Our last day in St Louis served as a bridge between the Route 66 world that Michael Wallis is so associated with and the western history that serves as the backbone of his literary output. It included a literal bridge, too, as it happens. During the downtime I had on Sunday, I'd made a startling … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – St Louis III
Last weekend was the first (hopefully annual) NeonFest in Arcadia, Oklahoma. Several of my roadie friends decided to put on a small festival dedicated to the iconic roadside signage that has lined the Mother Road for decades. People were coming from all over the US to check it out! Arcadia is a town of ~250 and … Continue reading A Buzzing in the Air
This last week was full of activity. Most of it wasn't particularly planned, either. It's amazing the kind of trouble you can get up to when you leave yourself open to new possibilities. Wednesday was a big day. It was the six year anniversary of my father's passing, so I took the day off work. … Continue reading Onward and Upward
Although I haven't been on the road much lately, I've been working on a few projects. The one I'm most excited about is a presentation I'm giving a week from today in downtown Tulsa at the newly renovated Central Library! The Tulsa City-County Library hosts a series of talks annually where local folks share their travel … Continue reading Travels with Tulsans – Route 66
Shortly after noon today, I was walking through the cold in west Tulsa. I'd stopped at Howard Park on Southwest Boulevard, a place I've driven by dozens of times but had never stopped. It was empty on this blustery winter afternoon and the overcast sky made the empty tree branches look even more desolate. Traffic zipped by on … Continue reading Monuments to Tulsa Transportation
If you missed my earlier post about our adventure on the Moki Dugway in southern Utah, check it out here. It was crazy! After weaving up the side of of Cedar Mesa, we went out of our way to avoid going back down that narrow stretch of road. After weaving through Utah and the edge … Continue reading Through the Sunshine State & Home
In my previous post, I mentioned that our travels that day included one more stop but didn't mention where we stopped or why. I felt it would be appropriate to give this stop a post of its own so that I could adequately explain why this stop was so important to me. I struggled with … Continue reading The Guardian of Route 66
I started a new role at my workplace last week. It was the first time in a long time that I'd moved to a different office and worked with a completely new group of people; as such, they didn't know anything about me. I talked to my new coworkers about my professional history and personal life, … Continue reading My Route 66 Awakening
It's really nice to hit the road after a period of time without much travel, especially when I have my favorite co-pilot in the passenger seat. Samantha and I set out for Springfield, Missouri early Saturday morning to attend the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival. The gathering itself was enough to make the trip, … Continue reading 2016 Birthplace of Route 66 Festival
A few weeks ago, I received a message from the show runner for the Route 66 PatriotFest in Tulsa. They had seen the photos I took at the Gasconade Bridge Rally in April and were keen on having me on hand for their event on Memorial Day weekend. I was ecstatic to accept! I missed out the … Continue reading Route 66 PatriotFest
Rhys' Pieces 