He has Alzheimer's disease. She has a serious case of cancer and has stopped taking the treatments. He's driving the family's late-1970s RV. She's riding shotgun and popping pain pills. He's subject to outbursts of anger and confusion. She's cynical and wistful. The elderly couple is going down Route 66 for a final vacation together. … Continue reading Book review: “The Leisure Seeker”
Author: Ron Warnick
I'm the editor and publisher of Route 66 News, a clearinghouse of events, information, and entertainment pertaining to historic U.S. 66, the Mother Road.
Pedal to the metal
This version of "Route 66," starring pedal steel guitarist Herby Wallace, will probably please some Western swing or country fans out there. Scat singing is Ben Brogdon.
Hometown of Castle Car Wash eyed for preservation
The unique Castle Car Wash building on Ogden Avenue, aka Route 66, in the Chicago suburb of North Lawndale has recently become the target of preservationists. Now, according to the Chicago Tribune, other parts of Lawndale are being considered as important historic sites, and the car-wash building is now considered a catalyst in the effort: … Continue reading Hometown of Castle Car Wash eyed for preservation
The mother of sucker traps, Part 2
Here's the second part of Car and Driver magazine columnist Patrick Bedard's interview with a longtime gas station owner on Route 66 in Williams, Ariz., and the car-repair scams that his employees foisted on the public for decades. An excerpt: My mind leaps to the possibilities. (“Sir, your radiator is leaking real bad!”) It would … Continue reading The mother of sucker traps, Part 2
“Big Fat Stupid SUV”
Bill Burnett's song here has Route 66 content near the end. Lyrics are here.
My, how times have changed
Today, "Route 66 Backroads" author Jim Hinckley sent me a link to a 1949 edition of the Negro Motorist Green Book. The guidebook says it provides a "list of hotels, boarding houses, restaurants, beauty shops, barber shops and various other services can most certainly help solve your travel problems. It was the idea of Victor … Continue reading My, how times have changed
“I have a dream”
NOTE: I posted this two years ago. Now, with a black man about to become president of the United States, it's worth looking at again. This is the full version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. So what does King have to do with Route 66? Well, there's this … Continue reading “I have a dream”
“House of the Rising Sun” in Baxter Springs?
The answer to the question: Sort of. The story behind this is complicated. So bear with me. I just finished reading Ted Anthony's excellent 2007 book, "Chasing the Rising Sun," which traces the tangled and twisted origins of the famous song, "House of the Rising Sun." It's nearly certain that you've heard the tune. But … Continue reading “House of the Rising Sun” in Baxter Springs?
An online rest stop
Douglas Knight, a photographer based in Amarillo, Texas, has alerted me to his new Route 66 Rest Stop site. It's a place for him to display his photographs from Route 66 and to sell them. He's also selling keychains, magnets, bookmarks and other merchandise. His stuff also is being sold at the National Route 66 … Continue reading An online rest stop
Suicide Bridge
The LAist has a story about the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, Calif., which once carried Route 66 on the way to Los Angeles. Here's a startling fact about the 1913 bridge that gives it its nickname: Six years after the construction the first suicide took place, and it is now estimated that more than … Continue reading Suicide Bridge