A trip into the past

This is a special music video. Not only does it contain audio of live-in-concert performance of "Route 66" by Asleep At the Wheel during the 1970s, but it's interspersed with footage of Route 66 from a 1980s news report and vintage photos of the band. You'll even spot the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas, a … Continue reading A trip into the past

A mountain will rise north of Galena

The landscape near old Route 66 north of Galena, Kan., probably will see a significant change by fall of 2013 -- a 40-foot-tall hill in the wake of the cleanup of a closed smelting plant. According to a plan by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment unveiled Aug. 3, the agency will clean up … Continue reading A mountain will rise north of Galena

Route 66 town adds charging station for electric cars

The small Route 66 town of Atlanta, Ill., has added a charging station for electric vehicles just a half-block off old Route 66, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph. Bill Thomas, a director for the Atlanta Betterment Fund economic development group, compared the adding of a charging station to gas stations before the Route 66 era began … Continue reading Route 66 town adds charging station for electric cars

Entertainers become entertained

Harley and Annabelle Russell, aka the Mediocre Music Makers, at the Sandhills Curiosity Shop in Erick, Okla., entertain Route 66 travelers who drop by their place. However, once in a blue moon, other musicians provide some entertainment for Harley and Annabelle. Recently, jazz guitarist Pat Kelley and saxophonist Monte Byrd did that during their RestStop Tours. … Continue reading Entertainers become entertained

A gift that keeps giving

In an effort to boost tourism in Kingman, Ariz., roadie Jim Hinckley and several city officials assembled a Route 66-themed gift basket worth $600 to be given away through 66: The Mother Road, an Internet-only magazine. The Kingman Daily Miner reported: Contents include a two-night stay at the El Trovatore Motel, gift certificates to local … Continue reading A gift that keeps giving

The nights of New Mexico

Skylights - A Timelapse Film from Knate Myers on Vimeo. I, too, have witnessed nights such as the ones shown by photographer Knate Myers, mostly in the nearly deserted Route 66 hamlets of Cuervo, Montoya, and Glenrio. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

Jim Ross wins top award at Victorville Route 66 festival

Story and photos by Elrond Lawrence Jim Ross, the accomplished Route 66 writer, cartographer, speaker and photographer, was honored with the 2012 Will Rogers Award at the International Route 66 Festival awards dinner Saturday at the Green Tree Inn in Victorville, Calif. Ross, who has been exploring, mapping, photographing and writing about the Mother Road … Continue reading Jim Ross wins top award at Victorville Route 66 festival

A new Route 66 website worth watching

It's not often you see a new Route 66 website with a fresh angle to hook travelers. However, Route66MC.com has one -- it's to attract and guide motorcyclists onto the Mother Road. The "MC" part of the site's URL stands for Motorcycle Club. The website aims to provide bikers this information: Turn-by-turn directions both east … Continue reading A new Route 66 website worth watching

Gay Parita owner will be honored at Springfield festival

https://youtu.be/--4xgMEm3xI Gary Turner, owner of the Gay Parita Station on Route 66 near Halltown, Mo., on Saturday will be given the John T. Woodruff Award during the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Mo., reported the Joplin Independent. The award, in honor of one of the key people responsible for Route 66 and the … Continue reading Gay Parita owner will be honored at Springfield festival

Steak ‘n Shake in Springfield, Mo., named to National Register

The Steak 'n Shake restaurant along East St. Louis Street (aka Route 66) in Springfield, Mo., has been added to the National Register of Historic Places effective Aug. 1, according to an email today from the National Park Service. The restaurant at 1158 E. St. Louis St. was nominated in May, so its inclusion was … Continue reading Steak ‘n Shake in Springfield, Mo., named to National Register