The resurrection of Old Route 66 as a tourist attraction has spawned smaller, but no less enthusiastic, efforts to revitalize other historic two-lane roads. U.S. 50, the Lincoln Highway and the National Road are examples of this. It looks like U.S. 27 is being added to the list. According to the The Morning Sun of … Continue reading Let’s hear it for Old 27
Category: Highways
Meeting of the minds
Logan County (Ill.) Tourism director Geoff Ladd and Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project historian Carl Johnson joined forces on Thursday to try to find all of the obscure alignments of the Mother Road through Lincoln, Ill., reported the Lincoln Courier. Talk about a dynamic duo -- Ladd has already proved his worth in a short … Continue reading Meeting of the minds
Cyber-driving
This Associated Press article touts a bunch of Web sites for people who want to take a virtual road trip down Route 66 and other historic highways if they can't do the real thing. Many of these sites have already been linked here, but a few interesting finds turned up: StateEnds.com has a group of … Continue reading Cyber-driving
Road to Albuquerque was a “joke”
It's hard to believe now, but from 1926 until 1937, driving Route 66 from eastern New Mexico to Albuquerque was hardly a straight line. Near Santa Rosa, one had to drive north to Santa Fe, then drop southward, following a mostly parallel path of the Rio Grande, to the Duke City. The Free New Mexican … Continue reading Road to Albuquerque was a “joke”
The summit of La Bajada Hill
Even though video can never quite do it justice, this 360-degree clip from the summit of La Bajada Hill gives you an inkling of what this primitive alignment of Route 66 is like. For a more Route 66-oriented viewpoint, go here. The road on La Bajada was Route 66 from 1926 to 1932. It contains … Continue reading The summit of La Bajada Hill
Historic Highways blog launched
The Historic Highways blog has been online only about a week, but I like it a lot already. Dave Eames of Kansas City, formerly of Tulsa, collects roadside memorabilia, including from Route 66. He seems to favor stuff from the '40s, '50s and '60s, which isn't a bad thing. The image above is from a … Continue reading Historic Highways blog launched
New “Cars” video game being produced
Author and Route 66 expert Michael Wallis, who portrayed the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the hit Disney-Pixar movie "Cars," provided some interesting news to me this week via e-mail: This week I spent several hours in studio recording a brand new CARS video game featuring the Sheriff, Mater, Lightning and many of the other … Continue reading New “Cars” video game being produced
Odds and ends
It's a slow news day, so I'm going to clear my plate of some items that are a bit more peripheral to Route 66, if no less interesting. "You Think Your Roads Are Bad" Department: Tim Steil sent me this link about the The Most Dangerous Roads in the World. Included are Bolivia's "Road of … Continue reading Odds and ends
Old Chain of Rocks Bridge closes parking lot
In a column by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Matthew Hathaway, we learn that Trailnet, which runs the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects a pedestrian/biking trail from north St. Louis to Madison, Ill., is closing a parking lot on the Missouri side of the river indefinitely because of vandalism to vehicles there. In an … Continue reading Old Chain of Rocks Bridge closes parking lot
Route 66 makes Readers’ Choice Awards
Southern Living magazine cited the Mother Road during its annual Readers' Choice Awards: The Blue Ridge Parkway, in Asheville, N.C., the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tupelo, Miss., and the portions of Route 66 that run through Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas were named best scenic routes by readers, while editors picked The Bluegrass in Lexington, Ky. … Continue reading Route 66 makes Readers’ Choice Awards