The Chicago Tribune is reporting what I've suspected: that more families are taking to the road for their destinations instead of flying. It's a resurgence fed by cheaper gas, childhood memories and a general reluctance to splurge by people who are fearful for their jobs, travel analysts said. Others are fed up with air travel, … Continue reading Road-trip resurgence
Category: Road trips
Where the West begins
When you ask roadies where the West begins during Pacific-bound trips on Route 66, you're bound to get a variety of answers. Many cite the area west of the tiny hamlet of Gruhlkey on the edge of the Texas Panhandle. This is where the flat Caprock suddenly falls away, revealing mesas, cliffs and rock-embedded hillocks. … Continue reading Where the West begins
Riding with Tricky Dick
Ed Nixon, the youngest brother of the late President Richard Nixon, has just published a book, "The Nixons: A Family Portrait." Ed Nixon is plugging the book, and a report in the Everett (Wash.) Herald has an interesting aside during an interview with him: Of all his memories, none were told with more delight than … Continue reading Riding with Tricky Dick
Exploring the Sooner State by Route 66
Brian Passey of the The Spectrum in southern Utah once traveled along Interstates 40 and 44 when he was going through Oklahoma, and he wasn't overly impressed with what he saw on the superslab. The next time he was in the Sooner State, however, he decided to take Route 66 as much as possible. His … Continue reading Exploring the Sooner State by Route 66
Midwest Living features Route 66
Midwest Living has a five-page feature article in its March/April issue about Route 66 and the Lincoln Highway, according to Illinois historic highways aficionado Lenore Weiss. The article, she says, concentrates on an eastern third of the Mother Road, from Chicago to Oklahoma. You can read part of the article here. But it's probably better … Continue reading Midwest Living features Route 66
Scout, R.I.P.
Scout, a beloved female rat terrier that had accompanied Redforkhippie and me on several trips on Route 66 and other highways, died Friday at age 10 after a months-long bout with cancer. Her tribute to Scout is a slide show here, along with a blog post. Scout inspired a Web site, Kids on 66, with … Continue reading Scout, R.I.P.
No recession here
Intrepid Travel, a small-group guided-tours company, is seeing increased sales in North America and is going to boost the number of vans it uses to operate these trips, according to a news release. Intrepid is projecting a 25 per cent increase in sales to North America this year. [...] "People are making the most of … Continue reading No recession here
Wild West vacation with Babs
This is goofy, but funny: There are a lot more "Life with Babs" videos here.
Lonely Planet to issue new guidebooks
The Lonely Planet, long respected in the travel industry, is launching a new series of guidebooks next month called "Trips." And one of them includes Route 66 as an itinerary, according to the Associated Press. The first six titles in the series are "California," "Pacific Northwest," "Arizona, New Mexico & the Grand Canyon," "New York, … Continue reading Lonely Planet to issue new guidebooks
Film footage of Route 66 from the 1950s
Here's a find: film footage of Route 66 during the 1950s. You'll see a lot of stuff that's changed or gone in those two minutes. It's owned by FootageWorld.com, which specializes in stock footage for license for telecasts, film and the like. More footage can be seen here (QuickTime is required to view). It's a … Continue reading Film footage of Route 66 from the 1950s