Volume Three Number 8
Bus Driver
Vacation
If you called the office in the past week or so then you know I've been riding Historic Route 66 myself. I ran from Oklahoma City to Chicago with camera and notebook in hand. That followed Oklahoma City to Amarillo, Texas in June. I'll be including some of the material I've gathered in this newsletter. And, of course, we always want to hear about your Route 66 adventures and see your pictures. We can scan your pictures and return them to you undamaged.
Feedback
Great idea for The 4th Annual Mother Road Ride/Rally® from Brian Barthel of Aurora, IL. Brian suggested a special telephone "hotline" that participants could call to leave and hear messages regarding their plans. We believe it would help coordinate meeting up with other riders along the route at the "join up" points, so telephone hotline is a "go" for next year. And on the subject of "join up" points along the route . . .
Niehaus Renews
Niehaus Cycle Sales in Litchfield, Illinois
has graciously agreed to serve again as a
"join up" point for next year's run. Niehaus
is the largest motorcycle dealership I've ever
visited. Two buildings - one for pre-owned
bikes, the other for new bikes and accessories - 26 employees. They are right on Old
Route 66 in Litchfield. The second generation of Niehaus are operating the dealership.
Directly across the
street is the Route 66
Courts . . . another
Route 66 icon.
Niehaus's annual Appreciation Days brings
thousands of people to
this small town an hour east of St. Louis on
I-55. They have been early, good friends of
the Mother Road Ride/Rally®.
Route 66 - Summer '97
Even with the crowd of people and four
television mobile news units there was a
church like hush when I visited the site. In
May, 1997 buildings more than a block away
still looked like a war
zone . . . windowless,
seemingly abandoned.
Weatherford, OK Business Route I-40 takes you through Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford's home town. At the western end of the city route, at the City Hall, there is an impressive statue of Mr. Stafford. The street between the Stafford memorial and the City Hall is billed as "original" Route 66.
Clinton, OK Over $1 million was invested in the
museum, $200,000 of which came directly from the
citizens of
Clinton. Exit
#65 from I-40,
or just take the
Business Route
I-40 and you'll
find the Museum on the
western edge
of the city, just
across the street from the Tradewinds Motel. The
Tradewinds says you can "sleep where Elvis slept."
