McKinley Bridge opens to bicycles and pedestrians

The McKinley Bridge, which is part of an old Route 66 alignment that connects Venice, Ill., to St. Louis, opened to bicycle and pedestrian traffic on Saturday, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. More details: The bikeway is the newest addition to a 600-mile network of recreational paths the Great Rivers Greenway District calls the River … Continue reading McKinley Bridge opens to bicycles and pedestrians

Notes from the road

There is a "Route 66, Season 1, Vol. 1" DVD set on sale at eBay that is autographed by "Route 66" co-star George Maharis. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Ivanhoe Elementary School in Los Angeles. California artist Anthony Ross recently posted a blog item about his exhibit last year at Redlands Community College in … Continue reading Notes from the road

Cyclist will test her recovery after accident

On Sunday, Amy Mack and about 40 other cyclists are embarking on a 3,400-mile ride from Los Angeles to Boston, part of it on old Route 66. That's a remarkable enough quest. But Mack is doing it three years after she was nearly killed in a biking accident, reports the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette: Thrown more … Continue reading Cyclist will test her recovery after accident

County seeks money for Route 66 bike trail

Here's an interesting item from the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph about the McLean County Board meeting on Tuesday: Also at its meeting, the County Board voted unanimously to apply for $2.4 million in federal grant money to turn the abandoned sections of Old Route 66 near Funks Grove into a bike trail. Total cost of the … Continue reading County seeks money for Route 66 bike trail

Tour of Missouri bicycle event will include Route 66

The 2008 Tour of Missouri cycling event on Sept. 8-14 will include stretches of Route 66, including the towns of Rolla, Lebanon, Springfield, St. James and St. Louis as host cities. It appears that Stage 4, which goes 105 miles from Lebanon to Rolla, makes use of the Mother Road extensively. Here's the news release … Continue reading Tour of Missouri bicycle event will include Route 66

McKinley Bridge reopens to traffic Monday

If you want to finally drive Route 66 over the Mississippi River to St. Louis, you'll finally have your chance after about 3 p.m. Monday. The Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat reports that the McKinley Bridge, which was closed since 2001 for much-needed repairs, will open at mid-afternoon Monday at the latest. The 1910 bridge carried an … Continue reading McKinley Bridge reopens to traffic Monday

Firefighter finishes ride across America

Laddie Williams, the firefighter who was bicycling across America (including Route 66) to raise money for the surviving relatives of nine firefighters who died in a furniture store blaze, finished his trek. The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., reports: After dodging a snake in Oklahoma, a vicious dog in Arkansas and a hit-and-run driver … Continue reading Firefighter finishes ride across America

Death of a cyclist

The Alibi, an alternative newspaper in Albuquerque, tries to piece together the scant facts about an accident on Route 66 in nearby Tijeras that killed an area cyclist, James Quinn, 27. I'd heard about the accident weeks ago, but information was infernally sketchy. Even now, the sheriff still hasn't released an accident report, the vehicle's … Continue reading Death of a cyclist

Still riding

The Daily Oklahoman caught up with Laddie Williams, who's cycling east across the country to raise money for the families of nine firefighters who died in a furniture store fire in Charleston, S.C. He was in Oklahoma City on Monday, and had raised $6,000 to $7,000 so far. Williams' site is here; information on how … Continue reading Still riding

Cyclist takes Route 66 for fallen firemen

I stumbled upon this report from an Albuquerque television station about Laddie Williams of Augusta, Ga., who's cycling east across the U.S.A., including Route 66, to raise money for the families of nine firefighters who died in a blaze in Charleston, S.C., in June. It was the worst loss of life for firefighters since the … Continue reading Cyclist takes Route 66 for fallen firemen