Tucked into a story from Forbes.com about French President first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's visit to America this week is a snippet that caught my eye: The couple went around the room to greet each of their guests and spent about 10 minutes chatting with those in attendance. Bruni-Sarkozy charmed a group of besotted women, telling … Continue reading French president, first lady want to cruise Route 66
Category: Road trips
“Nothing But the Wheel”
Here's a good highway song by Peter Wolf, formerly the singer for the J. Geils Band. And the backing vocalist is a fellow by the name of Mick Jagger. For the record, Mr. Wolf seems to favor U.S. 41 -- not that it's a bad thing.
FedEx takes electric vehicle down Route 66
FedEx has decided to demonstrate its new all-electric urban delivery van with stops along Route 66 from Monday through April 6. It's part of the "Charge Up Route 66" tour. The tour is planning stops in St. Louis, Joplin, Oklahoma City, Amarillo and Albuquerque, in addition to the Mother Road's bookend cities of Los Angeles … Continue reading FedEx takes electric vehicle down Route 66
Notes from the road
The neon sign of the historic Tower Theater in Oklahoma City will be relighted during a ceremony Friday evening. The theater, at 425 NW 23rd St. in Oklahoma City, will see its restored neon blazing away again at 6:30 p.m. that day after decades in the dark. Here's more about the theater, according to records … Continue reading Notes from the road
Baseball cruise
MiLB.com, the Web site of Minor League Baseball, has published an article about three Texas League teams, and advocates traveling on Route 66 part of the way to see them. The Drillers of Tulsa, the Cardinals of Springfield, Mo.; and the Naturals of Northwest Arkansas all are part of the league. The story advocates checking … Continue reading Baseball cruise
Book review: “Ghost Towns of the Southwest”
Route 66 aficionados who like straying off the beaten path will find dozens of ideas for day trips with "Ghost Towns of the Southwest" (soft cover, 256 pages, Voyageur Press, $21.99). Subtitled "Your Guide to the Historic Mining Camps & Ghost Towns of Arizona and New Mexico," the book by Jim Hinckley and photographer Kerrick … Continue reading Book review: “Ghost Towns of the Southwest”
More images from the road
Here's a collection of excellent photos by Cris Mitchell during a trip on Route 66 from Los Angeles to Flagstaff, Ariz. The steeple in that old church in Amboy, Calif., leans more every time I see it.
Reaching out across the pond
The Illinois Times published an interesting report about the state's efforts to boost tourism despite a poor economy. The article includes this excerpt on a novel way that Illinois has reached out to Route 66 travelers who live in Great Britain: They’ve also found that the British have an interest in the 1960s and authentic … Continue reading Reaching out across the pond
Plan your bicycle route on Google Maps
Today, Google announced it added bicycle routes to its Google Maps site in addition to walking, public transit, and driving routes. Bicycle routes by Google Maps is still being beta-tested, and users can make suggestions for changes if they find an error or overlooked bike trail. Here's a demonstration of the technology: According to Wired: … Continue reading Plan your bicycle route on Google Maps
From the Mother Road to the Holy Land
Here's a video about Route 66 that appeared last month on an Israeli television program titled "Roim Olam," or "Watching the World." The narration is in Yiddish Hebrew, but I think most will easily follow what's going on. Eyal Tavor, an Israeli TV reporter who filed the story, said this in an e-mail: In autumn … Continue reading From the Mother Road to the Holy Land