Rating high on our wish list is an updated volume of "Roadside America." "New Roadside America," an irreverent but fond look at highway oddities, proved to be a critical influence to us at Route 66 News. The Roadside America site is still going strong, but the dead-tree version hasn't been updated since 1992. Brian and … Continue reading Book review: “Roadside Attractions”
Category: Books
Michael Wallis to appear on “The Colbert Report”
Author Michael Wallis will be interviewed Wednesday by Steven Colbert on The Comedy Channel's "The Colbert Report." Wallis says Colbert wants to discuss Wallis' recently published "The Lincoln Highway" book and other old roads -- presumably Route 66 one of them. Wallis is familiar with Colbert's sly satire, so don't expect him to get ambushed. … Continue reading Michael Wallis to appear on “The Colbert Report”
Book review: “C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race”
C.C. Pyle's First Annual International Transcontinental Foot Race, better known as the Bunion Derby, was a plodding, disorganized event that taxed the health and sanity of the runners and was largely greeted with indifference by the American public. Fortunately, a new book about the race fares much better. Geoff Williams' "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race" … Continue reading Book review: “C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race”
Notes from the road
Dida Zende, an artist based in Berlin, is looking for at least one old gas station along Route 66 to repaint so it resembles a FIT art gallery (above). It would be repainted mostly white, with a bit of red trim and the FIT logo. Zende wants to come do this free of charge in … Continue reading Notes from the road
Book review: “Route 66 in Chicago”
If any person should publish a Route 66 book about the Windy City, David G. Clark is one. And that's what he and Arcadia Publishing have done with "Route 66 in Chicago" ($19.95, 128 pages). However, I would first recommend his other book about the Mother Road. More on that later. ""Route 66 in Chicago" … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 in Chicago”
The expert of Cajon Pass
Mark Muckenfuss of the Inland Press-Enterprise writes a feature about Cajon Pass expert John Hockaday, who has researched the Southern California trail for decades and recently wrote a book, "Trails and Tales of the Cajon Pass," about it. Cajon Pass was a predecessor of Route 66 and, later, Interstate 15. He and his late wife, … Continue reading The expert of Cajon Pass
Book review: “The Lincoln Highway”
Michael Wallis and Michael S. Williamson's new book, "The Lincoln Highway" (320 pages, $39.95), earns the highest praise I can think of: It made me want to jump in the car and see that 3,400-mile historic road for myself. The book, subtitled "Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate," likely will spur … Continue reading Book review: “The Lincoln Highway”
Book about Cajon Pass published
John Hockaday says he's no writer. He says he's just a rancher who became fascinated by Cajon Pass, which passes through his property in Southern California. "I'm just an old construction worker who likes history," he told the San Bernardino County Sun. He must like history a lot. He and his wife began compiling old … Continue reading Book about Cajon Pass published
Motel gets a lift from tourism
This story by the Edwardsville (Ill.) Journal is a case study about how the surge of Route 66 tourism, beginning in the 1990s, has probably helped keep alive many old motels. The motel in question is the Apple Valley Motel in nearby Mitchell, Ill., which dates to the 1940s or '50s and has just 17 … Continue reading Motel gets a lift from tourism
A talk with the Sheriff
The Daily Oklahoman concludes its week-long coverage of Route 66 and the National Route 66 Festival in Clinton, Okla., with an interview with Michael Wallis, author of "Route 66: The Mother Road" and the voice of the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the movie "Cars." The linked page includes an audio file of Wallis' distinctive … Continue reading A talk with the Sheriff