Where do we begin? The share your adventure page on the companion website, Route 66 Info Center, is now functional. Our first submission is by Cort Stevens who was inspired by his recent adventure on Route 66 to pen a short story that will be posted in chapters as it becomes available.
He has also completed a compilation of photos that chronicle his trip. A link for this will also be added to this page but in the mean time you can check it out here.
If you would like to share your adventure on the old double six, or have tips, suggestions, or questions, please drop us a note. We will work to have submissions approved and posted within seven days. I should also note we will be expanding the calendar of events.
For the first time Barney the Wonder Truck failed to start this morning as the float stuck and dumped fuel on the manifold. I have had a bit of a miss this past couple of weeks and there is seepage at the base of the carb. The hope was that I could postpone a tune up and carb rebuild for a couple of weeks but that isn’t going to happen.
So, that is now added on the to do list somewhere between complete the first chapter for the new book by Monday, as per contract, update the website as promised, change the oil in the Jeep for an anticipated drive to Ludlow in search of Route 66 sites to photograph, and respond to a ton of important correspondence, most of which pertains to interview requests and book signings for the coming year.
Please do not misunderstand. There are no complaints on my end as I am a very blessed fellow. I am grateful for the old Dodge, love to travel, and am thankful that I can share my love of adventure and old vehicles through writing. I am also quite grateful for the full time job that keeps gas in the tank and beans on the table. Still, at some point it would be a real hoot if we could turn things around and have writing and photogrpahy be the primary income.
That is truly a stunning site against the stark back drop of Red Lake, the dry lake bed, and the stunning beauty of the Cerbat and Music Mountains.
The photo above, taken last year near Tombstone, gives you an idea of just how beautiful the desert can become with a bit of rain.
On the writing front, in addition to the items of immediate concern mentioned previously, in the blink of an eye my dance card went from semi busy to booked for the next year. I am being chased by a deadline as work continues on the next book, Ghost Towns of Route 66.
As is often the case in these endeavors there is the feeling that the work is inadequate coupled with with the sense that it is just not going as envisioned. Enhancing these feelings is the realization that I am still short in regards to research material, especially in regards to Illinois, and that some of the places I had hoped to profile have a history that is so sparse there really ins’t enough for inclusion. Still, they are so fascinating they deserve at least a sidebar or footnote.
One of the great blessings in regards to the research that goes into a book is the folks you meet, such as Laurel Kane at Afton Station in Afton, Oklahoma, or Debra at the Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow. Without these fine folks projects such as Ghost Towns of Route 66 would not be possible.
Promotion for Ghost Towns of the Southwesthttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=1968adventurer&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0760332215&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr, scheduled for a March release is in high gear. I find this aspect of being an author quite exciting and very frustrating.
Time and finances limit just how much I can do. Still, I really enjoy meeting the people who buy my books and hearing their ideas, thoughts, and suggestions.
