odd metal off the mother road

I just pulled in from a road trip with an ending which could become a beginning. My interest in Route 66 seems to be growing. I’m certain that many Route 66 travelers have unusual “Mother Road” or “66” stories.
 
How does this picture:
 

relate to this picture:
 

My road trip story shows how the lure of the Mother Road connects them.

My recent trip included four states OK, AR, MO and IL. At different points I had various passengers with me. On the last leg through Illinois, I was on my own. I had the idea to stop and see one of those sights that you never seem to have the time to visit. But it was not until I was actually in Illinois that I remembered a place I had passed months ago in a little town not too far off the interstate. Even after I thought about adding a few miles on to my trip I knew the weather would need to cooperate. The downpour on one stretch of interstate highway today was so bad I thought there might be a tornado in the vicinity. The sky did clear as I reached the exit.
 
The Mother Road connection story starts before the trip. Back in January, our 91 year old uncle passed away and the funeral procession passed through this tiny town of Essex IL. I had been to this town a few times in my life but not many. My whole family noticed this vast collection of metal art as we left the town. I knew it needed closer inspection someday.

Now with clear sky, cooler air and time, I drove back to find this odd collection. When I spotted the property I noticed a car parked in the drive. The place was very quiet but Essex seems to be a very quiet town. As I parked my car I noticed a man strolling through the menagerie of metal. I called over and asked if he was the owner.

“Oh no, Jack passed away little more than a month ago. He was a good friend with great talent.” 

We talked and walked. It was his car parked in the drive. I told him about my uncle’s funeral and he told me he knew my uncle’s family store. He has written route 66 books and is an active preservationist of the Mother Road. His name is John Weiss and you can learn more about his books on his web site.

He told me the departed artist, Jack Barker, had a recent connection to route 66. On the old route 66 which is now just Ogden Ave. in Cicero IL., there stood a landmark, the Bunyon’s Statue. Back in 2003, the Cicero restaurant closed and John convinced the owner to donate the statue to the route 66 preservation group. John then got Jack to help repair and reassemble the statue which now is located in Atlanta IL.
 
I shared the story about my “king of the road” uncle’s escapade of setting up a fake detour on route 66 in the middle of the night.
 
Back to that first picture - the day before while traveling I-44 with my sister in Missouri we needed to make a nature break stop. The approaching exit did not look promising but we had noticed a gift shop on a hill a couple of miles from the exit and drove there. My sister praised the gift shop owner for his cleanness of the restroom.  It was a fun break from the driving but very random.

My first picture above is the entrance to that route 66 gift shop. I was surprised to find a small room inside dedicated to the blues and Muddy Waters. The shop owner explained that he had been Muddy Waters’ manager. I mentioned this place to John and he told me it was Scott Cameron we had met.
 
John and his late wife knew Scott who had lived in Wilmington IL (just up the road a bit from Essex). John’s wife had told Scott about the route 66 soda business opportunity which Scott now runs out of that central location in Missouri.
 
The Mother Road connected many places and people between Chicago and Santa Monica. It was wonderful to learn of a few on this trip. 

traveling memories

Trip pics from my journey 
with my king-of-the-road uncle

(for those that have not read about my road trip plan with my uncle - suggest you read this post first)

Our trip offered more than scenery. It offered time travel.

Through my uncle’s stories I was able to imagine events of the past. He is the last of my dad’s brothers. If you have read any of the past few posts, then you might know he is a genuine character. 

My dad was about 12 years older than this brother. My uncle has the distinction of living the longest of the brothers, but he has an older sister. He says one reason he is about to reach the 81 year milestone is, “only the good die young”. 

Well, I don’t know but he sure can tell some good jokes. 

Taken at the Route 66 museum in Pontiac, IL

I posted about the owner of this hippy van before - see link. 

King-of-the-road uncle has his own Route 66 story. 

Before he was king, he was a jester (I guess he stayed a jester come to think about it). Him and his friends one year (late 1940’s) decided to play a prank on the whole town of Plainfield IL. 

With the help of one friend that had access to county road signs, the group set-up detours signs on Rt. 66. During the middle of night, they diverted the truck traffic right through the residential streets of this small town. 

People being awoken by rumbling trucks were confusing and not happy. He avoided being caught.  

He is not afraid of heights.

 

After he rode this, he was quick to tell us the top straight away speed (30 some mph).

My brother bought him a ticket on a helicopter ride.  I don't think he would have ever turned it down in front of those cute ladies.  Having them help strap him securely into his seat was part of the fun for him.

Last stop of the trip.  A four generation difference in this family picture.

Enjoy pictures from all over the blog world? Check out Unknown Mami's Sundays in my City. 

short ride long history

My wife decided she would take a day off and drag me down offer me a trip to Springfield IL. the other day.

It was a great trip.  I was surprised by how interesting and high tech the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (opened 2005) was.  I would include more pictures but as you might expect, photography is limited within the museum.  Basically you can take pictures in the large rotunda type lobby.

When we entered this large lobby area, guides greeted and told us about the various parts of the museum.  The guide suggested we start in the "Ghosts of the Library" theater.  I was not expecting much.  Probably just a short movie about Lincoln.  Surprise - This presentation is amazing.  It uses a system called Holavision that make images, animated characters and objects magically float, as the live actor interacts with them.  (later I learned the only other place in the US using this technology is Knott’s Berry Farm)  At the very moving patriotic end of the show the actor dissolves slowly into thin air.

The walk through Lincoln's life includes various details about his successes, failures, dating, politics, and family life.
One thing that was clear - political attacks didn't start with Fox news.  There a section full of political cartoons of him and his wife.

Of course we know he had enemies.

The last stop on the museum walk was the recreated lying in state scene from Lincoln's last stop of his funeral trip.  I felt like I had gone to a funeral and was almost in tears.

If you are traveling through central Illinois leave time for a short stop at the Route 66 museum in Pontiac IL.

Route 66 started in Chicago and ended in California.  Within Illinois the original road is mostly gone but I-55 generally follows it's old path.  I age myself by saying I had ridden down the original highway many times growing up.

The reason I thought of stopping at the Pontiac IL museum was a story about this artist/hippie that has roamed Route 66 for many years.

Bob Waldmire says his 1972 Volkswagen van has been up and down Route 66 "more times than I can count." The van will go to the Route 66 Alliance museum in Tulsa, where it will be on permanent display. Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register

It's a sad story.  You see, Bob is dying of cancer and has been saying goodbye to his fans and followers for sometime now.

Inside the Route 66 museum we saw a mural of his and learned that he grew up in Springfield IL.   The Disney/Pixar movie “Cars,” (a favorite of mine) includes Fillmore, the VW hippie van modeled after Bob.  Bob has done murals up and down the "mother road".

A STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER article.
A Chicago Tribune article (includes a video about Bob).

A link about the Lincoln museum

solar info link

get back

I first read about this last Wednesday in Mary Schmich's column in the Chicago Tribune. Paul McCartney and his girlfriend are traveling the mother road, route 66.

It was especially interesting because Joliet is my hometown and I have been on parts of route 66 since I was a kid. I also like the song. The one siting was at the route 66 museum in Joliet. Now I need to check that place out.

Mary Schmich wrote about it again in Friday's paper. I called my sister in Oklahoma (which in on route 66). She heard about and told me it was reported on their local radio station.

A quick internet search of the news turned up more stories about the trip including the above video. One of the funny parts of the video is the newscaster telling the guy to speed up his story.

Here a good site that is covering the trip.

I'm wondering if they will return the same way. With all his money he could get back just about anyway he wanted.