Ten years ago, Tim Steil and Jim Luning traveled and shot photos for their "Route 66" book. This month, they decided to return to Route 66 to see how the road has changed and meet with aficionados of the old highway. The Luning-Steil blog is here. Today, Luning started posting his Route 66 videos of … Continue reading Return to the road
Nintendo comic takes place on Route 66
If you're a user of Nintendo DSi, you may be interested to know that a comic book that has been specifically designed for the console that takes place at least partially on Route 66, reports Newsarama.com. The comic is titled "Thunder Road #1," and it has this description: A high-action, wide-sweeping episodic pulp adventure by … Continue reading Nintendo comic takes place on Route 66
“Great American Road Trip” premieres Tuesday
NBC's newest reality-television show, "The Great American Road Trip," which reportedly takes place on Route 66, is ginning up publicity for the series that begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. In case you haven't heard, the premise is that seven families are given an RV in which to travel. During their journeys, they have … Continue reading “Great American Road Trip” premieres Tuesday
Notes from the road
A few things to clear off my plate: -- Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., told me today that her restaurant would be closed for the July 4 holiday. Roadies who wish to go to their favorite Route 66 hangout on that day are advised to call ahead to make sure … Continue reading Notes from the road
Kingman association gets grant to restore sign
The Kingman Route 66 Association announced Monday that it has received a $10,000 matching grant from the city to restore a Packard neon sign (seen in a vintage photo above) at the Old Trails Garage in downtown. The money also will be used to restore an original glass-top gas pump near the garage. The group … Continue reading Kingman association gets grant to restore sign
A pivot point
Chuck Twardy of the Las Vegas Weekly wrote a thoughtful and thought-provoking article about a recent trip down the Mother Road. Using Park Central Square in Springfield, Mo., where Route 66 was essentially born and where a small plaque tells of the lynching of three black men there in 1906, Twardy writes this: Springfield, Missouri, … Continue reading A pivot point
A last of the breed
In my first Route 66 trips, I noticed on dozens of businesses and billboards in eastern New Mexico the signs of a distinctive lettering by a sign painter. The signs were notable because of their lettering -- often a thick, squat, easily read style that I'd seen nowhere else. Some of the letters were shadowed … Continue reading A last of the breed
Santa Monica Pier swing
The Santa Monica Pier, the symbolic western end of Route 66, will hold concerts July 23 to pay tribute to its former La Monica Ballroom and celebrate the pier's centennial, according to a news release. La Monica Ballroom hosted ballroom dances from 1924 to 1961, when it closed. Entertainers at the July 23 show will … Continue reading Santa Monica Pier swing
Abandoned but not forgotten
The folks who run the Abandoned Oklahoma site take a closer look at the long-defunct Conoco gas station on Route 66 near Arcadia. The station is particularly notable because of its notorious history: Back then, times were very hard and it was difficult to make a living. One day, about the time Al Capone was … Continue reading Abandoned but not forgotten
Two kings
Here's another chapter of "Route 66: A Road Trip on the Bible." This entry covers the first book of Kings. The driver, I suspect, really regrets picking up hitchhikers at this point.