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Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

brownwho63

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Posts posted by brownwho63

  1. Yesterday's STL Post-Dispatch (http://www.stltoday.com) had a lengthy article about South Carolina's "Upcountry" that described a 110 mile scenic drive on SH11. The drive began at Lake Hartwell near Interstate 85 at the state's western edge and went northeast to Gaffney. Links shown:

     

    http://www.TheUpcountry.com

    and

    http://www.southcarolinaparks.com

     

    As our explorer-at-large, Denny, I'm wondering if you have driven this particular route. Sure looks interesting....Bliss

  2. This year, 2010, is the 100th anniversary of the American Camp Association® (ACA)--promoting summer camp for youth.

     

     

     

    All scouting related:

     

    Camp Eastman - On the Mississippi between Keokuk, IA and Nauvoo, IL on U.S. 96 - 2 weeks each in 1951 and 1952. During my "rookie" year our troop got to stay in log cabins that were screened in out in the deep woods. Daily swimming in the Mississippi was hazardous but fun. Biggest adventure was when my buddy and I were earning our canoeing merit badges and were turned loose on the river. The current was swift (especially for two 11-year olds) and we rapidly came closer and closer to the river dam at Keokuk. Paddled like hell, got the thing turned around, and finally got the canoe back upstream to the camp dock. Whew! The second year found our troop tent camping in a different location. Lots of adventure, as I was the camp bugler (bungler?) and was inducted into the select scouting Order of the Arrow. Spent the night in the woods with only a blanket and a knife as part of the initiation. Exciting!

     

    Camp Tesomas - Rhineland, WI - 2 weeks in 1953. Coldest lake water in which I ever swam. Thousands of mosquitoes and they seemed to like me. I rode a train from Springfield, IL to Chicago along U.S. 66 with 3 other buddies where we switched trains for a long, slow overnight ride to Rhinelander.

     

    Philmont Scout Ranch - Albuquerque, NM - 2 weeks in 1954. Went with 3 others from my troop and we hiked through the mountains to a different camp site daily. Cooked our own food and loved nearly every minute of it. Another train trip, some of which was along U.S. 66.

     

    Wouldn't take anything for the experiences....Bliss

  3. This is our official press release for this year's annual Route 66 Association of Missouri annual motor tour. We will be cruisin' east-to-west and havin' a blast. Hope you can join the fun....Bliss

     

     

     

    The Route 66 Association of Missouri will be "Cruising into the New Decade" on its 21st Annual Motor Tour, September 10, 11 and 12, 2010. The tour will start in Gray Summit, MO and end at Schifferdecker Park in Joplin. This year’s tour will highlight the many places along Route 66 that we will look forward to seeing, stopping at, photographing and patronizing going into the next decade. The host motel for Friday night (September 10) will be the Travelodge Six Flags/Gray Summit ("Diamond Inn") in Gray Summit, MO. Registration will be held there from 4:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. that Friday night (September 10), and we have secured a block of rooms at the Diamond Inn for tourgoers. That evening there will be a cruise which will feature choice local neon, including the Sunset Motel – an Association success story – and the Gardenway Motel. More details on Friday night activities will be available at registration. On Saturday, the tour will proceed as far as Springfield. There will be "passports" available at registration and "passport stops" between Gray Summit and Springfield. The Saturday evening stop will be at the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven in Springfield, MO, where a block of rooms will be held for tourgoers. That evening there will be some fine bar-b-que served up by Buckingham’s in Smith Park in Springfield. On Sunday, September 12, the tour will proceed from Springfield to Joplin, taking in a few more passport stops along the way. The tour will conclude at Schifferdecker Park in Joplin with a picnic lunch catered by Columbia Traders Restaurant. For more information and to obtain a registration form, contact Kip Welborn (314)-776-7385 (rudkip@sbcglobal.net); Jane Dippel (314)-843-7132 (vestaon66@cs.com); or visit our website, http://www.missouri66.org/joomla/, to print a registration form.

  4. Revieved the following from the IL Route 66 Association this morning. Lenore and her husband John have provided numerous outstanding preservation services to IL 66 over the last several years.....Bliss

     

     

    This message is to inform all who knew and loved Lenore Weiss that she passed away on February 22, 2010. Her battle with cancer is now over.

     

    Arrangements for a final good-bye and celebration of her life will be held on February 25, 2010 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm and on Friday, February 26, 2010 from 9:00a.m.to10:30a.m.at:

     

    Patterson Funeral Home

     

    401 East Main (Highway 113)

     

    Braidwood, IL 60408

     

    815-458-2336

     

     

     

    Funeral Mass will be at 11:00a.m. on February 26, 2010 at St. Rose Church

     

    600 S.. Kankakee St.

     

    Wilmington, IL 60481

     

     

     

    Donations in memory of Lenore may be made to

     

    Hospice of Kankakee Valley or the Flat-Coated Retriever Foundation – Cancer/Health Fund

     

     

     

    Hospice of Kankakee Valley

     

    482 Main Street Northwest

     

    Bourbonnais, IL 60914

     

    Phone: 815-936-3370

     

     

     

    The Flat-Coated Retriever Foundation – Cancer/Health Fund

     

    Please make check payable to: The Flat-Coated Retriever Foundation – Cancer/Health Fund

     

    Mail check to: Cheryl Kistner/FCR Foundation Treasurer

     

    27941 W. Flynn Creek Drive

     

    Barrington, IL 60010

  5. All this talk of food, gets one thinking about diners. Which diner is your favorite? Why is it your favorite? What's your favorite thing on their menu? What makes it unique? Looking forward to hearing from you!

     

     

     

    Eat Rite Diner in STL on old 66 just west of the closed MacArthur Bridge. It's been there for decades and is a typical small "diner" with that particular atmosphere. I like their burgers with everything and fries; although, the house chili looks especially inviting. Have never had the desire to try the slider (meat, eggs, spuds, etc.) because I don't crave an ambulance cruise....Bliss

  6. I also had a '52 Ford but it was the cheapy 2 door sedan. I owned it in 1964. A flathead V8 with dual exhausts, dual carbs on an Offenhauser manifold, and a dual point Mallory ignition. Three speed with overdrive. Most of the work was done by a friend who worked in a service station and I bought it from him when he moved on to something else though I forget what it was.

     

     

     

    I moved on to a '55 Chevy Bel Air (2D hardtop) with 265 ci V8 and 2 speed Powerglide. Beautiful turquoise and white low-mileage car that had actually been owned by an "old maid" and bought new from Dad. Terrible motor that should have been "overhauled" but wasn't for a varlety of reasons and prone to body rust. All in all, a huge disappointment....Bliss

  7. Bliss,

     

    If you are repeating yourself, that description bears repeating! That custom job was the real thing!

     

    Did you sport a cast brass plate in the rear window with a club name? That was common on the west coast.

     

    We need a photo!

     

     

     

    In the midwest the club plaque was hung by chain links from under the rear bumper just below the license plate. I had one for awhile but there was really little interest in maintaining a car club so I removed it. Besides, with a 2 inch lowering block kit installed the plaque dragged the pavement at the start of each back street drag race.

     

    I rear ended a stopped car on my way to school one morning and the Ford's front end sheet metal was a crumpled disaster. The car was so tough, though, that not even the radiator, fan, or anything else was damaged under the hood. Dad and I, along with a friend's help, installed a complete front end from a salvaged '53 Ford Crestliner. It was a fairly easy bolt-on job and I was up and running within a few weeks. The Chevy grill and frenched headlights were gone, however. The '53 stock grill had the ugly "ball" in the center but J.C. Whitney from Chicago had a cheap straight bar replacement that looked custom and cool so on it went. Never bothered to refrench the headlights, as that was more of a west coast look. Block sanded the entire car, renosed the hood, relocated the door switches, and had the car repainted '58 Chevy truck white. A few days after the new paint job a young gal decided to decorate the entire car with red lipstick; ie, her name, hearts, etc. ("Girls do this to Elvis' car all the time" she said while wondering why I was so upset.) Brother, what a nightmare! I finally got the lipstick removed with paint thinner but I was never really happy with the white color after that and a year later had the car repainted with black Chevy enamel. Once again, it looked spectacular but I always wished that I had selected a dark blue color to match the interior instead.

     

    I began cruisin' with my Good Girl that same summer and she loved the black color and still does. Our '04 Monte Carlo is a testament to that.

     

    Have an old Kodac photo or two somewhere but even if I could find them I have no clue about posting them to this forum....Bliss

     

  8. Dave,

     

    Those cars are beautiful (except the violet one found in a barn) and recall a day when we all customized our cars. I know it is still done, but in my day no young fellow drove a car that wasn’t at least a little customized.

     

     

    Yep, here's my story and apologies to all if I'm repeating myself. (We old guys have a tendency to do that you know.)

     

    My custom was a '52 Ford Victoria (2D hardtop) that I bought for $350 in 1957. It had already been "done" by one of the locals but the lead was cracking so after a few months of that bugging me I replaced the lead with body plastic, a superior filler. The Vicky was nosed, decked w/solonoid, frenched headlights and tailights (Olds), sans door handles w/solonoids, '53 Chevy grill, overdrive tranny, original flathead w/2 Ford 94 carbs (far superior to the popular Stromberg 97's), duel glasspaks, flamed dash, Olds fiesta spinners, and repainted w/1958 Chevy truck white enamel. Ford didn't offer a pure white color at the time and my one-of-a-kind looked spectacular. I had help with some of the work from Dad, of course, who, for example, crafted two minimum-bent copper fuel lines with large diameter from the pump to the carbs that just dumped gas into them. With gas at about twenty-five cents, who cared about mileage? I painted all dash and interior bulbs blue as well as the parking lights up front. The latter wasn't acceptable to the local cops so that didn't last long. The Ford ran extremely well for being a flathead and would easily bury the speedo.

     

    My Good Girl (still with me 50 years later) loved the old Ford and we wish we still had it....Bliss

  9. When El Paso had snow a couple of weeks ago, I remember thinking "It can't happen twice" and "Glad that's over". :huh:

     

     

     

    I'm thoroughly enjoying riding along with you but I gotta tell ya, all the snow conditions you've experienced would make me wish I'd stayed home by the fire - especially if I was cruisin' in a fiberglass flyer. Ah yes, new tires would have been a special treat.

     

    Be careful on your return home....Bliss

  10. I started my drive to see the remainder of US 62 yesterday. I've previously driven all of the route

    east of Nortonville, KY, so picked it up there and made it to Sikeston, MO, before ending the day.

     

     

    Spent many, many nights in Sikeston during my shoe dog days. You'll be traveling through Missouri's infamous "bootheel" and should then cruise through Piggott and Pocahontas, AR, old shoe towns. If you go far enough you'll be able to check out Hotel Seville in Harrison, AR.

     

    Hope the weather cooperates. Looking forward to your posts.....Bliss

  11. I attended a quarterly meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri yesterday

    and learned that the old 66 bridge across the Meramec River at the Route 66

    State Park in Eureka, MO (formerly the Times Beach 66 bridge) is slated for

    *swift and complete* demolition. Period.

     

    There was some discussion about what could be done to stall or prevent the

    bridge's removal and at this point I don't have a *specific* contact and can

    only suggest emails or letters of protest to the Missouri Department of

    Transportation (MoDot). Contact is:

     

    http://modot.org

     

    A representative from the National Park Service was in attendance and, as I

    recall, said something to the effect that the swift action is due to available

    money to MoDot being nearly expired. (Could be wrong about that, however, so

    don't hold me to it.) You might be able to get more info from:

     

    http://www.cr.nps.gov/rt66

    or

    IM_Rt66(at)nps.gov

     

    Perhaps nothing will prevent the permanent bridge removal (no replacement) but

    our pleas and protests might help to save the bridge, which I'm confident could still be used as a beautiful and historical pedestrian crossing. Nearly anything is possible........Bliss

  12. Some of my favorite stops on a road trip are the ones that you had no idea existed until you stumble upon them along the way...

     

    What are your favorite unexpected finds?

     

     

     

    Mary Sue and I finally found some breathing time from raising kids and employment in the mid 1980's and began doing a little "local" cruisin' on the weekends. Some of our favorite finds include:

     

    (a) Quarter-mile alignment of abandoned Route 66 in front of the "Rock House" just west of St. Clair, MO.

    (B) Riverfront park and beach at Meramec Caverns just south of Stanton, MO.

    © Hooker Cut 4-lane Route 66 at Devils Elbow, MO.

    (d) Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in STL.

    (e) Route 66 Lounge (and Fran) in Cuba, MO.

     

    There are many, many others that are significant to us because nearly everything was at the time....Bliss

  13. I had some ideas going for a spring cruise

     

     

    Hi, Jennifer, and thanks for thinking about/planning for a spring cruise. First of all, count us in for whatever.

     

    A campground with a motel or cabins would be great. If you're familiar with Meramec Caverns in Stanton, MO that's kinda sorta what I envision. A little something for everyone. We prefer outdoor dining in a campfire/grilling setting rather than a pricey restaurant. (Remember the Dixie Cruise at the wigwams with twice-baked hot dogs?)

     

    Just let us know....Bliss

  14. Cincinnati is between two Ohio River ferries.........

     

    Our area is blessed with a multitude of car and truck ferries due the proximity of the Missouri, Mississippi, and Illinois Rivers. We've ridden several and always enjoy the ride....Bliss

  15. Just wanted to bring this topic back up to the top & report WE'RE THERE! Sent our registration in today & we're really looking forward to meeting up with everyone next weekend. I threw caution to the wind & disregarded that 8/15 deadline....I figure they won't turn anyone away. If you're in the area and have a 3-day weekend to kill, I highly recommend attending this cruise. AR Forum member Kip Welborn and his cohort Jane Dippel do a great job in putting this together. And as an added bonus, the Saturday night stop is in Lebanon where you have the chance to bunk up at the historic Munger Moss Motel. Hope to see YOU there!

     

    519073462_396eebaa38.jpg

     

    Motor Tour Info & Registration

     

     

     

    You're right, Pat; we absolutely will not turn anyone away. The cutoff is primarily for notification to the food vendors. Even though you guys are not registering for the meals, you should still join us Saturday evening at the park in Lebanon. There will be door prizes, a silent auction, and just general overall roadie fun. Also lots of fun at the Pacific picnic Sunday afternoon. See you guys there......Bliss

  16. Hello "RoadDog" and all members of this FORUM:

     

    We have a large Route 6 wall map here in the office and it would be great if each person would provide the name of the state and town that they live in. We would stick a pin in the map, this would give us an idea of the coverage we are receiving on the FORUM. This would also give me a better idea of how to respond to questions, i.e. :-)

     

    Russ L.

     

     

     

    Hey Russ, I've become interested in Route 6 since becoming aware of it's 2-laneness via American Road Mag. We live in Manchester, MO (West St. Louis County) and we crossed 6 last week while on U.S. 421 out of Michigan City, IN. Looks interesting - I'll check out your site....Bliss

     

     

     

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