Wired Fat Man

CNet.com has written a feature about Steve Vaught, the man who's trying to lose weight by walking Route 66 and the rest of the country. It takes more of an electronics angle on Vaught's journey -- using a cell phone, an iPod and a laptop; how the Internet created huge amounts of interest about his … Continue reading Wired Fat Man

New video about Pain Walker is posted

A six-minute WindowsMedia video (broadband recommended) has been posted on the Web site of Dennis Kinch, the Route 66 walker who's raising awareness for the National Pain Foundation. Kinch also has posted a holiday message to pain sufferers and has new pictures from his stops in Oklahoma City. He's going to be at the Mission … Continue reading New video about Pain Walker is posted

It’s enthusiastic, but beware of the facts

I hate to bring this up, since it's obviously trying hard to promote Route 66 in New Mexico. But this news release from ArticleCity.com contains enough known errors that I have to warn anyone who might be inclined to use it. Westbound motorists can take a 20-mile gravel stretch of the old highway from Glenrio … Continue reading It’s enthusiastic, but beware of the facts

A reading list — 30 years ago and now

Lynne Murray, who's an author based in San Francisco, kept a spiral notebook journal 30 years ago on what she was reading. She uses her blog to re-examine what she read three decades ago and what she's reading now. Murray is reading two books that have Route 66 connections. She gives summaries of both: Lost … Continue reading A reading list — 30 years ago and now

What’s that doing there?

People ask me how I can repeatedly drive familiar stretches of Route 66 and not get bored with it. My reply usually is 1) it's a relaxing, pleasurable drive; and 2) you always see something new. Here's a good example of the latter. This comes from the Yet Another Small Town Moment blog, in which … Continue reading What’s that doing there?

“My buns are for you”

I hadn't checked for a while on the wacky Swedish noise-rock band Hurra Torpedo during their tour of Route 66 in a Ford Fusion. Well, it turns out the crew had a weinie roast and other festive activity at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz. Check out their adventures on this video site here.

Open-source travel guide

Some folks are beta-testing an online travel guide called World 66. If nothing else, the name proves that Route 66 has some cachet. It's an open-sourced site in which users are the contributors of the content, like Wilkipedia. It's a long, long way from being as comprehensive as Wilkipedia, though. Tulsa, a pretty good-sized town, … Continue reading Open-source travel guide

Glimpses back in time

Darned if I can find many Route 66 references. But nostalgia is a significant part of the Route 66 experience, and the Ephemera Now Web site contains it in spades. In fact, it's the best nostalgia Web site I've seen. It describes itself as "the museum and gift shop of mid-century advertising art and illustration." … Continue reading Glimpses back in time

Great Route 66 mapping site

Stefan Joppich has added a bunch of good stuff to his Route 66 Web site, including alternative alignments of the Mother Road. It's really user-friendly, because you can click on a window and highlight small segments of the road. It'd be an ideal site for someone who's traveling the road with a laptop.