Motel time again February 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Music.add a comment
I’m positive they shot much of this video at the Route 66 Motel in Barstow, Calif.
Check out the motel sign at the 1:14 mark and compare it to this.
Appropriately enough, the name of the band is The Western States Motel.
Midway point of what? February 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Towns.6 comments
Amarillo Globe-News writer Lee Passmore discovered that the Route 66 hamlet of Bushland, Texas, apparently sits on the exact halfway point between Los Angeles and Chicago.
While I was on the Net looking for high school baseball schedules (only eight days after four inches of snow covered the ground), I somehow found myself on the Wikipedia page for Bushland, Texas. I discovered that Bushland is the exact halfway point between Chicago and L.A., located 1,062 miles from both cities.
Amarillo has gotten mileage for years from its association with Route 66, the mother road which connects the extremes of Chicago and Los Angeles. Yet, there’s no mention of Bushland for being the halfway point.
I think this is an opportunity for Bushland to let the rest of the country know its unique position as the halfway point between two of America’s three biggest cities. It could even serve as something of a tourist attraction.
I suppose Bushland could try to gain a little tourism traffic by touting its halfway status.
However, the small town of Adrian, Texas, which is just 35 miles away, already trumpets itself as the midway point of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. The sign in Adrian that marks this spot already serves as a stop for many travelers, as this Flickr photo search shows. The fact the famed Midpoint Cafe sits across from the sign doesn’t hurt, either.
Strangely enough, Passmore doesn’t mention Adrian and its well-publicized midpoint connection.
So … if you had your choice, would you visit the halfway point of Route 66, or the halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles?
Joliet museum receives $25,000 grant February 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Museums.add a comment
The Joliet Area Historical Museum in Joliet, Ill., received a $25,000 grant for audio-visual projects, according to the Joliet Herald-News.
The museum’s audio-visual improvement project includes the installation of state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment in the auditorium and in the Route 66 Visitors Center. [...]
In 2010, the museum and visitors center welcomed nearly 24,000 visitors from 37 states and 30 foreign countries, an increase of 11.5 percent over 2009, which was a 30 percent increase over the previous year.
The grant comes from the Caesars Foundation, which is part of the Harrah’s Joliet Casino and Hotel. A formal presentation of the grant will be on Tuesday.
A tour of Cajon Pass February 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, Highways, History.add a comment
This is an enticing opportunity for history buffs. Historian Nicholas Cataldo will lead an all-day expedition at Southern California’s Cajon Pass, which once carried Route 66, on March 12.
According to San Bernardino County Sun columnist John Weeks:
“Exploring the Cajon Pass: Gateway to the San Bernardino Valley” is offered through Cal State San Bernardino’s Office of Extended Education. [...]
“Since prehistoric times, the Cajon Pass has played a prominent role in the San Bernardino Valley,” Cataldo says. “Indians, explorers, trappers, loggers, land speculators and horse thieves have all passed through the Cajon Pass on their way to or from the desert.”
The adventure begins with an optional no-host breakfast at 7 a.m. at the landmark Summit Inn, 5960 Mariposa Road, Oak Hills, located in the Pass. At 8 a.m., participants will embark on an exploration of the region that will include vehicle caravans and walking.
You’ll visit an old Serrano Indian campsite, retrace portions of the Old Spanish Trail, John Brown’s Toll Road and old Route 66, and visit early pioneer ranch sites. The adventure ends at about 4:30 p.m.
Adults and children age 7 and older are welcome. Pack your own lunch and beverages and wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
Cost of the all-day adventure is $83 (or $140 to earn one unit of college credit). For more information and to register call the Cal State Office of Extended Education at 909-537-5975. Registration deadline is March 4.
Cataldo once wrote a really informative and enjoyable column about Cajon Pass about five years ago. But it, regrettably, is no longer readily available in the Sun’s archive.
This video is sorta cheeky, but it sums up Cajon Pass fairly well:
Special delivery February 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Road trips.add a comment
A couple of filmmakers plan a documentary, “Bring It 2 Peter,” about a misaddressed fan letter to “Easy Rider” actor Peter Fonda and a planned partial road trip on Route 66.
According to the Melany Joy Beck and Janelle Sorenson:
This letter literally fell in our laps a few months ago. We were charmed with the handwriting on the envelope, clearly that of an elderly woman and the vague but hopeful address of “Peter Fonda Fan Club, Hollywood, California”. We hope someday that the woman who wrote this card comes out and sees that two random journalists from Minneapolis cared so much about her card, her love for Peter Fonda, and the thoughtfulness it takes to purchase, write and send a card to an actor that obviously made an impact on her life, that they made it their mission to make sure that it gets into Peter Fonda’s hands and not the garbage. [...]
[W]e’re not just bee-lining for Los Angeles. We’re winding our way through Arizona and New Mexico on many of the roads Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda himself traveled in the quintessential road trip movie that made him famous. We’re talking to people along the way about freedom, America, the weather, whatever comes up. We’re taking a look into lives in different parts of the country and seeing how people live and what matters to them.
So, in essence, yes, we are just delivering a lost piece of mail to Peter Fonda. But we are also tapping into a little bit of something that can be so easily overlooked in this day and age – humanity.
You can find the trailer here.
According to KARE-TV in Minneapolis, the two hope to deliver the letter sometime next week, in time for Fonda’s 71st birthday. The station reports that the two launched a Kickstarter fundraiser in an effort to generate $1,000 for the film.
As of 9 p.m. Central Thursday, more than $1,500 has been pledged on Kickstarter. So it appears they are on their way.
If they’re checking out “Easy Rider” filming locales, they’re better check out MrZip66′s site about that.
It’s an intriguing project. I’ll be eager to learn how they do.
Santa Rosa newspaper surviving just fine, thank you February 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Publications.2 comments
About 15 months ago, Route 66 News and other media outlets reported about M.E. Sprengelmeyer, a former reporter for the defunct Rocky Mountain News, and his purchase of the Guadalupe County Communicator in Santa Rosa, N.M. Sprengelmeyer said he still had faith that print newspapers could survive, and staked his life’s savings on it.
A new article today by Editor & Publisher tells how tell he’s doing:
[H]e’s been successful with his 16-page weekly, increasing revenue some 75 percent over the previous year by staying local and relevant. [...] Sprengelmeyer, who drives 99 miles weekly on a press run, said if he’s not back with the papers by 2 p.m. Thursdays, cross-armed customers are waiting for him. He doesn’t like to disappoint.
Editor & Publisher tells about how Sprengelmeyer planned a congratulatory extra edition the day the local high-school football team was playing in the state championship. Victory wasn’t guaranteed — Santa Rosa had a 7-4 record, and was facing an undefeated foe. Sprengelmeyer said he’d “eat” the extra cost — and embarrassment — if Santa Rosa lost.
“I called up one advertiser and said, ‘Look, I’m taking a gamble here. If we win, we both look great. If we don’t, we never had this conversation,’” Sprengelmeyer said. “I told him I’d eat the cost.”
In-house, the secret paper was known as the “Dewey Defeats Tularosa” edition, because if the Lions lost and the paper ended up on Facebook, they’d be as embarrassed as the Chicago Daily Tribune was when it wrongly printed “Dewey defeats Truman” in 1948.
Santa Rosa won, and Sprengelmeyer sold 2,000 copies of that extra edition at the game. Another 2,100 copies were sold at Santa Rosa. And in the subsequent editions after the game, the newspaper sold dozens more congratulatory ads.
“What did I risk?” he asked [about the extra edition]. “I risked $700. It was a coin flip. Anything you do that just creates excitement about the paper is critical.”
Not every publication needs to be global or universal, he said, adding that he is “disgusted” with newspaper corporations that think they must slash expenses and staff.
“If the revenues are suffering because people are questioning the relevance of your paper, invest to make it more relevant,” he said. “Do exciting things to make it more relevant. Do whatever you have to to make it more relevant. Or die.”
Sprengelmeyer refuses to “give away” his newspaper’s content on the Internet. If you want to read an article in the Guadalupe County Communicator, y0u have to buy a print copy. And we do.
The irony is the media outlet that reported on Sprengelmeyer’s story, Editor & Publisher, still posts its material for free on the Internet, and nearly ceased publication a year ago after years of declining revenues.
An inside look at Pixar Studios February 16, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies.add a comment
Just sit back and watch this very rare, behind-the-scenes look at Pixar Animation Studios:
Here’s the New York Times story that accompanies the video. But the video more than suffices.
If you’re a newcomer to this site, Pixar produced the Route 66-themed film, “Cars,” in 2006. Pixar is producing a sequel, “Cars 2,” that will be in theaters in June.
Michael Wallis, who served as a consultant for “Cars” and voiced the Sheriff character in the film, has regaled me with amazing stories about what Pixar is like behind its gates. The video probably is the closest we’ll ever get to experiencing that.
Event revives the Bunion Derby February 16, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, History, Sports.1 comment so far
One of the fabled moments of Route 66 history was 1928′s Transcontinental Foot Race, better known as the Bunion Derby. Going more than 3,200 miles from Los Angeles to New York City, it gave early publicity to the fledgling U.S. Highway 66 and provided fame and $25,000 in prize money to Oklahoma native Andy Payne, who won the event.
Organizer and ultrarunner Serge Girard of France is reviving the event with his Footrace Across America, from Los Angeles to New York, starting June 19 for 70 days.
This is the ninth edition of the race, with the last one in 2004.
According to a story in the Vail (Colo.) Daily about participant Mark Mueller, 18 runners have signed up for the cross-country race. An Internet runners forum in Australia reports that the entry fee is a steep $6,000, and doesn’t include many accommodations. One has to wonder whether enough runners will sign up for the race to happen; apparently Girard canceled another race across Australia for the same reason.
Apparently the race doesn’t always follow the exact Route 66 route of the original. But it’s going to be on the Mother Road enough to warrant interest.
The best book about the original Bunion Derby is Geoff Williams’ “C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race.” You can read my review of the book here. More than half of the original entrants failed to finish the grueling event.
Blizzard biking February 15, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in bicycling, Businesses, People, Road trips.add a comment
First, a little introduction to this couple:
They are Adam and Christy Coppola, who are on their Give a Bike: 50 State Tour:
[They] will be devoting a year of their lives to help give bikes to those in need. They will be the first to complete an unsupported bike tour of the 50 states in a calendar year. Their focus is on charity, adventure, and physical challenge, all visible through photography, videography, and journalistic blogging.
Their latest blog post, which contains a lot of good photos and a few more videos, tells the tale of them having to suspend their bicycle trip in eastern New Mexico because of a snowstorm and bitter cold. Fortunately, they stumbled onto James, manager of Russell’s Truck and Travel Center in Endee, and a nearby rancher who took them in for a few days and fed them until the weather cleared.
Route 66 Memories may reopen near old location February 15, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses.add a comment
David Allen, who writes for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, dropped in this tiny nugget in his column today:
Word has it that Route 66 Memories, the shop combining Americana and dinosaur sculptures that closed recently in Rancho Cucamonga, may reopen a few blocks away.
It was announced in early January that Route 66 Memories in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., closed after 15 years at its Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66) location. The poor economy was cited in the store’s shuttering.
Owner Rosa Ramos said at the time she would consider reopening in Rancho or nearby Victorville if the economy improved. If Allen’s report is true, the economy is improving fast in Southern California, or Ramos found a really good deal on another property.
UPDATE: I noticed on the Route 66 Memories website that it touts a new store “coming soon” in Victorville, called La Hacienda del Arte, on Stoddard Wells Road. We’ll see.