Eric Swanger is planning on driving the length of Route 66 in a few days.
What makes his trip special is he’s doing it entirely on a Vespa scooter. He starts from Chicago on May 6.
He e-mailed:
I am keeping a blog and posting a ton of pics. For the Route 66 segment, I’m doing an average of 150 miles per day. I intend to spend a lot of time getting to really know the road.
He knows it fairly well already. He’s made four major trips on the Mother Road. But this will be his first on a scooter.
That’s not all — after reaching Santa Monica, he’ll turn north and go clear to Montana while traveling east. By the time he’s done, I figure he’ll have logged 8,000 miles.
He’ll be driving a 2007 Vespa GTS, which goes up to 85 mph and gets 70 miles to the gallon.
In more news from the Mother Road:
- The order that allowed the City of Albuquerque to take possession of El Vado Motel was made permanent on Tuesday. There is an application for a demolition permit filed by previous owner Richard L. Gonzales. But the city’s senior planner for the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Committee told me the demolition application has been rendered moot.
- The Fanning U.S. 66 Outpost and General Store, located four miles west of Cuba, Mo., is holding its grand opening on May 10. The store is next to the recently built world’s largest rocking chair.
- Joe Sonderman, a Route 66 enthusiast based in St. Louis, has a book coming out called “Route 66 in St. Louis.” It will be published on May 14, and will retail for $19.99.
- Jacob Saunders is traveling the road, and he’s set up a terrific blog to document his experiences. The dozens of photos show how much stuff there is on Route 66, yet there are still a few things he missed.
- Reed’s Route 66 Antiques and Silks in Erick, Okla., is holding its grand opening May 24. It’s at 201 E. Roger Miller Blvd., aka Route 66, which is one block from the Roger Miller Museum. The first 50 customers that day will get free homemade cinnamon rolls.
- From the Get Yer Freak On Department: With this blog item, you’ll see some photographs of arty video footage projected onto abandoned buildings near the Route 66 settlement of Amboy, Calif.