Part of Route 66 in California designated a scenic route

Route 66 from Oro Grande, Calif., to the Arizona state line near Needles was designated a scenic route by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, according to a report today by The Sun Runner magazine. The county made the move at the urging of 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. According to the report: “Route 66 … Continue reading Part of Route 66 in California designated a scenic route

Cubs fans and their goat only days from Chicago

The group of five Cubs fans and their pet goat Wrigley are less than a week from strolling into Chicago after a 1,900-mile trek from Arizona, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. The newspaper's photographer caught up with them Monday south of Bloomington in McLean, Ill., along Route 66. The quintet wants to break the infamous … Continue reading Cubs fans and their goat only days from Chicago

Motel 6 wants “correspondents” for a Route 66 trip

This seems to be a glass half-full, glass half-empty situation. The Motel 6 chain is looking for "Open Road Correspondents" this summer to journey down several classic highways, including Route 66 from Amarillo, Texas, to Santa Monica, Calif. The catch is these road reporters will have to stay at Motel 6's throughout the trip. From … Continue reading Motel 6 wants “correspondents” for a Route 66 trip

Admiral Twin Drive-In vandalized

The Admiral Twin Drive-In, a landmark theater in Tulsa that's still being rebuilt after a devastating fire in September 2010, suffered vandalism to its ticket booth and new concession stand on Saturday, reported KOTV in Tulsa. Almost every ceiling light in the new concession stand was smashed. Shattered glass covers the floor with broken bulbs … Continue reading Admiral Twin Drive-In vandalized

DVD review: “Route 66: The Complete Series”

https://youtu.be/VaT4pQDSWZw No more piecemeal releases. No more half-baked formatting. Shout! Factory has released all four seasons of the acclaimed "Route 66" television drama of the early 1960s, and they all come in one well-conceived package, in stores tomorrow. The guts of "Route 66: The Complete Series": It's a box set of 24 DVDs, inside four … Continue reading DVD review: “Route 66: The Complete Series”

Volunteers repaint Paul Bunyan statue in Illinois

Volunteers from the Illinois Route 66 Association this weekend repainted the 19-foot-tall Paul Bunyan fiberglass statue on Route 66 in downtown Atlanta, Ill., reported the Bloomington Pantagraph. The newspaper reported that help came from Michigan and Iowa, as well as the Land of Lincoln. “I’m impressed by what people want to do to help,” said … Continue reading Volunteers repaint Paul Bunyan statue in Illinois

One from the BBC vault

This is a version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" by an apparently long-gone band called Freak UK. The video was broadcast by the BBC in 1991. I suspect this was influenced by Depeche Mode's version from 1987. https://youtu.be/fLgS9_GTumg Freak UK's frontman was Mik Scarlet, who found later fame as a TV and radio broadcaster, journalist, and actor. … Continue reading One from the BBC vault

High rider

A woman from Los Angeles wants to ride her double-high bicycle (like the one seen above) down Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica later in the summer, with the help of a national magazine. Melissa Rougeaux yesterday applied for a $10,000 Adventure Grant from Outside magazine. The magazine explained: In celebration of our 35th … Continue reading High rider

Media get a sneak preview of Cars Land

A small group of journalists toured Cars Land at Disney California Adventure before it officially opens on June 15. The Orange County Register was one of them. Cars Land is patterned after the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs, as depicted in the Disney-Pixar animated films "Cars" and "Cars 2." According to the newspaper: … Continue reading Media get a sneak preview of Cars Land

“We’re Going West”

Here's a new video from the good folks at The Road Crew, a country-rock band that's served as boosters of Route 66 for the past few years: https://youtu.be/ocnYDLw934A The song comes from "Songs from the Mother Road" album, which you can download from Amazon here. It's also on iTunes.