Our State's Barbecue Issue, It's a Big Deal: Festivals, Wine and Fiberglass Pigs

From the Our State February 2016 magazine.  This magazine is about North Carolina.

Article on how Lexington, N.C., embrace's its role as Barbecue Capital of the World.  Lexington is south of Winston-Salem.

They had their first barbecue festival in 1984 and every October since then.

Wine even pairs well with barbecue and Childress Vineyards comes out with a "swine wine" every year.

Since 2003, Uptown, Lexington, Inc., has commissioned local artists to create and paint dozens of fiberglass pigs which are placed around town.

The Lexington area has more than a dozen barbecue restaurants.

Lexington barbecue restaurant was established in 1962 by Wayne Monk and known locally as "Honeymonk."

'Cue It In.  --RoadDog

O'Cue, Obey Your State Slaws-- Part 2: Eastern and Western North Carolina

OK, I saved the best two for last.  I like both, but if pressed will go with eastern Carolina since that is where I'm from.

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

The Meat:  Chopped whole hog
The Key Slaw Ingredient:  Extra-tart vinegar
The Chop:  Finely chopped

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

The Meat:  Chopped or pulled pork shoulder
The Key Slaw Ingredient:  ketchup and vinegar
The Chop:  Finely chopped.

Got to Rustle Up me Some 'Cue Real Soon.  --RoadDog

O'Cue: Obey Your State Slaws-- Part 1: S.C., Central Texas and Memphis

June 2013 Southern Living Magazine by Francine Maroukian and Tony Aiazzi.

As good as barbecue is, it just "ain't 'cue" without some slaw to go along with it.  I personally have to have near equal parts 'cue and slaw in every fork full I eat.

SOUTH CAROLINA

The Meat:  Whole hog or pork shoulder
The Slaw Key Ingredient:  Mustard
The Chop:  Shredded or thinly sliced

CENTRAL TEXAS

The Meat:  Beef brisket and shoulder clod sliced across the grain
The Slaw Key Ingredient:  jalapeno and cilantro
The Chop:  Shredded or thinly sliced

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

The Meat:  Pulled pork or ribs (dry and wet)
Key Slaw Ingredient:  Dry rub spices
The Chop:  Chopped or coarsely chopped

I'll Have One of Each.  --RoadDog

The Perfect Pit Stop, Allen & Sons in Chapel Hill, N.C.-- Part 2: Making and Eating the 'Cue

Woodpile:  Owner Keith Allen uses hickory to cook.

Meats:  Whole pork shoulders, chicken halves and ribs.

The chop:  Two machete-like blades are used break down the pork shoulders into piles of chopped barbecue.

Seasoning:  Fatty Eastern-Carolina-style, red pepper-spiced vinegar sauce.

Counter:  Step up to the window to order or pay your bill.  Mason jars of house sauce are located there.

Ambience:  Tackle shop meets BBQ joint.

The crowd:  Staff keeps platters and never-ending pitchers of perfectly sweetened tea moving to diners full of mixture of country and city folks, white collar and blue collar, Duke and Carolina fans.

The Sandwich:  The smoky 'cue is zippy and rich and you can get the tart, minced slaw on top.

Finish.  Ate Too Much Again  --RoadDog

The Perfect Pit Stop: Allen & Son Barbeque, Chapel Hill, N.C.-- Part 1: Worth a Detention

From June 2013, Southern Living by Hunter Lewis.  A photo essay.

"Allen & Son Barbeque (919-942-7576) sits at the nexus of Old 86 and Millhouse Road on the outskirts of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  A few miles off I-40, it's the first place I go whenever I fly home via RDU.  I ate my first real chopped pork sandwich here.  Recently my daughter did too.  In high school, my buddies and I burned a path down the back roads, skipping classes for a taste of pitmaster Keith Allen's handiwork.  The teachers always smelled the telltale wood smoke on us.  Turns out this sandwich is worth more than a week of detention."

Looking at the pictures, it is the perfect Carolina 'Cue House.

I know where I'm stopping on my next trip to visit family in North Carolina, if I'm not too full of that great porkchop sandwich from Snappy Lunch in Mt. Airy, N.C..

Salivating All the Way.  --RoadDog

Southern Living 2013 'Cue Awards-- Part 2: The Next Ten

BEST RIB STICKIN' JOINTS:

6.  JIM 'N NICK'S BAR-B-Q--  Locations across the South

7.  CHARLES VERGO'S RENDEZVOUS--  Memphis, Tn.

8.  DREAMLAND BBQ--  Locations in Ala. and Ga.

9.  CENTRAL BBQ--  Memphis, Tn.

10.  THE SALT LICK--  Driftwood, Tx

11.  HUBBA HUBBA SMOKEHOUSE--  Flat Rock, N.C.

12.  STUBB'S BAR-B-Q--  Austin, Tx

13.  ARCHIBALD'S DRIVE IN--  Northport, Ala

14.  THE SHED BARBECUE & BLUES JOINT--  Locations in Ms and Al

15.  THE BAR-B-Q SHOP--  Memphis, Tn.

Big Ol' slab for Me.  --RoadDog

Southern Living 2013 'Cue Awards-- Part 1: Top Five for Ribs

Fromthe June 2013 Douthern Living Magazine.  Produced by Jennifer V. Cole and Hunter Lewis.

BEST RIB-STICKIN' JOINTS:

1.  FIERY RON'S HOME TEAM BBQ--  Charleston, S.C.  "Red oak, simple dry rub, no basting, no sauce."

2.  SOUTHERN SOUL BARBEQUE--  St. Simons Island, Ga.  ""salt and sugar cured ribs, smoked rotisserie-style and glazed with pan drippings"

3.  SAM'S BBQ--  Marietta, Georgia  "lightly lacquered baby backs, tender with a little give"

4.  BIB BOB GIBSON BAR-B-Q--  Decatur, Alabama  "these St. Louis-cut spareribs are a perfect marriage of meat, spice, and hickory smoke"  This is also a place I have eaten at before.  It was mighty good.

5.  CORKY'S RIBS & BBQ--  Memphis, Tn.  ''  Everything from barbecue nachos and tamales to sides of spaghetti."

Mouthwaterin'.  --RoadDog

National Park Quarters Scheduled for Release in 2016

Other quarters in the America the Beautiful Quarters program released this year will be Cumberland Gap National Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Theordore Roosevelt National Park and Fort Sumter National Monument.

--RoadDog

New Quarter of Illinois' Shawnee National Forest

January 22, 2016, Chicago Tribune "New quarter to detail Shawnee National Forest" by Dawn Rhodes.

The U.S. Mint is set to release a new coin featuring the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.  It is part of its America the Beautiful Quarters program featuring national parks across the country.

The reverse features a closeup of Camel Rock, one of the famous sandstone rock formations in the Garden of Gods area of the park.  Vegetation is in the foreground and a red-tailed hawk flies above it.  It was designed by Utah artist Justin Kunz and will be introduced in a ceremony February 4 at Southeastern Illinois College.

Visitors could buy $10 rolls of the quarters.

I have been collecting this set of quarters, made very difficult by its limited releases to coin shops and private collectors who charge $20 for a roll of the quarters.

I think they should be released through banks.

Not Real Happy About the Way They Are Releasing the Quarters.  --RoadDog

Didn't Get Enough Mardi Gras Food? Try a Po'Boy

From the Feb. 17, 2016, Chicago Tribune ""Big & Little's fried crab po'boy" by Marissa Conrad.

"Po'boys are one of the four major food groups of Mardi Gras (see also: muffalettas, hurricanes and beignets), but there's no reason to stop eating them once the holiday is over."

In case you're wondering, "A po'boy is a baguette stuffed with either meat (often roast beef) or fried seafood, with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayo (for meat) or melted butter (for seafood)."

The reporter went to Big & Little's in Lakeview, Chicago, which she likened to a surfside seafood and burger shack. Its fried fish sandwiches are so popular it now has three locations.

She recommends their softshell crab po'boy for $8.  It comes open so that you can see a full fried crab with claws upright.

A picture of it accompanied the article and I got hungry just looking at it.

Locations of Big & Little's:  1034 Belmont Ave., 860 N. Orleans St, and 1310 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Perhaps It Will Be Necessary for Me to Visit and Eat.  --RoadDog

News From Along Route 66-- January 2016: Deaths of Former Blue Swallow Owner and Glenn Frey

JANUARY 19--  Dale Bakke, former co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, dies.  Dale Bakke and his wife Hilda bought it in 1999, not long after Gene Shelton bought it from long-time owner Lil;ian Redman.  They sold it in 2006.

Dale was an excellent electrician and handyman and they restored the place to its former grandeur.

They owned it when we stayed there.  Great people.  I bought a beautiful photo Dale had taken of the sign with a beautiful sunset behind it.

JANUARY 19--  Co-writer of that great Route 66 song, "Take It Easy," Glenn Frey of the Eagles dies.  More on that in my Down da Road I Go Blog.

JANUARY 20--  Nearly 200 people gathered at the "Standing On the Corner Park" in Winslow, Arizona, for a memorial to Glenn Frey.

"Standing On the Corner in Winslow, Arizona."  --RoadDog

Kingman Seeking Classic Neon Signs

From the Feb. 18, 2016, Kingman (Az) Dasily Miner "Classic neon signs sought for Route 66's 90th birthday."

The Route 66 Association of Kingman is looking to establish a neon park along Route 66 in town.  They are looking for donations to acquire, restore and install classic neon signs.

They already have a Route 66 Walk of Fame as wells as information kiosks and murals.

They have acquired already the sign that used to be in front of the Brandin' Iron Motel.  A postcard of the motel accompanied the article.

I like the idea of neon parks anywhere.  Nothing much prettier at night than a bunch of neon signs.

Light Her Up.  --RoadDog

Looking Back: Rebuilding the DeKalb-Sycamore Road Back in 1941

From the Jan. 13, 2016, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois).

1941, 75 years ago:  "Many have asked in the past few days when work would start on the rebuilding of the Sycamore-DeKalb road (Ill. Route 23).  Only a vague answer can be given.  In the first place attention is given to the fact that the state government is in a transition stage and funds for road building must be officially allocated for particular projects before anything can be done."

I imagine this involved widening it to four lanes.  It is today a very congested stretch of road.

--RoadDog

Looking Back: DeKalb County Auto Safety in 1941

From the Jan. 6, 2016, MidWeek.

1941, 75 years ago:  "Steps to safeguard the lives of motorists who travel over the Genoa-Belvidere road and must use the Illinois Central underpass west of Genoa will be taken by the county, Genoa people have been informed.

"The pass and curve has been the scene of serious mishaps and to travel over the section at more than ten miles an hour is a dangerous practice."

I have driven this underpass and it is still a bit frightening, but imagine safer as I was going about 35 mph.

--RoadDog

Looking Back: First New Illinois License Plates in 1916

From the January 6, 2016, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois).

1916, 100 years ago:  "The first new 1916 automobile license has arrived.  It is on the car of Prof. Ritzman, head of the city schools, and his number is 1192.

The numbers this year are made of aluminum and are small and near plates the colors being black and white.

Wonder if they had to have vehicle emissions tests?

Even Back Then.  --RoadDog

Obituary of Route 66's Laurel Kane-- Part 2

Laurel welcomed everyone to her place, despite having to commute a rather long distance from Tulsa where she lived.  An estimated 7,000 a year visited and she also had a popular blog spot about the road.

She died at age 69 on Jan. 28, 2016.

Her Route 66 interest grew out of her passion for old postcards which led to a family road trip in 1997 where they went the whole length of the Mother Road in a 1957 Packard.  She and her husband decided to retire to Oklahoma after that.

They lived in Darien, Connecticut, before that.  Their home was the oldest structure in town, built in 1705.

Her daughter Sarah lives in Evanston, Illinois.  A celebration of life will be held this spring.

Route 66 News has an excellent account of her life and an interview.

I remember we bought David Wickline's "Images of 66" book at her place and had people sign pictures the rest of out trip on Route 66.

This will be a smiling face that will be greatly missed, but will be long remembered among us Roadies.

--RoadDog

Obituary of Route 66's Laurel Richards Kane-- Part 1

From the Feb. 14, 2016, Tulsa (Ok) World.

"Along a once thriving stretch of Route 66 in Afton, Oklahoma, is a vintage service station where visitors from around the world fins, and later seek out, a welcome and a smile from Laurel Kane."  As fine of an epitaph as you can get for this wonderful person who help make Route 66 so much fun.

That is what you would get when you stopped.  It was like talking with an old friend, and Laurel seemed to regard anyone driving the old road as her friend, even ones she just met.  Any time we were in the area, her place was a must stop for Liz and me if it was open.

The 30s-era service station was bought by Laurel and then-husband David Kane in 1998.  In 2001, they opened it as the Afton station where it functioned as a welcome center and a museum for Laurel's Route 66 memorabilia and postcards as well as husband David's collection of restored vintage Packard automobiles.

--RoadDog

NIU Remembers Victims of 2008 Campus Shooting-- Part 2

Nineteen others were wounded in Cole Hall, near the center of NIU's campus.

yesterday was a frigid day with snow beginning to accumulate.  the snow began covering makeshift shrines of roses, stuffed bears and crosses placed near the granite markers outside of Cole Hall that bear the name of each victim.

The five walls are part of a Memorial Garden whose theme "Forward, Forever Forward" comes from the NIU Huskie fight song.

This is located just north of Lincoln Highway (Illinois Highway 38) in DeKalb, Illinois.

A Sad Commemoration.

NIU Remembers Victims of 2008 Campus Shootings-- Part 1

From the Feb. 14, 2016, Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, Illinois) by Rhonda Gillispie.

The bell tolled at 3:06 p.m. and family members gathered to mark the day that changed their lives forever.  Northern Illinois University President Doug Baker told the Chronicle:  "When I speak with those on campus Feb. 14, 2008, I am stunned by how deeply they still feel the pain of that day.  It was clearly a very dark hour in our history."  (He was not president back then.)

Those students who died in Cole Hall that day:

Gayle Dubowski, 20
Catalina Garcia, 20
Julianna Gehant, 32
Ryane Mace, 19
Daniel Parmenter, 20

(I was glad the article did not mention the name of the murderer.  I do not think the media should ever mention the names of mass murderers.)

Five Murdered at NIU Eight Years Ago

February 14, 2008, a day we will not be forgetting anytime soon.  Five NIU students murdered and 21 wounded by killer who opened fire on unarmed students.

I'll have more about it in my Down da Road Blog.

A Sad Day.

--

News from Along Route 66: January 2016: Racism On Route 66

JANUARY 12--  Information about the Catholic Church in Amboy, California.  The church was dedicated on March 8, 1951.

JANUARY 13--  100 Years of Drive-In theaters on one map showing all 4,500 sites.  The first one opened in New Mexico in 1914.  I'd always heard it opened in the 1930s in New Jersey.

JANUARY 16--  The Negro Motorist Greenbook.  "You may need it" as the cover said.  When we think about Route 66, you rarely think of the extra obstacles that black motorists encountered in that age of Jim Crow Laws and "Sundown" towns.  A "Sundown" town was one where a black person had best not be when the sun went down.

Victor Green began publishing it in 1936 and continued until 1964 to "give the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulty, embarrassment and to make his trip more enjoyable.

This was a sad and unfortunate period of our history, thankfully somewhat gone.

--RoadDog

News from Along Route 66: January 2016: Pontiac Tourism Growth

These come from the Route 66 News site which has much more information about each story plus many more.  I just write about the ones of particular interest to me.

JANUARY 1--  Death of singer Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat King Cole who made the famous first version of "Get Your Kicks on Route 66."

JANUARY 8--  Hawkins Mill in Springfield, Missouri, being torn down.  Too bad as it is an impressive building which was constructed in 1940.

JANUARY 10--  2015 marked the sixth consecutive year of tourism grown in Pontiac, Illinois.   Definitely one small town proud of its Route 66 heritage and other history.  Sure are a lot of things to see and do there and more always being added.

JANUARY 11--    Melba Riggs retiring from Cars on the Route in Galena, Kansas.  She and her fellow owners sure have done a lot for that town with the reopening of the old station and acquiring the truck that served as the inspiration for Tow Mater in the movie "Cars."

--RoadDog

Spring Grove Data: Just the Facts, Ma'am

SPRING GROVE

Population--  5,331

Average Age--  44.3%  That would be me.

Married Households--  67.9%  That would be us.

Households With Kids--  48.2%  Not us.

"More than 2 in 3 people are married, and half have kids.  They most likely go to bed very early."  Well, sorry 'bout that, but I am old.

--BoringOldRoadDog

More of Illinois' Most Boring Towns-- Part 2: Spring Grove Party Life

6.  Lake Bluff

7.  Homer Glen

8.  Long Grove

9.  Campton Hills

10.  Glencoe

Now, I realize that Spring Grove does have much of a bar scene.  Most bars don't last too long as they are poorly run.  Plus, our police have a reputation of overzealous efforts on DUIs.  Right now, we have just a few places like K.C.'s Cabin which is a great place, but a bit on the extreme northern border.  Plus Tommy's which was a good place, but not any more.

Antonio's Mexican Sports Bar has closed due to poor ownership decisions.

But, The Grove, formerly Never Sink Inn,  downtown (if you can call what we have as a downtown) is doing well and a few years ago opened an outdoor biergarten.

We also have a new place opening where several places have been  on US-12, most recently the extremely overpriced 21st Amendment.

Oh Well, At least We Have Out Taxes.  --RoadDog

More of Illinois' Most Boring Towns-- Part 1: Oh, No! My Village Makes the List!!!

From Road Snack!  "These Are the 10 Most Boring Cities in Illinois."

As the disclaimer reads:  "This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment.  Don't Freak Out!!"

The facts and what constitutes boring:

% population over 35  (higher= more boring
% of married households  (higher= more boring)
% of households with kids  (higher= more boring)
Population density   (lower= boring)

1.  Lake Forest  (Where really rich folk live)
2.  Hawthorn Woods  (Also where rich folk live)

3.  Inverness  (Also)
4.  SPRING GROVE  (Where the heavily taxed live)  We sure aren't rich, anyway.

5.  Oak Brook

How Could This Be?  --RoadDog

Illinois' Most Boring Towns

From the Movoto Blog:  the Lighter Side of Real Estate by Barbara Allan.

These rankings are based on night life per capita,  # bars and night clubs, fast food places (fewer the better) and % young residents 20-34 (the higher the better).

1.  New Lenox
2.  Rolling Meadows
3.  Calumet City

4.  Lake in the Hills
5.  Huntley  (I guess the presence of Del Webb's Sun City might have had something to do with this.)
6.  Bolingbrook
7.  Hanover Park

8.  Oswego
9.  Vernon Hills
10.  Streamwood

Well, at least Spring grove didn't make the list.

Hey, Older Doesn't Mean Boring.  --RoadDog

Looking Back to Winter 1941 in DeKalb County, Illinois

From the Jan. 27, 2016, MidWeek

1941, 75 Years Ago:  "Although some of the less traveled rural roads are said to be treacherous due to drifts, the roads in the DeKalb area are not blocked by snow.  It was reported at noon today.  The rural mail carriers working out of DeKalb were able to cover their routes, although they were some delayed by the snow without having much trouble."

Snow Road Problems Back Then.  --RoadDog

Looking Back: Winter in the Midwest in 1916-- Saving the Bridge

From the Jan. 27, 2016, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois).

1916, 100 YEARS AGO:  "The hard and fast work of DeKalb Highway Commissioner Frank Fuller and a force of men was all that saved the bridge over the Kishwaukee river at Lucinda Avenue, better known as the Annie's Woods bridge, from being swept away this morning by an ice gorge which formed there and threatened the structure."

This bridge connects DeKalb with the NIU campus.  I have been across it many times.  It has recently been redone and looks better than ever.

--RoadDog

The Road That Created Florida, Carl Fisher's Dixie Highway-- Part 4: The Cincinnati Caravan

In 1916, the Palm Beach Post newspaper encouraged locals to welcome a 500-car caravan that was to start in Cincinnati in October and was to drive along the Dixie Highway to Miami.

Old Dixie Highway dead ends at the south bank of the C-17 Canal/ Earman River.  There was once a bridge there, but it burned in 1933.

The article then has a helpful detailed driving tour of the Dixie through the whole county.

So, If You Want drive the Old Road, There You Go.  --RooadDog

The Road That Created Florida: Carl Fisher's Dixie Highway-- Part 3: A Miami Beach Connection

"Dixie Highway modernized the South by providing the first farm-to-market road while simultaneously creating the dream of a winter Florida vacation," historian Tammy Ingram writes.

Credit for the Dixie goes to Carl Fisher, one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the famed Indy 500 this May).  he also was one of the leading forces for the creation of the famed transcontinental Lincoln Highway.

Part of the reason for the Dixie Highway was to provide better transportation to his Miami Beach development.

Eventually, there were several Dixie Highway routes stretching across 5.786 miles across northern states from the Canadian border at Sault Ste. Marie to Miami, Florida on Biscayne Bay.

--RoadDog

The Road That Created Florida-- Carl Fisher's Dixie Highway-- Part 2" US-1, US A1A

Continued from Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016.

After US-1 was built in the 1920s, the Dixie Highway became known as the Old Dixie in Lake Park and Delray Beach.

Alternate A1A ran through Palm Beach Gardens and follows the Dixie Highway as it does in Riviera Beach, recently renamed the President Barack Obama Highway.

Over the years, the path of the Dixie Highway shuffled.  In Boca Raton, today's Dixie is on the east side of the tracks, but originally it was on the west side of them, now known as Southwest First Avenue.

--RoadDog

"Groundhog Day" Movie Walking Tour-- Part 2

GAS STATION--  Gas Depot Station, 131 Washington Street.  Where Bill was hit on the head by the snow shovel.

BOWLING ALLEY--  Wayne's Lanes, 109 Church Street,  This is also where the car left before the ride on the railroad tracks.

THE DANCE AND AUCTION--  Woodstock Moose Lodge, 406 Clay Street

OLD MAN'S ALLEY--  Benton Street at East Judd Street.  Where the old man died.

NED'S CORNER--  Caldwell, Berner & Caldwell, 100 Cass Street.  Where Ned would accost Bill every day.

THE CAR CRASH--  Northwest Corner of Calhoun & Jefferson streets.  There is a building there now.  "Is it too soon for flapjacks?"

PIANO TEACHER'S HOUSE--  Private residence, 348 S. Madison.  The boy's tree is also nearby.

CHERRY STREET INN--  Royal Victorian Manor B&B, 344 Fremont Street.  Where Bill Murray stayed.  He looked out a window from the house's turret.  Interior scenes shot on a stage.

Worth a walk, but definitely see the movie first.

--RoadDog

"Groundhog Day" Movie Walking Tour, Woodstock, Illinois-- Part 1

From the pamphlet put out by WoodstockGroundhog.org.

A nice map of the famous Woodstock Square area showing sites where scenes from the famous movie were shot.  I would definitely recommend seeing the movie again, especially if you haven't seen it in a long time before you take the tour.

1.  PENNSYLVANIAN HOTEL--Woodstock Opera House, 121 Van Buren Street.  Also where Bill Murray plunged to his death.

2.  GOBBLER'S KNOB--  Southwest corner of Woodstock Square

3.  BAND STAND DANCE--  Center of Woodstock Square

4..  BAR SCENES--  Old Courthouse.  In today's Public House Restaurant.  Where you can order your sweet vermouth on the rocks with a twist.

5.  BILL MURRAY'S PUDDLE--  108 Cass Street, curbside.  Unfortunately, the village has now turned it into a flower bed.

6.  TIP TOP CAFE--  Taqueria La Placita Mexican restaurant.  You can eat in the nook where Bill pigged out.

7.  ALPINE THEATER-- Woodstock Theater, 209 Main Street.  Where Bill did his best Clint Eastwood imitation.  Unfortunately, they removed the outside ticket window.

These Are All in the Woodstock Square or By It.--RoadDog

The Road That Created Florida, Carl Fisher's Dixie Highway-- Part 1

From the Jan. 13, 2016, Palm Beach (Fla) Post "We take a look back at the road that created Florida" by Barbara Marshall.

A photo accompanies the article taken in 1922 in Boca Raton showing a camel arch built over the Dixie Highway to attract Shriners on their way to their national convention in Miami.

Beginning in 1915, the Dixie Highway delivered the tourists that spawned motels, juice stands and wacky roadside attractions that so dotted the Florida landscape.

It wasn't actually much of a road.  It was a rutted, grueling journey along its mostly dirt path.

In Palm Beach it followed the dry ridge.  Today it is still called the Dixie Highway in downtown West Palm Beach to north.  Evergreen and Poinsettia avenues follow it southward.

--RoadDog

32 Route 66 Experiences-- Part 4: Arizona and California

ARIZONA


WEIRD--  Grand Canyon Caverns in Peach Springs

COOL--  Meteor Crater near Winslow

HISTORIC--  Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman

FOOD--  Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman


CALIFORNIA


WEIRD--  Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch in Oro Grande

COOL--  Last Stop Shop on Santa Monica Pier

HISTORIC--  Broadway Theater and Commercial District in Los Angeles

FOOD--  The Donut Man in Glendora

--RoadDog

32 Route 66 Experiences-- Part 3: Texas and New Mexico

TEXAS


WEIRD--  Leaning Water Tower in Groom

COOL--  Glenrio Ghost Town in Glenrio at Texas-New Mexico border

HISTORIC--  Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe in Shamrock

FOOD--  Mid Point Cafe in Adrian


NEW MEXICO


WEIRD--  Musical Road on Route 66

COOL--  Blue Hole in Santa Rosa

HISTORIC--  New Mexico Mining Museum in Grants

FOOD--  66 Diner in Albuquerque

--RoadDog

32 Route 66 Experiences-- Part 2: Kansas and Oklahoma

KANSAS

WEIRD--  Galena Murder Bordello, Galena  (Also the inspiration for "Tow Mater" from the movie "Cars.")

COOL--  Brush Creek Bridge  (Marsh bridge)

HISTORIC--  Old Riverton Store in Riverton

FOOD--  Baxter Springs Smoke House in Baxter Springs


OKLAHOMA

WEIRD--  Blue Whale in Catoosa

COOL--  Totem Pole Park in Foyil

HISTORIC--  Coleman Theatre in Miami

FOOD--  POPS--  Acadia

--RoadDog

32 Route 66 Experiences-- Part 1: Illinois and Missouri

From BLT Blog of Lifestyle & Travel.

ILLINOIS


 THE WEIRD:  Henry's Rabbit Ranch in Staunton

THE COOL:  Sears Tower in Chicago  (Not that other name.)

THE HISTORIC:  Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield

THE FOOD: Del Rhea's Chicken Basket in Willowbrook


MISSOURI


THE WEIRD:  Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store in St. Robert

THE COOL:  Gateway Arch in St. Louis

THE HISTORIC:  Jesse James Wax Museum and Meremac Caverns in Stanton

THE FOOD:   Historic Route 66 Steak 'N Shake in Springfield

Definitely.  --RoadDog

"Cars" Tourism Revitalizes Kansas Town-- Part 2: Mining Played Out

For many years, like Radiator Springs in the movie "Cars," Galena has been in decline.

The town was born as a mining settlement when lead and zinc were discovered near the surface in 1876.  By 1900, the Galena area had more than 250 producing mines and a population of 30,000.  Population growth was even greater with the new-found popularity of Route 66 which went through it.

Sadly, we know what happened to Route 66 and then the mines played out in the 1970s and population began shrinking until today it has about 3,000.

The Cars on the Route is in a former Kan-O-Tex gas station.  More than 3,000 visitors recently went through it in a three-month period of time.

--RoadDog

"Cars" Tourism Revitalizes Kansas Town-- Part 1

From the Oct. 25, 2015, Arkansas Traveler by Jaime Dunaway.  Recently documentary film makers were in Galena, Kansas, taking pictures of the reddish brown 1951 International boon truck that inspired the "Cars" movie character "Tow Mater."

This truck gets lot of visitors and can be found in front of the Cars on the Route place of business (formerly Four Women of the Route).City Clerk of Galena Renee Charles and three partners took a rundown former gas station and reopened it as a tourist attraction.  One of their huge acquisitions was "Tow Mater."

Before "Tow Mater" people would come through and either drive by or stop in for just a short time, but not anymore.  Even better, they are spending money.