Bob Audette, 85, a longtime booster of Route 66 in New Mexico who was born about the same time the Mother Road was federally certified in 1926, died on March 19, according to an obituary at Riverside Funeral Home in Albuquerque. According to the funeral home, cremation will take place, and no services are planned. In … Continue reading New Mexico Route 66 advocate Bob Audette dies
Category: History
A tour of La Fonda
This video, made a few months ago, shows the history and attractions of La Fonda on the Plaza hotel in Santa Fe, N.M., as well as anything I've seen. https://youtu.be/orNBB0No4nI La Fonda sits just a few feet away from the 1926-37 alignment of Route 66, where the Old Santa Fe Trail meets Water Street.
Giving up one Mother Road to emphasize another
I sure would have hated to have been the reporter who had to construct this story in The Herald-News in Joliet, Ill.: The city council last week voted to de-designate Route 59 as it runs through Joliet as part of the Route 66 National Scenic Byway. Instead, the city resolution approved by the council emphasizes … Continue reading Giving up one Mother Road to emphasize another
On the trail of Woody Guthrie
Traveling from Tulsa to a show in the Texas Panhandle town of Pampa, musician Arlo Guthrie -- the son of folk music legend Woody Guthrie -- made this observation to a reporter from the Los Angeles Times: Speaking from the shotgun seat on his 1989 tour bus, Arlo said the passing scenes reinforced one of … Continue reading On the trail of Woody Guthrie
The Rock Cafe, circa 2009
Here's a video shot in 2009 by Channeling Media when it was pitching Dawn Welch and her Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., for a possible Food Network show. It was about a year after the historic Route 66 restaurant was gutted by a fire and rebuilt. The cable channel passed on the idea, but Welch … Continue reading The Rock Cafe, circa 2009
Ostrich farm led to a stretch of Route 66
A small section of Sunset Boulevard (aka Route 66) in the Echo Park neighborhood in Los Angeles is lined with sandstone bluffs. That "cut" dates to an 1887 railroad line to an ostrich farm. No kidding. This video explains: https://youtu.be/szlrNfuRVb0 If you'd like to explore it yourself, here's a Google Map of the location. The … Continue reading Ostrich farm led to a stretch of Route 66
Mitchell Caverns vandalized after state closes it
Mitchell Caverns, part of the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area in Southern California's Mojave Desert, was extensively vandalized after it was closed last spring due to state budget cuts, reported the Los Angeles Times. The Times reported: Intruders cut fences, kicked doors off of hinges and shattered windows and display cases. They stole metal signs and … Continue reading Mitchell Caverns vandalized after state closes it
A rare treat
Rich Dinkela, fresh off his prize money of free gasoline for a year from Phillips 66, found a way to get to the long-abandoned Painted Desert Trading Post, on an old and forlorn stretch of Route 66 in eastern Arizona. https://youtu.be/FfyLiT1KrGQ This old section of the Mother Road has been rendered inaccessible by a gate … Continue reading A rare treat
“John Steinbeck: Voice of America”
If you have some time to kill, I highly recommend you watch this well-produced and thought-provoking one-hour segment by the BBC. The program deals with the life of John Steinbeck, author of "The Grapes of Wrath." Naturally, it's got plenty of Route 66-related content. https://youtu.be/xDL5T8IuMvw
Queen of the Southwest
KBAQ radio in Phoenix has been broadcasting a series titled "Hearing the Century: Voices of Arizona's Arts Past and Present" during the state's centennial. A recent broadcast focused on early 20th-century architect Mary Colter, widely recognized as one of the greatest of the Southwest. A longtime architect and designer for the Fred Harvey Company, Colter's … Continue reading Queen of the Southwest