Mummies, Soap, Beer, Vitamins & Death on Route 66

It seemed so simple. Talk with the editor, sell the idea, write the article,

take a few pictures, and wait for the check. That was in 1990. Since that date the quest to become a writer when I grow up has been quite the adventure with more twists and turns than Route 66 in the Black Mountains of Arizona. The latest chapter, still being written, could very well be the strangest, the most interesting, and wildest to date. Vitamin infused beer, home security systems, Egyptian mummies, death on Route 66, cars with laminated papier-mache body panels, an ancient Jewish cemetery, hand made soap, and young entrepreneurs are just a few of the highlights! (more…)

It was never my intent to live a life linked to Route 66. Still, as I

look back over the years there is one common thread that ties it all together – Route 66. I have told the tale often, most recently for the new magazine Route, but that road has been has been a major part of my life since 1959. Now, looking toward the foreseeable future, it looks like that storied old highway will be taking us into the final chapter, and some of the most amazing adventures to date.

Currently it is a book for Rio Nuevo Publishing that is consuming an inordinate amount of my time. For those with morbid curiosity or a fascination with the dark side of Route 66, this will be a very popular book. When the project commenced, I had few illusions about what would be found with research. Route 66 was an artery of commerce licit and illicit, and the towns along the highway were filled with people – hard working people, criminals and thieves, psychos and gangsters, people filled with prejudice and virtue. Still some of the discoveries have been, at the very least, a bit disturbing. (more…)