It was just another day on Route 66 in Arizona. It kicked off with a delightful breakfast at Dora’s Beale Street Deli (California omelets and thick black coffee) shared with my dearest friend, Zdnek Jurasek, his wonderful wife, Eva, and their tour group from the Czech Republic.
I was quite pleased to be able to present an advance copy of Route 66 Treasures. One of the greatest pleasure derived from writing is being able to share something that people enjoy.
The office was a bit more of a zoo than normal. An elderly gentleman was waiting for me and within two minutes I knew something was very wrong.
He wanted to rent a truck for a trip to Montana and would not accept the fact I had nothing available. He never became overly belligerent but refused to leave. To compound the problems he spoke in English with a very heavy French accent.
The reservation schedule for the morning was blank so my plan was to play catch up and prepare for the onslaught of reservations on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That didn’t happen.
Instead a virtual tsunami of people returning trucks early, wanting information on truck rental, and the scheduling of service on other units transformed the quiet office with an old man into Union Station.
I had hoped to get to some assistance with the elderly fellow but he vanished in the confusion. This, of course, led to worry and concern.
He didn’t appear to be homeless. With that said it was obvious that he had issues and most likely needed help.
It was noon before things settled down. By that time the winds were closing in on the projected forty mile per hour gusts that had been predicted, weather not really conducive to inspiring enthusiasm about working on trucks.
The rest of the day at the office was relatively anticlimactic. There was even enough time at the end of the day to have an impromptu meeting with Steve and Mike Wagner, the primary organizers for the 2014 Route 66 International Festival, and do a bit of glad handing at the chili cook of next door at the Chrysler dealership, a part of the Andy Devine Days rodeo celebration.
Now, lets see what this day has to offer.
