The remnants of Tropical Storm Erin were hard on the ol' Mother Road in at least one spot this week. According to the Lebanon (Mo.) Daily Record: A portion of Route 66, west of the Gasconde River is missing after Monday’s flooding when the culverts that normally allowed water to flow through with each were … Continue reading Storms wash out part of Route 66
Category: Highways
Notes from the road
We discovered that Wings Hamburgers and Brother Arthur's Bililian Fish at 3409 E. Admiral in Tulsa has closed. There will be an auction at 10 a.m. Saturday to sell off the contents -- including a slew of collectibles -- of the recently shuttered Hillbillee's Cafe and Bed and Breakfast in Arcadia, Okla. More details from … Continue reading Notes from the road
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”
Time to check those bridges
In the wake of the horrific Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, nervous traffic officials across the country are fanning out to check bridges in an effort to ensure a similar tragedy doesn't occur. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that one of the structurally deficient bridges in Missouri is on Route 66: One of those … Continue reading Time to check those bridges
Pointed questions mark Missouri 266 relocation hearing
The Missouri Department of Transportation wants to relocate Missouri Highway 266 a few hundred feet north so it can better accommodate Springfield-Branson National Airport. However, a lot of residents at a public hearing on Monday questioned whether relocating the highway was cost-effective compared to widening the existing one, reported the Springfield News-Leader. Those skeptics included … Continue reading Pointed questions mark Missouri 266 relocation hearing
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
Good news about Devil’s Elbow bridge
The Waynesville (Mo.) Daily Guide reports that Pulaski County Commissioner Bill Farnham appears to have been successful in persuading the state Department of Transportation to repair the old Route 66 bridge that leads into the village of Devil's Elbow. State financing is only one $250,000 piece of a multi-part financing package totaling $1.46 million that, … Continue reading Good news about Devil’s Elbow bridge
Living link to Route 66’s early history
The Portales News-Tribune in New Mexico scored an interview with a man who actually helped build Route 66. The man is Elmer Jones. He is 95 years old. He is the only member left from Portales' Class of 1931. As a young man in Childress, Texas, Jones, with his brother Allen, drove a team and … Continue reading Living link to Route 66’s early history
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