“Alien outhouses” in Flagstaff saved from scrapyard July 24, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art.add a comment
Remember the “Solar Calendar” art piece, also called “alien outhouses” by locals, at Route 66 and Postal Boulevard in Flagstaff, Ariz.?
The city had dismantled the 12 illuminated pillars after they were deemed a safety hazard after two motorists struck them. The display also had multiple problems staying lighted at night. A businessman bought them, intending to sell them as scrap metal. But locals have apparently shown enough interest in the pillars that they’ll be used as lawn ornaments and lobby decorations, reported the Arizona Daily Sun.
All but one, however.
A blue tower that suffered the most damage will take center stage at the Flagstaff Sunrise Lions Club’s annual demolition derby over Labor Day weekend. [...]
[Clint] Bleeker, owner of a local storage container rental company, said the accident had taken a heavy toll on the blue column. The plastic had cracked in several places and the metal was warped too much to be bent back to its original form. [...]
So its final fate will again be as a vehicular target — only this time for a good cause. Bleeker said either the winner of the derby or possibly a raffle ticket holder will be allowed to barrel down on the artwork.
The artist, Mary Boone Wellington, said she was disappointed that one piece of the artwork would be headed to a demolition derby. “This is how Flagstaff treats objects of beauty and cultural value,” Wellington said. But she was unhelpful when the city asked her what to do with the display’s design problems. So her sullen attitude isn’t surprising.
And if one of the pillars is unrepairable, it’s hard to see a downside if it’s going to be demolished for charity.
Bye bye, bridge July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, History.add a comment
The 81-year-old Pacific Electric Railway bridge that goes over Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66) in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will be dismantled starting Sunday, reported the Contra Costa Times.
Two cranes will remove the bridge and place it on the north side of Foothill Boulevard, where workers will spend the next two weeks removing paint and dismantling the bridge. It will eventually be replaced by a longer, more modern one as part of a massive street widening project aimed to resuscitate an oft-ignored corner of the city. [...]
Starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, Foothill Boulevard will be closed from San Bernardino Road to Baker Avenue for no more than 72 hours, Billings said. However, access to the three businesses east of San Bernardino Road on the west side of the bridge – a storage facility, RV shop and Sycamore Inn – will be provided.
All lanes will be opened by 7 a.m. Monday when motorists will drive through the skinny portion of Route 66 with nothing overhead. The bridge that carried the San Bernardino line of the Pacific Electric Railway in the 1920s and ’30s will be gone.
The rest of the story contains a lot of interesting history about the railway, which has been gone for decades but is needed now in the traffic-snarled Los Angeles region more than ever. The bridge is now used as a hiking and cycling trail.
The news about the bridge is a bit sad, but good news is shining through, too:
Only a couple of days remain to get a glimpse of the 81-year-old bridge before it’s torn apart. But when the entire project is complete, there will be a chance to see the historic bridge at the trailhead park on the north side of Foothill. A portion of the old bridge will be preserved as a decorative feature of the park.
The trailhead, just east of the bridge, will also preserve a portion of the original Route 66 pavement found north of Foothill and will also include equestrian facilities, restrooms, benches and a table.
In case you can’t get to Rancho Cucamonga to see the bridge in its current configuration, here’s a Google Street View image of it.
UPDATE: Here’s a photo gallery of the bridge’s removal over the weekend.
UPDATE2: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist David Allen was there when the overpass was being dismantled on Sunday. And he passes along some news about the park where the bridge structure will be displayed:
That park sounds like a nice amenity. It will allow direct access to the trail, feature a timeline of city history and include a portion of the bridge.
A section of original Route 66 pavement has been uncovered, from an earlier alignment of the road, and that will be incorporated too.
Endurance athlete suffers serious injury on Route 66 July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in bicycling, People, Road trips, Sports.2 comments
James Cracknell, the British Olympic gold-medalist who was attempting to traverse the United States by bicycle and running in a mere 18 days, suffered a fractured skull Tuesday on Route 66 when he was hit by a truck in Arizona, reports The Independent of London.
The 38-year-old was filming for the Discovery Channel on a 2,500-mile stretch of Route 66 when the accident happened. [...]
Cracknell was thrown from his bike after being hit from behind by a truck on Tuesday afternoon, but is said to be making “good progress”. He is in hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Beverley, and their children at his bedside. He was not being filmed at the time of the accident, the Discovery Channel said.
His trek included 80 miles of running in one day and about 150 miles a day by bicycle. He was attempting this in some of the harshest terrain, including the Mojave Desert and Death Valley during the height of summer.
The Daily Mail in London said that Cracknell was struck shortly after dawn near Winslow. Cracknell’s friend said the helmet he was wearing during the crash probably saved his life.
Cracknell’s prognosis is good, the Discovery Channel said in a statement.
UPDATE: Hmm. According to ultramarathoner Pam Reed, who was to accompany Cracknell during an 80-mile run through Death Valley, the British athlete quit after two miles there.
According to an interview in the Arizona Daily Star:
She agreed to meet Cracknell as his crew at noon in Death Valley. It was more than 120 degrees when Reed got there. She waited and waited and waited. At 3 p.m., Cracknell arrived and said he needed some rest.
“It wasn’t getting any cooler,” Reed says with a laugh.
Finally, at 5:55, Cracknell emerged from his RV and ran a mile. Then he walked a mile. Then he quit, about 78 miles shy of his planned finish.
“I’m not being critical of James,” says Reed. “But he would’ve never made it through Death Valley.”
Reed probably knows what she’s talking about. She won the 135-mile Badwater Marathon in Death Valley in 2002 and 2003.
Sweet addition to the Pier July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Restaurants.2 comments
Soda Jerks, an old-time soda fountain, opened less than two weeks ago on the historic Santa Monica Pier, according to L.A. Weekly.
Because setting up a real soda fountain — the kind with historically accurate egg creams; 18 flavors of ice cream from Fosselman’s, the Alhambra ice cream shop where McCaffrey held his first job; 14 specialty sundaes, including the Route 66 banana split; soda jerks dressed as if they escaped from a 1930s department store, or a Woody Allen movie about one — takes time.
Soda Jerks is in a 1916 building that houses a retro carousel, and the restaurant includes a 1905 candy case that once graced a country store in Oklahoma. So the retro vibe isn’t just cosmetic.
It’s nice that the 66-to-Cali souvenir stand also has some company with another business that pays tribute to the Mother Road at the traditional endpoint of Route 66.
Notes from the road July 22, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Animals, Art, Businesses, Events, Movies, Photographs, Road trips, Route 66 Associations, Television, Weather, Web sites.add a comment
It wasn’t a pleasant afternoon or evening in the St. Louis region for Route 66 travelers — or for any travelers, for that matter.
Two to four inches of rain fell in a short time Wednesday afternoon, causing flash flooding in low-lying areas, according to various media reports. That included several feet of water at Interstates 64-55-70 in East St. Louis, snarling traffic.
Flooding also kept motorists from accessing the McKinley Bridge, an early alignment of Route 66, in north St. Louis.
Lightning also struck an unused corner of the City Museum in St. Louis. It knocked some bricks loose, but there were no injuries and no fire.
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READY TO CRUISE: About 40 people were signed up as of Monday for this weekend’s New Mexico Route 66 Motor Tour, starting in Tucumcari, according to the Quay County Sun. That doesn’t sounds like a lot, but it’s a first-time event, and the number will almost certainly swell as the weekend approaches. You can even join in on the first day of the tour Friday. The tour ends in Gallup on Sunday.
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BEER THIRTY: If you’re traveling through Joliet, Ill., during a typically hot mid-August, you’d do a lot worse to wet your whistle than the Craft & Import Beer Tasting Event on the rooftop of the Joliet Area Historical Museum & Route 66 Visitors Center. The 4-8 p.m. Aug. 14 event will feature a surprise guest speaker, brewery collections to view, free gifts, free food, and more. The museum said that Route 66ers greatly enjoyed the event last year. Registration is here.
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POP LIFE: Lien Velghe of Belgium and a cameraman will be traveling Route 66 starting Friday to make a documentary for MTV Europe. She said she wants to “experience and investigate the great rock era of the ’60s-70s, and to follow my dream, which has always been to make this trip, and for which MTV Europe is giving me this chance! … The goal of the program is to encourage young people to rediscover classic rock and its icons, particulary the ’60s and ”70s era.” She’ll be on the road for a month. A blog about the project is here.
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ROAD PHOTOS: Photographer David Schwartz is holding a “Pics on Route 66″ solo show at Lake Farm Park Visitor’s Center in Kirtland, Ohio, through Aug. 15. While you’re at it, make sure you order his excellent 2011 calendar.
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A DOG’S LIFE: A post at the ohmidog! blog, a site devoted to dog owners, talks about the increasingly fragile Route 66 landscape of Tucumcari, N.M.
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CALL OF THE WILD: The Keepers of the Wild Nature Park exotic animal sanctuary north of Kingman, Ariz., off Route 66 is offering $5 the admission price to all residents of Mohave County through Sept. 30, according to the Mohave Daily News.
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EASY RIDING: Big Think posted an overview of the Dennis Hopper photography and paintings retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The late actor and director boasted two significant links to Route 66 — his famed “Double Standard” photo of a corner of Route 66 in Los Angeles, and his film “Easy Rider,” portions which were shot on Route 66 in the desert Southwest.
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BUSINESS-FRIENDLY: We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth telling again about the Route 66 business directory at Carolyn Hasenfratz’s John’s Modern Cabins News site. Historic Route 66 businesses can put their information on it for free.
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La Posada will redevelop east grounds July 21, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
A new project is being planned for the east grounds of the already-impressive La Posada hotel on Route 66 in Winslow, Ariz.
According to an entry today on the hotel’s Facebook page:
For the last few months Allan Affeldt and his staff have been working on the development of a project that will transform the eastern portion of the La Posada grounds. It’s a complicated project involving the donation and creation of a Sky Space designed by internationally recognized artist James Turrell, the application for a TE (Transportation Enhancement) Grant, the rehabilitation of Mary Colter’s Train Station into a museum/exhibition space, the transformation of acres of desert into sustainable gardens and the formation of The Winslow Art Trust which includes 28,000 square feet of exhibition space in four seperate buildings. These images document the design process for this project.
Here is a photo of the current depot grounds, the only part of the complex that hasn’t been extensively renovated:
Here is an artist’s rendering of what’s planned:
Affeldt also said in an e-mail that the hotel’s last seven guest rooms are being built in the complex’s northeast second floor, and should be open by fall. La Posada also soon will open a 3,000-square-foot gallery connecting the tower with the east wing on the second floor.
If it seems ambitious, one should remember that La Posada is at over 90 percent occupancy — and is full night after night during the summer months. People have fallen for this marvelously restored former Harvey House and its Turquoise Room restaurant in a big way.
Affleldt also said that another project involving a long-dormant Harvey House — El Garces in Needles, Calif. — will resume construction in the fall after a construction manager is hired. This $5 million phase, he said, will involve work on the infrastructure, exterior and all public spaces.
(Images courtesy of La Posada)
Several Route 66 sites make Arizona magazine’s “best of” list July 20, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Magazines, Motels, Museums, Restaurants.1 comment so far
Several Route 66 establishments made the final cut in Arizona Highways magazine’s annual “Best of Arizona” feature, which is in the August issue that’s out now.
Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner in Kingman was mentioned in the Kingman Daily Miner for having the “Best Beer without a Buzz,” a reference to the restaurant’s acclaimed root beer.
The magazine story can’t be viewed online, but associate editor Kelly Kramer e-mailed a “Best of Arizona” list involving Route 66 towns:
- Best Opportunity for High-Altitude Peer Review: Flagstaff Photography Club, Flagstaff
- Best Opportunity to Dream in Black and White: Wigwam Motel, Holbrook
- Best Beer Without a Buzz: Mr D’z Route 66 Diner, Kingman
- Best Bet for Experiencing the Upper Crust: Miz Zip’s, Flagstaff
- Best Place to Stare at a Rock: Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (Winona Meteorite)
- Best Place to Flip a Disc: McPherson Park, Flagstaff
- Best Opportunity to Be Blown Away: Wupatki National Monument, near Flagstaff
In case you’re wondering about the “upper crust” for Miz Zip’s, that refers to the restaurant’s pies.
Arizona Highways is sold at major bookstores, including Borders and Barnes & Noble, as well as grocery stores across the state.