The Route 66 town of Needles, Calif., hopes that its future includes more railroad tourists after its historic Harvey House, El Garces, is restored by a team that refurbished another Harvey House in Winslow, Ariz., reports the Reuters wire service. A number of towns like Needles, which based much of its business on Route 66 … Continue reading Needles hopes for more rail tourism
Month: June 2007
Norwegian motorcycle tour highlights
Trond Moberg regularly guides motorcycle tours down Route 66 for his fellow Norwegians. Here is a 29-minute video of highlights of his 2003 tour.
McKinley Bridge set to reopen this fall
Route 66 travelers going through the St. Louis area received good news over the weekend: The long-closed McKinley Bridge is set to reopen to traffic on Sept. 25, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The bridge, built in 1910 to link St. Louis to Venice, Ill., was closed in 2001 when it became too dangerously … Continue reading McKinley Bridge set to reopen this fall
Driving Route 66 in a moped
Roland Gueffroy currently is driving Route 66 in an unorthodox way -- in a refurbished Swiss postal moped. According to his Web site: Why take a original Swiss postal moped on Route 66? I have been asked this question, albeit in various forms, many times. It’s to be expected that this kind of tour is … Continue reading Driving Route 66 in a moped
Another Harley and Annabelle Experience
Harley and Annabelle Russell of the Sandhills Curiosity Shop in Erick, Okla., perform "Route 66" for a camera-toting tourist. Other videos of Harley and Annabelle's schtick can be found here and here.
The Blue Whale — inside and out
If you never visited the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla., this video provides the next-best thing to being there. The camera operator even provides a rare look inside the whale's second level, in the head. For more history about the Blue Whale, go here, here and here.
Route 66 Bike Trail kickoff
This article by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the first I've seen since the Route 66 Bike Trail-Breaking event in Illinois on Saturday. The article also provides hints on the trail's potential popularity and its possible future: Marla Gursh, a trails planner for the department, said at the event in Edwardsville that the bike trails … Continue reading Route 66 Bike Trail kickoff
Former Best Western Trade Winds motel owner dies
On Saturday, I received word from prominent Route 66 author Michael Wallis that Walter "Doc" Mason, former owner of the fabled Best Western Trade Winds Motor Hotel in Clinton, Okla., has died. The Trade Winds is best-known for hosting Elvis Presley for at least four overnight stays during his occasional cross-country drives from Memphis to … Continue reading Former Best Western Trade Winds motel owner dies
Albuquerque launches new visitors site
Recently, a friend alerted me that the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced it has launched a redesigned Web site. According to the news release: The Albuquerque CVB website integrates several exciting technologies available on the Web today including RSS feeds, PDA Mobile content, online video integration and extensive behind-the-scene content management tools that enable … Continue reading Albuquerque launches new visitors site
Route 66 visitors center holds grand opening
KFJX-TV reports on the grand opening of the new Route 66 Visitors Welcome Center in Carterville, Mo. The building, in an old gas station, contains a souvenir shop, Wi-Fi Internet access and other amenities for those traveling on the Mother Road. The building also serves as Rod Harsh's office for his video production business and … Continue reading Route 66 visitors center holds grand opening