The fate of the endangered National Scenic Byways Program looks more optimistic after the U.S. Senate on Wednesday easily passed a bipartisan two-year transportation bill, according to the New York Times and other news outlets. The bill would preserve the Byways program, of which Route 66 and other historic highways have been beneficiaries. However, according to three … Continue reading Future of Byways program looks somewhat brighter
Giving up one Mother Road to emphasize another
I sure would have hated to have been the reporter who had to construct this story in The Herald-News in Joliet, Ill.: The city council last week voted to de-designate Route 59 as it runs through Joliet as part of the Route 66 National Scenic Byway. Instead, the city resolution approved by the council emphasizes … Continue reading Giving up one Mother Road to emphasize another
Brush fire destroys three structures in Cuervo
A wildfire on March 1 destroyed three structures in the Route 66 ghost town of Cuervo, N.M., and damaged another, reported the current print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in nearby Santa Rosa. The newspaper reported: Nobody was injured in the blaze, which has left a big, black scar on a stretch of … Continue reading Brush fire destroys three structures in Cuervo
Highland Park sign-relighting project wins award
The recent project that relighted two historic rooftop neon signs in the Highland Park neighborhood in Los Angeles has won a Highland Park Heritage Trust Award, according to a news release. The presentation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Franklin High School women's gym, at 820 N. Ave. 54 (map here) in … Continue reading Highland Park sign-relighting project wins award
Edmond wants bicycle trail to Pops
The City of Edmond, Okla., has applied for a state grant that would build a bicycle trail along Route 66 to the west edge of Arcadia, Okla., reported the Edmond Sun newspaper. Edmond has a bunch of bicycle plans on its radar. Among them is this: And a trail will be constructed from the west … Continue reading Edmond wants bicycle trail to Pops
Kerouac considered suing “Route 66” TV drama
Today, on the 90th anniversary of "On the Road" author Jack Kerouac's birth, the New Times of Broward-Palm Beach in Florida contained this fascinating tidbit about his declining health until his death in 1969: A legal squabble over the television show Route 66, which seemed to be modeled on the On the Road story line, drained him even … Continue reading Kerouac considered suing “Route 66” TV drama
On the trail of Woody Guthrie
Traveling from Tulsa to a show in the Texas Panhandle town of Pampa, musician Arlo Guthrie -- the son of folk music legend Woody Guthrie -- made this observation to a reporter from the Los Angeles Times: Speaking from the shotgun seat on his 1989 tour bus, Arlo said the passing scenes reinforced one of … Continue reading On the trail of Woody Guthrie
“Yamashita Tomohisa Route 66,” Episode 9
Here’s the ninth episode of Japanese television’s “Yamashita Tomohisa Route 66,” which documents the singer and actor’s trip down the Mother Road last fall. This one goes from his Monument Valley side trip to Williams, Ariz. https://vimeo.com/38299907 The 10th episode coming up looks promising -- he's going to meet the Guardian Angel of Route 66.
The Rock Cafe, circa 2009
Here's a video shot in 2009 by Channeling Media when it was pitching Dawn Welch and her Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., for a possible Food Network show. It was about a year after the historic Route 66 restaurant was gutted by a fire and rebuilt. The cable channel passed on the idea, but Welch … Continue reading The Rock Cafe, circa 2009
The Macca Effect
Phyllis Payne, former manager of the Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo, Texas, has gone into a new venture -- Cowgirls & Cowboys in the West, which provides Route 66 tours and western-style vacations at nearby Palo Duro Canyon. Dude-ranch vacations in the Amarillo region are nothing new. In fact, Japanese singer and actor Yamashita Tomohisa spent a … Continue reading The Macca Effect