“Cars” meets Cadillac Ranch

Be a little patient when you view this Lego stop-motion animation video. You will eventually see toys from the movie "Cars" being used in a re-creation of Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas. So is this were Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater and the rest of the Radiator Springs gang go after they die?

Book review: “Route 66 in New Mexico”

Joe Sonderman is primarily known for two things -- as a radio announcer in the St. Louis area, and as a huge collector of Route 66 postcards. But while reading his latest book, "Route 66 in New Mexico" (soft cover, 128 pages, Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), it occurred to me that Sonderman may have met his … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 in New Mexico”

From the Mother Road to the Holy Land

Here's a video about Route 66 that appeared last month on an Israeli television program titled "Roim Olam," or "Watching the World." The narration is in Yiddish Hebrew, but I think most will easily follow what's going on. Eyal Tavor, an Israeli TV reporter who filed the story, said this in an e-mail: In autumn … Continue reading From the Mother Road to the Holy Land

60-second man

Here's a video of someone repainting one of the cars planted into the ground at Cadillac Ranch west of Amarillo, Texas. It serves as a primer (pun intended) for those who want to learn how to repaint their car.

The silence of the trains — for real

For the first time in more than a century, trains now will go through the Route 66 town of Flagstaff, Ariz., without sounding their warning horns, reported the Arizona Daily Sun. On Tuesday, trains went through Flagstaff for the first time without blasting their horns. It took several years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, … Continue reading The silence of the trains — for real

Notes from the road

The "East Meets West" sculpture at the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza at Riverside Drive and Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66) in Tulsa is inching closer to being installed. Dennis Whitaker at the city of Tulsa gave me this update, via e-mail: [T]he artist is finished with the car group and the foundry has already cast … Continue reading Notes from the road

Revival of hotel building in Tulsa begins

The restoration of the historic Max Campbell Building in the 2600 block of East 11th Street, aka Route 66, in Tulsa is starting now. The purchase of the building and the intentions to convert it into a hotel and retail center was announced in late 2008. But I feared that the project went by the … Continue reading Revival of hotel building in Tulsa begins

Bono’s Orange may reopen

In a lengthy story about Southern California's fast-disappearing orange stands, the Los Angeles Times reports that the long-closed Bono's Historic Orange on Route 66 in Fontana, Calif., may be reopened to sell orange juice again. Joe Bono, who is in his 70s, can remember citrus groves stretching as far as he could see during his … Continue reading Bono’s Orange may reopen

Memories of a previous Route 66 festival

In recent days, RQV Outdoor Movies has posted video shot during the 2003 International Mother Road Festival in Springfield, Ill. It includes interviews with "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis and "Route 66" TV show co-star Martin Milner, a few years before he became too ill to make public appearances. According to a … Continue reading Memories of a previous Route 66 festival