Laddie Williams, the firefighter who was bicycling across America (including Route 66) to raise money for the surviving relatives of nine firefighters who died in a furniture store blaze, finished his trek. The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., reports: After dodging a snake in Oklahoma, a vicious dog in Arkansas and a hit-and-run driver … Continue reading Firefighter finishes ride across America
Category: People
The man behind Cadillac Ranch
The Austin American-Statesman published a good article about Stanley Marsh 3, the helium magnate who came up with the idea behind Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas, in 1974. Marsh bought the old cars from junkyards, paying $100 to $125 each. Some didn't have engines; most couldn't run. But from the waist down, they were gorgeous. … Continue reading The man behind Cadillac Ranch
Don’t try this at home, kids
Pole-vault aficionados B.J. and Becca try their luck vaulting onto the tops of the planted cars that are part of the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas. At least they didn't try to vault over the cars, where no landing pad awaited them.
Death of a cyclist
The Alibi, an alternative newspaper in Albuquerque, tries to piece together the scant facts about an accident on Route 66 in nearby Tijeras that killed an area cyclist, James Quinn, 27. I'd heard about the accident weeks ago, but information was infernally sketchy. Even now, the sheriff still hasn't released an accident report, the vehicle's … Continue reading Death of a cyclist
Shave, but no haircut
Robby Love, aka The Roller Rapper, stopped in Seligman, Ariz., during his Route 66 tour in 2006 to get a shave from the Guardian Angel of Route 66, Angel Delgadillo.
Rest area
During a recent trip to New Mexico on Route 66, we stopped to check out an old cemetery near the settlement of Montoya. A few graves predated the commissioning of Route 66, and burials occurred there as recently as 2005. There are traditional engraved tombstones, including a fair number of markers for local soldiers of … Continue reading Rest area
An evening at Boot Hill Saloon and Grill
The exterior of the Boot Hill Saloon & Grill, at the intersection of U.S. 385 and old Route 66 in Vega, Texas, looks like something from the 1880s Old West. But don't expect it to be a rough-and-tumble joint where fistfights between cowboys outnumber the bottles of red-eye whiskey. Sure, Boot Hill contains a lounge … Continue reading An evening at Boot Hill Saloon and Grill
Chery Cory’s road journal is online
Web guru and fellow roadie Guy Randall had been working on this, and I'm excited to see it's done. What I'm talking about is Chery Cory's Route 66 journals from 1992 until her untimely death in 2001. She and her husband Earl traveled Route 66 in an RV, and Cheryl wrote about her experiences. She … Continue reading Chery Cory’s road journal is online
Still riding
The Daily Oklahoman caught up with Laddie Williams, who's cycling east across the country to raise money for the families of nine firefighters who died in a furniture store fire in Charleston, S.C. He was in Oklahoma City on Monday, and had raised $6,000 to $7,000 so far. Williams' site is here; information on how … Continue reading Still riding
Cyclist takes Route 66 for fallen firemen
I stumbled upon this report from an Albuquerque television station about Laddie Williams of Augusta, Ga., who's cycling east across the U.S.A., including Route 66, to raise money for the families of nine firefighters who died in a blaze in Charleston, S.C., in June. It was the worst loss of life for firefighters since the … Continue reading Cyclist takes Route 66 for fallen firemen