Comments on: Happy Birthday, Route 66!

By: Connie (Corcoran) Wilson

Connie (Corcoran) Wilson — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:12:00 +0000

I wanted to let you all know that Volume II of "Ghostly Tales of Route 66" is now available for purchase.

Ghostly Tales
August 6th, 2009

The second in a trilogy of ghost stories set along Route 66, Ghostly Tales of Route 66: Arkansas to Arizona from Connie (Corcoran) Wilson, is due out momentarily from Quixote Press. Volume II is a solo project by Wilson (see YouTube video for first volume) and she will be the featured speaker at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge Second Annual Route 66 Festival on October 3rd in St. Louis, Missouri. A website (www.ghostlytalesofroute66.com) is being mounted at this time, and the book will be available from Amazon.com and/or by contacting Quixote Press at 1-800-571-2665 ($9.95 plus postage).

Sincerely,

Connie (Corcoran) Wilson, M.S.

http://www.ConnieCWilson.com

By: Connie (Corcoran) Wilson

Connie (Corcoran) Wilson — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:10:50 +0000

I have written 2 books on Route 66 entitled "Ghostly Tales of Route 66," (Vol. I & Vol. II), just released from Quixote Press and able to be ordered at 1-800-571-2665. Read about the newest book in the Aug. 6, 2009 post on http://www.weeklywilson.com in the archives, and read about both books at http://www.ghostlytalesofroute66.com and about me, the author, at http://www.ConnieCWilson.com. The book costs only $9.95 and contains a host of information and, in the case of Volume II, pictures taken at the Fort El Reno (OK) Ghost Tour last Nov. 15 that show ghostly figures! (I'm not kidding.)
Thanks for letting me post here.

Sincerely,

Connie (Corcoran) Wilson, M.S.
CEO, Quad Cities' Learning, Inc.
EINNOC10@Aol.com

By: Dennis

Dennis — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:32:26 +0000

When did they move Route 66 to Oregon? Methinks you are a bit confused, Brammi. Maybe a state Hwy 66? Not THE Rte. 66

By: Brammi

Brammi — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:56:15 +0000

I had an address on Siskiyou Ave in Ashland, OR for five years before learning that Sisikyou Ave was a segment of the original Highway 66.

This would be unremarkable save for the fact that I am Will Rogers' Grand-Niece.

I'd come all the way from Hawaii to reside there, choosing that college on a hunch, and marvel about that coincidence to this very day.

By: The Other Parker

The Other Parker — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:24:58 +0000

Here in Albuquerque, Route 66 has become Central Avenue, one of the main roads through town. I live a couple blocks from there. I'm a young'un who didn't show up on the scene until the year they decommissioned the highway, but I still appreciate driving along it and seeing the old sights. Though there's plenty of activity in Albuquerque, much of it moved to other parts of town. Nowadays most of the old motels and diners sit vacant, their Googie facades faded and vandalized, their neon lights switched off. It's a bit sad. It makes me wonder what condition our modern structures will be in, in fifty years.

By: Video Game Dork

Video Game Dork — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:40:12 +0000

So, I share a birthday with a road. Cool.

By: Frau

Frau — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:52:58 +0000

I live next to Old 66 in NM. There is nothing much exciting around the corner.
I also drive it everyday.
It is now known as state road 333. But in the county has it marked as "Old 66".

By: jettababs

jettababs — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:32:08 +0000

My husband and I just got back from a cross-country trip following Rt 66. It's pretty easy to follow, hopping on and off the interstate as need be. There are still lots of great sights to be seen. Meteor Crater is truly amazing, it's so huge. Tucumcari has great old motels and neon signs. We also stopped in Shamrock, TX, which has the Conoco station that inspired Luigi's Repair Shop in the movie Cars, and Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, which was the Cadillac Range in the movie.
Absolutely a trip everyone should try to make at least once! We're already planning our next trip.

By: skyvue

skyvue — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:52:13 +0000

Much more of Route 66 still exists than the author suggests. Sure, it's not the glory days any more, but those "associations and societies" have accomplished a great deal over the past twenty years, and the states along the route are touting their connection with a legendary road.

I drove the length of the road, from the shores of Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, in 1992, and have since traveled various segments of the road, and it's in as good shape -- or better -- now as it was then.

By: Bonwilsky

Bonwilsky — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:34:30 +0000

We lived in Flagstaff, AZ for a number of years and I discovered that the little towns located around 66 are fascinating. At one point, we ended up towing our moving trailer through Oatman, AZ on old 66. We were lucky to make it through with all our stuff after those steep grades and narrow roads.

By: MENLOHEAVYWEIGHT

MENLOHEAVYWEIGHT — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:51:41 +0000

this is really a fun drive if you have alot of time and a little sense of adventure.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:24:22 +0000

Can't say I've ever been on Route 66, but my home state of SD has a similar cross-state route that was supplanted by the interstate highway system. I avoid I-90 whenever possible; the drive is far more interesting on the old 2-lane roads... It takes a while longer, but I always say there's more to a vacation than your destination; getting there is half the fun.

Earlier this year an Army vet made a cross-country trip, blogging about the things he saw along the way. At the outset he said he was going to avoid the interstate highways as much as possible, but when he got to SD, he hopped on I-90 and hit the cruise control. Then had the nerve to complain about the boring drive. Knucklehead.
http://danielsbigtrip.blogspot.com/

Little known fact; many of the small towns across the midwest were built around the old railroad maintenance stations. The stations were generally 10-20 miles apart because that was as far as a steam locomotive could go before needing water or fuel. Many of today's "secondary" highways (yesterday's primary roads) were built along those rail lines. Driving secondary roads through the midwest today is kinda nice, especially with small kids; you're never more than 10 minutes from a place to stop.

By: Dandy

Dandy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:30:35 +0000

Speaking of Winslow Ariz - there actually is a "Standing on the Corner" festival on Route 66 each year now. (From the famous Eagles tune with the lyrics "Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona..."

By: Brian Lutz

Brian Lutz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:00:32 +0000

Last year when I took a roadtrip through the Southwest I took one of the longer remaining stretches of Route 66 between Seligman and Kingman Arizona. I made a post on my Blog about some of the gas stations along the way:

http://thesledgehammer.wordpress.com/2007/07/20/classical-gas-abandone d-route-66-gas-stations/

Be sure to check the comments for an interesting bit of background from a former resident of Truxton on some of these.

By: renderanything

renderanything — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:15:28 +0000

I live in the southwest. I've also driven bits and pieces of Route 66, but when you live in a place with the same scenery it offers, it just becomes another boring stretch of highway in the middle of nowhere.

That said, I would love to one day drive the remainder of it from one side to the other in one of my old cars.

By: Marty

Marty — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:30:18 +0000

Here's a great picture I took during our road trip, this is where the old Rt. 66 crossed Painted Desert Highway, in the Petrified National Forest, AZ.

By: Marty

Marty — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:28:44 +0000

What a beautiful part of the country! My dad and I went on a road trip, and of course some of it had to go along Rt 66 to see Painted Desert and Meteor Crater, among other sights. You have to see this place at least once in your life.

By: Rocky Rook

Rocky Rook — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:06:21 +0000

My family and I stopped at the Meteor Crater on our way to a family reunion last year.

Didn't the Fat Man Walking take Route 66?

By: Toe

Toe — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:00:01 +0000

Seligman, AZ is on Route 66, near the south rim of the Grand Canyon. This small town was the inspiration for the movie Cars. The Mater character in the movie is allegedly based on a real person who used to attend car races and throw tomatoes at the cars he didn't like.

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:45:18 +0000

I live near Route 66. The only interesting old-school thing I've seen is Del Rhea's Chicken Basket. http://www.chickenbasket.com/

By: Sannhp

Sannhp — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:39:01 +0000

US Camel Corps? I can't imagine famous generals riding into battle on Camels.