A Marine visits Amboy May 19, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Road trips.add a comment
Lance Cpl. Aaron Kristopik recently traveled down Route 66 in Southern California and visited the ghost town of Amboy, according to a story on the U.S. Marine Corps Web site.
Kristopik, hailing from Connecticut, checked out Roy’s, Amboy Crater and the nearby Salt Evaporation Plant. He also did some reflecting:
Kristopik said the trip helped him answer a lot of questions about himself, and also about the desert. He said he is going to take some time to recover and try to become a Marine Security Guard to see more of the world, not just Southern California.
“I’ve learned from all of this that life is what you make of it,” he said. “I’ve made use of my time at the Combat Center. Now, I want to branch out, get a feel for the rest of the Marine Corps and the world.”
Stimulus money awarded for Route 66 welcome center May 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Museums.add a comment
Money from the recently passed federal stimulus package will be used to partly fund the establishment of a Route 66 welcome center in Webb City, Mo., reports the Joplin Globe.
The Route 66 Welcome Center in Webb City is to be developed in an old gasoline service station at Webb Street and Broadway. The project received $25,828 of the $47,000 that was requested.
Wendy Brunner-Lewis, spokeswoman for MoDOT’s regional office in Joplin, said the projects will proceed through the normal federal-aid procedure, including environmental and cultural reviews, but at an accelerated pace. The projects also must complete the design procedure.
“We expect most projects will begin construction at some point after the first of the year,” she said.
That’s right in the downtown area of Webb City, and I believe the site is an old Goodyear tire shop.
UPDATE: The Carthage (Mo.) Press has a few more details about the Webb City welcome center’s location:
Chuck Surface, economic development director for Webb City, said the welcome center is being built in a former gas station one block west of Main Street on Broadway Street on a jog in the original Route 66.
“It’s a place where Route 66 jagged one way, then immediately turned back the other way,” Surface said. “It’s an old gas station that the city acquired and with the help of the DNR we removed the old gas tanks, there were six of them, and cleaned up the residual pollution.”
Rock Cafe update May 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Restaurants, Television.1 comment so far
I guess the rebuilding of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., was going too smoothly to last.
The reconstruction of the historic Route 66 restaurant after a fire a year ago has encountered a few snags in recent days, including the previously mentioned problems with a vent hood that should be rectified by midweek and the unexpected death of an electrician.
However, owner Dawn Welch expects the Rock Cafe to be fully operational by June 1.
The Rock Cafe will have its first day of business on Friday, May 22, as previously announced. KTUL-TV’s “Good Day Tulsa” will carry a live feed from the restaurant at 8:15 a.m. that day. Welch and other employees will provide tours, and a slide show of the restaurant’s rebuilding will be shown.
However, the menu will be very limited until June 1 or so. Hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the relatively short transition phase. Beignets and coffee will be served for breakfast, and hot dogs and sweet tea and perhaps another dish during the lunch and afternoon hours.
After June 1, the Rock Cafe should revert to its usual 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. hours and a full line of dishes.
Cajon Pass interchange project includes reopening Route 66 May 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways.add a comment
The Inland Press-Enterprise reports that the California Department of Transportation wants to rebuild the bottlenecked interchange of Interstates 15 and 215 in Cajon Pass, and that the plan includes bringing back a portion of Route 66 there.
All plans for the new interchange include connecting Cajon Boulevard from Kenwood Avenue to Glen Helen Parkway. By doing so, it also puts an old stretch of Route 66 back in action.
“Right now you couldn’t ride a dirt bike down it,” said Conkle, chairman of the Route 66 Alliance, which supports and markets the historic highway.
If Cajon connects, Conkle said it will be a celebration for Route 66 fans, and the only recent occurrence where the highway is getting a second chance.
“This is bringing back rather than tearing up,” Conkle said.
Conkle elaborated on this plan in a separate e-mail:
The key for us is that no matter which proposal is accepted all three include re-connecting Route 66. So the importance for us that once that happens you can travel the old road from the Cajon Pass all the way thru Los Angeles and on to Santa Monica.
Also this will be the first time that an old section that has been closed and/or demolished will be returned to almost its original state and alignment. Or as one of the Caltrans engineers said “a new old road”.
Plans are to sign and mark this new OLD section in ways that will inform travelers of the historic significance of this stretch of road.
It makes a lot of sense to do this, and not just for tourism reasons. In case there’s a big wreck on the interstates, old Route 66 will provide an alternate route to get around the mess. So, it’s good news all around.
“GMA Weekend” keeps going west May 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Road trips, Television.add a comment
Here are two co-hosts of ABC’s “Good Morning America Weekend” driving a 1959 Corvette west of Albuquerque on Route 66.
The second half of the segment can be viewed online here.
Music museum will also feature Route 66 May 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Museums, Music, People.add a comment
Well, this is interesting. From the Tulsa World:
The Oklahoma Historical Society hopes to bring its first facility to Tulsa in the form of a $33 million museum of music and popular culture located in the Brady District.
Plans for the museum, which will be half the size of the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City and similar in appearance, will be unveiled Tuesday.
Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Society executive director, said the museum will cover music, movies, television, radio and westerns. [...]
It will also cover Route 66, he said.
“Oklahoma is in the middle of the image of Route 66,” Blackburn said.
More details are coming at the news conference at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
My first reaction is I don’t have a problem with two museums in town dealing with Route 66. The second one, at Southwest Boulevard and 11th Street, will be a lot more comprehensive about the Mother Road. The music museum, I suspect, will detail Route 66′s influence on Oklahoma music, much like Highway 61, aka the Blues Highway, influenced that genre.
Second, I think a museum dedicated to Oklahoma music is overdue. I constantly marvel at the sheer number and quality of musicians that the Sooner State produces in spite of its relatively low population. And although the timing of the announcement probably was coincidental, the death of former basketball star and local jazz musician Wayman Tisdale a few days ago seems to underscore the need for such a museum.
“Ford Fairlane” May 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.1 comment so far
Bobby Pinson has become one of may favorite songwriters because his lyrics seem almost conversational. He lost his record deal, but he’s writing hits for other people, including Sugarland, so he’s not hurting financially.
This song by Pinson came from his first major-label album, but I’m not aware it was released as a single. This performance of “Ford Fairlane” by Billy Hurst will suffice nicely.