Pitch made for Route 66 monument in Mojave April 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Preservation.3 comments
Jim Conkle (center) makes a pitch for the Route 66 National Monument to Sen. Feinstein and other officials.
Jim Conkle of the fledgling Route 66 Alliance sent me some photos of him making a pitch to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), her staff and other officials near Amboy Crater, just off Route 66 near Amboy, Calif., to designate a Route 66 National Monument along 70 miles of Southern California’s Mojave Desert.
Conkle also wrote this in an e-mail:
I can tell you that they all left knowing more about and a better appreciation of Route 66. The senator’s husband, Richard C. Blum, a very well-off investment banker, among other business ventures, and I hit it off.
Senator Feinstein asked me if I would be willing to come to DC to help lobby for this project, I of course said YES.
Now the hard work of getting all the stake holders as well as all the politicians to agree.
Having known Conkle for a long time, it’s easy to be swayed by his enthusiasm for the Mother Road. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better pitchman for a Route 66 project.
Route 66 in that area is caught between two interests: a Marine base that wants to expand its acreage and alternative-power companies that want to use the area, mainly for solar electricity. Conkle (a Marine, I might add) said in an earlier message that he aims to find a compromise with those parties.
Just for Fun Run April 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Road trips, Vehicles.add a comment
Here’s a slide show (with a bit of video) from the Historic Route 66 Fun Run in western Arizona in 2007. You’ll see plenty of Arizona sights along the Mother Road, along with plenty of sweet-looking rides.
This year’s Fun Run is May 1-3.
New dining option in Tulsa April 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Restaurants.add a comment
A new restaurant, the Dilly Deli, has opened in the downtown Route 66 area of the Blue Dome District of Tulsa. Tulsa World restaurant critic Scott Cherry has more information.
The Dilly Deli is owned by Scott Nelson, who also helms El Guapo’s Mexican Cantina and McNellie’s Public House (a highly praised Irish pub) in that area.
“Cattleman’s Cafe” April 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Restaurants.add a comment
Erik Holien of Norway spent time in the legendary Cattleman’s Cafe on Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, and was inspired to write a song about it. The video contains footage from the restaurant and other Panhandle scenes, including the Route 66 ghost town of Glenrio.
Racing to the rocker April 8, 2009
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The inaugural Race to the Rocker, a four-mile footrace on Route 66 from Cuba, Mo., to the world’s largest rocking chair at the Fanning 66 Outpost and General Store, drew 155 participants on Saturday under nearly perfect weather conditions.
The race, organized by local running club JOG Inc., raised $7,500 to help Cuba’s high school build a new running track.
The top runner was Kyle Gibbs, 31, of Rolla, Mo., in a time of 24:06.5. The top female runner was Cristy Kruse of Cuba in 29:25.7. Complete results can be seen here.
The second annual Race to the Rocker is already being planned, with a March 27, 2010, date.
(Photos courtesy of Jane Reed)
Michael Martin Murphey playing benefit for Route 66 center April 8, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Museums, Music.add a comment
Veteran country-music star Michael Martin Murphey is performing another benefit concert for the Route 66 Interpretive Center of Chandler, Okla., on April 16.
Murphey played a benefit for the center last year about this time. Apparently he is scheduled to be in Oklahoma City that week for an annual awards presentation at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum, and decided to add the Chandler gig.
The April 16 show in will be at the Chandler High School’s performing arts center. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7. Tickets are $30 each, with children and students admitted free. For more information, call Angie Maynor at the Interpretive Center at 405-258-1300.
Murphey has been a fan of Route 66 all his life. He likely will perform his cover of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66,” which Murphey recorded in his 1989 album “Land of Enchantment.” Murphey also was quoted in Michael Wallis’ best-selling book, “Route 66: The Mother Road.”
Here’s Murphey in 1986 performing his most famous song:
New museum opens next month in Santa Fe April 7, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, History, Museums.add a comment
Artist's rendering of the New Mexico History Museum.
The new New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, N.M., that is slated to open May 24 should be of interest to roadies.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune:
The museum explores how the West’s various cultures clashed and blended over 400 years of written and spoken memory. It starts with new Mexico’s native inhabitants including the tribal Pueblos, Navajos and Apaches and then examines a history that includes the Spanish conquistadors, Santa Fe Trail riders, outlaws, railroad builders, Route 66 sightseers, artists, nuclear scientists and counter-culture revolutionaries.
The museum’s site includes several nice touches, including a search engine of its extensive photo archives and other collections. For instance, here are several photos of Route 66 in the cities of Albuquerque, Tucumcari and Grants. And, as a bonus, here’s a vintage photo of the infamous La Bajada Hill, which was a primitive early alignment of Route 66 south of Santa Fe.
The museum is right behind the Palace of the Governors in downtown Santa Fe.