The Lincoln Highway is not Route 66. Instead of going from Chicago to L.A., it traverses the country from New York City's Times Square to San Francisco. The Lincoln is 1,000 miles longer. And it predates the Mother Road by more than a decade. However, Mother Road aficionados will find a lot to love during … Continue reading Preview: “A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway”
Category: History
Portion of original National Road found
This isn't on Route 66, but still significant for lovers of historic highways. After all, we're talking about the granddaddy of the entire bunch. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: While excavating for construction of a new bridge overpass near the Brownsville Drive-In, PennDOT workers discovered what turned out to be a 200-year-old portion of the original … Continue reading Portion of original National Road found
So how much is the Illinois Route 66 plan going to cost?
The answer: no one knows. But the Chicago Sun-Times group attempts to fish for a few answers regarding an ambitious proposal to enhance the Route 66 experience in Illinois: ... Ambrose said they are continuing to seek state and federal funding. Most recently the group applied to receive a federal grant for $475,000 which would … Continue reading So how much is the Illinois Route 66 plan going to cost?
A Route 66 tribute to St. Louis
St. Louis roadie Joe Sonderman has put together this video tribute to the Mother Road in the Gateway City. A lot of the images come from his postcard collection and the archives of the Missouri Department of Transportation. Most of these photos also can be found in his book, "Route 66 in St. Louis."
Preservation Conference tour heads into Kansas
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe ran into a group from the National Preservation Conference in Tulsa that was touring Oklahoma's eastern end of Route 66, plus the Mother Road in Kansas. Among the sights taken in were the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla.; Afton Station in Afton, Okla.; a stretch of the old 9-foot-wide highway, the … Continue reading Preservation Conference tour heads into Kansas
Notes from the Preservation Conference
I attended a couple of Route 66-related seminars and took a stroll in the exhibition hall on Wednesday during the National Preservation Conference at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa. Here are a few news items that should be of interest to roadies: -- I ran into Albert Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurants … Continue reading Notes from the Preservation Conference
Notes from the Web
The Barstow Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow, Calif., has just announced the opening of its online store. Mother Road items offered by the museum include T-shirts, kitchen collectibles, patches, key chains, jewelry, lapel pins, metal signs and license plates. Go here for your early Christmas shopping. Jeff and Kelly of Vintage Roadside apparel … Continue reading Notes from the Web
Art Deco preview
If y'all are attending the National Preservation Conference in Tulsa next week, here's a video that gives you a taste of the Art Deco architecture that's all over the city. The video contains a number of Route 66 sites, and briefly includes "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis. The video was produced by … Continue reading Art Deco preview
Historic chili house changing owners
Joe Rogers’ Original Recipe Chili Parlor, aka The Den, of Springfield, Ill., is set to gain new owners next month, reports the Springfield Journal-Register. Longtime customers Ric and Rose Hamilton are buying the restaurant from Marianne Rogers, daughter of the restaurant's founder. The Hamiltons pledge to not change a thing. Rogers will start a new … Continue reading Historic chili house changing owners
Notes from the road
Actor Paul Newman, who voiced Doc Hudson in the 2006 Disney-Pixar movie "Cars," died over the weekend. I wanted to contact Route 66 author Michael Wallis, who played the Sheriff and served as a technical adviser in the film, about it but was out of town. Wallis confirmed to me Tuesday that he indeed had … Continue reading Notes from the road