Foothill bridge in Rancho Cucamonga dedicated December 8, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, bicycling, Bridges.add a comment
Officials in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., on Wednesday celebrated the recent completion of a pedestrian and cycling bridge over Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66), reported the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
The bridge over the roadway now carries the 7.5-mile Pacific Electric Trail.
The newspaper’s report didn’t include a photo. However, this artist’s rendering shows what the bridge and a nearby park will look like when they’re all done:
The newspaper also said:
A Route 66 Trailhead Park, which features a historical timeline, remnant of the old bridge and a piece of the original Route 66 pavement, is also expected to be finished next month.
Artwork on the bridge depicting historic cars, states that Route 66 passes and scenes from California and Illinois, the end points of the Mother Road, is scheduled to be complete by March.
Cars Land update December 8, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Movies.1 comment so far
Construction on Cars Land in Disney’s California Adventure continued with the recent installation of the leaning tower of tires in front of Luigi’s Casa della Tires.
The complex takes its inspiration from the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs from the 2006 Disney-Pixar movie “Cars.”
Cars Land is scheduled to be open sometime in summer 2012.
A beer for the road December 7, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Food.1 comment so far
Plenty of microbreweries operate on or near Route 66 to help travelers quench their thirst after a day of motoring on America’s most famous highway.
But in Flagstaff, Ariz., a new microbrewery actually takes its inspiration from Route 66 itself.
The Mother Road Brewing Co. offers at least three beers that take their inspiration from Route 66 landmarks or the road itself.
Best of all, the brewery is situated at 7 S. Mikes Pike (map here), an older alignment of Route 66 in Flagstaff.
Here are three brews currently offered by Mother Road Brewing Co. The first is Roadside American Ale. The label features an image of the “Here It Is!” billboard at Jackrabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, Ariz.
The second is Twin Arrows Brown Ale, inspired by the giant twin arrows at the now-defunct Twin Arrows Trading Post in Twin Arrows, Ariz.
The third is Gold Road Kolsch-Style Ale, which takes its name from the Gold Road near the mines of Oatman, Ariz.
Mother Road Brewing also will offer seasonal beers.
According to the company’s website:
Mother Road Brewing Company’s name was chosen with our service philosophy in mind. The Mother Road was John Steinbeck’s name for U.S. Highway 66 (Route 66) when it carried many migrant workers away from the Oklahoma Dustbowl in the 1930s. The compassion and service demonstrated by the roadside businesses and government camps to the migrants is one we strive to mirror in our Tap Room, at events, and with our distributors. Our goal is to provide excellent beer and outstanding service to each of our guests whether they are regulars or visiting once.
The brewery is focused on production and distribution. Our beers are available in 12 ounce bottles and in sixth barrel (torpedos) and half barrel kegs. We are distributed in Arizona by the Fred Nackard Wholesale Beverage Company. We will expand into the Phoenix and Tucson markets and surrounding states as production increases in 2013.
We are located in the Milum Building on Mikes Pike, an original portion of U.S. Highway 66 until it was realigned to travel under the railroad line one block west. The Milum Building was built by the Milum family in the 1920s and housed a commercial laundry, which they operated, up until the late 1990s.
According to the company’s blog, the Tap Room at the brewery opened only about two weeks ago. In fact, Mother Road Brewing Co. is scheduled to have a Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting tomorrow.
The Tap Room is open from 3 to 7 p.m. daily. Tours are available by request or appointment by calling 928-774-9139.
Satchmo’s BBQ and Pizzacletta in Flagstaff also serve the beer on tap.
Mother Road Brewing Co. can also be followed on Facebook and Twitter.
UPDATE 12/11/2011: The Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff posted a story about the brewery.
(Images courtesy of Mother Road Brewing Co.; hat tips to Mike Ward and Roger Naylor)
A word from our sponsor … December 7, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Restaurants, Television.add a comment
Here’s an ad for the Route 66 Diner in Berlin. Check out the Route 66 map on the ceiling at the very end of the clip:
http://youtu.be/tleZYNi4H7g
Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame seeks 2012 nominations December 6, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses, Museums, People.add a comment
The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame Committee is seeking nominations of people, attractions, businesses, and events for its Class of 2012, according to a recent news release.
The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame, based in Pontiac, will be accepting applications for the honors between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28. The release says:
To qualify for election to the Hall of Fame, nominees must have made significant contributions to the character or history of the Illinois portion of Route 66. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor and commemorate those people, businesses, attractions and events that helped give Route 66 such special character and historical status in Illinois. [...]
The committee invites anyone to submit a nomination. It must include a strong fact-based essay. It must include details about the nominee’s contributions to the character or history of the Illinois portion of Route 66. We encourage that photos, news clips and other memorabilia accompany the essay, but they are not required. A panel of historians and Hall of Fame members will judge all nominations.
Please submit nominations and all accompanying materials to:
The Route 66 Association of Illinois
Attn: Hall of Fame Committee
110 West Howard Street
Pontiac, IL 61724
Nominations may also be emailed to Kathleen708(at)hotmail(dot)com with “Hall of Fame” in the subject line. Photo attachments must be JPG files, and all written submissions should be in Microsoft Word.
If you’re not sure whether a business or person has already been inducted, consult the entire list.
The Hall of Fame Banquet honoring new and existing members will be during the 28th annual Motor Tour on June 9 in Lincoln.
I’d like to see the proprietor of this roadside attraction get his due:
Man seeks historical information about Cuervo December 5, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways, History, Towns.add a comment
A Santa Fe resident is searching for historical information about the tiny Route 66 town of Cuervo, N.M., according to the current print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in nearby Santa Rosa.
Ken Earle’s interest in Cuervo has always simmered every time he drove Route 66 through the area. But it turned into an obsession when he met a county resident in a Tucumcari restaurant.
Earle is among those who believes countless untold stories are still waiting to be shared.
“One thing that would be interesting would be to interview people who may have some memories or family stories of Cuervo,” he said.
Those with Cuervo memories are urged to call Earle at 505-466-1433, or email kearle(at)cybermesa(dot)com. Earle already has scoured documents at the Guadalupe County Courthouse in Santa Rosa.
Cuervo never was a particularly large village. But it withered badly when it was cut in half by Interstate 40.
Hard-core Route 66 fans know the town as the beginning of Cuervo Cut-off, a primitive alignment of Route 66 that dates to the 1950s:
On the road with a stuffed doll December 4, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Photographs, Road trips, Toys, Web sites.3 comments
Today, I received an email from a Spaniard taking in Route 66 with Stabri, a stuffed doll that travels “hand to hand” around the globe, documented by photos and video posted on the Internet.
As of Sunday, Stabri and his companions were in Joplin, Mo. Here’s another photo of Stabri at Ambler’s Texaco Station in Dwight, Ill. You can see a few more photos from Route 66 on Stabri’s Flickr account.
An explanation of Stabri from one of its creators, via email:
Two European computer specialists, Mariano Munuera and Angel Téllez, decided to try how far the Internet links could reach. Then, to manage this idea, they invented the global doll Stabri, who travels all around the world from hand to hand. On the web site www.stabri.com, they organize his trips. So, his present bearer receives the proposals so that Stabri continues travelling. Besides, Stabri is in the social network where he talks with friends and fans in Facebook, Twitter, Tuenti, etc…
Stabri is more than a travelling doll, because wherever he goes he has a great impact on the Internet. The bearer takes Stabri to the most famous places of the country where they are and Stabri participates in bearer’s hobbies. In this way, the doll has lived experiences like playing instruments, visiting museums, practising sports, singing at Karaokes…even going paragliding!
According to Stabri’s website, the doll has reached more than 20 countries and 100 cities. Stabri even boasts its own YouTube channel.
This isn’t a new thing. The traveling gnome, which started as a prank with lawn gnomes, has been going for more than 25 years, to the point where Travelocity created its own Roaming Gnome mascot to get travelers involved and publicize its website on Twitter and Facebook.
And tons of variations exist out there. The Ace Jackalope blog contains hundreds of photos of a jackalope mascot photographed with landmarks and celebrities. Flat Stanley is another variation of the traveling figure, with him even having his own app. Over the years, I’ve seen a few Route 66 travelers adopt a figurine — a plastic Jesus, a stuffed animal, etc. — to include with their photographs.
The traveling mascot serves as a more whimsical and memorable way for travelers to document their journeys. It’s fun, and another small way to publicize Route 66′s attractions. But Stabri isn’t a fad. It’s most like a new variation on an old trend.
(Photos courtesy of Angel Teilez)
Barnaby’s Beanry in Amarillo will close this spring December 3, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Restaurants.1 comment so far
Barnaby’s Beanry, a restaurant that’s dished up cornbread cheeseburgers on Amarillo’s Sixth Avenue alignment of Route 66 for decades, will close in May after its lease expires, reported the Amarillo Globe-News.
The newspaper reported:
Kay Spurlin, owner of the business at 3811 S.W. Sixth Ave. for the past 11 years, gave Barnaby’s regulars plenty of lead time to get in at least one more Big Dan, cornbread cheeseburger or homemade cobbler order. Spurlin posted a sign that she will close the restaurant when her lease on the building ends in mid-May.
The business hasn’t been able to pull itself out of the economic downturn, Spurlin said.
“Lunchtime is where we’re really hurting,” she said. “We’re so sad. I hate to see it go this way. If I was retiring, that would be another thing.”
Barnaby’s opened in 1970. I’m betting it took inspiration for its name from Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood, Calif., another Route 66 fixture that’s been operating for over 90 years.
Bottletree Ranch featured in L.A. Times December 3, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, People.add a comment
Elmer Long’s Bottletree Ranch along Route 66 near Oro Grande, Calif., is so unusual, it seemed inevitable the Los Angeles Times would come calling.
And it has.
And an interesting admission by Long:
By his own account, Long was once judgmental of people, easy to anger, a man who settled scores. But a decade of building bottle trees and topping them with other people’s discards has changed him, he says.
“I’ve got a lot of time to think, to plan. And I use that time wisely,” he says. “I’m free of any kind of worry. I’m free of any feelings of confrontation.”
In the past decade, the Bottletree Ranch has pretty much become a must-stop for Route 66 travelers. This short film helps show why:
Rockin’ and rollin’ with Bolin December 3, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Events, Vehicles.1 comment so far
A few weeks ago, we gave you a look at the rebuilding of the Bolin Ford dealership, next to Route 66 in Bristow, Okla.
Bolin Ford was heavily damaged by a huge fire in December 2008, and it vowed to rebuild in a nostalgic style that paid tribute to Route 66 and Bristow’s historic downtown buildings.
On Saturday, Bolin Ford officially celebrated its grand reopening. Sales coordinator Kathy Wisotsky said the interior still needs a few finishing touches, but the complex is essentially finished.
Bolin Ford laid out a huge spread of free food, including the regional staple of tabouli salad (Bristow and several other nearby towns are home to many Lebanese-Americans). Locals streamed through the front doors the entire time we were there:
It even had an Elvis Presley impersonator on hand for entertainment:
Between sets of The King, we checked out the middle portion of the Bolin Ford complex, which still was being rebuilt a few months ago. The Chrysler Building-inspired lighting fixtures were in place:
Here’s a closeup of one of those fixtures:
Outside, several vintage cars brought to the event. Yes, that’s a Ford Edsel, with less than 60,000 original miles:
And this is an old Buick. Bolin Ford also formerly was a Buick dealership:
A modified old Ford flatbed truck also made an appearance:
The Bristow News also surprised Bolin Ford with a 12-page special edition marking the dealership’s grand reopening.
The special edition contains photos from the fire and the subsequent rebuilding:
The newspaper also included a couple of vintage Ford advertisements, including this one:
Wisotsky said that though Saturday was described as a “reopening,” Bolin Ford never actually closed. She said the dealership was open the very next day after the blaze. In fact, it drew in potential customers with humor, by advertising “hot deals.”