by jimhinckleysamerica | Apr 11, 2024 | Adventure, community development, Lifestyle, Route 66 centennial, Route 66 history, Travel, Travel Tips, urban exploration
Route 66 corridor signage in Illinois iillustrates the evolution of a highway known as the Main Street of America. ©Jim HInckley’s America
The Main Street of America. First coined to promote the National Old Trails Road, predecessor to Route 66 in the southwest, it was the visionaries that established the US Highway 66 Association in early 1927 that made it the cornerstone of a marketing campaign that still resonates today.
Route 66 in the era of renaissance is no mere highway. It is the very essence of the American experience.
But it is also a commodity. And it is also a catalyst for economic development as well as a unique opportunity to build a community that isn’t confined to a thin corrdior of asphalt that stretches across the heartland from Chicago to Santa Monica.
The Main Street of America
Even in the era of I Like Ike buttons, Edsels, and tail fins, Route 66 had an international nature. After all, it was the Main Street of America.
Jim, George, and Pete Kretsedemas opened the Falcon Restaurnt on Route 66 in Winslow, Arizona on July 9, 1955. They were Greek immigrants.
The Osterman brothers established a motel along Route 66 in Newberry Springs, Califonia. And in Arizona they established a gas station and garage in Peach Springs and in Kingman. They also operated the Dodge dealership and established KIngman Cafe, now Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner. They were immigrants from Sweden.
Even the ’57 Chevy that seems a fitting classic for a Route 66 cruise has an international orign. Louis Chevrolet was born in Switzerland.
Renaissance
Underlying the Route 66 renaissance are travelers from throughout the world that see a trip along this highway as the quintessential American experience. Then, as now, immigrants are also playing an important role in ensuring Route 66 businesses, now landmarks, survive into the centennial and beyond.
In Kingman, Arizona the El Trovatore Motel built before WWII was saved from the wreckers ball, and given a new lease on life, by an immigrant from Israel. The historic bank building in Elkhart, Illinois was transformed into the Wild Hare Cafe by a Dutch immigrant. One of the largest Czech cutlural events in the world outside the Czech Republic takes place in Yukon, Oklahoma.
A presentation before an interested crowd at the second European Route 66 Festival.
But the international contributions to Route 66 isn’t limited to the money spent by travelers or the restoration of properties. There are companies based in Europe, Australia and New Zealand that specialize in Route 66 tours.
And there are companies that are owned by passionate Route 66 enthusiasts that develop projects to enhnace the travelers experience. Every year they also spend weeks on the road building a network of cooperative partnerships, developing a deeper understanding of the needs in the Route 66 community, and contributing to restoration projects.
Myopia
But in the era of renaissance on the Main Street of America, some enthusiasts and business owners suffer from terminal myopia.They develop a narrow mindedness that makes it possible to look down a beer bottle with both eyes.
And so they overlook opportunities to highlight the unique nature of America that is made manifest in the Route 66 experience. Even worse, they become so obsessed with the idea that Route 66 is solely an American highway, they villify innovators, investors, and enthusiasts that happen to call someplace other than the United States home.
They create divisions. The same with people that place their self serving agenda over projects or initiatives that build a sense of community. Ironically, these are the folks that taint the Route 66 experience and discourage people from traveling Route 66 to discover the real America.
Jim Hinckley’s America
The cornerstone for Jim Hinckley’s America is a passion for sharing America’s story. This multifacted project is also an opportunity for me to use my God given talent for telling people where to go. And so much of my work centers on Route 66, the international Route 66 community, and the people that infuse this old highway with an infectious enthusiasm.
People have come to depend on me for honest recommendations about businesses, restaurants, side trips, and how to get the most from an adventure on Route 66, or the great American road trip. So, I take this responsibility seriously.. I stake my reputation on every recommendation.
And that is why I am careful about the sponsoring partners selected, businesses that we work with, and books I recommend. Likewise with the places that are linked to my name. These associates and recommendations reflect the international nature of Route 66 in the era of renaissance. They also share my old fashoned idea that a man’s word is his bond, and that a handshake can be as good as a contract.
My Partners
Touch Media, the company behind the Route 66 Navigation app and Mother Road Route 66 Passport, may be based in Bratislava, Slovakia but the owners are passionate about supporting the Route 66 community. This is made evident in the development of a Route 66 planning guide offered at no charge in eight languages. And it is made evident in the weeks that they spend on the road each year.
As they are located in Slovakia they are knowledgeable about what the European Route 66 traveler expects and needs. To ensure that they also meet the needs of the domestic traveler, they retain the services of American artists and consultants such as me. And as they share my business ethic, I have no qualms providing my services as a consultant.
I work with a number of companies that are based on foreign shores. Many of the owners I consider as friends. And we share a common passion for ensuring that the traveler experiences the real America on their road trip holiday. So, when I am asked for a tour company recommendation, with confidence I can point to Chicago based Two Lane America, Route 66 Germany, New Zealand based Gilligan’s Route 66 Tours, UK based RouteTrip USA or Australian based Route 66 Tours.
When I receive a note asking for motel recommendation, I can point to the Roadrunner Lodge Motel in Tucumcari. I can also suggest, with confidence, the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri. And I can recommend the Cactus Inn Motel & RV Park in McLean, Texas.
The Centennial
The Route 66 centennial is fast approaching. Will it still be relevant at the time of its bicentennial? Fifty years from now, will Route 66 still be the Main Street of America? I ten years will this iconic old highway still provide an opportunity to experience the real America?
That all depends on how we treat self serving, myopic folks. If we look at these people, their initiatives, and their divisive rhetoric as speed bumps, the Route 66 community survives and thrives. However, if we magnify their divisive rhetoric, Route 66 simply becomes another old road.
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by jimhinckleysamerica | Jan 2, 2024 | Adventure, community development, Kingman Arizona, Lifestyle, Route 66 authors, Route 66 centennial, Route 66 Events, Route 66 restaurant, Travel, urban exploration
Lost highways, good friends and Route 66, the pre 1952 alignment of Route 66 in the Black Mountains of Arizona. ©Jim Hinckley’s America
Lost highways, good friends, and Route 66. On my New Year’s Eve walkabout I gave a bit of thought to a suitable theme for 2023, and what should be the last journal entry of the year. All that came to mind was thoughts of the lost highway adventures and Route 66 road trips shared with good friends.
Lost Highways
Lost highways figure prominently in the story of 2023. We wrapped up the year by launching a new video series, In Search of Lost Highways, for the YouTube channel. And we kicked it off with a trip to Needles, California via the pre 1952 alignment of Route 66.
From its inception lost highways have been a big part of Jim Hinckley’s America. And an argument could easily be made that lost highways are a part of my story since at least 1959. Much of my youth was spent on road trips, and my pa wasn’t big on asking for directions.
Jim Hinckley’s America
Jim Hinckley’s America was launched with a few simple goals in mind. Sell more books. Share America’s story. Inspire road trips by telling people where to go. At that point in time the renaissance was in an embryonic state, and so Route 66 was considered a lost highway.
But I have always been a fan of lost highways and dusty backroads. So, my fascination for these old roads was also woven into the adventures that I shared through Jim Hinckley’s America. And as road trips figure prominently in the Jim Hinckley story it will come as no surprise to learn that much of the autobiography, a project started in 2023, centers on tales of road trips.
Telling Tall Tales
That was only one of the writing projects that launched in 2023. I have accepted a contract to provide materials for a Route 66 centennial adult coloring book. And I am working with an august group of accomplished authors and good friends on a Route 66 centennial anthology.
Cheryl Eichar Jett will write the chapeter about the evolutionof Route 66 in Illinois. Joe Sonderman will handle chapters on Missouri and Kansas. Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association will write the chapter on that state. Greg Hasman, an accomplished journalist and photographer will write the chapters on Texas and New Mexico. And Dries Bessels, a founding member of the Dutch Route 66 Association, will write about the highways renaissance.
The highlight of a winter road trip, Monument Valley with a dusting of snow. ©Jim Hinckley’s America
My contributions will be a bit of photography and some sidebars. And I will write the chapters on Arizona and California. I will also write the opening chapter that chronicles the pre-history of the U.S. highway system, the years between 1880 and 1926.
There was one more writing project in 2023. That was writing the second edition of 100 Things To Do On Route 66 Before You Die. That book should be available by late spring, just in time for road trip season.
Road Trip
The first road trip of 2023 was a short drive to Needles, California for the annual Route 66 Info Fair. It was a celebration of lost highways, old friends, and Route 66. It was an opportunity to stroll down Memory Lane with good friends, make a few new ones, and to inspire a road trip or two.
Trip number two was for a program in Apache Junction about Route 66 in Arizona. Much to my surprise the 650 seat auditorium was almost at capacity. That was my largest audience to date.
Trip number three was a bit of a challenge, a drive to Vail, Colorado in the winter. But the big challenge was leaving my dearest friend for nearly a week. The reward was an incredible conference, and an opportunity to experience Monument Valley with a dusting of snow.
Beating My Gums For Fun and Profit
Aside from the program in Apache Junction, there were two very memorable opportunities to beat my gums for fun and profit in 2023. One was at the annual Miles of Possibility Conference in Normal, Illinois where I was a keynote speaker.
A presentation about Route 66 in Arizona at the Perfroming Arts Center in Apache Junction, Arizona ©Jim Hinckley’s America
This conference is unique. It is a mix of fun, and ample opportunity to meet with old friends. But the focal point is the business of Route 66, networking, and the building of cooperative partnerships. Since 2015, with the exception of 2020, the conference is the anchor for our annual fall Route 66 tour.
The conference in Vail was definitely a highlight of the year. Inclusion in the event was humbling, to say the very least. I had been asked to speak about the evolution of Jim HInckley from itinerant ranch hand along the Mexican border to internationally acclaimed author with a statue staning along Route 66 in Kingman.
The conference included a diverse array of informative presentations, and an opportunity for one on one conversation over dinner. As participants included the founder of a pioneering aerospace company, a pilot for the Blue Angels, an acclaimed paleontologist and a zoo keepr there was ample opportunity for the development of interesting networking opportunities.
Lost Highways, Good Friends and Route 66
The theme of lost highways, good friends and Route 66 will continue in 2024. Over the course of the New Year’s weekend I shot the video for the next installment of the In Search of Lost Highways series.
We had a video call with friends from Germany. They will be visiting in May, and the plan is to introduce them to Hualapai Mountain Park.
I have accepted an invitation to be a keynote speaker at the 2024 Miles of Possibility Conference. And I am discussions about an appearance at the Route 66 Road Fest in Tulsa, Oklahoma this coming summer. So, that is at least two trips along Route 66.
And after a series of meetings with Marian Pavel of Touch Media, developer of the innovative Route 66 Navigation app, I will be working on improvements for this and to develop a Route 66 centennial passport.
So, here we go. A new year filled with new opportunities, new adventures shared with friends, and exciting new projects.
by jimhinckleysamerica | Jan 21, 2023 | Adventure, automotive history, community development, Kingman Arizona, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Route 66 authors, Route 66 centennial, Travel, Travel Tips, urban exploration
According to legend Floyd Clymer received recognition as America’s youngest automobile dealer by Teddy Roosevelt. That is an example of what happens when you have a father that encourages, teaches with hands on experience, and instills a sense of self confidence.
With his father’s assistance, Clymer had his own dealership selling cars manufactured by REO, Cadillac, and Maxwell by the age of eleven! Clymer’s amazing career was diverse and his life was lived in the fast lane. He set speed records with motorcycle and automobile racing and spent a bit of time in prison. He pioneered the mail order auto parts business, laid the groundwork for a thousand cottage industries, and transformed the publishing industry.
And on a recent episode of Car Talk From The Main Street of America, a podcast from Jim Hinckley’s America, I shared a bit of Clymer’s story and suggested that people do some reading about this fellow that was possessed with ambition, daring and vision.
After a number of false starts, hiccups, frustrations, and months spent with a seemingly endless learning curve, podcasts (as in two) are now an integral part of the diverse Jim Hinckley’s America network. As with everything we do the idea is to share America’s story, to provide communities as well as authors and artists with a promotional boost, to inspire road trips and visionary thinking, and to tell people where to go.
Embedded players on the website allow people to enjoy both programs at their convenience, or to share them with friends. Likewise with archiving the progams on Spotify and other major podcast platforms.
Coffee With Jim has morphed into a replacement for the popular live video programs that was shut down unceremoniously when Facebook locked the Jim HInckley’s America page. The live stream program on Podbean, Sunday mornings at 7:00 MST, is travel centered. The interactive format usually adds an interesting dimension.
And for 2023, we are taking the program in a new direction. We are FINALLY able to begin adding guests on a regular basis. We attempted this about a year ago with Whitney Ortiz, the dynamic tourism director from Atlanta, Illinois.
But as I said, there has been a steep learning curve for someone that identifies as modern Amish. And that takes us to a new year and new opportunities.
Gregg Hasman (better known as Highway Hasman) will be our guest on the February 5th program. Hasman is a good friend and a fascinating young man that is an exceptionally talented photographer. He has a gift for turning a phrase and so is viewed, in my opinion, as a gifted writer. As a bonus he is an inquisitive fellow with a passion for road trips. So, this should be a rather interesting program.
And then on March 19th we will have a very special guest, Stephanie Stuckey. She is the CEO of Stuckey’s and a board member of the Society for Commerical Archaeology. So, who has fond memories of pecan logs and a stop at Stuckey’s onepic family road trips?
Car Talk From The Main Street of America is still in a formative stage. But working with producer Stan Hustad a good quality program is being developed. In essence the program is about the past, present and even the future of the auto industry. We discuss all facets of this topic from Route 66, road trips to museums, personalities such as Louis Chevrolet and Lee Iacocca, the evolution of electric vehicles, and events. Now, we just need some guests and help growing the audience.
Both programs are sponsored in part by Visit Tucumcari. We strive to give promotional partners a bang for their advertising dollar, and I am confident that this podcast will catch on soon. If you have a chance take a listen and give us your two cents worh.
by jimhinckleysamerica | Aug 15, 2022 | automotive history, community development, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, National Old Trails Road, Route 66 authors, Travel
Photo Oregon Museum of History
Ezra Manning Meeker was born on December 29, 1830. He died on December 3, 1928. He is a role model for anyone that struggles to adapt to new technologies, or make sense of a rapidly changing world.
In an ox cart he, his new bride and an infant son traveled west over the Oregon Trail in 1852. He built an empire with the growing of hops, and was the first mayor of Puyallup, Washington. Meeker made four trips into the Yukon country during the gold rush of the late 1890s.
In the first years of the 20th century, as America embraced the automobile and technologies that promised a bright, new future, Meeker worried that the Oregon Trail and its role in the development of the country was being forgotten. And so he launched a publicity campaign to have it marked awith monuments.
In the years 1906, 1907, and 1908 he retraced his steps along the Oregon Trail by wagon. He gave interviews along the way, and spoke in communities along the trail as well as in towns during his journey to New York City. And in Washington, D.C. he met with President Theodore Roosevelt.
His fame, and public awareness about his campaign to erect monuments along the Oregon Trail, grew exponentially as launched a national speaking tour, began writing books, and worked to establish the Oregon-California Trails Association. And he traveled the Oregon Trail again by oxcart in 1910, 1911 and 1912.
With a friend and an automobile donated by National, he expanded on his speaking tour. And he took time in the late teens to assist his son with construction of the first service station and campground complex in the Cajon Pass along the National Old Trails Road, predecessor to Route 66.
In 1924 he traveled by airplane to Dayton, Ohio for an event honoring pioneers. And in 1928, during a trip to Michigan where he was to meet Henry Ford and discuss a promotional campaign for the new Model A, Meeker fell ill. Henry Ford personally saw to his care.
Meeker recovered, and traveled home to Washington. Shortly after his return, he again took ill nad passed away shortly afterwards.
When I encounter issues with Facebook, a seemingly necessary evil, my thoughts turn to Mr. Meeker. I reflect on his ability to adapt, to even thrive, in changing times. That gives me a broader perspective, which in turn helps me think of new and creative ways to inspire road trips and to tell people where to go.
Facebook has become an integral component in marketing. But it is far from being a dependable promotional venue. Quite the opposite. The Jim Hinckley’s America page with nearly 8,000 followers has been locked since February 18. Countless hours have been spent on attempts to resolve the issue, and I have yet to receive a response. These were hours that could have been spent on telling people where to go. And now, the James Hinckley page on Facebook has been locked on several occassions. Fortunately I have been able to resolve this problem with minimal effort and expenditure of time.
Now, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer. Hit me in the head with 2 x 4 and tell me it was an accident. Chances are that I will believe you. But around the fifth time, I start to get suspicious. Suffice to say, Facebook and I are about to part ways.
We become so dependant on a tool or something that we accept as a service, it becomes difficult to imagine life without it. But as I step back, and as I reflect on Mr. Meeker, I see alternatives. So, we are going to continue developing this website. As per Mr. Meeker, I will be pursuing interviews and speaking engagements. I will be taking the show on the road. And I will be tapping into other opportunities’ for sharing adventures and inspiring road trips such as our podcasts, Coffee With Jim and Car Talk From The Main Street of America.
Enough time has been spent in frustration. Now it is time to see the issues with Facebook as an opportunity. It is time to find other means of sharing stories from my six decades on Route 66.
by jimhinckleysamerica | Apr 13, 2021 | Adventure, community development, ghost town, Kingman Arizona, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Route 66 authors, Route 66 Events, Travel, Travel Tips
The National Old Trails Highway at the dawning of Route 66 in Kingman, Arizona
It was mid summer 1966 when we followed the flow of traffic on Route 66 into Kingman, Arizona. Even though I was just a kid, I was no stranger to travel. My folks liked to tease that my toilet training had taken place along the highway and in service station rest rooms in more than a dozen states.
To date all of our road trips and related odysseys had been epic. The first trip west from Virginia into the great southwest had been in a circa 1950 Chevy convertible that pa had been able to purchase cheap since it had been submerged during a hurricane.
Counted among my earliest memories was a memorable trip from Port Huron, Michigan to see ma’s family that lived on a farm Near Dutton on Sand Mountain, Alabama. This would have been the summer of ’63 as my sister was only a few months old.
My pa had cobbled together a vehicle that he dubbed the gypsy wagon. I later learned from old family photos that this home made wooden camper that looked to be a cross between a miniature barn and a two hole outhouse had been built on 1946 or 1947 Ford truck chassis.
A visit to the family farm was always memorable. Still, what made this trip particularly unforgettable were the roadside repairs and resultant campouts along streams in Kentucky and Tennessee. In retrospect that might be where I first picked up a proclivity for being able to string together a series of descriptive four letter words.
My thoughtful spot, Beale Springs near Kingman, Arizona ©
The trip to Arizona in the summer of ’66 was unlike anything previously experienced. We were moving, again. But this time the new home seemed as foreign as a lunar colony. It was very hard not to think that Kingman might be the place warned about in Sunday school. With the luxury of hindsight I can see with clarity that it was life changing. The entire course of my life can be traced to that summer.
I had experienced the intense liquid heat of the Mississippi River Delta country. This was different. Yes, it was a dry heat but so is the oven or the furnace. And to compound the misery, in mid August, pa decided that we needed a family picnic – in Needles, California. That was my first trip to Oatman, in a ’64 Ford Fairlane without air-conditioning.
Suffice to say, I survived. And I became enamored with the desert, the colorful characters that pa referenced as dry roasted nuts, and the vast technicolor landscapes of the Grand canyon State.
In time there would be opportunity to expand my explorations throughout the southwest and the west. And I developed a deep affection for the Mojave Desert, for New Mexico, for Utah, for Colorado, for northern Mexico, for Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.
But it is Arizona that I consider home. This is where my roots are. I made memories everywhere lived and in all of my travels. But Arizona is really where it all began.
This Sunday morning (7:00 MST), on Coffee With Jim, our live stream program on the Jim Hinckley’s America Facebook page, it’s an Arizona adventure. It will be a bit of road trip inspiration, a mix of history, some personal reflection, and a few laughs. I will be sharing a few of my favorite places, and my favorite drives.
I hope that you will be able to join me. Invite your friends. Let’s make it a coffee party!
