Dale Bakke, a co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, during a crucial time for the Route 66 landmark's preservation, died Jan. 4, a month short of his 61st birthday. Dale Bakke and his wife, Hilda, bought the motel in 1999, not long after owner Gene Shelton bought it from its longtime matriarch, Lillian Redman. … Continue reading Former co-owner of Blue Swallow Motel dies
Category: Motels
Mural will be added to Chelsea pedestrian tunnel
A mural that will portray the history of Chelsea, Oklahoma, will be painted on the pedestrian tunnel that goes under Route 66 in the town, reported The Daily Progress of nearby Claremore, Oklahoma. Artist Ken Hollingshead of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, has been preparing the walls of the tunnel. It will be closed for about a month as he's … Continue reading Mural will be added to Chelsea pedestrian tunnel
Book review: “2 for $6 on Route 66”
If you want to know what it's like to run a motel on the Mother Road, Debra Whittington's "2 for $6 on Route 66" provides a vivid glimpse. Specifically, the book (140 pages, self-published, soft cover, $10) offers a glimpse from behind the desk of the now-gone Pony Soldier Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The Whittington … Continue reading Book review: “2 for $6 on Route 66”
Fire damages Wildorado motel
A suspected electrical fire Tuesday destroyed much of the Royal Inn, one of the original Route 66 businesses in Wildorado, Texas, reported the Amarillo Globe-News. The first call came into Oldham County Sheriff’s Office at 9:48 a.m. and the fire was not under control until 2 p.m. Firefighters continued to douse hotspots at the motel … Continue reading Fire damages Wildorado motel
A glimpse of Route 66 in Villa Ridge in 1994
Dan Uscian recently uploaded video footage from 1994 of three Route 66 business in near Villa Ridge, Missouri -- the Tri-County Truck Stop, the Gardenway Motel and the Diamonds restaurant. https://youtu.be/DeHqJ70YEc8 The Diamonds and Gardenway are closed. The Tri-County Truck Stop closed for several years, but was reborn this year as the Diamonds Trading Post auction … Continue reading A glimpse of Route 66 in Villa Ridge in 1994
Did Honda rip off an image from Roy’s of Amboy?
Honda is airing an advertisement for its Happy Honda Day Sales Event for 2016. A former caretaker for Roy's in Amboy, California, says the carmaker appropriated an image of the Route 66 landmark in animated footage for the spot. Watch the ad about the nine-second mark. Those who've traveled Route 66 may see something that … Continue reading Did Honda rip off an image from Roy’s of Amboy?
Photo at Roy’s in Amboy freaks out Internet
A chunk of the Internet is scandalized or even terrified over what appears to be a lot of blood splattered over the inside of one of the rooms of a long-closed motel at Roy's in Amboy, California. A Reddit user on a Route 66 trip photographed the motel building from behind a fence and apparently didn't notice the motel room … Continue reading Photo at Roy’s in Amboy freaks out Internet
The glow of El Vado
Maybe by the year 2017, we'll get to see this again. Dan Uscian recently uploaded footage from June 1994 when the neon tubing of the historic El Vado Motel along Route 66 in Albuquerque still glowed brightly, including its memorably designed sign. https://youtu.be/gKxg7BUSLX0 No one has seen this sight in more than a decade. A developer … Continue reading The glow of El Vado
Pony Soldier Motel sign in Tucumcari removed
The big Pony Soldier Motel sign, the last vestige of a Route 66 motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, demolished years ago, was dismantled this week for a new business project on the site. A photo of the sign's dismantling was posted Thursday on the Tucumcari and Quay County Then and Now page on Facebook. Several readers on … Continue reading Pony Soldier Motel sign in Tucumcari removed
Double-homicide in Tucumcari finally gets resolution
A double-homicide in a motel room along Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico, in 2011 finally reached a sort of conclusion when the suspect pleaded no-contest to second-degree murder Tuesday. According to the Quay County Sun newspaper, Muziwokuthula Madonda, a native of South Africa, shot to death Tucumcari residents Gabriel Baca, 37, and Bobby Gonzales, … Continue reading Double-homicide in Tucumcari finally gets resolution