Emily Priddy, aka Red Fork Hippie, is repainting a bathroom using scenes from Route 66 at the Brews & Bytes coffeehouse in downtown Sapulpa, Okla. The Sapulpa Daily Herald published a story about her ongoing project today: She told the owners she would paint the walls if the Reed’s could pay for her talent in … Continue reading A lulu of a loo
A closer look at Amboy
This sprawling video by Carlos Garcia Aceves is about the Route 66 town of Amboy, Calif.; Juan Pollo restaurant chain proprietor and Amboy owner Albert Okura, and the Roy's sign in Amboy. https://youtu.be/Nb8UHIohI2g Good nuggets about the history of Amboy are found in the first eight minutes. The middle part is an interview with Okura. … Continue reading A closer look at Amboy
Book review: “Route 66 Sightings”
The first time I leafed through the new photography book "Route 66 Sightings," I encountered one large image that stopped me in my tracks: It was Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe of Stroud, Okla., standing amid the ruins of her Route 66 restaurant after a fire gutted it in 2008. Her hands are … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 Sightings”
“The Old Lucky Diamond Motel”
Vince Gill has a new album out, "Guitar Slinger," and this song is on it. Here's an acoustic version performed for KUPL radio in Portland, Ore. It's quite a Route 66 song. https://youtu.be/TmY8mpf3yO0 You can buy the studio version of this song for 99 cents here. The entire album can be downloaded for $9.49 here.
A tour of the Campbell Hotel
Recently, the owners of the Campbell Hotel along Route 66 in Tulsa offered me and Emily (aka Redforkhippie) a tour of the historic building. Last week, we took them up on their offer. We had toured the hotel in May during the Tulsa's annual Designer Showcase. However, that was when the hotel was dolled up … Continue reading A tour of the Campbell Hotel
Santa Fe motel will be converted into low-income housing
The historic Stage Coach Motor Inn along Cerrillos Road (aka Route 66) in Santa Fe, N.M., soon will be converted into a lower-income housing complex, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The Housing Trust of Santa Fe will begin renovating the motel in January. Plans call for revamping the inn’s three buildings into 15 studios apartments … Continue reading Santa Fe motel will be converted into low-income housing
Tucumcari’s newest repainting effort … and more
This past weekend, volunteers in Tucumcari, N.M., started their latest repainting effort on an abandoned gas station in town. The station, shown above, will be the seventh gas station in Tucumcari that's been repainted in a nostalgic color scheme on the Route 66 corridor. This station will be repainted to resemble a Magnolia station; area … Continue reading Tucumcari’s newest repainting effort … and more
The man behind the bottles
Here's a new video about Elmer Long, proprietor of the Bottle Tree Ranch on Route 66 in Oro Grande, Calif. https://youtu.be/pwAFW0jyapE Elmer's Facebook page is here.
The poop on Bill Freiday
Jim Hinckley pointed me to this recent obituary in the Kingman (Ariz.) Daily Miner of Burnell "Bill" Freiday, who died on Oct. 12 at age 95. The obit convincingly shows that Freiday lived a colorful life, with vocations that included these: [P]ig farmer, squab farmer, wood cutter, movie theater operator, tractor parts inspector, tractor test … Continue reading The poop on Bill Freiday
Lights on at the Luna Cafe
A vintage neon sign -- plus architectural neon -- of the historic Luna Cafe on Route 66 in Mitchell, Ill., were relighted Saturday night during a ceremony attended by about 200 people. Jim Thole of the Route 66 Association of Missouri's Neon Preservation Committee reported that the neon was turned on at 6:44 p.m. Saturday, with … Continue reading Lights on at the Luna Cafe