Aside from the worrisome lack of rain or snow (39 days without either one in Flagstaff) it was a most delightful and busy week filled with adventure, the dawning of exciting projects, visits with friends, and, of course, a bit of Route 66 adventure. The highlight of the week was a visit from Jeroen and Maggie Boersma of Holland, one third of the founders of the Dutch Route 66 Association, and an opportunity to introduce them to the wonders of the Kingman area.
In the past few years we have developed the modern equivalency of a pen pal relationship, and missed meeting on numerous occasions by the slimmest of margins. Last year we missed each other by mere hours in Tucumcari.
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| Jeroen and Maggie Boersma with author Jim Hinckley (photo Judy Hinckley) |
So, it was truly a delight to have an opportunity to share dinner and lively conversation at Redneck’s Southern Pit Barbecue, and a few beers at the Dambar. It is the people that make Route 66 special and it is the people with a passion and fascination for this highway that make our lives so rich.
Another highlight of the week was a request from Zdnek Jurasek for a short video greeting. He plans on showing it at the Czech Route 66 Association Convention.
In the request he noted that even something as simple as a greeting filmed with a smart phone would be acceptable. As I am moving into the late 20th century with glacial speed, and only acquired a basic cell phone quite recently, that wasn’t really an option.
However, as it turns out KC Keefer, the talented videographer behind the Genuine Route 66 Life series, had filmed an invitation to the Route 66 International Festival during his visit last December. So, after discussing the request I supplied a few photos to ensure folks had something to look at besides this old mug, and KC created what I hope to be an acceptable video for Zdnek’s needs.
Another adventure this past week was the ongoing search for sources and material pertaining to the war for dominance of the taxi business during the 1920’s and 1930’s. This new book is going to be a bit of a challenge and may require a bit of old fashioned on site research in libraries in Detroit as well as Chicago.
The week also included an array of projects as the planning for the 2014 Route 66 International Festival kicks into high gear. This included distribution of the press release from the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation to a number of media contacts, providing assistance with motel reservations for some international guests, laying the groundwork for organizational meetings in the next few weeks, and initializing the development of activities to ensure that the younger generation has an opportunity to get in on the fun.
Yesterday I had a most fascinating conversation with a young man who has purchased a long closed service station and coffee shop in Valentine, Arizona. He has been researching the properties history and has plans to open it as a time capsule circa 1955 with a gift shop.
The week closed out with another stimulating discussion with Ed Bergman of Velorush. It was the latest in a series of discussions about the rapidly changing face of transportation and related technologies, and the exciting possibilities associated with the involvement of the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation in the Route 66 International Festival.
Friends and neighbors from around the world. Adventures at every turn. Does it get better than this?
Very exciting time, indeed… keep up the good work!