"My Blueberry Nights" is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16 as the cinema debut of sublime singer Norah Jones. It also stars Natalie Portman, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Jude Law. However, roadies will find the film by Chinese director Wong Kar Wai notable because of this report from Jazz … Continue reading Norah Jones film reportedly filmed on Route 66
Category: Road trips
Catching the VW bug
It's a complicated story -- which the Orange County Register can tell more completely -- but it's about Dave Torstenson's fascination with vintage Volkwagen minibuses, the generous VW community, and an improbable quest to drive a ramshackle 1972 minibus from Tulsa to Los Angeles while being filmed by a documentary crew. Route 66 connections? There … Continue reading Catching the VW bug
Loping along the Land of Lincoln
A group of road cruisers from Cincinnati, called CinZroadsters, drove Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis a few days ago. Here is a video of highlights from the trip: The organizers apparently are doing the rest of the Mother Road on June 9-24. Details are here.
Arizona kicks
Mike Di Paola of Bloomberg News drives down Route 66 in Arizona, focusing on the vintage 150-mile stretch of the Mother Road in the western third of the state and the town of Seligman. Check it out.
Mower Man makes it to Rolla
Matt Land, sales manager for Dixie Choppers lawn mowers in Indiana, stopped for a bite to eat during his quest to drive a propane-powered lawn mower across the country. Money quote from the Rolla Daily News: “I’ve been eating a lot of bugs and raindrops, and I know what it’s like to be a hood … Continue reading Mower Man makes it to Rolla
Driving Route 66 in a lawn mower
Matt Land, national sales manager of the Magic Circle Corp. lawn mower manufacturer in Coatesville, Ind., is going to travel 2,000 miles from Indiana to Sacramento, Calif., in one of the company's Dixie Choppers, according to the Indianapolis Star. He'll travel mostly on Route 66. Where interstate travel is unavoidable, he'll put the lawn mower … Continue reading Driving Route 66 in a lawn mower
Trail walker makes it to Kingman
The Kingman (Ariz.) Daily Miner caught up with Detlev Henschel and his wife Katrin Frommhold as they trudge across North America on wagon trails and the oldest roads they can find, including Route 66. Detlev explained that he wanted to show the "good news" about America - one removed from world politics and the biggest … Continue reading Trail walker makes it to Kingman
Foreign executives to be guided on Route 66
Foreign trade executives from 16 countries will be guided next week by the Illinois governor's team to tour several tourist-related attractions, reports the Lincoln Courier. In Lincoln, they will meet with local business leaders and learn more about regional tourism, including Looking for Lincoln and the Route 66 Scenic Highway. Because foreigners have generally shown … Continue reading Foreign executives to be guided on Route 66
Trailblazing
A few days ago, we linked to a story about Detlev Henschel, who is hiking across North America on old wagon trails and other historic roads, including Route 66. The Mojave Daily News in Bullhead City, Ariz., caught up with Henschel and his wife near Laughlin, Nev. The story contains more background about him, including … Continue reading Trailblazing
GPS coming to Nokia cell phones?
Talk about a boon for Mother Road travelers: Navigadget is reporting that Nokia seeks to put global-positioning system chips in all its cell phones. The source that's leaking this information reportedly is from, ironically, Route 66, which places GPS chips in Nokia 6610 models. Here Although the N series have started to get GPS, Nokia … Continue reading GPS coming to Nokia cell phones?