Route 66 Updates: China's Route 312, the Mill and Motels

1. National Public Radio ran a news show on Tuesday on Boston's WBUR station where Rob Gifford reported from China. He calls China's Route 312 the Route 66 of that country. He tells of the social and economic revolution that has turned China upside down and that this road clearly exhibits it. You can hear the report, but I wasn't able to get it.

2. LINCOLN, ILLINOIS- Larry Van Bibber donated $15,000 to the restoration of the famous Mill on Route 66

From Route 66 News

3. BARSTOW, CA- may be spending $180,000 to restore nine old neon signs.

4. GRANITE CITY, IL- the old and small Apple Valley Motel, on the Chain of Rocks Road, and close to that famous 66 landmark, gets a lot of patronage from construction workers during the winter, but more and more Rt 66 cruisers during the summer.

5. CLINTON, OK- Ray's Motel looks a lot better now that 66ers put a lot of elbow grease onto the decaying structure. They even had noted Route 66 artist Bob Waldemire, son of Ed, the founder of Cozy Dogs, doing non-art painting. Bob probably comes the closest to being a true hippy of anyone I know. He was the inspiration for Fillmore, the organic fuel VW bus in the movie "Cars".

6. NEW MEXICO will be putting Route 66 shield stencils on the roads in the western part of the state. You always know you're on the right road with those, and they are pretty much impossible to steal, which happens with some signs on poles. Reckon you'd have to dig up a big old chunk of asphalt to get that souvernir.

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog