The Pontiac Daily Leader caught up with Vietnam War veteran Lane Anderson as he and other members of Veterans for Peace ride bicycles down old Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis to attend an anti-war convention. Anderson is an environmentalist -- not because he's a treehugger, but so America will use less oil and … Continue reading Riding for peace
Category: People
All-American motels
Time magazine published an article online about Asian-Americans who own motels along historic Route 66. The article mentions the Asian-Americans who brought back dignity to the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, Calif., and who continue to improve their properties, such as the Desert Hills Motel in Tulsa. But then ... ... [I]t's a shame that the … Continue reading All-American motels
Notes from the road
Seaba Station near Wellston, Okla., has been put up for sale. I'd been aware that Sue Preston and her husband, Sonny, had moved nearly 50 miles away to Yukon and that the operating hours of the Route 66 antique store had become sporadic. The well-maintained Seaba Station sits on more than an acre, and the … Continue reading Notes from the road
Food Network has a hanging chad problem
Rory Schepisi is readying her Boot Hill Saloon & Grill on Route 66 in Vega, Texas, for opening this weekend. It will be fully operational for food service at 4 p.m. Saturday, with a dance at 10 p.m. with music by Blue Steel. But equally newsworthy is that according to the Second Helpings blog, the … Continue reading Food Network has a hanging chad problem
Bicycle ride protests war, oil dependence
A group of veterans is slated to bicycle down Route 66 in Illinois next week to protest the Iraq War and America's dependence on foreign oil, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph. Ride for Peace will make varying stops along the route between the Vietnam Veterans Against the War annual convention in Chicago and the Veterans for … Continue reading Bicycle ride protests war, oil dependence
Preservation video
KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City interviewed Emily Priddy of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association preservation committee and aired video from the Ray's Motel preservation project in Clinton, Okla., and the National Route 66 Festival in June. The interview was conducted live on the station's morning show a few weeks ago, and was recently posted on the … Continue reading Preservation video
The granddaddy of Route 66 sites
Yahoo! interviews Belgium resident Swa Frantzen, whose Historic Route 66 site was established in 1994. It the first World Wide Web site about the Mother Road. He started the site to test his university's servers, but also had a desire to inform computer users about Route 66 and help the Mother Road's struggling businesses.
Lunchtime at Wrink’s Market
On Friday, I paid a lunchtime visit to the newly resurrected Route 66 icon, Wrink's Market of Lebanon, Mo. Even though longtime Route 66 aficionados will see changes in Wrink's that indicate the convenience store remains a work in progress, I noticed two things that should gladden their hearts: Terry Wrinkle, one of the sons … Continue reading Lunchtime at Wrink’s Market
Notes from the road
Dida Zende, an artist based in Berlin, is looking for at least one old gas station along Route 66 to repaint so it resembles a FIT art gallery (above). It would be repainted mostly white, with a bit of red trim and the FIT logo. Zende wants to come do this free of charge in … Continue reading Notes from the road
Rebuilding Amboy one chicken at a time
The Inland Press-Enterprise of Southern California published an excellent article about Juan Pollo restaurant chain owner Albert Okura and his efforts to restore Roy's and the nearly abandoned town of Amboy, Calif. "Everyone who has owned Amboy has been in it to make money," he said. "You can't. "I see this as a marketing avenue … Continue reading Rebuilding Amboy one chicken at a time