The Route 66 town of Chenoa, Ill., was awarded a $300,000 grant to help convert an aging three-mile stretch of the Mother Road into a bicycle trail, the Bloomington Pantagraph reported. Officials hope the portion of Route 66 will become a part of the Route 66 Bike Trail, from Chicago to St. Louis. U.S. Sen. … Continue reading Grant awarded for Route 66 bike trail
Category: Bicycling
Bicycle ride protests war, oil dependence
A group of veterans is slated to bicycle down Route 66 in Illinois next week to protest the Iraq War and America's dependence on foreign oil, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph. Ride for Peace will make varying stops along the route between the Vietnam Veterans Against the War annual convention in Chicago and the Veterans for … Continue reading Bicycle ride protests war, oil dependence
Veteran completing cross-country bike ride
Ken Rhodes, the Vietnam veteran who was riding a bicycle across the country -- including Route 66 -- to raise money for Iraq War veterans and muscular dystrophy, finishes his trek today, according to the Victorville (Calif.) Daily Press. On his 70th birthday, Rhodes is cycling the final 10 miles to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial … Continue reading Veteran completing cross-country bike ride
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
Riding for charity
Mark Schultz is a platinum-selling and Dove Award-winning Christian musician. Right now, he is undertaking a bicycle tour across America -- part of it on Route 66 -- to raise money for the James Fund to help orphans and widows. The Gallup (N.M.) Independent caught up with him over the weekend. Apparently the bicycle trip … Continue reading Riding for charity
Pedal power
The publicity machine is gearing up for the Route 66 Trail-Breaking along the Route 66 bicycle trail in Illinois on June 2. Here's a story from the Edwardsville Intelligencer about the event. Edwardsville is one of the six gathering points along the route. Here's another one from the Pontiac Daily Leader. Pontiac also is a … Continue reading Pedal power
Trail blazing
The Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat has a story about the "trail-breaking" on June 2 of the new Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis that was fashioned specifically for bicyclists. Six towns along the Mother Road are hosts for segments of the trail. The segments range from 17 to 50 miles, although riders can go … Continue reading Trail blazing
Sad news
You may remember the story of Michelle Thompson, the woman who bicycled Route 66 to raise awareness of oral cancer and raise funds for her ill brother, John Thompson. She pedaled to her brother's house in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Christmas Day, shortly after finishing her trek on the Mother Road. Today, I received word … Continue reading Sad news
Vietnam vet’s bicycle trek begins
Ken Rhodes, the decorated Vietnam veteran whose story was recounted here, began his quest to bicycle across the country -- much of it on Route 66 -- on April 4. The cross-country ride from Santa Monica to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will benefit muscular dystrophy research and raise funds for Iraq war … Continue reading Vietnam vet’s bicycle trek begins
Details emerge on Rolla’s Route 66 Summerfest
According to the Rolla (Mo.) Daily News, the town's Route 66 Summerfest is "getting bigger every year." This year's version is from May 31 to June 2. A special tabloid newspaper detailing the event, with a distribution of more than 20,000 copies, will hit the streets in early May outlining the festival. With the slogan, … Continue reading Details emerge on Rolla’s Route 66 Summerfest