Top of the POPS

A rock band, Dr. Pants, decided to film a video for its song "Sarsaparilla Girl" at POPS on Route 66 in Arcadia, Okla. What's even cooler is that the video was shot entirely with iPhone 4s, using the device's high-definition video capability. The video was shot on Tuesday, and here it is. According to KTUL-TV … Continue reading Top of the POPS

The lost Bob Waldmire interview

Route 66 enthusiast Ron Hart interviewed Mother Road hippie and artist Bob Waldmire for about 30 minutes during the National Route 66 Festival in Clinton, Okla., in 2007. Hart said he'd misplaced the video until recently, and decided to post it online this week. It's a fairly typical (if unpredictable) conversation with Bob that's sometimes … Continue reading The lost Bob Waldmire interview

Accounting the past to plan for the future

This story Monday by the Press-Enterprise explains as well as any the importance behind an ongoing comprehensive study of Route 66 in California. An excerpt: The report can then be used to help property owners apply for state and federal historic grants or listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Rather than each site … Continue reading Accounting the past to plan for the future

Notes from the road

I received word Monday that Betty Courtney, 79, one member of the team that helped form the much-praised 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan., died Sunday. She, along with Melba Rigg, Judy Courtney and Renee Charles, helped lead the charge to take an abandoned gas station on Route 66 in Galena and transform … Continue reading Notes from the road

What’s next for the Blue Whale?

A story about the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla., by KTUL-TV in Tulsa contained the usual angles about the Route 66 icon's colorful history. But it sounds like Jennifer Edwards, the Catoosa Arts & Tourism Council chief, has some new and fresh things in mind for the blue behemoth: Edwards says with a little elbow … Continue reading What’s next for the Blue Whale?

At the drive-in

Joe Williams of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch makes an enjoyable trip up Route 66 to the Skyview Drive-In in Litchfield, Ill., to see the the Steve McQueen classic film, "Bullitt." Apparently Williams owns a 1966 Plymouth Fury. Good for him.

Book review: “Things to Look Out for on Route 66 in St. Louis”

It became apparent while reading Kip Welborn's self-published book that it's not just a guidebook about Route 66 in St. Louis. It's also a love letter to his city. It's that enthusiasm about the Mother Road and his town that lifts "Things to Look Out for on Route 66 in St. Louis" (60 pages, spiral-bound … Continue reading Book review: “Things to Look Out for on Route 66 in St. Louis”

Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum holds soft opening

The Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum on old Route 66 in Warwick, Okla. (west of Chandler) held what amounted to a "soft opening" on Sunday afternoon. The museum opens officially on Monday. Seaba Station was built by John and Alice Seaba as a DX gas station in 1924, two years before Route 66 was certified. Sonny … Continue reading Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum holds soft opening

Interesting data from the Clinton museum

The Daily Oklahoman today posted an article about a report from the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton. The museum and curator Pat Smith provided fascinating data I'd never seen before: The museum greeted 33,000 visitors last year, a record. 35 percent of those visitors came from other countries, and nearly half of those from … Continue reading Interesting data from the Clinton museum

The end … and the beginning

Today, 25 years ago, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials officially decertified U.S. 66 as a federal highway. In essence, U.S. 66 ceased to exist. Although few would have thought so at the time, decertification became a good thing for the Mother Road in the long run. It's a counterintuitive thought, but … Continue reading The end … and the beginning