Lope blog continues his trip on Route 66 through the  eastern Los Angeles area. He snaps scenes at Route 66 Memories, the Magic Lamp Inn restaurant, the Golden Spur restaurant, the Palm Tropics Motel, The Hat restaurant, the endangered Rod’s Grill, the Whistle Stop toy train shop and others.

The Gallup Independent reports that a fire in a pool house of the America’s Best Value Inn & Suites on Route 66 in Gallup, N.M., forced evacuations.

Heat from the fire slightly damaged the recently remodeled motel, but no structural damage occurred.

Eckleburg + Grumblecake, contributors to the Duke City Fix blog based in Albuquerque, announced they have launched their Web site of restaurant reviews along the city’s Central Avenue, aka Route 66.

It’s called I8Route66, and they say they’ll post their first reviews of Albuquerque’s Mother Road eateries shortly.

Readers here who plan to attend the Route 66 festival in June are advised to check the site regularly so you can plan your dining options.

This article from the Joplin Globe tells about a new interchange that will be constructed at Missouri 249 and Missouri 171 west of the Route 66 town of Carterville, Mo.

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, the change is supposed to direct more traffic to city limits. On the other hand, it would also allow motorists to drive faster by Carterville.

Dreama Heminger, owner of Dreama’s Route 66 Cafe, 328 E. Main St., said she believes business owners will see more people who are interested in the city’s historical heritage. Main Street once was part of the original Route 66.

“It allows people another way to get on this part of Route 66,” she said.

However, I’m highly skeptical of any highway project that funnels traffic at a higher speed. We’ll keep our eyes on this.