I just got off the phone with Ruth Trew. She and Delbert still have no electricity, and wildfires in the Texas Panhandle have burned all but 75 acres of their 2,500-acre ranch. But they and their home are safe for now, even though they’re keeping an eye on another wildfire near Childress.

Ruth said cattle on their ranch took refuge from the flames behind an earthen dam. Also, the Trews’ Bull Canyon complex was spared.

They’re not out of the woods yet. High winds today are forecast to whip up the fires again.

Score one for Becky Ransom of the Big Texan Steak Ranch. She pointed out that the USA Today interview of Pixar director John Lasseter that I reported about a few days ago came with a 14-image gallery of all the major characters in “Cars.” Check them out.

“(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66″ was written by Bobby Troup, but it was Nat King Cole’s performance that made that song — and the road — famous.

It went to No. 11 on the pop charts and No. 3 on the R&B charts in 1946. That sounds somewhat modest. But it helped cement Cole’s career, and “Route 66″ has been covered by more than 200 performers.

A news release today announced that a new CD/DVD deluxe edition on Cole will be coming out in May. A CD anthology on his music career also will be released. A documentary on Cole’s life will air on PBS’ “American Masters” series on May 17. Cole’s massive success and the signficant impact he made on race relations, I’m sure the documentary will be fascinating.

As spring approaches, more travelers start to seek adventure on the Mother Road. That includes bloggers.

• MatthewOU of My Take On Life drives on Route 66 from Tulsa to Oklahoma City.
• Storm Crypt at Unfinished Journeys hopscotched on Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis.

Both bloggers seemed to enjoy themselves.

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry announced Tuesday that he was signing a bill into law to allocate $125 million for emergency bridge repairs.

Reports are that the state in particular is targeting what are called load-posted bridges. These are bridges that are not allowed the full weight of big trucks or other large vehicles because their dilapidated condition.

Here is a current list of load-posted bridges of the Oklahoma Highway System. I found three that are on Route 66. They are:

• The White Oak Creek bridge in Craig County, a few miles from the Rogers County line.
• The Purcell Creek bridge in Canadian County, five miles east of U.S. 81.
• The Captain Creek Bridge in Lincoln County on Oklahoma Business Route 66, near Wellston.

I don’t remember much about the White Oak Creek or Purcell Creek bridges. However, it would be a travesty to replace the Captain Creek Bridge. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It also is a distinctive-looking pony truss bridge.

There’s no timetable of which load-posted bridges will be refurbished first. There are bridges in the Sooner State that are in much worse condition than the three on the Mother Road. But being a load-posted bridge list puts it on a higher priority for road agencies.

I favor having safe bridges. But in the case of historic sites, I remember what a highway preservationist said during a conference last year in Tulsa: “Repair; don’t replace.”

If you want to urge the governor to repair, not replace, the Route 66 bridges listed, you can contact him here.