66-to-Cali owner has a story to tell August 17, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Businesses, People.1 comment so far
Most of you already know about Dan Rice, owner of the 66-to-Cali souvenir shack at the Santa Monica Pier who was the guiding force behind getting an “End of the Trail” Route 66 marker erected at the pier.
However, a book coming out in the winter is going to tell another side of Rice’s story:
In a new autobiography published by independent press The Way Things Are Publications, author Dan Rice, 66-to-Cali Inc. owner, Route 66 enthusiast, and a permanent fixture on the iconic Santa Monica Pier, reveals his journey to recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury in attempt to raise public awareness of the condition and how it can be treated. The book, End of the Trail, explores a psychological struggle with deteriorating mental faculties, depression, anger, suicidal ideations, and an increasing inability to understand the world around him due to a trauma that often is misunderstood by both the medical field and the general public.
Rice’s eight-year recovery from TBI began with a near fatal car accident in 2002 that halted a Hollywood career and high-paced track toward a Ph.D. in Psychology. The undiagnosed injury threw Rice into a downward spiral in which his perceptions of reality were completely transformed, unintelligible, and in some cases altogether removed. The story of his recovery is intertwined with the story of his passion for Route 66, illustrating that the economic trauma of the historic route, representing a larger economic trauma of middle America, mirrored his own physical trauma.
According to the news release, Traumatic Brain Injury has become the signature malady of the Iraq War. It affects 1.5 million Americans and kills more than 50,000 annually.
The Way Things Are Publications will publish the book in hardback form in the winter of 2010. The cover of the book can be seen here.
An aerial view of Amboy Crater August 17, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions.add a comment
I’ve been fortunate enough to hike inside the dormant volcano that is Amboy Crater, near Amboy, Calif. Many people have not because it’s a long hike in often-dangerous heat.
But, in case you haven’t, here’s another way to see what’s inside. Here’s the explanation behind this remarkable video:
Jeff Parisse and Nick Ritter travel via Route 66 to Amboy California to film the Amboy Crater from a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS). Our silent electric, four pound, foam airplane coupled with a miniature HD video camera gives audiences a new perspective for landscape and sports videography.
It’s a great way to see remote locations. Maybe they can buzz Tucumcari Mountain or Diablo Canyon next?
Car-restoration TV show coming this spring August 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Television, Vehicles.22 comments
Greene HD Productions, which has produced previous programs about Route 66, has shot a reality-television series, “Reality Rides,” about restoring a 1955 Buick Special. The program is set to air in spring 2011.
Brian Greene says it’s a 12-part series shot in high-definition video. A five-man team restored the Buick from the frame up, even the bolts. Because of contractual restrictions, Greene said he’s not allowed to say on which network the series will air, but added that it’s “one of the mainstream sat/cable channels everyone gets.”
Here’s the three-minute trailer for “Reality Rides.” Greene made sure to get a few Route 66 landmarks in the footage:
As for a previous Greene TV production, “Rhythms of the Road,” he said he’s been unable to find a network to air it. “With the downturn in the television business, broadcasters just don’t have the budgets they once did,” Greene said in an e-mail, “so we are still trying to figure that series out.”
Frets and fingers August 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Classical guitarist Jane Rosenbohm shows some mighty impressive skills with her fingering and fretwork on this version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.”
“Interstate” August 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies.add a comment
Here’s a movie made a few years ago that took Route 66 elements as bits of inspiration. It’s about 80 minutes, and a few breaks for advertising are sprinkled in. It’s an early YouTube effort to stream movies.
Fair warning: It’s got a bit of adult language and adult situations, so it’s probably not appropriate for small children. When I saw it, I didn’t think the violence or anything else was egregious … it was more of a suspense film.
The basic idea for the film is good, “Interstate’s” ending is enough of a surprise, and the best parts are its art-production (you’ll know it when you see it). But the dialogue is weak, the acting seems iffy, and it becomes tedious at times — like a real-life interstate. Yahoo! Movies users give it a C+ grade, which seems about right.
Businesses urge cleanup of Amarillo Boulevard August 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Television, Towns.5 comments
Ordinarily I don’t advocate viewing a video over a written story. But in the case of this KFDA-TV report about Amarillo Boulevard, aka Route 66, in Amarillo, Texas, it is an exception.
Here’s the gist: Business owners along Amarillo Boulevard are complaining about crime, crumbling sidewalks, prostitution and other alleged neglect. They think these things give Amarillo a bad impression when thousands of Route 66 tourists come through town.
A chamber of commerce official says Amarillo Boulevard’s old look doesn’t dissuade travelers because it offers a glimpse of America’s yesteryear.
The TV station’s video added more detail and nuance than the written report. Still, it seemed from the clip that businesspeople and the chamber aren’t quite understanding each other.
Let me help clear this muddle. I’m fairly sure Amarillo Boulevard business owners aren’t advocating dozens of historic buildings being torn down in their area.
They’re just asking the city to put a few more cop patrols in the area, crack down on the prostitution, fix the sidewalks, and lean on neglectful property owners to spruce up buildings a little.
I’m fairly certain such things would make a better impression on travelers. Having driven Amarillo Boulevard a number of times, I know it would make a better impression on me. Instead, I get an impression that the city treats Amarillo Boulevard as a red-headed stepchild, hoping it will go away.
Am I wrong, or am I missing something here?
Route 66 photo exhibit on display near Detroit August 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, Photographs, Road trips.add a comment
If you live or pass through the Detroit area in the next week, you ought to go see Michael Campanelli‘s Rotue 66 photography exhibit in Royal Oak, Mich.
According to the Detroit News, Campanelli’s photos will be on display at the Shrine of the Little Flower Conference Center in Royal Oak (map here) through Aug. 22.
But for Campanelli, and uncounted others, Route 66 is homey motor courts, desolate stretches of desert, Tee Pee motels, leaning water towers, Meteor Crater, dusty, dried-up drive-in movie theaters, cowboys, coyotes and diners offering 72-ounce steaks.
“And the people you meet are incredibly friendly all along the route,” Campanelli said.
“If you see someone leaning up against their pickup in Oklahoma and ask them how they’re doing, you’d better be ready for a 45-minute conversation.” [...]
“This isn’t about me, it’s about Route 66 and what it represents,” Campanelli said. “Small-town mom-and-pop America is still out there: make sure you go and visit it.”
Campanelli gets it.