“I’m chained to the highway …”

This is a video about Route 66 in the desert of Southern California, particularly in the Victorville area. You'll see some footage at Emma Jean's Hollandburger in Victorville. https://youtu.be/iXL5v--_imo Music is by Chris Rea.

KUAF’s Route 66 stories, all in one place

KUAF-FM, a National Public Radio affiliate based at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, posted daily reports from Route 66 in Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas this week. Here's the complete set of broadcasts, which you can hear at the link: Monday, a report from Vintage Iron Museum in Miami, Okla. Tuesday, a report from the … Continue reading KUAF’s Route 66 stories, all in one place

Town House eatery in Albuquerque is reopening

The historic Town House Lounge and Restaurant, which operated on Albuquerque's Central Avenue for 49 years before closing in 2007, will reopen within weeks. Dino Argyres, son of Town House founder George Argyres, will operate the restaurant, said Dino's daughter Shay Argyres. She said the menu will remain mostly similar to the original Town House … Continue reading Town House eatery in Albuquerque is reopening

“Serving homemade food from scratch”

I'm glad to see this finally show up on YouTube: the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives" paid a visit to Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe on Route 66 in Victorville, Calif., a few years ago. https://youtu.be/n3ILD8Tfbd4 The food is fabulous, and the retro atmosphere at the restaurant almost matches it.

Using video to sell books

This sounds counterintuitive, but publishers and authors are using videos and other multimedia to help promote the written word. That includes Ron Chavez, former owner of the famed but long-closed Club Cafe on Route 66 in Santa Rosa, N.M. He posted a video on YouTube today to promote his 2008 collection of short stories and … Continue reading Using video to sell books

2011 cost-share grant awards announced

Today, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced the awarding of 10 cost-share grants to Route 66 property owners for the 2011 fiscal year. Here's the listing, straight from the agency: Route 66 Motel sign and roof rehabilitation, Kingman, Ariz. ($10,319 federal grant, $10,319 match by owner) -- The Route 66 Motel has been a welcoming … Continue reading 2011 cost-share grant awards announced

A new wrinkle on Wrink’s Market

For an all-too-brief period, Terry Wrinkle resurrected Wrink's Market, the longtime Route 66 business in Lebanon, Mo., owned and operated by his late father Glenn Wrinkle. When Terry shut down the business in 2009, the future of the building looked cloudy. However, in recent weeks, the old Wrink's Market has found new life with D.C. … Continue reading A new wrinkle on Wrink’s Market

A chip off the old block

We'd heard a rumor of a new restaurant along Route 66 in Clinton, Okla., that used recipes from Pop Hicks restaurant, which burned down in a fire in 1999 and was never rebuilt. That rumor turned out to be false. However, the restaurant in question, Gayla's at the Market, turned out to have long Route … Continue reading A chip off the old block

Book about Wagon Wheel Motel published

An illustrated book about the history of the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo., has just been published. Riva Echols, sister of the motel's owner Connie Echols, wrote "The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66" (102 pages, $15.99, paperback). According to the news release about the book: Riva … Continue reading Book about Wagon Wheel Motel published

Former Route 66 Cafe, motel put up for sale

The former Route 66 Cafe and adjacent Belvidere Motel along old 825 Old Route 66 South in Litchfield, Ill., have been put up for sale for $150,000. The restaurant's operators left the property a few years ago, telling me at the time that the landlord hadn't fixed the roof. But, according to the listing for … Continue reading Former Route 66 Cafe, motel put up for sale