New owner takes over Motel Safari in Tucumcari

Larry Smith, formerly of Knoxville, Tennessee, this week took over ownership of Motel Safari in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Motel Safari posted this Thursday on its Facebook page of now-former owners Richard and Gail Talley, right, doing the ceremonial turning over the motel keys to Smith: The Talleys officially announced the motel was for sale earlier … Continue reading New owner takes over Motel Safari in Tucumcari

Seeing Route 66 from a covered wagon

Ray Hascall of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, dreamed for decades of riding horseback hundreds of miles to visit the area where he grew up in southwestern Missouri. But when the time finally came to do so, Hascall, now 72, compromised a bit and made the round-trip journey of more than 700 miles by horse-drawn covered wagon -- … Continue reading Seeing Route 66 from a covered wagon

More about the reopening of Wrinks Market in Lebanon

KY3 in Springfield, Missouri, recently produced a story about the reopening of the long-closed Wrinks Market along Route 66 in Lebanon, Missouri. The general store closed in 2005 after the death of its founder, Glenn "Wrink" Wrinkle, at age 83. His son, Terry, reopened it for about two years in 2007, but it shuttered again … Continue reading More about the reopening of Wrinks Market in Lebanon

Belgium Route 66 Association launches website, Facebook page

The Historic Route 66 Association of Belgium announced on its new Facebook page Tuesday that it had launched a comprehensive website, as well. The association said on its Facebook page: The aim of the association is to promote Route 66 travel to Belgians and other Europeans by providing information in English, Dutch and French. The … Continue reading Belgium Route 66 Association launches website, Facebook page

More 1990s videos from a Route 66 journey in 1959 Cadillac

Anthony Reichardt has uploaded more videos from when he traveled Route 66 during the early and mid-1990s in a 1959 Cadillac. Reichardt's YouTube channel for the videos is here. The clips are notable for historical reasons, as many of the places he visited have vanished or changed drastically. The first video is when Reichardt and a … Continue reading More 1990s videos from a Route 66 journey in 1959 Cadillac

Route 66 has spawned many “new” places

A reader over the weekend asked me what are some of the "new" businesses or attractions on Route 66 in the past 10 years or so. Naturally, this sort of question sent me down a rabbit hole of research for hours. I set the "new" criteria as the post-"Cars" era -- since the 2006 release … Continue reading Route 66 has spawned many “new” places

Make sure you read the Never Quite Lost blog

Thanks to a Route 66er on Facebook, I stumbled onto the Blue Miller's Never Quite Lost weblog, which takes deep historical dives into assorted landmarks on Route 66. Never Quite Lost -- subtitled "The Road Goes On Forever" -- launched in November 2015. New posts arrive every few months or so, but they almost always … Continue reading Make sure you read the Never Quite Lost blog

Business owners say ART work will hurt Route 66 festival

Businesses along the Nob Hill sector in Albuquerque say next month's Route 66 Summerfest will be hampered by ongoing Albuquerque Rapid Transit construction. In a featured guest column signed by 16 other business owners in the Albuquerque Journal, Stone Mountain Bead Gallery owner Robert Steinberg said a recent article about how crews will be finished with … Continue reading Business owners say ART work will hurt Route 66 festival

Two large chrome chickens coming to Route 66 in Edmond

Two 6-foot-tall chrome chickens will be coming soon to a new restaurant along Route 66 in Edmond, Oklahoma. The Edmond Sun newspaper reports the chrome chickens are manufactured from Harley-Davidson motorcycle exhaust pipes and other components by Rustic Steel Creations in Tampa, Florida. Here are a couple of edited photos of one of the chickens, … Continue reading Two large chrome chickens coming to Route 66 in Edmond

McLean County in Illinois extends Route 66 Bike Trail

The board of McLean County, Illinois, this week voted to extend the Route 66 Bike Trail another 3.25 miles from Shirley, Illinois, to the hamlet of Funks Grove. The current trail runs from Towanda, Illinois, through the Bloomington-Normal metro area to Shirley. The new extension will bring its total length to nearly 19 miles. According … Continue reading McLean County in Illinois extends Route 66 Bike Trail