In recent days, RQV Outdoor Movies has posted video shot during the 2003 International Mother Road Festival in Springfield, Ill. It includes interviews with "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis and "Route 66" TV show co-star Martin Milner, a few years before he became too ill to make public appearances. According to a … Continue reading Memories of a previous Route 66 festival
Category: People
Illinois Route 66 advocate Lenore Weiss dies
Lenore Weiss, a co-winner of the prestigious Steinbeck Award and other preservation honors for work that she and her husband John Weiss did for Route 66 in Illinois, died today after a battle with cancer. She was 63. Lenore had told me some months ago that she had been diagnosed with a serious form of … Continue reading Illinois Route 66 advocate Lenore Weiss dies
An interview with Joe Sonderman
Longtime St. Louis-area roadie Joe Sonderman is interviewed by phone regarding his new book from Arcadia Publishing, "Route 66 in New Mexico," and talks about the Mother Road in general. Sonderman's comments about New Mexico itself are especially knowledgeable ... spoken like a person who's been there many times. Sonderman's 66 Postcards site is here, … Continue reading An interview with Joe Sonderman
Here’s your sign
A few months ago, we tracked down who had painted hundreds, perhaps thousands of distinctive signs along the Route 66 corridor from the western Texas Panhandle to eastern New Mexico. It was Rudolph Gonzales, who has crafted his work along the Mother Road since the mid-1950s and is one of the last to do so … Continue reading Here’s your sign
Bringing help to Haiti
Two high-school seniors from Memphis, Tenn., will be bicycling on portions of Route 66 starting next month to raise infrastructure funds for earthquake-stricken Haiti, according to WPTY-TV in Memphis. Eighteen-year-old Christian Kauffman and his friend Cort Gatliff have been training to bike across 10 states hoping to raise money to help people in Haiti get … Continue reading Bringing help to Haiti
From one toke to one take
Jim Motavalli, a columnist for The Daily Green alternative-energy magazine, tells about the fascinating background of Tom Shipley. Shipley works as a video producer at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. According to the article, among Shipley's favorite work is documenting students' efforts at building vehicles for the North American Solar Car … Continue reading From one toke to one take
Notes from the road
It looks like planning on the proposed Route 66 bicycle trail in Logan County, Ill., is proceeding again after a hiatus. The county board this week discussed the possibility of leasing a gravel road parallel to the railroad tracks from AmerenCILCO to use as part of Logan County’s portion in the statewide, north-south bike route, … Continue reading Notes from the road
Granddaughter of Amboy’s former owner contests will
The granddaughter of the former owner of the Route 66 town of Amboy, Calif., has filed a lawsuit in an effort to get answers about the late grandmother's estate, reported the Redlands Daily Facts. Amboy, which includes the famous Roy's restaurant and motel complex, was purchased by Juan Pollo restaurant chain owner Albert Okura for … Continue reading Granddaughter of Amboy’s former owner contests will
Notes from the road
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has nominated the Route 66 city of St. Louis as one of its Dozen Distinctive Destinations, it was announced this week. Such destinations "offer cultural and recreational experiences different from those found at the typical vacation destination. From dynamic downtowns and stunning architecture to cultural diversity and a commitment … Continue reading Notes from the road
A story with long legs
Many, many people have traveled Route 66 in a number of ways -- walking, running, driving and more. However, this one has to be a first. French native Manu Cuadra is beginning his journey this spring on the Mother Road from Chicago to Santa Monica ... on stilts. He plans on covering 70 kilometers (43 … Continue reading A story with long legs