Lands bill vote delayed February 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation.add a comment
The U.S. House of Representatives has delayed a vote on the Omnibus Lands Bill, which contains a measure to reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for another 10 years.
According to the Idaho Statesman, the vote was delayed because of a hangup by the National Rifle Association about gun restrictions on public lands. Supporters of the bill are working with the NRA to find a solution. They don’t want to have to change the bill and send back for reconciliation to the Senate, where Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has threatened to filibuster it.
Also, it was reported earlier in the week that a House vote on the lands bill was also delayed because of work this week on the massive economic stimulus bill, which was passed by Congress late Friday.
The Statesman said that if the problems are worked out, the House probably will vote on the lands bill next week, after the Presidents Day holiday.
The well-regarded Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program provides cost-share grants to historic property owners and other assistance.
And now, a word from our sponsor February 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Television.add a comment
Electronic doo-wop February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
I’ll let the performer explain what’s going on here:
I think this is a hilarious patch on the Roland 700SX. It is called “Jazz Scat” on the Roland 700SX stage piano. There are four velocity layers: “doo, bop, dit, and dow” which play on each note according to how hard you hit the keys. The patch has a happy vibe, so I thought it went well with Route 66.
It’s also a patch that could wear out its welcome really quick. But this video shows how much mileage a good musician can get out of it.
Director lined up for film version of “The Leisure Seeker” February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Movies.add a comment
That didn’t take long.
Less than a month after Michael Zadoorian‘s Route 66 road-trip book, “The Leisure Seeker,” was published, the Hollywood Reporter says that Jens Jonsson has been enlisted to write and direct the film version for Sharp Independent.
The film is expected to follow in the footsteps of a number of recent hits about the rigors and redemption of aging, including “The Bucket List” and “Gran Torino.”
Jonsson is a mainstay on the global fest scene. The Swede took the world dramatic jury prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for his coming-of-age dramedy “The King of Ping Pong” and won a Silver Bear in Berlin in 2002 for his short “Brother of Mine.”
The script for “Seeker” is being hammered out, and Sharp hopes to shoot by summer. A large part of the story takes place in Detroit, where the couple is from, and producers aim to shoot in Michigan, capitalizing on the state’s tax rebate and efforts to create a production hub.
That’s an amazingly quick turnaround, if it happens as expected. Zadoorian’s book was optioned for film nine months before its publication.
But that’s the thing about an indie film — it doesn’t have to go through as much corporate bureaucracy to get it going. And Sharp hiring an up-and-coming director instead of a Hollywood hotshot will make it cheaper, too.
As an aside, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sharp also shoots a big chunk of the film in New Mexico, which offers a lot of incentives to movie producers.
I think the story is compelling, and if the script follows the book closely, the film has a really good chance of being a sleeper hit.
My review of “The Leisure Seeker” is here. My interview with Zadoorian is here.
Route 66 in stained glass February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art.add a comment
In a Flagstaff Live! feature about Aristocraft Studios owner Gary Dunn, we learn that one of his collaborative stained-glass art pieces features a bit of the Mother Road:
Dunn says he still does fine art work every once in a while for galleries when asked to. His most recent was a collaborative glass piece for the “It’s Elemental” show at the Coconino Center for the Arts.
Titled “This Mountain Town,” the large glass structure is the result of six artists’ cooperative efforts. The objective was to create something that represented the town of Flagstaff. To accomplish this goal the artists incorporated the San Francisco Peaks, a sun resembling a Kachina’s face, aspen trees, a Route 66 sign and historic photographs. Some of the other artists include well-known locals Judi Hartman and Cathi Borthwick.
A photo of the work can be seen with the Flagstaff Live! article.
Cookbook author gives her Tulsa-area food choices February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Restaurants.add a comment
In the Tulsa World’s Spot entertainment section, Marian Clark, author of several Route 66-themed cookbooks, gives her favorite Mother Road-related restaurants in the area.
Her favorites on Route 66 in Tulsa are Ollie’s Station, Billy Ray’s Bar-B-Q & Catfish, El Rancho Grande and Molly’s Landing.
She also mentioned Weber’s, which isn’t on Route 66 in Tulsa but started there.
I’ve eaten at all of them, and they’re all excellent choices.
New plans for Waynesville bridge proceed February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
The Daily Guide of Waynesville, Mo., reports that improvements to the 1923 Roubidoux Bridge, which carries historic Route 66, will proceed after fits and starts.
Originally, vintage-looking lights were planned on the bridge. But preservationists were concerned that drilling holes into the structure to install them would compromise the bridge’s integrity. There also were concerns about the bridge’s appearance if the lights were simply hung over the bridge’s edge.
So a compromise was hatched:
Lights are still planned with the project, only they’ll be placed along the north side of Benton Street down to the bridge. The bridge itself won’t have any lights installed on it. However, the proposal includes placing four larger lights — two at each end — on both sides of the bridge. [...]
Now, funding set aside for the parking area will be used to help refurbish the bridge. Hardman said the parking project was removed from the grant’s scope because MoDOT doesn’t build city streets.
“What we’re really doing is keeping the Route 66 bridge in its original form, cleaning it up a bit and refurbishing it,” she said.
The extensive work to the bridge encompasses sandblasting and repairing the curbing and sidewalk.
New sidewalks along Historical Route 66 will connect a walking path to the Roubidoux Walking Trail and lights will also be installed at certain parts along the trail in the main park.
Here’s a good batch of photos of the Roubidoux Bridge, from the excellent Bridge Hunter site.
A meditation on the road February 12, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Road trips, Vehicles, Web sites.add a comment
This new YouTube video is essentially an advertisement for a blog, … drive through my mind …, which details Jake’s journey on Route 66 in September 2007 in a red 1966 Ford Mustang.
The “About the author” piece explains the tone of site well:
I’m curious what captures our attention, piques our interest, informs our opinions, and provokes our judgment. And I love love love cars, particularly the muscle-era American classics where backyard grease monkeys could make horses to the back axle and cruise for chicks any given Saturday on any main street drag. Living in Chicago it would be a sin not to take the advice of fellow enthusiasts and drive old Route 66 to see it once before it’s gone. If you decide to come along you’ll see some neat sites from the trip. Mostly this is a meditation, a chance for me to lay out in words some of the things that have been kicking around in my mental junk drawer for the past few decades. (Am I dating myself? Judge me…bring it.) Thanks for your interest. Enjoy the ride.
I’ve read a good chunk of the lengthy blog. It’s thoughtful, self-indulgent, idiosyncratic, entertaining and occasionally maddening.
In short, it’s one of the best Route 66 blogs I’ve read out there.
Hand cyclist begins trek on April 28 February 12, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in bicycling, People, Road trips.add a comment
Norberto de Angelis, a disabled former football player from Italy who plans to go down all of Route 66 in a hand bicycle, has firmed up his schedule.
His trek begins April 28 in Chicago, according to a press release.
One of his sponsors is Route 66 Association Italy. For more about de Angelis and his upcoming “Project 6six,” go here.
Snow in the desert February 11, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Weather.1 comment so far
Well, this quote from the Kingman (Ariz.) Daily Miner is impressive:
“This is the worst snowstorm that DPS has ever had to deal with in Northern Arizona,” said Commander Dean Nyhart, DPS Northern Bureau Highway Division.
According to a report in the Arizona Republic, the northern part of the state received between 29 and 32 inches of snow in five days.
Route 66 had quite an interesting role in this. On Monday, traffic on westbound Interstate 40 was diverted to the Mother Road at Seligman because of big trucks stuck in the snow. On Tuesday, Route 66 was closed between Peach Springs and Seligman because of the snow problems.
And it’s not over. More snow is forecast in the region on the weekend.
At least the ski lodges near Flagstaff will be happy.
A few states over, the Route 66 towns of Yukon, Edmond and Bethany in Oklahoma reported damage from severe storms on Tuesday. Tornadoes in other part of the state that day killed at least eight people.
UPDATE: Jim Hinckley sent me this snowy image from Kingman of the Hill Top Motel last week:
