Bridge work closes part of Illinois Route 66 April 19, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways.1 comment so far
Peter Stork, a representative with the Illinois Route 66 Association, passes along word that part of old Route 66 will be affected by road construction:
… Route 66 will be closed just south of Art’s at Farmersville for, according to IDOT, the next seven months. Work began Monday to repair the Macoupin Creek bridge on old 66, and then IDOT plans to reroute I-55 traffic partially over to the frontage road as they repair the bridges on the interstate as well. The northern barrier is just south of Art’s Restaurant and the southern barrier is at Morrisonville Road. Travelers can get around by taking (southbound) Main Street a mile west to 2nd Road, south about a mile to Morrisonville Road, east to 66.
Alas, the approximate one-mile stretch from Morrisonville Road to Farmersville is one of the few stretches of Interstate 55 where there isn’t a contiguous frontage road on the other side.
Route 66 journeys are for everyone April 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, People, Road trips.2 comments
Proof of this is in the Deaf Historic Route 66 Motorcycle Run, scheduled from July 18 to Aug. 1 from Chicago to Los Angeles.
And if you know sign language, you’ll know what this guy in the video is saying.
More about the event is here.
A response by “Road Trip USA” author April 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books.add a comment
Jamie Jensen, author of the “Road Trip USA” and “Road Trip USA Route 66,” sent an e-mail with his response of my review of his “Road Trip USA Route 66″ book that was recently published:
Here it is:
I was looking forward to talking to you about my Road Trip USA books, and was sorry to hear about all the mistakes you pointed out to my publisher (and on your website — ouch!).
I wanted to get in touch and say thanks for your input — and perhaps explain (though not excuse…) my errors.
First of all, I would like to confirm that, as you suggest, I am indeed solely responsible for just about everything in the book. Though I wish things were otherwise, I have never had a fact-checker to make sure everything is right. Which means that if I misunderstand or overlook something, or cut and paste the wrong number, there’s no one to catch the mistakes — apart from readers, on whom I have long relied to point out things that were just plain wrong, as well as things that change after publication, or to point out new things that come up along the nearly 40,000 miles of roads which I try my best to cover.
Basically, apart from the production and marketing of the book, which is what Avalon handles, Road Trip USA is pretty much a “one man band” – me!
And though you are certainly right that I could have done better, I do think that for most readers — with the possible exception of the more expert Route 66ers — my books offer far more positive benefits than they cause frustration and disappointment. Much as I wish I had the funding to hire fact-checkers (and photographers, and expert correspondents..!), Road Trip USA is pretty much a labor of love — especially when gas prices were as high as they were for my last edition (2007-2008) travels.
With regard to the Route 66 chapter, and the small Route 66 book — I also have some “mitigating circumstances” which I think may have caused me to overlook some of the details you mention. My main task in the new edition, beside checking and updating all the facts as well as I could, was to turn around the entire route, re-researching and re-writing every section so that the road appears in traditional “Chicago-to-LA” order. This was my focus, and unfortunately it seems while turning the route around I neglected many details (like the radio stations — and I have to agree with you that it’s galling to hear that KMOX is no longer carrying the Cards games! I remember hearing night games on KMOX from hundreds of miles away — Is it right the Cards have in effect bought their own station??)
Also, regarding the extra “m” in Lucille Hamon’s name — this has stood for 15 years without anyone ever mentioning it. Even Lucille herself, to whom I gave one of the very first copies, way back when the book first came out. She read and signed my copy, too — maybe she was too polite to mention my mistake, though in my experience she wasn’t exactly shy ? – and until you pointed it out, I thought I was right.
No excuses, but still…
So, I hope you accept my apology for the errors, which I will fix in all future editions. For what it’s worth, I really have done my best, and I genuinely appreciate your concern about getting things right, so more and more people can have positive experiences out on Route 66 and all the other great roads across America.
An addendum: I was scheduled to participate in a “blogging road trip” organized by Jensen’s publisher to help promote his books. But, as I read “Road Trip USA Route 66″ and saw the errors pile up (and in “Road Trip USA” as well), I contacted the publisher a few days before th event was set to begin and said I was backing out. I felt the book’s quality wasn’t high enough to warrant my support.
I appreciate Jensen’s “mea culpa” (as he described it), his willingness to be accountable, and his love of two-line roads. But, as I said in the review, the publisher also has to share the blame for not fact-checking the manuscript. If Jensen is a “one-man band” as he claims, then Avalon Travel has an obligation to make sure the product it’s selling is as good as it can be. At the least, the publisher has more resources to do the double-checking than Jensen does.
UPDATE: On a related note, today I received a call from Avalon Travel’s publicist, who said that the publisher is now hiring a fact-checker, in response to my criticism of the “Road Trip USA” books.
So that’s definitely a step in the right direction.
A high-tech solution to Devils Elbow Bridge? April 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.1 comment so far
The commissioners of Pulaski County have been working for months to find solutions and funding to repair the historic but fast-deteriorating Devils Elbow Bridge near the Route 66 halmet of Devils Elbow, Mo.
The Waynesville Daily Guide said that Dixon, Mo., business owner Jerry Plunkett had ideas that intrigued the county:
Citing the possibility of federal dollars, Plunkett said the government’s interest in renewable energy could open up doors that might have been locked before.
His ideas call for increasing safety for drivers using the structure, rebuilding parts of the bridge with recycled or reusable material and integrating renewable energy, like solar power, to melt snow and ice.
“This opens up opportunities that you probably haven’t had before,” he told the commission earlier this year. “(We can) make this not only a bridge to the past, but a bridge to the future.”
Plunkett’s ideas come with a hefty price tag— it would probably cost double the $1.6 million originally planned and Plunkett said he could probably raise an additional half-million, but it still won’t be enough.
“Why should you folks here in this area try to restore a historic bridge when you don’t even have the money to rebuild after the floods?” he said. “You can’t pay the $1.6 million and I know you can’t pay $3.2 million, and you shouldn’t have to.
“I think you’re looking at double your amount. And I think you can get the money.” [...]
Though the changes would make the Devils Elbow bridge one of the future, its inherent design wouldn’t change much. Keeping its historical value intact is key.
“There really is no other bridge that I know of that you can do what we can do with that one,” Plunkett said. “This is a bridge of great historical culture. It’s a marvelous opportunity.”
I’m skeptical this can be pulled off. But there’s no harm with Plunkett and others trying.
Look! Up in the sky … April 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Toys.add a comment
If you’re traveling through Joplin, Mo., on Route 66 this weekend, you might see a lot more activity in the air on the west side of town than usual.
From the Joplin Globe:
Members of the Joplin Kite Club are inviting residents to join them as they take to the skies on Saturday and Sunday when they launch Kites Over Route 66.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at the Joplin Sports Complex, 3301 W. First St.
The event will include demonstrations of single-line, dual-line, cart and stunt flying. The public is also invited to take part in the festivities by bringing their own kites, test fly some of the professional kites on hand and even make their own kites. [...]
The location of the kite-flying is near Schifferdecker Park, which is next to Route 66 on Joplin’s west side. So, even if activities are a few blocks off the Mother Road, it’s reasonable to believe the kites, if they get enough altitude, can be seen from the highway.
The forecast may be a bit iffy, however, with a chance of rain both days and mostly light winds.
Stretch of old 66 may be placed on National Register April 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways, Preservation.1 comment so far
A 1.3-mile stretch of old Route 66 southeast of Springfield, Ill., may be placed on the National Register of Historic Places next month, reports the Springfield Journal-Register.
Preservationists believe the road is the longest drivable section of the original Route 66 remaining in Illinois. [...]
The road, 16 feet wide compared to 24 feet for modern two-lane roads, is often used by farm equipment and as a commuter route for people who live southeast of Springfield. [...]
It’s my understanding the Route 66 preservationist John Weiss was a big proponent of doing this. You can see a map of the old alignment here; it’s clearly marked as old 66.
In another story from the Journal-Register, the town of Sherman, Ill., is designing a Veterans Memorial and Route 66 Historic Gateway Park. A village trustee said:
“Secondly, it’s a tribute to the historic Route 66. On the site there (are) portions of the original Route 66, and we want to take advantage of that,” he said.
Plaque at Fanning Outpost to pay tribute to Route 66er April 15, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Events, People.add a comment
There will be a ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Fanning 66 Outpost and General Store in Fanning, Mo., to dedicate a plaque in memory of longtime Route 66 business owner Fran Eickhoff.
The Outpost, as you may already know, is the home of the World’s Largest Rocking Chair. The plaque will be under a canopy right outside the store, so it would be somewhat protected from the weather.
Eickhoff was the longtime owner of the beloved Route 66 Lounge in Cuba, Mo. She died in August 2008 after a lengthy illness.
Meadow Gold sign update April 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Preservation, Signs.add a comment
The rebuilding of the historic Meadow Gold sign at 11th Street and Quaker Avenue in Tulsa continued this week.
Sure, the image above doesn’t look much different from the one from Laurel Kane’s post last Wednesday. But look closer:
That is neon tubing on the perimeter of each letter. It takes a lot of time to install that.
As we could tell, the west side of the Meadow Gold sign is finished except for a small bit in the upper left corner.
Claude Federal Neon will presumably start re-erecting the sign’s east side.
It won’t be long now before it’s done.
More parking, fewer lanes in Williams April 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Towns.add a comment
There are changes coming in downtown Williams, Ariz., that bear watching. From the Williams-Grand Canyon News:
Officials in the city of Williams voted to extend the diagonal parking along Route 66, from Safeway to the Mountainside Inn, during their April 9 regular meeting. While diagonal parking can currently be found in the downtown area alone, city officials plan to lengthen the parking in an effort to both reduce traffic speed in and out of town, and add additional parking spaces throughout Route 66 as it passes through the city.
The addition of diagonal parking will also allow the eventual beautification of the area, officials said, which may include benches and trees throughout the downtown area. The added parking spaces will also change the current two lane sections of Route 66 to one lane. [...]
Old Smokey’s Restaurant owner Dan Barnes said that diagonal parking would help slow traffic on the both ends of Route 66, as it will go from a two lanes to one lane.
“Some of those people have not forgotten that they are off the freeway until they get to about Fourth Street, because they’ll be doing 65-70 miles an hour down there,” Barnes said. “It will slow things down and I think it will actually help the community, in terms of people will actually have time to see what’s going on there. I really think that slowing things down will have a significant impact on both ends of town.”
The town’s Fire Department is opposed to the idea because it fears there won’t be enough space to allow firetrucks.
This isn’t mentioned in the article, but I suspect the idea is also meant to also foster additional pedestrian traffic. Lower vehicle speeds and additional shielding from the greater number of parked cars would undoubtedly do that.
I know that a few people who read this site have more knowledge than me about city planning. Is this a good plan? Are there unintended consequences the city may have overlooked?
Drive-under dining April 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Restaurants.add a comment
John Watson of the Cleburne (Texas) Times-Review has an article about the formerly “world’s largest McDonald’s restaurant” that squats over Interstate 44 near Vinita, Okla.
It’s not on the classic alignment on Route 66, but a lot of roadies check it out anyway because it’s so quirky.
This is the massive arch-shaped building that’s actually built over the interstate, and you can eat a Big Mac there while traffic zips by under your feet.
What was interesting was Watson’s description of the Will Rogers memorabilia at that site, which I overlooked in the times I was there:
Near the McDonald’s entrance is a large statue of Will Rogers with his lariat held high in the air.
A plaque on the base of the statue states, “The Legislature of Oklahoma provided the opportunity for this statue to be erected as a monument to Will Rogers, favorite son of the state, renaissance man of the West, and a humorist who brought a smile to the face of America.
“Will Rogers, a Native American who united the ancient legacy of the Cherokee people with the philosophies and technologies embraced by all mankind, was a writer, actor and humorist whose cowboy figure cast a new and warm glow of reasoning across the far reaching strata of humanity.
“Dear to his fellow citizens, Will Rogers has given the world an immortal example of high values and righteousness that beam far into tomorrow.”
On entering the lobby you see several pictures of Will Rogers on the wall plus a small TV monitor showing one of his old movies. The lobby is a miniature Will Rogers Museum.
One of the pictures has the following caption beneath it: “We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.”
Based on that last quote, it sounds like Rogers was at least 30 years ahead of his time in regards to civil rights.