Tag: Historic Route 66

MotorCoach Blog 11 Route 66 Edition

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . I exist to serve travelers. To put it another way, if it weren’t for travelers, my services would not be needed. Even off-road time in the garage keeping my engine and all moving parts well maintained is all for my dependable service of travelers. Without travelers I would be empty – literally! I would have no reason to go anywhere, no need of an engine, or tires, or steering system, or mirrors. If I were a servant of the stationary only my door, seats, walls, roof, windows, interior lights, lavatory, and stereo system would be needed. I would not be a motorcoach; I would be a house or an apartment.

You may be catching on to my simple and exciting worldview – the reason for my deep pride in service. My existence and identity are bound to travelers! Goers! Get-out-and-doers! Pardon my gushing, but before a single drop of gas is put into my tank, love is what fuels my devotion. I love being a servant of travelers because I love what travelers do. Travelers live out loud and “out there.” Boarding a motorcoach is about intentional movement, fulfillment of a mission, satisfying an innate call to proceed. And I have this response: “At your service . . . welcome aboard!”

OK, enough about me and my motorcoach mantra: Seek – Meet – Honor – Serve. Next week, more on travelers . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Time for another round of “Logo-Rubbing” – my version of “rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.” But these logo selfies have an added element of story: each has a significant part in the ongoing story of Route 66.

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Early on automobiles were rare and in the category of hand crafted luxury for the upper middle class and above. Henry Ford’s assembly line product, the Model T, changed all that. The common man had a car and a place on an assembly line somewhere to help pay for it. Factories adorned with names of auto innovators were three to a city block in the early 1900s: Cadillac, Ford, Buick, Chevrolet, Moon, Chrysler, Durant, Nash, Rickenbacker, Dodge, Olds, Packard, Dorris, Gardner, to name just a few. But it was Ford that launched the revolution that demanded road development programs to accommodate the new world of motorized transportation. In 1926, the most extensive of these was given the name Route 66.

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It wasn’t just quality roads that were needed for the booming age of automobiles. Regardless of the factory they came from, all cars were thirsty for gasoline. In 1925 Philips Petroleum Company was the largest producer of natural gas liquids in the US. A test of the company’s gasoline took place on Route 66 and the speed of the car in which the test was conducted topped out at a very fast 66 miles per hour. The new fuel was given the name Phillips 66. Adoption of the Route 66 shield for branding was a bit of marketing brilliance linking the gasoline product to the new interstate roadway system. Shared branding was aided by friendship between the Phillips brothers and another man with a nose for marketing, Cyrus Avery, “father” of Route 66.

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Many roadside motels along Route 66 became thriving businesses as travel boomed during the years following World War II. Ironically, their success was their demise, signaling patronage worthy of a new industry: national hotel chains.

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF CHRISTENINGS: On various occasions and depending on who was lauding the achievement of the cross country paved roadway system, Route 66 was officially heralded by several names: “The Main Street of America,” “The Mother Road,” “The Way West,” and “Will Rogers Highway.”

NEWS OF PROPOSITIONS: It wasn’t just automobiles that moved along The Main Street of America, but tourism and commerce. Across the eight states and three time zones it spanned, state and national roadway developers met to plan (or later to reassess) the route. The meetings would inspire an all-time high in civic unity for towns vying for inclusion along the route. Business representatives, local developers, politicians, and celebrities showed up at the meetings accompanied by high school marching bands in an effort to persuade officials to direct Route 66 their way.

PHILOSOPHICAL NEWS: In the 1960s Route 66 had its own coveted place in a different kind of network: it became a TV show. The show, which primarily took place on the East Coast, demonstrated that the name of the famous Chicago to LA highway had taken on broader meaning, symbolically representing all who were going somewhere. Long after being bypassed by larger highway systems, it retains that symbolism.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about places you’ll want to visit.)

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West of St. Louis Route 66 traveled through the town of Fenton. Today, a little north of the route’s original path, Fenton is home to a classic cars dealer (2340 Cassens Drive) that will send Route 66 fans on a trip down memory lane: MotoExotica.

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Marilyn Monroe, who continues to have a celebrated association with Route 66, was once the owner of this 1959 Cadillac. It was originally pink, but the star had George Barris (of Batmobile fame) paint the car gold to match one of her outfits. Later, after her marriage to Joe DiMaggio, Monroe sold the car to DiMaggio’s brother, Dorn. On occasion in a storied past, the famous gold paint job reflected neon signage along America’s most famous highway. Its current home is MotoeXotica.

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Steiny’s Inn was once a diner’s and traveler’s hot spot along Route 66. Today, a museum and gift shop full of unique Route 66 items and artifacts make this Route 66 State Park Visitor’s Center a worthy destination for travelers from throughout the US and abroad. (97 N Outer Road E #1, Eureka, MO)

Quote Of The Day samples

“First think, second believe, third dream, and finally dare.”  — Walt Disney

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”  — Albert Einstein

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MotorCoach Blog 10 Route 66 Edition

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I am a motorcoach:

and Honor is my natural response to being honored — honored with the privilege of being a motorcoach, purchased and cared for at great expense, chosen to be a logo-bearer among travelers, trusted with today’s particular assignment and trusted by every passenger to whom I’ve been assigned . . . commissioned to serve, which is the purpose of being a motorcoach.

Fittingly, next week we will conclude our look at the motorcoach mantra (Seek – Meet – Honor – Serve) with the word Serve.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

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Destination Tulsa, Oklahoma, the temperature was in the single digits when we left St. Louis at 7:00AM heading out into a winter storm that made visibility challenging and progress slow. When we got to Joplin a few hours later it was still chilly, but sky and highway were clear. Two hours later we arrived in Tulsa to a sunny day near sixty degrees.

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Outside the Best Western Route 66 Hotel in downtown Tulsa.

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When you’re in Tulsa it’s hard to miss the fact that this is the birthplace of Route 66, the hometown of its architect, Cyrus Avery.

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Other heritage reminders are also prominent in Tulsa, those of the Native American Indians.

Here are some hard working high school seniors who have earned opportunities and options, one of them being the University of Tulsa, which they visited for a closer look.
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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF KANSAS PASSAGE: The historic Santa Fe and Oregon Trails issued west from Kansas. As if paying tribute to the trail era, Route 66 seemingly went out of its way to bring the rest of the nation through a fifteen mile section of Kansas, passing through Galena, Riverton, and Baxter Springs, before winding its way across Oklahoma.

NEWS OF MIGRATION: In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck depicted Route 66 as the path of a gathering movement of people in flight, coming to it “from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads.” Oklahoma enjoyed statehood for less than two decades prior to the opening of Route 66; and the monument, East Meets West, at the symbolic Tulsa mid-point conveys sculptural agreement with Steinbeck.

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NOSTALGIA NEWS: By the1950s the popularity of Route 66 coincided with a burgeoning American music scene. The bond of road and tunes would only grow. It was a bond lyrically celebrated by rock and roller Chuck Berry in his first big hit, “Maybellene” (1955), about a guy in a V8 Ford and a girl in a Cadillac.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about places you’ll want to visit.)

At the southern end of the University of Tulsa campus runs 11th Street, part of a definitive section of historic route 66.

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Gilcrease Museum (located in Tulsa at Gilcrease Museum Road and Newton Street) contains one of our nation’s best collections of American art and history, housing the world’s largest display of art and artifacts on the American West and Native American nations. The museum’s exterior gardens are themselves worthy of inclusion in travel planning.

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Quote Of The Day samples

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” — Plato

“Every man must leave a track and it might as well be a good one.” — Thomas Gilcrease

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MotorCoach Blog 9 – Route 66 Edition

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I am a motorcoach:

Continuing with the motorcoach mantra, Seek – Meet – Honor – Serve. We’re on the second word: Meet.

Imagine it is race day at the Indy 500. The crew has the million-dollar machine ready, polished, clean. The mechanics have everything fine-tuned. There’s a plan in place, scheduled “pit stops,” a time and mile measured course strategy, goals, expectations, and so on.

Call me grandiose, but that’s what it’s like to be me, Two Six Seven, ready to meet the day, eager to meet my passengers . . . no, not spectators seated in the grandstand . . . PASSENGERS, on-board participants in the journey. While my big moment is not actually the start of a race, it is no less a big event. And though I am the logo clad face of our team, make no mistake, meeting passengers is a moment of team preparation and pride.

Selfies

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Here I am at the Route 66 Museum in Lebanon, Missouri – nostalgia at its best. They call Route 66 “The Mother Road” for a reason. Not only was it the first paved interstate highway system, it also birthed my industry. Creation of this Chicago-to-LA connector was concomitantly creation of need for the motorcoach.

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Blinking bulbs, neon – graphics and names coloring the night . . . those were the days! Route 66 was the traveler’s route. It was the way “home” – wherever folks intended home to become, or wherever it turned out to be due to circumstances along the way. It was the vacationer’s route. It was the trucker’s route (another industry with origin ties to Route 66). The Mother Road birthed demand for countless roadside diners, service stations, and motels like Munger Moss, which is celebrating its 70th birthday the weekend of April 22-23 of 2016. Put the party on your calendar. They haven’t kept their fabulous sign in tact for nothing. Cool autos, music, hotdogs and hamburgers . . . it’ll be a celebration of longevity and remembrance of the glory days of Route 66.

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF SPEED: According to a 1930 series Missouri map, a general speed limit was, uh . . . suggested? “The speed limit is 25 miles per hour. Anything over is presumptive but not conclusive of careless and imprudent driving.”

NEWS OF NUMBERS: November 11, 1926 is the birthday of Route 66. Its number name, 66, represents a hard fought and last minute victory by Cyrus Avery, the “Father of Route 66.” Most public road planners preferred the numbers 60 and 62 for the route because they fit the national highway naming template. Avery wanted the number 66 because he believed it was catchier, which would aid businesses along the route in their marketing. The original Route 66 was over 2,000 miles of motoring adventure from Chicago to Los Angeles. In the 1940’s, Route 66 was of vital logistical importance to the US war effort. A set of tires at the time was around $45. With a couple of dimes you could buy a gallon of gas.

NEWS OF FAME: In 1946 Bobby Troupe gave the paved pop culture phenomenon a radio voice: “If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, take the highway that’s the best. Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six!”

NEWS OF FOREIGN FOLLOWING: Historic Route 66 has become a top US attraction for foreign tourists, second only to New York City. Like many business owners along the route, Bob and Ramona Lehman have seen the foreign interest become the core support of their business, Munger Moss Motel. People from Europe, South America, Australia, Canada, and other nations come to the US during the summer months to rent cars and motorcycles and travel the most famous US highway.

MUST SEE...

Next time you’re in Chicago, you’ll want to make your way to Adams and Michigan Avenue, the beginning of Route 66.

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And while you’re there, you might as well venture a little further on to the town of Wheaton (a western suburb of Chicago), where you’ll find the Wade Center at the corner of N Washington Street and Lincoln Avenue. Among other treasures, you will see in this museum the desk at which J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in its entirety. What does that have to do with Route 66? Sitting right next to Tolkien’s desk in the Wade Center is that of C.S. Lewis. The two met for the first time in 1926, the year Route 66 officially opened. The beginnings of roads and friendships have much in common. Trust me on this one; I’m a motorcoach, an expert on this kind of thing.

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Quote Of The Day samples

“It’s a dangerous business going out of your door. You step out onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

“Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” – C.S. Lewis

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