AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ONE AND ALL
How and when I got on this carousel is uncertain but it seems to be picking up speed rather quickly. In fact it is moving at such a clip things are now beginning to blur but there is no complaint as this is an amazing ride.
On Monday morning I will meet with Roger Fox and the Ride for the Relay gang, always an inspirational visit. I am quite honored to have been asked to provide the benediction, again, before their west bound adventure on the double six continues.
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| The refurbished Wagon Wheel Motel is the crown jewel of Route 66 treasures in Cuba, Missouri. |
Also scheduled for Monday, aside from mundane details such as a dental appointment, is a meeting with Roxanne of Laser Works in Kingman who is making strides in transferring historic post card images to metal for the proposed world’s largest Route 66 museum. Then there is a visit with Josh Noble, the area tourism director with a litany of visionary ideas such as the Route 66 in Arizona geocache project, to see how the photo exhibit project for the Powerhouse Visitor Center is progressing.
Since the deadline for the latest book (March 1) is fast approaching, I will need to resume my schedule of devoting a minimum of two hours a day to this project. As the trip to Cuba Fest in Cuba, Missouri where The Route 66 Encyclopedia will make its public debut is also fast approaching there are a multitude of details I hope to resolve on Monday.
With the assistance of Steve Roth, the publicist I am assigned to work with through the publisher, the October adventure is rapidly beginning to take shape. That in itself creates a wide array of issues, namely an almost unbearable eagerness to take to the road, to see old friends, to make new ones, and to lend promotional assistance to the people and places that make legendary Route 66 so special.
As it stands now, on the east bound leg we will be in Gallup, New Mexico on the evening of October 13. On the 14th we will motor east with stops to visit with Vickie Ashcraft at the most delightful Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post near Albuquerque, and hopefully, with Kevin and Nancy at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucucmcari as well.
We are also planning on meeting with Richard Talley, owner of the Motel Safari, to discuss the forthcoming Route 66 New Mexico Motor Tour that will be tied to Tucumcari’s Wheels on 66 event and the opening of the new New Mexico Route 66 Museum. Our support was pledged for this 2013 event and this trip seems an ideal time to get first hand information about progress.
As Tucumcari is gallantly pushing back the tide of abandonment and decay that has plagued the city for more than two decades we find a great deal of encouragement in our visits there. In fact it was our participation in the 2012 Wheels on 66 event that galvanized me to take action in Kingman.
A meet and greet session has been planned for the afternoon of the 14th at Lile’s Fine Art Gallery in Amarillo, the lair of the legendary “Croc” Lile. We are eager to see the new digs and to lend a hand in promoting the gallery as well as the often overlooked Route 66 corridor in this city that rolled out the red carpet for us last year at the International Route 66 Festival.
Day three, the 15th, is scheduled to end at Baxter Springs, Kansas. In between Amarillo and Kansas there are a wide array of stops on the calendar and, hopefully, we will be adding a few more, such as lunch with Jerry McClanahan at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, a visit with Laurel Kane of Afton Station fame, and a meeting to discuss future endeavors of the Route 66 Alliance with Michael Wallis.
At this time appearances are scheduled for the Devil’s Rope Museum in McLean, Texas, the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma, and at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton. Steve is looking into adding stops at Seaba Station as well as Pop’s. All of this should make for a very full day.
In fact, without adding a thing, it looks as though every day of this grand adventure will be quite full. Still, as noted previously, if you have a business or museum on the route, and feel a visit by us can be used to promote your endeavor, please let me know and every effort will be made to accommodate.
Meanwhile, between now and our grand adventure in mid October, the schedule is peppered with all manner of activities. This coming Saturday, the 15th, Sam Frisher (owner of the El Trovatore Motel) will kick off his latest endeavor, legendary Route 66 Adventure Tours, with a free introductory tour to Seligman. Limited seating necessitates reservations so if you are interested contact Sam at 928-753-6520.
On the evening of the 18th, we will be visiting with a group from Holland. Then on the morning of the 19th there will be a breakfast in downtown Kingman (one block north of Route 66, Andy Devine Avenue, on Beale Street) with Zdnek Jurasek and a small group from the Czech Route 66 Association.
I invited area car clubs so it should be an interesting morning. If you find yourself in the neighborhood stop in.
Another project requiring our attention before hitting the road is the Brusnwick Hotel lobby. As noted in a previous post, my dearest friend and I were privileged to be given the task of creating a photographic journey along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica for the lobby wall.
Space will be somewhat limited so we are figuring on about 20 photographs at 12″ x 20″, and five in a larger format. That will present a few issues as we want the exhibit to capture the essence of Route 66 adventure. What photos from our Route 66 Memories gallery at Jim Hinckley Studio do you think should be included in the display?
We will also be creating a window display that will promote our books and photography as well as Kingman attractions such as Legendary Route 66 Adventure Tours. With completion of the hotels refurbishment we may expand this into a small store front.
In the mean time I have been given permission to use the lobby to meet with tour groups in size from two to two hundred. So, if your planning a trip along Route 66 and would like to schedule a stop so I may answer questions or regale the group with tales of Route 66 and the old west, drop me a note.
Needless to say, all of these developments and new found opportunities for enhancing the Route 66 adventurers experience have me looking forward to 2013.
Meanwhile, between now and our grand adventure in mid October, the schedule is peppered with all manner of activities. This coming Saturday, the 15th, Sam Frisher (owner of the El Trovatore Motel) will kick off his latest endeavor, legendary Route 66 Adventure Tours, with a free introductory tour to Seligman. Limited seating necessitates reservations so if you are interested contact Sam at 928-753-6520.
On the evening of the 18th, we will be visiting with a group from Holland. Then on the morning of the 19th there will be a breakfast in downtown Kingman (one block north of Route 66, Andy Devine Avenue, on Beale Street) with Zdnek Jurasek and a small group from the Czech Route 66 Association.
I invited area car clubs so it should be an interesting morning. If you find yourself in the neighborhood stop in.
Another project requiring our attention before hitting the road is the Brusnwick Hotel lobby. As noted in a previous post, my dearest friend and I were privileged to be given the task of creating a photographic journey along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica for the lobby wall.
Space will be somewhat limited so we are figuring on about 20 photographs at 12″ x 20″, and five in a larger format. That will present a few issues as we want the exhibit to capture the essence of Route 66 adventure. What photos from our Route 66 Memories gallery at Jim Hinckley Studio do you think should be included in the display?
We will also be creating a window display that will promote our books and photography as well as Kingman attractions such as Legendary Route 66 Adventure Tours. With completion of the hotels refurbishment we may expand this into a small store front.
In the mean time I have been given permission to use the lobby to meet with tour groups in size from two to two hundred. So, if your planning a trip along Route 66 and would like to schedule a stop so I may answer questions or regale the group with tales of Route 66 and the old west, drop me a note.
Needless to say, all of these developments and new found opportunities for enhancing the Route 66 adventurers experience have me looking forward to 2013.