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

DennyG

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Everything posted by DennyG

  1. A shot gun response: I tend to forget that the Cozy Dog is closed on Sundays so my idea of a first night in Springfield wouldn't work for a Sunday (which is what I was thinking) if you want to eat at the Cozy Dog (which maybe you don't). I had a Sunday start in mind because I'm all for spending as much time on the road as possible. I've no motel recommendations in Joliet and I see nothing listed at Ron Warnick's place (http://route66news.com/lodging-on-route-66/). Ron's Route66News.com is a good place to watch. Do you have specific attractions in mind. Many of the "attractions" aren't really active things that need to be open. Examples are the old gas stations in Dwight & Odell, the brick pavement near Auburn, and the 1920s concrete & turkey tracks near Nilwood. They never close. Technically, I guess the Dwight station closes since it is open on occasion as a welcome center but it's closed more than not and can be enjoyed either way. The 66 museum in Pontiac is, to me, a must see. They advertise being open seven days a week but you'll want to check specifically about Easter if needed. http://il66assoc.org/attraction/route-66-association-hall-fame-museum There are a couple of possibilities in Carlinville if that's where you end up for a night. I was satisfied when I stayed at the Magnuson with a group about a year ago and the Carlinvilla gets good marks. I can't bring myself to recommend that anyone NOT stay at the Munger Moss but it can be necessary. If another hundred miles would help, give some thought the the Boots in Carthage. I managed to stay in both last trip but it took both planning and dawdling to pull it off. http://bootsmotel.homestead.com/ On the other end of your route I don't know much about Sayre. If you don't have anything in mind and think you can work in another fifty miles, there is a good mom-n-pop, The Cactus Inn, in McLean, TX.
  2. It looks like a couple of hours on the expressway will get you from South Bend to Joliet so I'm guessing that will just be part of your first day with no extra "staging" to launch on 66. If that's the case, then the Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center on the south side of Springfield might be a good first night's target. It's about 150 miles from Joliet and can be reached from the expressway without churning through downtown Springfield. Pick up I-55 north of town then cut back on Old 66 for about 2 miles at the south edge. It's a former Holiday Inn and not a mom-n-pop but it is on the route and embraces that fact with lots of 66 themed stuff on display. They used to offer a $66 rate to travelers on the route but I can't say whether they still do. Another plus is that it's within walking distance of the Cozy Dog Drive-in. As you no doubt know, that's the Waldmire family restaurant and, assuming you stopped at the museum in Pontiac, you will have seen Bob's VW bus and school bus, and the boys might enjoy seeing another one of his hangouts. Even if they don't get into Bob Waldmire history, a couple of nice healthy Cozy Dogs is a great way to end a day on the road. http://www.rt66hotel.com/ A crude check shows Lebanon, MO, about 250 miles from Springfield. Probably a little more after circling St Louis. Lebanon is home to the quintessential Route 66 mom-n-pop motel, the Munger Moss. If that turns out to be a little too far, the Wagon Wheel in Cuba, another classic independent, might work. http://www.mungermoss.com/ http://www.wagonwheel66cuba.com/
  3. The ilwu19 website was unknown to me and definitely has some good information. I had seen Mike's site before but I really enjoyed revisiting (especially the Columbia River & Mount Hood bits). It doesn't hurt us at all to occasionally be reminded of the cool roads and scenery in the northwest.
  4. 300 miles a day seems a reasonable goal to me. Since it was interstates (I-55, 44, 40) that made US-66 unneeded, you can usually use a semi-parallel expressway to leap ahead if required. There are, of course, guides that can be recommended (which you probably know about and may already have) and plenty of knowledgeable folks on this forum. Getting more advice than you need, want, or could possibly use might be the real problem. Route 66 is certainly not unknown to you and I'm guessing there are a few icons at the top of your or your son's lists. Center your planning around them. For motels that you absolutely positively want to stay at, you should probably make reservations before leaving home. For most, I doubt (but certainly can't guarantee) there is much of a problem in early April. Now, to get that "more advice than you need" started, I completely agree with your decision to avoid Chicago but suggest starting a few miles before Pontiac. Seeing the Gemini Giant in Wilmington would give you and the boys a "we're on 66 now" kind of moment and small towns like Braidwood, Dwight, and Odell give you a nice feel for the old days without requiring a lot of time. Starting in Joliet would enable you to check out the very good museum there but, if your teenagers think that one museum a day is enough, I believe the one in Pontiac would be a better choice. Be sure to come back with questions as details develop. When I was 16 with a brand new license, my Dad took me and my 13 year old sister to Washington, DC. He wasn't really an old roads fan (of course the roads weren't so old then) so it was all expressway going east but we did get on some real twisty Virginia two-lane going home. I got to drive a little in both directions which made the trip even cooler. I'm sure your oldest has a much better appreciation for the old road than I had but I bet his appreciation of holding the steering wheel is much the same. Try not to be too nervous or at least don't let it show too much.
  5. Alex, you east coasters weren't alone in your vigilance. Though it is a reconstruction of the 1952 original, a wooden watchtower still stands just a few miles north of West Lafayette, Indiana. During the early '50s, the tower was manned around the clock by volunteers and is often cited as a big reason that Purdue University was never bombed by the Russians. Photos and more here.
  6. Now, Dave. Don't scare the girl. There are many different types of "laziness" and Dave, Jim, Jeff, and several other forum members do a lot of serious digging through layers of maps and other documentation which us truly lazy members get to benefit from and post pointers to.
  7. Too true although I've often longed for just such a setting. You can, however, have your Garmin play back the exact route you desire if you want to spend the time and money to do it. It takes time because you have to plot things rather carefully and money because only the higher priced Garmin units can actually do this. I'm usually traveling alone so it's worth it to me to have a pre-programmed emotionless navigator telling me where to turn (or at least where I thought I wanted to turn when I left home). If you think this is something you'd want to do, I'd be happy to discuss it.
  8. It does indeed have websites. The U.S. Route 6 Tourist Association tackles the whole country, Pennsylvania's Route 6 has some good single state stuff and there may be others. Grand Old US 6 is a regular alternate issue department in American Road Magazine and this very forum includes a U.S, 6 sub-forum. Maria, it looks like your folks were off of US 6 by Toledo or thereabouts but some of the modern US 6 resources could be useful for the early bits.
  9. Although Port Jervis isn't a listed "destination", going through PJ on US-6 to get to Hawley, PA, sure seems reasonable. If PJ turns out to be an overnight for you, I suggest the Erie Hotel. It's been slightly, but not drastically, remodeled since 1929 Dotty & friends may not have stayed there but they could have. It was built in 1890 and the rooms haven't grown much since then. Dave's guestimate could, of course, be wrong but there's a better chance that it's right. Dave is not infallible and doesn't claim to be but he will give you a damned good guess and a lot of insight. He will be a good "assistant" as you put the route together. Embarrassing confession: I was within a mile of the Bear Mountain Suspension Bridge last year and didn't know it.
  10. Hey, I thought I was the only one with them. Actually, I believe everyone sees their own but not others'. I can't say whether or not the warning system is actually being used. That's a question for the admins. If it is not being used, it can be disabled. Apparently there is no way to have the system enabled and hide the counts although there are some discussions on the web suggesting that. The current arrangement prevents it being used for Double Secret Probation.
  11. Me too. I need to test my ability to post and I figured that extending this string by one would be a fairly inoffensive way to do that.
  12. I haven't tossed much praise Thomas' way in awhile but "looking like a button off Ed Wood's blouse" is too good to ignore.
  13. Even though I first learned of this through Jim's mention of it on Facebook, I thought a comment here about how promising this looks would be appropriate. So, here we go. This looks really promising.
  14. I'd say so. I imagine that's been the case since the forum came back from the multiple days of maintenance. The list of recent topics that once appeared at upper right disappeared about the same time. At present, when I click on "Members" I'm told I'm not authorized which I believe is a change but may not be a malfunction.
  15. 'Twas certainly one foggy Christmas Eve. Hope a good sleigh guide was available. Merry Christmas!
  16. Come on, Dave. We'll meet you there.
  17. Maybe: IF ((username="DennyG") AND (something = rand(somethingelse))) THEN redirect ELSE continue Though I'm still hoping for: IF (something = rand(somethingelse)) THEN redirect ELSE continue
  18. I follow Shorpy and also saw the walk photo. But my primary thought was how much the gas lamps resemble those that I believe are still in use in a couple of Cincinnati neighborhoods. The road-walk connection never occurred to me. Glad you're on the case.
  19. While poking around RoadsideAmerica.com for my own reasons, I plugged in Virginia Beach and came up with a gas station replica & museum about 40 crow miles away. It looks like something worth stopping at if you're riding by. How long will you be in Virginia Beach? I think I'll probably be about 170 miles away in Raleigh, NC, on New Year's Eve.
  20. Like Dave says, it seems you've probably got an open field. I recall being in Virginia Beach just once and that was primarily to touch the eastern tip of US-60 which I did in the rain. I followed US-60 most of the way home on that trip which lead me to the Colonial Parkway and the Williamsburg-Jamestown-Yorktown triangle. That's about 50 miles from Virginia and about the only thing I can personally suggest in the area. Of course, there are an awful lot of ships and sailors between Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. On another trip to the area (both were while my son was stationed there) we spent an enjoyable day on the Norfolk waterfront. I know the USS Wisconsin is there and open as a museum but I haven't been on it myself.
  21. Fortunately I hadn't finished uncorking the champagne when I learned that the code Becky mentioned was removed yesterday (Monday) afternoon. This morning's 8:02 redirect proved that it was not the problem. Any remaining doubt was taken care of by an occurrence just now, at 22:31. Despite what wild stories on the internet lead me to believe, a problem that is seen only by me is, almost by definition, only my problem. I shall suffer (but not very much) in silence until I discover something new or the world ends on Friday, whichever occurs last.
  22. Excellent. That's in keeping with what I read online. Why others didn't see it remains a mystery but not a very important one. Guess they're just not as lucky as I am. What is important is determining and dealing with the security breech that allowed the intrusion. My last sighting was this morning at 8:02 EST.
  23. Dave: I had used both Yahoo & Google and just now tried Bing. About all I've found is an Infinity company selling anti-virus software in the UK, an internet provider named Infinity that some times get mentioned along with viruses, and the Infinity Virus from 1992. I don't think that matters, however, since I believe that neither Infinity Ads nor URL4Short.info are at fault or any more evil than every other get-rich-from-internet-advertising dreamer. Both offer what are probably legitimate services which are being misused by some as yet unknown evildoer. Jim: Last night's occurrence was without the Infinity Ad overlay. I haven't seen it this morning. Maybe it's already starting to go away. If it does, I suppose I'll eventually forget about it and be content but that's not what I'm hoping for. Being involved in software, you're probably aware that one of a developer's worst fears is a problem that goes away on its own. Problems that disappear on their own are prone to reappearing on their own and it's often in the middle of a demo to the world's largest customer or something similar. Search for "url2short.info redirect" and you'll find a number of discussions regarding unwanted redirection (hijacking) most of which involve forums. VBulletin and InvisionPower are both well represented. Many of the descriptions sound almost exactly like what I'm seeing and most, if not all, involve server side redirection. The big difference is that most of them have more than one witness.
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