Sweet St. Louis is Beckoning-- Part 2: Frozen Custard (And We All Know Where That Is)

Hotel concierges in St. Louis often get the question, "Where is Ted Drewes?"  The frozen custard stand on historic Route 66 draws long lines of customers ordering cold treats and especially their signature concretes, so named for their thickness.  They like to demonstrate it by holding  a tub of the stuff upside down.  Not a drop plops out.  Chocolate is the most popular flavor, but there are many, many others.

Don't worry about those long lines as they move fast.  At peak times Ted Drewes had 37 employees working away  They often sell as many as 1,400 items in a night.  You can even have it shipped to you on dry ice.

--RoadDog

Sweet St. Louis Is Beckoning-- Part 1 Gooey Butter Cake

From the Jan. 4, 2015, Chicago Tribune by Katherine Rodeghier.

St. Louis is more than beer and baseball.  You know, Anheuser-Busch and Cardinals.

The city has a sugary side as well.

GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

St. Louis's signature dessert that was created by accident.  One version of the story is that in the early 1940s, baker Johnny Hoffman set out to make a cake with a firm consistency like a pound cake, but also had other ingredients.  he was experimenting and came across it.

The dessert usually has a yellow cake base topped with a layer made of eggs, cream cheese and flavorings which is then dusted with confectioners sugar.  Gooeys are usually about an inch high and cut into squares and served at room temperature or warm

Ann & Allen Baking Company makes 76 varieties of the cake and sells them online  They also serve a selection of them at their Park Avenue Coffee shops in various locations around St. Louis.  Top sellers are Mom's Traditional, triple chocolate, turtle, red velvet and pumpkin.

I'd never heard of these before.  Maybe next time through town.

--RoadDog

N.C. for T-Giving 2015-- Part 2: First Day: Illinois Highway 47

NOVEMBER 24TH

Took my usual route to North Carolina, starting with Illinois Highway 47 in Woodstock and taking it all the way to near its southern terminus in Mahomet, Illinois.  I was surprised to make it through Huntley's Main Street Strangler, that horrible wait forever stoplight.

But, more than made up for that at a huge traffic jam and long wait south of Huntley at the 47-72 intersection south of Stark's Corner.

I was shocked to see gas at the Elburn BP station, usually the most expensive along Il-47, at $1,87.  Then, I had a long wait for a freight train in downtown Elburn, something that happens often.  Those trains that go through DeKalb, also go through here.

I am glad to report that the road construction headache through Yorkville is now completed and it's a fine and easy drive through there now.

--RoadDog

Detroit's Majestic Building

From Buildings of Detroit.com.

It was located at 1011 Woodward Avenue and designed by famous architect Daniel H. Burnham.  The Beaux Arts style building opened in 1896 and helped usher in Detroit's Skyscraper Age as the second one built.  The first one was 1890's Hammond Building.

It remained the most imposing structure until Burnham's 18-story Ford Building in 1909.

The Majestic Building stood 222-feet and was 14 stories high, the city's tallest until the Ford Building.  It was entirely faced with terra cotta and considered fireproof.

It was destroyed in 1962.  The 1001 Woodward Building, built in 1965, is ar its site now.

--RoadDog

N.C. for T-Giving 2015-- Part 1

I got back home in Spring Grove this past Friday after driving 2,073 miles from November 24 to December 4.

Gas:

11-24  $1.66 in Crawfodsville, Indiana
11-25  $85 in Rockridge, Ohio
11-25  $1.86 in Wytheville, Virginia (the first time ever it wasn't the cheapest on the trip)
12-2  Goldsbori, N.C.  $$1.89
12-3  Wytheville, Va. $1.89
12-3  Rockridge, Ohio  $1.95
12-4  Mahomet, Illinois  $1.90
12-4  Dwight, Illinois  $1.85

As you can see, gas prices jumped considerably the second day of the trip, but I am not complaining.  This is the cheapest trip for gas in a long time.

--RoadDog

News From Along Route 66-- November 2015

Again, all of these articles are taken from THE source for any and everything Route 66, Route 66 News.  See that site for pictures and more information.  I just write about the items I find of special interest.

NOVEMBER  8--  How to Make Your Community a Route 66 Destination Hot Spot was a talk given by Emily Priddy who pointed out the towns of Pontiac and Atlanta in Illinois, and Shamrock in Texas as ones that have done just that.

I agree with her.  Why not make some money off of being located on America's Road.  I doubt that any own has done more than the two Illinois ones (and now even Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, seem to have awakened from their long sleep in regards to Route 66).

NOVEMBER 10--  12 useful tips for traveling Route 66.  these were of interest to me:

**  Don't rush it.  Give it as much time as possible.  If necessary, even break it up into chunks and travel it a little bit at a time.  Those who do it in a matter of 4-5 days are missing a lot.

**  Try not to get advance reservations at hotels.  This is especially important because you never know what you will find that might detain you longer than you had planned.

**  Avoid chains of all sorts.  Check out the mom and pop motels and restaurants.

**  Keep a journal and take lots of pictures.  I highly recommend Dave Wickline's "Images of 66, Vol. 1" which has the pictures and information about each one.

--RoadDog

News From Along Route 66-- November 2015: Miniatures

NOVEMBER 6--  There are more Route 66 miniatures from Willem Bor.

They include:

Mr. D'z Restaurant in Kingman, Az.
Texaco station in Glenrio, Texas
TeePee Curios in Tucumcari, N.N.

He hopes to sell his miniatures only to a Route 66 museum and would charge just the cost of materials and postage.

Other miniatures he has made:

Lucille's Service Station in Hydro, Oklahoma
Rich & Creamy in Joliet, Ill.

The Mill in Lincoln, Ill.
Cool Springs Camp in Oatman, Az.
Dairy King in Commerce, Ok.
Super Service Station in Alanreed, Texas
Diner in Twin Arrows near Winona, Az.
Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, Az.

--RoadDog

The Attack That Launched the U.S. Into World War II-- Part 2: Michigan Men at Pearl Harbor

ANDREW H. PALOVICH--  Norton Shores, died Jan. 14, 2007.

GRANT PLAYTER--  Hesperia, US Army Air Corps, stationed at Wheeler Field, died April 1979.

JOHN R. REBERG--  Muskegon, US Army Air Corps, Private 1st Class, died Oct. 22, 1998.

DADE SARTWELL--   Hesperia, US Army Air Corps, died Jan. 9, 1972.

The Attack That Launched the U.S. Into World War II-- Part 1: Michigan Men at Pearl Harbor

Every Dec. 7th, I devote all seven of my blogs to commemorating the events of that day.  See My Blog List.

From the Dec. 3, 2012 M Live site.

These men from Western Michigan were at Pearl Harbor that fateful day.

RAYMOND E. LUNDE--  Luddington, died 1987.

JOHN B. MINES--  Whitehall, died 1993.

ERNEST B. MORAN--  Luddington, US Navy, died Feb. 23, 1979.

WILLIAM A. OSBORNE--  Egelston Township, US Army, died June 18, 1997.

News From Along Route 66-- November 2015: Route 66 in Illinois

Continued from previous post.

**  They suggest definitely trying the spam sandwich at the Palms Grill Cafe in Atlanta.  (So do Monty Python)

**  The Mill restaurant building in Lincoln contains a sign from the long-gone Pig-Hip restaurant in Broadwell.

**  The Mill will likely open in May 2016.

**  The Williamsville Historical Box car museum may be moving to an actual building.  I am hoping they keep the box car.

**  An early version of the Cozy Dog drive-In in Springfield was a Dairy Queen franchise.

--RoadDog

News From Along Route 66-- November 2015: Pops and Illinois

NOVEMBER 4--  The new Pops store opened in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma.  It is a 5,000 square foot restaurant/store north of OKC at 6447 Avondale Drive.  They sell 600 varieties of cold soda pop.  The other one is in Acadia.

The first one opened after we were last in Oklahoma and we look for ward to visiting either one in the coming years.

NOVEMBER 4--  There is now a Route 66 bicycle tourism packet available.  This is an excellent way to use those sections of the road which are no longer in use.

NOVEMBER 5--  There was a Route 66 in Illinois presentation at the recent meeting in Edwardsville, Illinois by Joe Sonderman and Cheryl Jett.  the two of them co-wrote a book.

Some of the things they had to say:

**  A 1942 explosion at the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant near Elwood killed 48 people.  Most of it is now part of the Midewin Tall Grass prairie and the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

**  Many people confuse the Joliet Correctional Center on Joliet with Statesville Prison.  The one in Joliet was used in the opening part of the movie "Blues Brothers."

**Sonderman originally thought Route 66 in Illinois was a boring stretch, but no longer.

More to Come.  --RoadDog

Congratulations to the IHSA Illinois Winners in the 2015 Playoffs

These teams won the football championship games in their respective divisions last weekend in DeKalb at Huskie Stadium:

8A--  Loyola Academy--  Wilmette

7A--  Glenbard West--  Glen Ellyn

6A--  Montini--  Lombard

5A--  Nazareth Academy--  LaGrange

4A--  Phillips--  Chicago

3A--  McNamara--  Kankakee

2A--  Tri-Valley--  Downs

1A--  Arcola

Well Done!  --RoadDog

US-12 Manages to Pull Out a Tie With US-14 in the Illinois State Football Playoffs

I had mentioned back on November 21st that the three US-14 (Northwest Highway) teams had advanced to the Championship games in their respective divisions: Palatine in 8A, Cary-Grove in 7A and Crystal Lake South in 6A.  Palatine was also a US-12 (Rand Road) team as well since both highways go through that town.

However, all three teams lost their semi final games, making the outcome a tie between the tow roads since they all lost in the same round.

I was especially hoping for Palatine to go to the championship game and win it as I graduated from there.

Maybe next year.

--RoadDog

The Lincoln Highway-- Part 3: 1915 Motor Tour

The convoy went through Gettysburg, Greensburg, Lima, Ligonier, Clinton, Kearney, Salt Lake City and onto Sacramento as well as the cities and hamlets in between.  They filmed the whole way.

Arrival at its destination, San Francisco took place on August 25, and a couple cars were driven into the Pacific surf on Ocean Beach to mark the end of it.  (Photos of the beginning and end accompany the article.)  The hard drive had taken 102 days and generated around 10,000 feet of film.

What made the Lincoln Highway special was the extraordinary promotional flair of its backers.  The film was just one more aspect of that.

San Francisco was hosting a world's fair: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition that year.  The LHA film was shown from early September to the end of the fair on December 4.  They then took it on the road in reverse, playing to big crowds in the cities they had passed through going westward.

--RoadDog

The Lincoln Highway-- Part 2: "Highway More in Aspiration Than In Reality"

The Lincoln Highway was formerly opened in a series of events along its path on October 31, 1913.  "...it was a highway more in aspiration than in reality."  It was essentially still the same in two years later when this convoy left New York.

Henry C. Ostermann was at the head of the convoy in a new Stutz touring car.  This man was into cross-country travel by auto and this was at least his sixth time to do so.  He brought along a motion picture camera.

In addition, he was vice president and field secretary of the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA), the organization that raised funds for the road's construction, chose the route and promoted its use.

Osterman and the LHA team were filming the trip from start to end as a publicity tool.  Advance notice was given to towns along the way which supplied money for the trip and crowds.  A big one was at the Lincoln memorial at Gettysburg National Cemetery and parades like the big one in South Bend, Indiana.

--RoadDog