President Barack Obama today will name three national monuments in the California desert, including the Mojave Trails National Monument that includes Route 66 from Needles to Ludlow. According to the Associated Press, Obama will announce it today, but multiple news media outlets reported the president's imminent actions just before midnight Central time Thursday. The designation, where the president will invoke the 1906 … Continue reading President to designate Mojave Trails National Monument today
Category: Attractions
Cool Springs Camp needs a caretaker
The caretaker at Cool Springs Camp on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman, Arizona, is retiring soon, and the owner is looking for someone to replace him. Owner Ned Leuchtner said he's looking for someone to run the gift shop, deal with vendors and possibly "ramp up" sales on Cool Springs Camp's website. The current … Continue reading Cool Springs Camp needs a caretaker
Feds urge grant for Albuquerque Rapid Transit plan
The Federal Transit Administration on Tuesday urged approval of a $69 million federal grant to convert the center of nine miles of Albuquerque's Central Avenue (aka Route 66) into a bus system called Albuquerque Rapid Transit. The Albuquerque Journal and other media outlets confirmed the FTA's recommendation, which was expected since Mayor Richard Berry championed the … Continue reading Feds urge grant for Albuquerque Rapid Transit plan
The ghosts of Tom Joad
Below the new and idyllic Route 66 Roadside Park in Springfield, Missouri, a campground for the homeless has sprung up in recent months. KYTV in Springfield talked to Heather Cooper, one of the homeless there: "I have post traumatic stress disorder with traumatic nightmares. I've got stage one bipolar, stage one manic depressive illness, which is … Continue reading The ghosts of Tom Joad
Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum set to open by March
The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, will have a soft opening in late March and an official opening June 1, according to Richard Holmes, president of the nonprofit museum. The museum at 13 Sahoma Lake Road, just off Route 66 on Sapulpa's west side, will feature a 66-foot-tall, old-style gasoline pump that … Continue reading Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum set to open by March
Oklahoma Land Run marker remains broken after two years
A marker on Route 66 that tells of one of Oklahoma's historic land runs remains unrepaired about two years after someone broke it. KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City reports that, as usual, the problem is a lack of money: The Run of 89 East Boundary marker sits near the corner of Route 66 and North Indian Meridian. The … Continue reading Oklahoma Land Run marker remains broken after two years
Mojave Trails National Monument order expected soon
A declaration of a Mojave Trails National Monument that would include almost all of Route 66 from Needles to Barstow, California, is coming within days, according to a lengthy article by the San Francisco Chronicle. For six years, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has tried to get such a Mojave Trails National Monument designation through Congress, but … Continue reading Mojave Trails National Monument order expected soon
Laurel Kane, matriarch of Afton Station, dies
Laurel Kane, 69, matriarch of the Afton Station visitors center on Route 66 in Afton, Oklahoma, died Thursday from a short illness as the result of a fall at her home in Tulsa earlier in the week, according to her former husband, David Kane. David Kane said by phone Laurel died peacefully with him, her daughter and longtime … Continue reading Laurel Kane, matriarch of Afton Station, dies
Decade-old Cars film still draws tourists to Route 66
In a few months, the Disney-Pixar animated Cars film will mark its 10th anniversary. Because of its setting included the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs, the film brought several years' worth of new tourists to the real Route 66. Based on Route 66 News' steady and solid traffic over the years with the story about the … Continue reading Decade-old Cars film still draws tourists to Route 66
Final 2015 report of Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative panel released
The steering committee of the Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative last week issued a final report of what it did in 2015 and what it hopes to carry out in 2016. You can read the entire 13-page report here. The committee's goals sprang from a series of workshops held in several Route 66 states … Continue reading Final 2015 report of Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative panel released