It's interesting to think that there was a time when certain words didn't exist. 'Motel' is a good example of a word that was invented relatively recently. Motel is a shortened version of 'Motor Hotel'; automobiles have only been around a little over 100 years. In between the traditional hotel and the modern motel, however, is … Continue reading Re-lighting the Boots
After a lovely road trip through Kansas and a most impressive meal in downtown Kansas City, our rest on Friday night was welcome. Our bed at the B&B was quite comfortable; had I not set an alarm, I'm certain we wouldn't have made it up in time for 9:00 AM breakfast. Thankfully, we got ourselves … Continue reading Kansas City Weekend – Part II
This weekend was the fifth annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Missouri. A lot of my roadie friends were driving hundreds (or thousands!) of miles to attend, so I felt I could at least drive 180 miles from Tulsa. In fact, I hadn't spent much time in Springfield since my Route 66 passion surfaced; … Continue reading 2015 Birthplace of Route 66 Festival
Saturday was a special day! Not only did I get to take a drive, not only did Samantha join me, but I was able to start introducing her to some of my Route 66 family! Over the last six months, I've met dozens of people from all over the world that have become 'Friends for Life' … Continue reading Sharing my Route 66 World
I still consider myself the 'shy kid'. Although I recognize that I've grown a lot in the last few years and my worldly experiences have broken me of many habits, I still have the same tendencies when I am with a group of people for the first time. My little demon of insecurity tells me … Continue reading Friends for Life
There's a small town southwest of Springfield, Missouri called Paris Springs. Well, "town" is generous; technically it's a "small unincorporated community". It probably wouldn't even be that, but it has a special lifeblood: it sits on old Route 66. In Paris Springs, there's a small service station called Gary's Gay Parita. It's an odd name, but … Continue reading The Turning of Time
I woke up this morning with an itch to hit the road. This itch had been nagging at me since the middle of last week, when a Facebook friend posted a photo of an old filling station in Webb City, Missouri and mentioned it was going to be restored soon. I'm all for restoration of … Continue reading From Halltown to Commerce
Our final day in St. Louis contained the reason we'd made the trip in the first place (the concert!) but it held much more than that. We skipped breakfast, as we planned an early lunch at Pappy's Barbeque. My friend Brad recommended this place, it was highly recommended online, and Leah and Darci were also … Continue reading The Spirit of St. Louis – part three
After spending about eight hours on the road on Friday, I expected to sleep in on Saturday morning. Although I did sleep longer than normal, it still wasn't "sleeping in" by anyone's standards I reckon. Lazy mornings cannot compete with the excitement of a new city. Although we did rise too late to partake in … Continue reading The Spirit of St. Louis – part two
When I had the opportunity to buy tickets to finally see Arcade Fire in concert, I didn't care that I would need to drive. I'd been to Dallas for a concert before (my first arena concert: Foo Fighters on their Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace tour) so another drive wouldn't be a big deal. I … Continue reading The Spirit of St. Louis – part one
Rhys' Pieces 