roadmaven

All very good tips! However, one thing I've done that saves time and reduces aerodynamic drag on my car is when I started getting a hair shave instead of a hair cut about 5 years ago. I save valuable road time by not having to dry it (since it's 1/4" thick) and reduce aerodynamic drag while traveling, thus decreasing fuel consumption. Your mileage may vary.

Wow, based on the pictures in the gallery you took of it , it sure didn't look in bad shape. Another one lost recently was the "Wilsonian Motel" on US 31 in Greenwood, Indiana. Surrounded by sprawling retail, I knew it wouldn't be long for this world, and the construction equipment in the parking lot a few weeks ago confirmed that. Ahh, but I'm sure somewhere a non-descript corporate box motel is opening its doors for $70 a night, and the world will be less of a place for it.

The weather's looking good for Saturday: Partly cloudy, High of 72. Of course partly cloudy also means partly sunny. If there are any of you out there still on the fence as whether to go, GO! Even if the Wigwam is booked up, there are several motels within a mile of it. See you all Friday!

Peter, All I can say is THANK YOU! Actually "thank you" is no measure of how happy I am to see someone take the time to *finally* document this piece of Indy history the way you have. BRAVO!! When I get home tonight, I'll be planted on your site. This is the coolest thing. I'll be sure to pass this on to my brothers who used to take me there on Friday & Saturday nights back in the 1980's. Thanks again....and I'll probably have more questions & comments for you once I wake up!

Sounds like a fine 2-lane weekend. My dad's an "A-er" himself, as he's got a '29 Town Sedan and a '31 Tudor. The '31 is quite the story. He originally bought it in 1960 and put it into storage, as he had now where to put it at the time. It never ran, and looked like it belonged in a junkyard. For the longest time I remember mom & dad paid a little old lady $5 a month to store it. Fastforward to 1986 after my mom passed away, dad built himself a garage and brought the '31 home....where it continued to sit for another 10 years! One of my brothers and I finally convinced him it was time to start on it (he was retired 3 years and needed something to do after restoring the '29 he bought in '92), so he took it apart and rebuilt it from ground-up. Now he's got himself an award winner. It's hard to know the history of the '31, but when he bought it in '60, it was black and had old-style Phillips 66 shields on both doors, so at some point in its life it served as a P-66 company car of some sort. Who knows, maybe it once carried around Frank Phillips. Ahh, we'll never know!

C'mon 'Dog, be nice to the Corvair! I would say there's an 80% chance you're going to be traveling with one in Kentucky next week. I truly question those stats about the Corvair's numbers in Illinois. There are two Corvair clubs in Illinois, one in Springfield and one in Chicago. I know for a fact the Chicago club has some 300 members and the Springfield club draws a lot from central Illinois. Heck, the St. Louis club also has some that live on the Illinois side of the river. I just wouldn't think that many would be driving around without current plates. Then again, we Corvair owners are notoriously cheap sunny beaches. Two Classics P.S....You might like the t-shirt I just picked up on ebay last night: Unsafe, you say?

Nice find....Looking at the photos from the Mojave just reminded me how lonely it can be out there. Utah is state I'm really looking to explore in the near future. My dad's very high on Utah from its scenice perspective, and I recall Jim Ross telling me a couple of years ago how incredible southern Utah is. Might have to actually come up with a trip plan shortly.

The Indiana House and Senate last week approved a resolution designating U.S. 27 through the state a historic highway. The community owes considerable gratitude to Mary Walker and the Wayne County Convention and Tourism Bureau for their dedicated perseverance in this effort, the full benefits of which have yet to be realized. Read more here.....

Just thought I'd mention it's 2 WEEKS FROM TOMORROW when we converge on Cave City. Anyone else ready for a roadtrip?

Just bringing this topic back up to date. The West Baden Springs will re-open this coming June. There's a nice story on a local TV station about the progress. As someone who saw this place in 1986 as a rundown shell of its former self, all I can say is that the one time "8th Wonder of the World" ranks right up there as the save of the century....as their video they sell would attest! West Baden Springs

Thanks for the heads up, Denny. I had not heard of this coming out, so this is a pleasant surprise. Look forward to picking it up. Pat P.S...and a hearty happy birthday!!

For all you George Reeves & Adam West fans out there, there's a new place to pay homage: Holy Artifacts, Batman!

Well, since it appears you'll be joining us, you need not worry about the aquisition of one. I'm in the process of creating a little something for the participants.

I sure don't have that. The wife is rather fond of Streets & Trips.

Bill, They were unharmed, as they were in Lincoln when it took place. Their house was fine, and wasn't actually part of the Pig Hip. However, the Pig Hip was a total loss. I heard about 95% of the contents were destroyed...all the memorablia, pictures, you name it....gone forever. From what I hear, Ernie will still be serving up Pig Hip sandwiches in June, at the site of the Pig Hip, during the Illinois Route 66 Motor Tour.

We now have an official logo and name for our April cruise. Click on the picture below for the latest!

Greetings & welcome aboard, Gus! I really enjoyed your intro in the other section. I know fellow poster Kip Welborn makes sure his 3 year old daughter Natalie experiences the same thing you're having your daughter experience. Hopefully Kip will drop by and give his thoughts. I'd say after you leave St. Louis, about an hour up the road, make Stanton a stop: -Meramec Caverns -Antique Toy Museum -Jesse James Museum -Riverside Reptile Ranch I know it's not far from where, I'm guessing, you'll be sleeping over in St. Louis, but Meramec Caverns also has a sizable camping facility. The Stanton Motel up at the interchange with I-44/66 is well worth the stay. I know further up on the western fringes of Joplin, there's a permanent little amusement park (at least it was the last time I was through there last year). It's kinda like one of those traveling amusement parks you see that move from shopping center parking lot to shopping center parking lot....but it doesn't move. Just curiuos, how far west are you expecting to go on this trip?

Glad to hear you'll be joining us! As of last Sunday when I reserved, Jean there said they had only 1 double and the rest were singles. However, not certain how many total they still had available. *If* by some freak of nature you call and they're all booked up, there are still some good looking motels just up the road....The Star Motel, Holiday Motel, and Caveland Motel were decent ones as I recall. I was down there just yesterday on a scouting trip of my own. Let's hope it's 85 & sunny when we're there like it was for me yesterday! For more lodging choices, here's a link to Cave City's lodging page: http://www.cavecity.com/lodging.htm From what Denny & I have been told, the following have reserved: -Me & Jennifer from Indy -Denny from Cincy -Kent & Mary Sue (code name "Bliss") from St. Looey -Bob (code name "Baby Boomer Bob") from TN -Fran & Dolly from Cuba, MO If anyone knows of anyone else who has reserved or is at least planning on going and hasn't yet made a reservation, please post it here. Thanks!

We like to think it will encourage folks to join the forum. It's a little "reward" for those who took the time to sign up with us.

Just to give everyone an update, Denny made a scouting trip to Cave City this past weekend. As of then, there were still some teepees still available, but CALL NOW if you even think you might go. Also, due to Denny's field work, he discovered what we're 99.3% sure is an old alightment of the DH. Mapquest satellite images somewhat confirm these findings. So, hats off to DG for the find we would've likely bypassed. Just a mere 5 weeks til the cruise!

Would you happen to know what "CB" stands for?

It appears the folks at the Wigwam haven't paid their domain fee, as the site is currently parked. I wonder if they even know they have a website, as this is the one previous owner Ivan John created.

Welcome, Jack! I think what you're looking for might already exist. Check out the link here, and look under the "Are back issues available?" topic. This can be found on the American Road web site.

Just wanted to add a little note on this topic. One of the folks on the trip with us that weekend was featured on a local PBS program, "Across Indiana". The film crew was along with us for part of the day on Saturday. There are even a few quick shots of my light blue coupe in the segment. Here it is: Mike McKeel

Sad news tonight out of Broadwell, IL. The Pig Hip was destroyed by fire late this afternoon: RIP Pig Hip