The Topock 66 Spa & Resort project in Topock, Ariz., announced with considerable fanfare more than two years ago, soon will resume construction after long delays, according to an announcement on its Facebook page. Owner Chet Hitt said the first phase of Topock 66 should be finished by March 2013. The announcement read: Many said … Continue reading Topock 66 Spa project resumes after delays
Category: Motels
A glimpse of the Boots Motel’s past
One of the pleasures of a Route 66 restoration or preservation project is you occasionally get a look at the long-ago past. We had that unique opportunity over the Labor Day weekend when Emily (aka Redforkhippie), Ron Hart of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce, and I embarked on a repainting of the historic Boots … Continue reading A glimpse of the Boots Motel’s past
El Trovatore Motel’s owner offering Route 66 tours
Sam Frisher, owner of the recently refurbished El Trovatore Motel in Kingman, Ariz., soon will offer day trips on Route 66 on a bus he purchased, according to Kingman-based writer and roadie Jim Hinckley. Hinckley wrote in an email: The centerpiece is twofold, as it will be a full Route 66 immersion that includes a … Continue reading El Trovatore Motel’s owner offering Route 66 tours
A closer look at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook
A road-tripping family spent the night at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz. The patriarch used his video camera to capture a lot of details about the historic Route 66 motel. https://youtu.be/iZXRtPrHGL8?t=37s
Aztec Hotel renovations will be “challenging”
The city manager for Monrovia, Calif., said the historic Aztec Hotel will undergo a "challenging" renovation in the coming months by its new owners. The report from City Manager Laurie Lile was posted by the Monrovia Patch. The most pertinent part: By all accounts, the future of the Aztec Hotel will be challenging. There are … Continue reading Aztec Hotel renovations will be “challenging”
Motel 6’s Mother Road correspondent
You may remember that Dan Bakst won a Route 66 trip and a bunch of goodies from the Motel 6 chain in a contest. He was required to post his adventures from the road via video and social media. Roadies weren't thrilled that the trip would exclude historic Route 66 motels. But his posts on … Continue reading Motel 6’s Mother Road correspondent
La Fonda soon will undergo renovations
The historic La Fonda Hotel in downtown Santa Fe, N.M., soon will undergo significant interior renovations and make small cosmetic changes to the exterior, reported the Albuquerque Journal. The outside work required approval by the city's Historic Districts Review Board, and it was granted Tuesday. That includes the addition of a small staircase on the southwest … Continue reading La Fonda soon will undergo renovations
Jim Ross wins top award at Victorville Route 66 festival
Story and photos by Elrond Lawrence Jim Ross, the accomplished Route 66 writer, cartographer, speaker and photographer, was honored with the 2012 Will Rogers Award at the International Route 66 Festival awards dinner Saturday at the Green Tree Inn in Victorville, Calif. Ross, who has been exploring, mapping, photographing and writing about the Mother Road … Continue reading Jim Ross wins top award at Victorville Route 66 festival
Longtime owner of Truxton motel and cafe dies
Mildred Barker, longtime co-owner of the Truxton Cafe and Frontier Motel in the Route 66 hamlet of Truxton, Ariz., died Thursday at age 87, according to an obituary today in the Kingman Daily Miner. Ray and Mildred Barker purchased the Truxton cafe and its attached motel in 1957. She and her husband were born in … Continue reading Longtime owner of Truxton motel and cafe dies
A tour of the Wigwam Motel’s lobby
Kumar Patel, operator of the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, Calif., shows the souvenirs, memorabilia, and artifacts that are displayed in the lobby of his historic Route 66 motel: https://youtu.be/GwEhy19cXkQ The old photos of the wigwams when they were being built in the late 1940s are especially fascinating.