Riding Time Again
We're out from under the triple digit temperatures for another year and more bikes are out after work. My wife and I are looking forward to visiting the Albuquerque Balloon Festival for the first time and beginning location shooting for another in our video series on Route 66 . . . Ride Route 66 - New Mexico. We hope to have it in the can for Christmas.
Mother of the Mother Road Honored
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association inducted Lucille Hammond into their Hall of
Fame September 18, 1999.
Through thick and thin, Lucille operated a store on
Route 66 in Hydro,
Oklahoma. Unlike many of
Route 66's icons, Lucille
committed her thicks and
thins to paper for the rest of
us to enjoy. Her book is fast
becoming required reading
for all fans of the Mother
Road. It is available direct from the publisher at: 702-876-3626
A German Perspective on Route 66
Herb Rotter, from Germany, posted a terrific
memoir of his trip to the United States and
touring Route 66. Route 66 is better known
in Western
Europe than
in many parts
of the United
States. Herb
and his wife
Silvia were
particularly
taken with the
openness and
friendliness
of people they met along the Old Road. He
also wrote that he had wanted a Gold Wing
motorcycle since he 'was 15 years old.'
Dallas Morning News Does Route 66
Every Tuesday the Dallas Morning News runs a technology feature. On September 28, they featured our favorite road's presence on the Internet. The reporters said their search for 'Route 66' yielded more than 27,000 'hits.' Hits equates to 'places.' In other words, more than 27,000 computer screen size 'pages' about Route 66. That much material about Route 66 might justify 'getting on the Internet.' We have posted a link to the Dallas Morning News story and other Route 66 sites at: http://www.hhjm.com/66/links/links.htm. In addition to 'surfing' those links, you can post a favorite link of your own.
Barber Motorcycle Museum
It was on the Internet that I first learned
about the Barber Motorcycle Museum in
Birmingham, Alabama. Certainly there is no
shortage of motorcycle museums, but the
Barber is serious. They have over 325 bikes
on display and
they are
really
museum
quality.
They
range
from a 1904 Shaw to a 1957 Grand Prix
Championship MV Agusta to modern-day
superbike, as well as street bikes 'like the
one Dad used to ride.' You don't have to be
very close to Birmingham to justify a visit.
They're open Wednesday-Friday, 9AM-3PM
and closed holidays.. 205-252-8377.
Endangered Road Way
A section of original Route 66 west of Oklahoma City has been targeted for 'improvement' (read that: Destruction) by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Coming on the heels of the $10 million being set aside to preserve the road, this move by ODOT is very distressing. The National Route 66 Federation has taken a leading role in stopping the loss of one of the Old Road's prettiest sections. Give the Federation a call - 818-352-7232 - to get an update on this fight and what you can do to help keep this part of Route 66 from being bulldozed.