The girls on the Route 66 travel blog are having a blast. They danced with a fleet-footed old man at the Round Barn in Arcadia, Okla., had their vehicle jimmied open after they accidently locked their keys in it at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, and got a tour of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., where they reported this fascinating tidbit:

… It turns out that there’s a fountain in front of the hotel that they just discovered mere weeks ago, and are now working to restore. It seems the fountain hasn’t worked in decades, because only the locals who were around in the 40s remember it in its functional state. Should be fun when it’s completed.

I'll be at the Blue Swallow in a couple weeks. I'll ask about it. 

And guess what? The Blue Swallow has retooled its Web site. Looks nice. 

The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader reports that reconstruction on Interstate 44 between mile markers 135 and 145 on Interstate 44 east of Lebanon will begin in earnest Wednesday afternoon. 

This is on top of delays on I-44 in St. Louis County and Franklin County. Motorists crossing Missouri have seen delays of up to one hour.

Of course, there is a detour:

"A lot of our travel is on old Route 66 right now, if it's daylight," Brian Russell said, referring to the historic highway that once connected Chicago and Los Angeles.

Portions of the decommissioned highway — now a state scenic byway — run parallel to I-44, allowing canny motorists to detour around problems on the interstate.

Travel is not always as swift, he said. "But you at least feel like you're getting somewhere."

Despite higher gas prices, Illinois officials still anticipate a rise in travel and tourism this summer.

According to a story in the Peoria (Ill.) Journal-Star:

"Gas prices will have an impact, but the travel forecast is positive," said Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, in a presentation at the Gateway Building on Tuesday.

…

Kostner unveiled plans the state is offering to draw visitors in 2006 that include providing a $25 Shell gas card to those booking trips on the state's Web site, www.enjoyillinois.com

…

Illinois tourism efforts are also being directed around the world, said Kostner.

"Illinois is the sixth most popular state for overseas visitors with over 1 million visitors last year, up by 18 percent over 2004," she said.

"We're working on a huge promotion in London with the movie, 'Cars' (an animated film to be released Friday) that promotes Route 66."

And in Washington Post writer Steve Mufson's story about the impact of gas prices on people's lives made these interesting observations:

In 1982, people in Boston waged a campaign to save a neon Citgo sign over Fenway Park's left-field wall that the company wanted to take down. After the city's landmarks commission intervened and a Boston Globe editorial said the sign was worthy of a "museum collection of modern art or technology," the company was persuaded to preserve the icon.

People feel so affectionate about the oil business of yore that many gasoline stations have been turned into museums, from one in Bo's Hollow, Mo., to what was once the corner of the Del Rio Canadian Road (83) and Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, where, in the 1930s,

"Route 66 has an enduring appeal, like Elvis," said Jay Firsching, an architect who led the effort to restore the building. "People love the allure and legacy of Route 66, and they will travel across it as a hobby." He said he's seen caravans of motorcycles or Corvettes stop there. (Other nearby sites include an old, leaning water tower and Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, where Cadillacs are buried at 40-degree angles.)

But Firsching notes that most people don't stop to gawk at old gasoline stations or anyplace else when they travel these days. "Now it's about getting to destinations as fast as possible without stopping to look," he said. Americans still travel to sightsee, but more often they are driving as part of the grind of everyday commuting. And thanks to the style of real estate development over the past 20 years, they're doing more commuting than ever.

In other words, slow down and enjoy the scenery, folks. You'll enjoy yourselves more, and get better gas mileage to boot.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that more people have volunteered to help with the Route 66 Days in Strafford, Mo. A firm date hasn't been set, but they're shooting for the second Saturday in September.

The festival also has a Web site: Strafford66Days.com

Here are more reviews of the movie "Cars":

• The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia says "Cars" is "great fun."
• John Boonstra at the Fairfield County Weekly says it's "smartly written, crackling entertainment."
• Matt Brunson of ConnectSavannah.com in Georgia calls it "a paean to Route 66."
• The Varsity Web site of New Zealand says "Pixar has done it again."
• The Critics Tomatometer at RottenTomatoes.com has dropped a bit to a still-high 81 percent with the addition of a couple of mixed reviews late last night. Users, however, have given it a 100 percent rating so far.

Unless I see big movement into negative territory, this probably will be the last "Cars" review roundup I do. There will be literally hundreds of movie reviews published in the next few days, and I won't be able to keep up with them. I will keep an eye on the Tomatometer and watch for the write-up Friday from the dean of American movie critics, Roger Ebert, who's already given the film a "thumbs-up" on the Ebert & Roeper show.

But the trend lines are this — "Cars" is a terrific film, and Pixar has another hit on its hands. "Cars" is probably not as good as "Finding Nemo" or perhaps "The Incredibles." But that's no crime, because both were flat-out great movies. "Cars" is a worthy addition to the Pixar library, and I can't wait to see the extra Route 66 goodies that will come with the DVD later this fall.

In other "Cars" news:

The Detroit News reports that "Cars" merchandise is selling well before the movie's opening.

Red Fork Hippie Chick here, reporting in with a review of the new Cars video game, which we bought this evening.

The game, called "Cars Radiator Springs Adventures," is a kid-friendly piece of software that actually contains 11 games. The main game is the Legends Race, which you cannot hope to win without unlocking the "secret" of each legend. The secret is a meter on your screen that tells you when to shift gears. If you don't have the secret, you can still race, but you have to watch your rpms and kind of guess when to shift. Said shifting bears no resemblance to reality, so forget about applying your stick-shift driving prowess to the game. You really have to get the secret meter to have any luck in the races.

You acquire the secret meters by playing 10 different games in Radiator Springs. The games include:

"Hip-Hop It Up" — Ramone teaches Lightning McQueen to dance. A set of arrows pointing in four directions appears above Ramone's head. They light up in varying patterns, which you then have to repeat to mimic Ramone's dance moves. It's basically a dumbed-down version of the old electronic Simon game, which any self-respecting child of the '80s will surely remember playing.

"Fill 'Er Up" — In this game, the object is to serve customers at Flo's V8 Cafe by remembering their orders. It's similar to Ramone's game, except you have six choices that light up, and it goes faster and requires more effort to remember.

"Doc's Tune-Up" — You have to help Doc Hudson extract pieces of hardware from various cars' tailpipes, which — in the higher levels — start to resemble the highway from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. It's like Operation, except in addition to avoiding the sides of the tailpipe, you have to dodge moving bolts and squirting oil.

"Sarge's Boot Camp" — A pretty straightforward obstacle course.

"Drive-In and Out" — You're stuck in a drive-in parking lot. You have to move the other cars around to clear a path so you can leave. Reminiscent of those old sliding tile games where you have to put a picture back together or put a set of numbers in order.

"Luigi's Fantastico Fun" — You make Guido the forklift run back and forth on the ground, catching the tires that his boss, Luigi, is tossing to him from a shelf high above him. Occasionally, Luigi will chuck a lug wrench, a toolbox, or an anvil at Guido.

"Radiator Springs Curios" — You have to help Lizzie put souvenirs in their proper places on the wall. Kind of a combination memory/shape-sorting game.

"Tow the Line" — Mater practices towing by rounding up cars in the impound lot. He runs around picking up cars, tow hooks, and extra fuel while trying to avoid bumping into the walls or running over his own tail. Vaguely reminiscent of Centipede. (CAUTION: Link has loud video game sounds, so don't click on it if your boss thinks you're doing something productive.)

"Tractor Roundup" — You drive around a field, clicking on tractors to make them fall over, in a manner reminiscent of the tractor-tipping scene from the movie.

"Speed Trap" — You're the Sheriff, and you have to chase speeders while dodging various road hazards and picking up extra fuel along the way. A classic racing-type game in the tradition of Pole Position and the like.

The games all stand on their own, so you can just pick and choose your favorites if you want, but the CD includes special features that encourage you to master all the games. For instance, you can give Lightning McQueen a new paint job by beating your best score on various games. Different colors correspond to different games.

More elaborate win combinations unlock movie clips and image files.

Each game is preceded by a little video clip showing Lightning McQueen and one of the characters discussing the object of the game. The clips are pretty funny and are voiced by the actors from the film.

The game lets you see more of the scenery and more details of various Radiator Springs businesses, which is fun. I'm not sure why they didn't include a Sally-themed game, though. I would have liked to have seen more of the Cozy Cone.

If you're a video-game junkie looking for a challenge … well, this ain't exactly Tomb Raider. But it's a nice nostalgia trip for thirtysomething grownups, and it would make a great birthday present for your favorite rugrat. It's available in a wide array of formats, including Mac and PC versions. We bought our copy for about $20 at Toys R Us. It came with a free coupon to see a matinee of the movie.

I found him. And appropriately enough, he’s buried in a cemetery just yards from the Mother Road.

The deceased person I’m referring to is Cyrus S. Avery. He’s acknowledged as “the Father of Route 66.” A Pennsylvania native, Avery moved to Oklahoma as a teenager. He became a successful businessman and grew especially involved with improving the nation’s roads. As a major player in regional and national highway associations, he essentially laid out where U.S. 66 would go when it was certified in 1926. This Wikipedia entry encapsulates this history well.

Avery died in 1963, having lived into his 90s. Avery now is held in enough esteem that the annual National Historic Route 66 Federation’s banquet had a preservation award named for him. The historic art deco 11th Street Bridge in Tulsa also was renamed for Avery.

However, when a reader a few weeks ago asked me where Avery was buried, I was stumped. The two biggest Oklahoma Route 66 authorities I knew, Michael Wallis and Jim Ross, weren’t sure. But I knew where I could find out. Through a third party, Avery’s granddaughter Joy informed me where he was buried.

Cyrus Avery is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, the second-oldest cemetery in Tulsa and one of the largest. Avery’s grave-site is rock-throwing distance from Admiral Place, which is the earliest alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa County.

Cyrus’ final resting place is marked by a modest, ground-level stone in a plot with about 10 other Averys. It looks a lot like the other stones in the vicinity, but this one had a couple of toadstools growing out of the ground. It’s almost like Cyrus knew we were coming and signaled in his own way, “Here I am!”

Avery is in the southwest portion of the cemetery, called Graceland. He’s close to one of the car paths, and there’s a large tombstone for another Avery nearby. if you look directly south from there, you’ll see Dong’s Gun and Archery store on Admiral Place.

However, I wouldn’t look for Avery’s grave without assistance. Rose Hill Cemetery is huge; more than 35,000 people buried there. Instead, walk into the Rose Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park office at the cemetery’s main entrance. During regular business hours, staff there will help you find the approximate area of the grave and give you helpful maps. Give Avery’s grave location as Graceland-75-9; this will help them narrow it down.

So if you’re passing through Tulsa on a Mother Road trip, you now can make a pilgrimage to the road’s founder. It’s also a nice excuse to cruise and visit one of the cool restaurants on the Admiral Place alignment, including Hank’s Hamburgers, Ike’s Chili House, and Wing’s Hamburgers & Brother Arthur’s Bilalian Fish.

Those driving west to the Route 66 Festival in Albuquerque may want to allow a few more fun hours to their travel schedule.

That's because the Old Route 66 Association in Texas is holding a "Cruisin' to Albuquerque" promotion. You pick up $5 Cruisin' Passports at several locations along Route 66 in the Panhandle, stop at unique places along the way, and become eligible for prizes at the festival. You can cruise at your own pace from now until the festival weekend June 23-25.

Passports are available at:

• U-Drop Inn, Shamrock
• Devil's Rope Museum, McLean
• Big Texan restaurant, Amarillo
• Cattleman's Cafe, 3801 E. Amarillo Blvd., Amarillo
• Blue Gator, 2903 W. Sixth Ave., Amarillo
• Oldham County Chamber of Commerce, Vega
• Midpoint Cafe, old Route 66, Adrian 

For information, call the association at (806) 267-2828 or (806) 658-4796.