Award-winning filmmaker Lauren Cardillo always wanted to do a documentary about Route 66, but was having trouble thinking of an original angle in which to shoot it.

Then she realized that her mother, Irene, was born in 1926 — the same year the Mother Road was certified. So mother and daughter hit the road together.

The result of that trip is the documentary “The Mother Road,” which is set to air on PBS television stations in August. To find the station in your area, go to the PBS station finder here. From there, you should be able to find broadcast times and dates. I’ve also had good luck finding listings with the TV Guide Web site.

According to the news release about the documentary:

A role reversal on the traditional family road trip, the mother-daughter team hit all the tourist sites, but also chatter along the way, as women do, about the issues of aging in today’s world. They also reflect on the many parallels between the Mother Road and Irene’s journey through life — the pot holes, the unexpected dips and turns, the exciting side trips — and reflect on the memories that made the journey worthwhile. Like most mothers and daughters, Irene and Lauren, both native New Yorkers, enjoy a feisty relationship where nothing is held back and every grudge remembered! [...]

The film also tells the behind-the-scenes story that Cardillo and many other baby boomers face each and every day: dealing with aging parents as they themselves are entering middle age. In Cardillo’s case, she chose to position her own mother-daughter journey through life against the backdrop of a national treasure that has, like the boomer generation, stood the test of time.

And here are some of the places where Lauren and Irene stopped:

Among the places featured in the documentary are the start of Route 66 in Chicago; Ted Drewes’ ice cream stand and the Red Cedar Inn in Missouri;, the Ribbon Road, the Blue Whale and the Coleman Theatre in Oklahoma; the Cadillac Ranch in Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Oatman and the Grand Canyon in Arizona; and the end of the pavement on the California Coast in Santa Monica.

It sounds really promising. I’ll be able to watch the documentary this weekend. I’ll report back later.

The historic Bent Door along old Route 66 in Adrian, Texas, has been closed for years. However, a couple purchased the property on July 21, and they say they’re committed to reopening it as a diner / malt shop again.

Linda Drake of the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce helped put me in touch with new owners Roy and Ramona Kiewert of Nacogdoches, Texas. The Kiewerts e-mailed me on what they plan to do with it.

Our plans for the Bent Door will be a 1950s diner/ malt shop on the southeast corner with a patio out back for outside dining, with a transportation theme combined with the history of the Bent Door.

The souvenirs and groceries will be located on the front west end of the building.

The garage area, when completed, will house some history about the transportation use of Route 66 — from the dirt trail that once was to the Mother Road to what it is today. [...]

The World War II control tower area will contain Texas tourist information. We are hoping to encourage the Interstate 40 travelers into Adrian, Texas, there to boost the economy of all the businesses in town.

The Kiewerts told me they are planning on June 1, 2007, as the Bent Door’s opening day. A grand opening would be scheduled later that summer.

The Kiewerts also said they would start a Web site about the Bent Door, and would keep us apprised on the progress of renovations. So stay tuned.

History online of the Bent Door is scant. I found this on, of all things, on a Web site for a Best Western hotel in nearby Vega:

The Bent Door was a unique 24-hour Route 66 cafe, souvenir shop and gas station. Never officially named the “Bent Door Cafe”, it came to be called that because of the doors and windows that were purchased from an Army Air Force Base after WWII where they had served as part of the control tower. It was a bustling business during the hey-day of Route 66 and has many heart-warming stories. Even as it stands vacant, many people stop to reminisce and take pictures of the building.

(Photo of the Bent Door from the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce.)

A work day has been set to help owner Alan McNeil rehab the long-shuttered Triangle Motel in Amarillo, Texas.

The work day is Saturday, Aug. 19, with work beginning between 7 and 7:30 a.m. You’ll not only be doing a good deed, but you’ll be able to see a historic property up close. The motel is at 7954 Amarillo Blvd.

I won’t make it because of my work schedule, but I know that at least one member of Friends of the Mother Road will attend. I’m certain a few folks from the Texas Old Route 66 Association will be there, too. But the work day is open to anyone who wants to lend a hand.

For more about renovating the Triangle, go here. You can also read Route 66 News archives about the motel here.