A couple of fellows who walk into the Iron Hog Restaurant and Saloon in Oro Grande, Calif., during a Route 66 trip bump into one of the tattoo artists of the stars: https://youtu.be/W5OLfA4L27k I've had enough of these incongruous encounters on the Mother Road, the above episode doesn't surprise me. The video is part of … Continue reading Drink and ink
Needles developing a tour for its murals
The Route 66 town of Needles, Calif., is developing a tour of new murals that have been painted on buildings, reported the Needles Desert Star. The Needles Economic Development Corporation is developing the pathway for walkers, cyclists, and motorists. The newspaper said: At the end of last year, the group was working on developing a walk, … Continue reading Needles developing a tour for its murals
“Don’t Let It Break Your Heart”
Here's an unofficial but well-shot video for Coldplay's new song, "Don't Let It Break Your Heart." You'll find a lot of Route 66 images from the desert Southwest. https://youtu.be/9ckeTO_q_uA The video was made by the Germany-based Blood Brother Productions.
Pontiac tourism rises 40 percent in 2011
A few months ago, Pontiac Tourism director Ellie Alexander reported that tourism in Pontiac, Ill., was trending at a 30 percent higher level than in 2010. Note I said "trending." I was skeptical the numbers would remain at that lofty level, especially when the off-season was looming. It turns out Alexander was either being modest … Continue reading Pontiac tourism rises 40 percent in 2011
Asleep At the Wheel time machine
Here's a clip of western-swing band Asleep At the Wheel performing "Route 66" and a few other songs at Farm Aid in 1993. https://youtu.be/IS_oEz7TJqM This is one of the classic incarnations of the band, with Cindy Cashdollar on the pedal steel.
A high-speed trip on Oatman Road
No, the driver wasn't doing anything dangerous. He mounted a video camera on the side of his vehicle, drove that winding stretch of Route 66 from Oatman, Ariz., to the Cool Springs Camp at normal speed, than compressed the 18 minutes of footage to under 5 1/2 minutes. https://youtu.be/928cwNEZ8ZU The video was created by Norman … Continue reading A high-speed trip on Oatman Road
“My father taught me how to drive and dream”
This 13-minute film by Karla Berry from 2004 is well worth watching all the way through. But in particular it contains footage of the Coral Court Motel in St. Louis shortly before the bulldozers came. https://vimeo.com/34475388 The Coral Court footage begins around the 7 1/2-minute mark.
Shimmering in the night
Here's a short-but-sweet new video of the great neon sign at the Supai Motel, along Route 66 in Seligman, Ariz. https://youtu.be/V7BistQ0xv4 The video was created by Andrew Wood, a professor at San Jose State University and a longtime roadie. He owns the Motel Americana website, and published "City Ubiquitous," in which Route 66 played a … Continue reading Shimmering in the night
Programming note
If you see a few funky things on Route 66 News in the coming days, there's probably good reason for it. Route 66 News is moving from WordPress.com to a hosted site using the WordPress.org platform. It should be a fairly seamless transition, and you shouldn't have to update your route66news.com bookmarks. News coverage of … Continue reading Programming note
Sad end to The Java Stop
One of the eye-catching businesses along Route 66 in Dwight, Ill., in recent years was The Java Stop coffee stand, which used two rail containers stacked on top of each other and a fancy paint job. The Java Stop was so striking that an architectural firm honored it for its design. However, Java Stop was … Continue reading Sad end to The Java Stop