Notes from the road

I got a call a few days ago from Bill Kinder, co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., informing me that all of his motel's neon lights have been repaired. The motel's neon (and others along Route 66 in Tucumcari) were damaged this spring by a severe hailstorm. Missouri Route 66er Tonya Pike … Continue reading Notes from the road

Properties for sale update

People come surfing to Route 66 News quite often, looking for a business or property to buy on Route 66. However, finding the post with the listings on it is a bit of a challenge. It's not as visible as I would have liked. So, in recent days, a new page called "For Sale," as … Continue reading Properties for sale update

Weigh in about Route 66

A person from VirtualTourist.com asks this question on a BostonNow.com community forum blog under the title "Route 66: Overrated or Underappreciated?": Q: I’m going to be in the U.S. for five weeks, and I’m trying to figure out whether I should do Route 66 as I head east? The response provides both pros and cons … Continue reading Weigh in about Route 66

Presentations from the festival

I gave a couple of presentations during the workshops Thursday at the Route 66 Festival in Clinton. For those who missed them -- or those who just want a closer look -- they are online here: Media relations (writing press releases, being interviewed, interacting with reporters) Powerpoint version of the media relations presentation (downloadable)  Route … Continue reading Presentations from the festival

Report from Meteor Crater

About once a month, I receive an e-newsletter from the fun folks at RoadsideAmerica.com. Reports from the site's editors and correspondents are always irreverent, but informative. The latest edition has a story about longtime Route 66 attraction Meteor Crater, which is east of Flagstaff, Ariz.  And I learned several things about it that I didn't … Continue reading Report from Meteor Crater

Beauty amid the decay

The unearthing of a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere from an underground vault and the subsequent display of its remains sparked these thoughts from Redforkhippie. She also created a slide show, with music, about the Belvedere. (Photo by Redforkhippie.)

Route 66 among 7 Wonders of Arizona contest

Taking a page from Illinois' tourism bureau, the Arizona Republic newspaper is holding an online contest to select the state's seven wonders. There currently are 47 nominees. The number will be reduced each week, until the final seven are standing on July 7. Route 66 is listed in Heat 2, and La Posada in Winslow … Continue reading Route 66 among 7 Wonders of Arizona contest

It was one year ago today …

One year ago today, Disney-Pixar released a new animated movie, "Cars." The movie starred Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt, George Carlin and Cheech Marin. The film had another star that wasn't listed on marquees, but loomed large -- Route 66. The film grossed $460 million worldwide, won two Golden Globes … Continue reading It was one year ago today …

Where is Ben? On Route 66

Ben Willmore describes himself as a "traveling Photoshop hack." But I've seen his photography, and he's being self-deprecating. He's personally taught more than 60,000 Photoshop users and has been hired as an in-house instructor for Mercedes Benz, Adobe, America Online, U.S. Air Force, Lexis Nexis and Fisher-Price. And his images are terrific. His main Web … Continue reading Where is Ben? On Route 66

Combine City

Remember the set of combines planted into the ground at an angle near Amarillo, Texas? It's called Combine City. And it has a Web site, CombineCity.com. Combine City is 11 combines from the 1940s to the '70s. The land owner originally had one combine he used for parts. Instead of scrapping it, he decided to … Continue reading Combine City