According to WFRV.com, Harley-Davidson will sell its "Harley-Davidson Ride Atlas of North America" at bookstores, dealerships and other outlets sometime in May.

It's a typical atlas, except it highlights 25 scenic rides, including a segment of Route 66.

The featured rides range from jaunts on Route 66 in Arizona, with suggested stops at Prescott National Forest and the Grand Canyon Caverns in Peach Springs, to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and along the Rio Grande on U.S. border with Mexico.

The atlas also contains a bevy of information useful to riders, such as state motorcycle laws, construction information, gasoline availability, distance charts and even maps of Harley-Davidson dealerships. It's covered in a durable, rubber-like material and is designed to fit in a saddle bag.

Dennis Kinch, the man who's walking Route 66 for the National Pain Foundation, has made it into the high-altitude air of Flagstaff, Ariz.

His Web site gives this update:

Dennis has made it to Flagstaff, AZ! With the help of the people at the Print Shop, Dennis was able to make it into Flagstaff with time to spare before bussing it down to Phoenix, where he will catch a flight to Boston. Why, you ask? Because of his extraordinary efforts at doing what he can when he can, the Greater Boston Employer Advisory Board is awarding Dennis with the "Distinguished Consumer Award" for finding a way to create a new career path for himself while working within the bounds of his pain condition. He will be in Phoenix the week of May 8th for more clinic events, so check back for details!

(Warning: Some content in following post may not be work-safe.)

The Duke City Fix reports that the provocative painting over Snob Hill Body Jewelry in Central Avenue (aka Route 66) in Albuquerque has been redone.

The painting of the nude, buxom woman that was seen over the body-piercing business (can be viewed here) has been repainted over with a somewhat slimmer nude.

I saw the original painting months ago. After a momentary arching of the eyebrows, I thought, "This is the Nob Hill area. It's bohemian. I bet people don't blink an eye at it."

Well, apparently it caused enough of a stir, according to KOBTV.

Last year, Mark Burton of an Albuquerque church conducted a petition drive calling for the city to cover up the image.

“There’s another person that I work for that wanted it removed because he felt aroused by it and he did not want to feel [that],” said Burton.

Apparently a similar mural done by the artist, David Briggs, at the Ice House strip club in ABQ was painted over by the city after complaints.

We'll see whether Burton's pal is turned on by this new painting.

A feature in the Edmond (Okla.) Sun mentions the town trying to play up its Route 66 heritage during the state's centennial next year. But most of the story is about how the Mother Road has kept its allure all these years.

It includes a lot of comments from Oklahoma Route 66 researcher and author Jim Ross, who lives nearby in Arcadia.

Clanton's Cafe, which has been feeding Route 66 travelers and locals in Vinita, Okla., since 1927, is the latest Restaurant of the Day in Jane and Michael Stern's popular Roadfood.com site.

I personally can vouch for the pies, pot roast, chicken-and-dressing, and breakfasts, especially the bacon. But the methods in which Clanton's owners describe to Roadfood.com how they make their chicken-fried steak have persuaded me to try it the next time I drive through Vinita.

I also enjoy looking at the autographed photos of celebrities who've stopped there, including Oklahoma native Ronnie Dunn of the country superstar duo Brooks & Dunn (he liked the chicken and dressing, too).

It's a classic Route 66 restaurant. 

The Berghoff restaurant, which occupied a section of old Route 66 in Chicago for 107 years, closed earlier this year.

However, the Chicago Tribune reports that the space has reopened as the Berghoff Cafe.

Everything is pretty much the same as it was before in this jammed cafeteria-style eatery in the lower level of the Berghoff complex at 17 W. Adams St. The transformation of the Berghoff will eventually incorporate three distinct entities: this "new" Berghoff Cafe, the Century Room and 17 West.

Lunchers have been packing into the Cafe at an estimated 500 a day, according to restaurant spokesperson Jennifer Connelly. And, indeed, when this reporter arrived at 11:20 a.m. for a light lunch of Wiener schnitzel, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, beet salad, German potato salad, apple strudel and a Berghoff Root Beer (diet, of course), she was already facing a healthy line. But the food was worth the wait.

Although four sandwiches have inched up in price, the rest of the cafe's mostly sandwich, salad, pizza and pasta menu (with two German daily specials) has remained the same. The cost for my hefty Teutonic Berghoff Cafe lunch: $20.12 with tax.

The Chicago Sun-Times report contains this interesting snippet:

Indeed, so little about the new Berghoff Cafe, which opened quietly Tuesday, was different from the old, "It's a mystery to me why they ever closed," said longtime Berghoff customer Arthur Raphael, 66.

The main difference, one not overlooked by customers, seemed to be the absence of the Berghoff's longtime unionized workers.

A busboy who worked in the restaurant for 30 years said he and a few of his fellow staffers applied and were re-hired for the downstairs cafe.

"The prices appear to be the same, but not the employees," said Raphael, an attorney whose office is less than a block away. "It's a shame they're not here."

…

The old Berghoff was one of the few Chicago restaurants to still employ union cooks and servers, leading some observers to wonder whether the closing had more to do with rising employee costs.

"We had to do it the way we did it," Carlyn Berghoff said of the speculation.

Is it rash of me to accuse the Berghoff's owners for briefly closing the restaurant to bust the union? I don't know what other conclusion I would draw.

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects Madison, Ill., and north St. Louis, Ill., is part of an old alignment of Route 66. It's now used as part of a Trailnet walking and bicycling trail that connects the St. Louis Riverfront Trail and the MCT Confluence Trail.

On Monday, Trailnet will begin fees of $2 for vehicles and $10 for big vehicles that carry 15 passengers or more from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in its parking lot on the west side of the bridge. Walkers and cyclists who enter the bridge from the trails won't be charged.

According to a news release from Trailnet:

"We decided to provide this service to ensure a convenient and comfortable parking experience for those visiting the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge," said Wayne Goode, President of the Trailnet board of directors. "The bridge will continue to be open during regular operating hours, a half hour before sunrise and a half hour after sunset. The lot will be monitored from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., when the parking fee is in effect."

The parking lot had been the site of several car burglaries. So a "monitored" lot for what I consider to be a nominal fee is a good thing. And those who want to avoid the fee can simply schedule their visit to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge around those hours.

(Hat tip to Lynn "Lulu" Bagdon for alerting me to this.)

The Geezer Riders considered their ride to Oatman, Ariz., one of the highlights of their Route 66 trip because of the rugged Black Mountains surrounding it, the semi-wild burros roaming the streets and the quaint businesses. Here's the story on it in the Mainichi Daily News of Japan.

Here is the report about the Geezers' ride through the Mojave Desert, including a stop at the Bagdad Cafe. They noted that road conditions were a bit rough, which were caused last spring by record rains. 

On the final leg of their trip through the Los Angeles metro area, it sounds like the Geezer Riders bypassed the old road and went on the freeways instead. Too bad. They missed a lot of interesting things that way. 

Compugrrrl has posted nice images in recent days on the New Mexico PhotoJournal. On Friday, she posted a photo of a long-shuttered diner in Glenrio (even though it's just within the border of Texas).

She also has images from the Blue Swallow Motel and and the Route 66 monument, both in Tucumcari, neon from the El Don Motel and Monterey Non-Smokers Motel in Albuquerque, and more.

According to film reviewer Brent Simon of Now Playing magazine, the new Robin Williams comedy "R.V." has a brief Mother Road reference:

In the end, too, after the secret of Bob’s meeting comes out, a moralistic ending gives way to a cast karaoke version of “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” a la the Farrelly brothers’ effusive end-credit celebrations.

Considering that "R.V." is receiving reviews that range from mediocre to dreadful, this might be one of those movies to rent on the cheap from your local DVD store instead of shelling out $8 for a ticket.

Jonathon Moran of Seven.com.au in Australia sat down and talked with Pixar director John Lasseter about the studio's upcoming "Cars" movie, which is based on Route 66. Lasseter says "Cars" is "the most complex film we have ever made." 

Lasseter also said his trips on Route 66 also greatly influenced the film's look.

… The film tells the story of Lightning McQueen, a rookie race car that gets stuck in a small town on America's Route 66 highway.

"When we got into these towns, we realised that a picture says a thousand words," said Lasseter, a self-confessed "car geek".

"A computer likes things perfect and perfectly clean. The more that you add details to make it look believable, all that stuff has to be put in by hand. You have to create it and that adds so much complexity to the world."

In other "Cars" news, the film's Web site has added the characters Chick Hicks and The King to its showroom. Also, State Farm insurance's "Countdown to Cars" page has added nine types of wallpaper to its site.

Jim Conkle of the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation reports that both he and Hampton Inns were nominated for the Preserve America Presidential Award.

Conkle found out yesterday that Hampton Inns won, so he in essence also won because he was a humongous part of the Hampton Inns Route 66 Caravan a few years ago that plastered Route 66 Roadside Attraction signs up and down the route and was also a part of Hampton's Save-A-Landmark program.

Conkle and Hampton Inns will meet with President Bush on May 1 for the awards ceremony at the White House.

I reported on this plan here and here a few months ago when I had a hard copy of it. But now it's on Tulsa County's Vision 2025 site for your perusal.

• Route 66 Master Plan home page
• Route 66 Master Plan, Part 1 
• Route 66 Master Plan, Part 2
• Route 66 Master Plan, Part 3 

Steve Vaught of thefatmanwalking.com is enjoying springlike weather in Pennsylvania and has fewer than 300 miles to go in his cross-country trek, according to his April 26 journal entry (near the bottom of the page). 

Also, if anyone wants to join Steve's walk into New York City, e-mail him at steve@thefatmanwalking.com to let him know.

The central New Mexico region is preparing to open a commuter rail line called the Rail Runner that eventually will connect the Duke City to Santa Fe.

Considering that Albuquerque has the region's only major airport and considering Santa Fe is filled with tourism attractions, it sounds like this is a terrific alternative to driving the 90 or so miles on Interstate 25 or the remnants of the Mother Road.

But for the time being, the rail line will run from Belen (south of Albuquerque) to U.S. 550 north of the city. There are nine stops in all, including downtown ABQ, so commuters will find it enticing also. The train is scheduled to connect Santa Fe in 2008.

As for the Route 66 connection, the rail line runs close to the older alignment of the Mother Road, from north Bernalillo County all the way down to Los Lunas. Johnny Mango of the Albloggerque rode on a test run and was impressed. He also made this observation:

Further north, artifacts of the pre-1937 Route 66 are still visible near Sandia Pueblo and Bernalillo. In fact I think I remember seeing a Fred Harvey railroad poster showing the grade crossing at Sandia Pueblo. Abandoned gas stations and small roadside stores are also along the way.

Another blogger, NewMexiKen, also rode the train and has this report.

The train is set to begin making runs in July, and the first three months will be free.

Apparently an eastbound Interstate 44 bridge over the Gasconade River in Missouri was damaged during a truck accident on April 15, and one lane has been closed since until repairs are made, according to the Waynesville Daily Guide. Repairs aren't scheduled to begin until May 1 at the earliest.

Obviously, that kind of lane closure will slow traffic to a crawl. So highway officials recommend this:

The bridge is located at mile marker 143, just west of the Laclede-Pulaski county line.

Balmer said she encourages people who need to drive between Lebanon and the Waynesville-St. Robert area to consider using the old Route 66 road south of the interstate until repairs are finished.

“We’re really thankful they’re repairing it, but I would recommend for people to take the outer roads to avoid congestion on the interstate,” Balmer said.

Those who take Route 66 over the Gasconade will be treated with this sight:

The photo, by the way, comes from David Backin's swell site about historic bridges on Route 66 in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri. 

MonstersandCritics.com has the dibs on what music will be on the upcoming "Cars" soundtrack. We've previously given a few details about who's performing on it, including score composer Randy Newman, James Taylor and Sheryl Crow. Below is the full track listing:

• "Real Gone," Sheryl Crow
• "Route 66," Chuck Berry
• "Life Is a Highway," Rascal Flatts
• "Behind the Clouds," Brad Paisley
• "Our Town," James Taylor
• "Sh-Boom," The Chords
• "Route 66," John Mayer
• "Find Yourself," Brad Paisley
• "Opening Race" (score)
• "McQueen`s Lost" (score)
• "My Heart Would Know," Hank Williams
• "Bessie" (score)
• "Dirt Is Different" (score)
• "New Road" (score)
• "Tractor Tipping" (score)
• "McQueen and Sally" (score)
• "Goodbye" (score)
• "Pre-Race Pageantry" (score)
• "The Piston Cup" (score)
• "The Big Race" (score)

I'm all over a soundtrack that has both Chuck Berry and Hank Williams.

The CD will be in stores June 6, three days before the movie opens wide.

The Geezer Riders from Japan had an unexpected layover in Kingman, Ariz., when one of them had a problem with the ignition key in one of the motorcycles. But the mishap allowed them to take in the sights and sounds of Kingman a bit more, including lunch at Mr. D'z. The story is in the Mainichi Daily News of Japan.

It took more than two months, but Scripps Howard News Service picked up the excellent retrospective and forward-looking article about Route 66 by Albuquerque Journal reporter Erik Siemers.

If you're a relatively new reader to this site, it's recommended reading.

EBay has the Route 66 Drive-In in Weatherford, Okla., with a "Buy It Now" price of $195,000.

Unlike others drive-in theaters on the road, this one's been operating and seems to have been maintained fairly well.