Disclosure: I'm not a big car nut. Sure, I learned during my years on the farm to change the oil, keep an eye on the gauges and how to use starter fluid into cold diesel engines. But if someone talked about a Gremlin, I'd relate to the little monsters in the Steven Spielberg film, not … Continue reading Book review: “The Big Book of Car Culture”
Category: History
Texaco memorabilia on display in Oklahoma
Jim Conard has donated his extensive collection of Texaco memorabilia to the Dobson Museum and Library of Miami, Okla., a block off Route 66. According to the Chevron Retirees Association's newsletter, Conard, who now lives near Atlanta, had quite a personal history with Route 66 in northwestern Oklahoma: The display is in that locale because … Continue reading Texaco memorabilia on display in Oklahoma
Mystery of the marker
Holy cow. I didn't even know the Los Angeles area even had one of these. The folks at Curbed LA wondered what this stone marker (photo can be seen on link) was in Pasadena. A city worker provided the answer: "You posted a while back about a 3' tall concrete marker on PCC property in … Continue reading Mystery of the marker
Michael Wallis news
I met up with author Michael Wallis and a few other longtime roadies for lunch Friday at Ollie's Station in Tulsa. Wallis had a few interesting announcements to make: His book "Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride" has been optioned for a film. It will star Haley Joel Osment, who is famed for his child … Continue reading Michael Wallis news
For sale: Microsoft’s old digs
Microsoft, as just about anyone who owns a computer knows, is one of the biggest companies in the world. Did you know it has a connection to Route 66, albeit peripheral? Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in an office building barely a block off Route 66 in Albuquerque, at 6320 Linn … Continue reading For sale: Microsoft’s old digs
Putting back the neon
Dwayne of New Zealand posted a bunch of videos weeks ago from his summer Route 66 trip, but I missed this one. Here, he talks to Bill Kinder, co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., as he's about to install new neon lighting in July. The previous neon was destroyed by a severe … Continue reading Putting back the neon
Route 66 museum coming to Carthage courthouse
This has been in the works for a while, but appears a Route 66 museum will be installed at the historic Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage, Mo., by sometime next year, according to the Carthage Press. Eric Kellstadt, senior transportation planner with the Joplin office of the Missouri Department of Transportation, said MoDOT auditors and … Continue reading Route 66 museum coming to Carthage courthouse
Mohawk Lodge Indian Store
Although Mohawk Lodge Indian Store in Clinton, Okla., didn't start business on Route 66, its founding predates the historic road by several decades and even Oklahoma statehood. Located at 22702 Route 66 North just east of Clinton, Mohawk Lodge has been there since about 1940. But the American Indian craft store's origin dates to Colony, … Continue reading Mohawk Lodge Indian Store
“Route 66 Tour, Part 1”
A YouTube poster who calls himself/herself "Route 66 Tour" has posted the first segment of what appears to be well-produced documentary series about Route 66: I'm not 100 percent positive, but I think the segment comes from this five-DVD box set, titled "Route 66: The Marathon Tour."
Book review: “Greetings from the Lincoln Highway”
When best-selling author Michael Wallis and award-winning photographer Michael Williamson were doing field research for their book, "The Lincoln Highway," they used Brian Butko's 2005 volume, "Greetings from the Lincoln Highway" ($29.95, Stackpole Books, 288 pages), as one of their key references. Butko even embarked a bit of a mirror book tour when Wallis and … Continue reading Book review: “Greetings from the Lincoln Highway”