Table of Contents
Run to the Heartland Remembered by Geoffrey Willis
Steinbeck Award Goes to Wallis
CHR66A Adopts 200 Miles of Mother Road
Margie and Lollie Update
RUN TO THE HEARTLAND REMEMBERED by Geoffrey Willis
Run to the Heartland was a multi-faceted event celebrating the 70th
anniversary of Route 66. Enthusiasts, either in caravans or individually, made their way
to Vega, Texas the half-way point on the route, for two days of festivities sponsored by
the Old Route 66 Association of Texas, the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce, and the
National Route 66 Federation. Talks, music, car shows, awards, rodeo shows, and a special
70th anniversary postage stamp cancellation were among activities offered.
The California Historic Route 66 Association organized an impressive eight-day motor
tour of the Mother Road and its landmarks for this occasion. It began on the Santa Monica
Pier, October 4, 1996 and ended at the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas on October 11.
My wife and I were heading south through Texas on US 287 toward a destination far from
Route 66. It was dark and the Cadillac Ranch, the last stop on our Run to the Heartland
motor tour, was just a memory now.
"So. what was the most memorable part of the tour for you?" JoAnne (co-tour
chairman) asked. I scanned my mind like a video tape on slow rewind, then forward, pause,
etc.
Certain highlights jumped out instantly. Docent-led tours of Exotic World Burlesque
Hall of Fame in Helendale, CA, Two Guns, AZ, a former "wild west" tourist town
on old 66 (now in ruins) which had featured a zoo and the "Apache Death Cave,"
La Posada in Winslow, AZ, the last and grandest of the Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe
Railway, and the KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque, NM a 1920s pueblo deco movie palace still in
use were equally unique treasures we had explored.
Receptions at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville, CA, Santa Fe Park in
Needles, CA, the Old Court House in Holbrook, AZ., and at the Aztec Motel, a 1931 classic
in Albuquerque, NM were all warm and generous affairs.
There were outstanding scenic portions of old 66 made even more enjoyable by touring
them in caravan with classic autos such as a 1949 Pontiac Chief convertible, a 1954 Hudson
Jet, a 962 Studebaker GT Hawk, and many others — quite a sight in itself!
However, it came to me that the most memorable moments of our 70th
anniversary Route 66 odyssey were the unexpected developments that occurred along the way.
Some evoked the spirit of camaraderie and good will on the road. Others demonstrated the
fragility of its historic environment. All of these moments were priceless.
The Bagdad Café in Newberry Springs, CA expected our caravan and, as promised,
arranged for Miss Newberry Springs of 1996 to greet us with complimentary lemonade. I
doubt, though, that they really expected the huge swarm of hungry travelers that descended
on them during the noon hour when many regulars were also there. Service was
understandably slow and some of us elected to take food to go. Ours was the last car to
pull away from the parking area when we were flagged down by a hustling Andrea Pruett, the
owner of the café, carrying a plate of food.
"That older guy in black leather didn’t get his order!" she said
breathlessly. "Just take the whole thing, plate and all, No Charge!" she
apologetically instructed. We didn’t want to make her feel worse, so we accepted it.
Our own food spread across our laps, we put the plate in an open box in on the back seat
and laughed, ‘cause "that guy" was John McDonald and we would have to speed
up, stick the plate of burger and fries out the window and hand it to him on his
motorcycle! So it just dried out until the next stop, Roy’s Café, Amboy, where we
found the still foodless McDonald relaxing at the counter with a milkshake. Acting silly,
we proudly presented him with his order from some 60 miles previous. In deadpan fashion,
he accepted it as though nothing was unusual, then "kindly" offered the dead
lunch back to us. We "appreciatively" declined. Good for one more laugh, when
everybody cleared out, we overheard a bewildered manager walk into the kitchen saying
"where did that guy get his food?"
In Williams, AZ, Teri Cleeland, a National Forest Service Ranger and Route 66
historian, had originally promised to give our group an orientation talk. JoAnne and I met
with her in her office prior to departure time and, noting my insecurity over leading the
caravan through the broken-up sections of 66 through the Kaibab National Forest and the
condition of dirt road segments, she agreed to lead us as far as Parks. However, as we
followed her over pre-Route 66 alignments of National Old Trails Highway to its confluence
with the 1939 concrete of the Mother Road into Parks (successfully steering around any
I-40 "detours") the spirit of adventure and the bubbly mood of our group won her
over and she led us onto the long bypassed gravel alignment of 66 to Brannigan Park, the
highest point on the route.
This unexpected development was followed immediately by another. We spied smoke rising
from the horizon of the forest and wondered if a fire had broken out. To our surprise this
unscheduled piece of 66 led us right to its source. A defunct gas station and café was
being dismantled and burned before our eyes. Ours was certainly the last organized tour to
see this remnant of commerce still standing. Had it not been for Teri’s generous
shepherding, we would not have had this bittersweet demonstration of the vulnerability of
structures along Route 66.
Back on asphalt, she stopped at an open pasture where the San Francisco Peaks rose in
the distance beyond. Black Angus cows grazed near the road. On the other side of the road,
intense orange and yellow Aspen trees gave us our first and best fall experience. Teri
cheerfully strapped on all of our cameras to take a group picture for each of us.
In Holbrook, AZ, the Chamber of Commerce had promised coffee and doughnuts at their
1880s courthouse prior to our departure for Petrified Forest National Park. To our
surprise, this was home to a fascinating museum with many historical displays using
thousands of artifacts from the pioneering days of westward expansion. We were treated to
a docent-led tour followed by an amazing spread of home-baked cakes, breads, cookies,
cheeses, crackers, fresh fruit, and beverages.
I asked our hostess, Sharon Warnaca, if anyone heard from the Fred Harvey people at
Petrified Forest. They were to meet us at the courthouse and lead us on a personal tour of
the national park. She investigated and learned that they looked for us in Holbrook the
previous day. They got the date wrong and no one would be available this day. Without
hesitation, Sharon volunteered to lead us herself. She had been a park ranger at Petrified
Forest in years previous and was amply qualified for the task. Her informative
commentaries throughout the day led us to believe that what began as a misfortune actually
lucked us into a better docent than originally planned. As with the Teri Cleeland episode,
the feeling of kinship with those having an affinity for the Mother Road and the desire
not to disappoint travelers seems to win out. (Besides, it beats spending the day in the
office!)
In Glenrio, TX, a Route 66 ghost town on the New Mexico state line, there are many
abandoned buildings to explore. An old motel is one of them. As we poked around, took
phots, and discussed surviving portions of the old highway in that area, caravaner Anna
Gherardi emerged from the motel holding a Teddy bear (in surprisingly good condition) she
had discovered in one of the rooms. With that, the raid was on and several people captured
items from the unexpected cache of sourvenirs. "There’s a whole collection of
magazines in there, mailed to this address!" and "Look what I found!"
exclamations were heard.
Most unexpected of all, perhaps, was the ever rising enthusiasm of our group. You might
think that as many drivers had to turn back for home, reducing our numbers almost daily,
that spirits might suffer some. Instead, while we were always sorry to lose somebody, we
who remained got all the more jazzed about continuing. We were the lucky ones who got to
go all the way.
After recounting all of this and more as we sped through the Texas night, JoAnne asked,
"Doesn’t it seem like it all just flew by?" Well, at that moment it really
didn’t. Now it sure does.
STEINBECK AWARD GOES TO WALLIS
The first recipient of the Steinbeck Award is Michael Wallis. Named in honor of John
Steinbeck who wrote the critically acclaimed novel that chronicled Dust Bowl migrants on
Route 66 during the 1930s, the awrd presentation was made during the recent Run To The
Heartland.
One of the highlights of the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the
Mother Road, the award was presented by the National Historic Route 66 Federation,
according to David Knudson, the federation’s founder.
A historic gathering in Landergin, Texas, of hundreds of "rad warriors,"
collectors and preservatinists marked the geographic midpoint of the historic 2,400-mile
ong highway created in 1926. Landergin, a wide place in the road, is located just west of
Amarillo.
George Rook, president of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas and the self-proclaimed
mayor of Landergin, also participated in the ceremonies at the dinner.
According to Knudson, Wallis was chosen primarily because his book, Route 66, The
Mother Road" has brought more attention to the road than any other single force.
Wallis was also cited for helping revitalize America’s Main Street by leading Route
66 tours for the Smithsonion Institution and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
His wife, Suzanne Fitzgertald Wallis, is an author in her own right and assists on the
tours.
CHR66A ADOPTS 200 MILES OF MOTHER ROAD
Deeds to two hundred miles of California’s Route 66 have been awarded to the
California Historic Route 66 Association.
Part of the National Historic Route 66 Federation, the Adopt-A-Hundred program is an
effort to preserve and protect the remaining portions of the Mother Road.
CHR66A was awarded the last two remaining sections of the road. They are located
"from and including Needles to Amboy", Section 21, and "from and including
Barstow to the outskirts of Claremont," Section 23.
"As time passes, the letter accompanying the Deed states, "weather, vandals,
carelessness, accidents, development and/r neglect will likely play a part in the decline
of your sections of the route.
"Of course, little can be done to slow the ravages of time except restoration and
maintenance. However, like your group, we hae been successful before at several levels of
preservation.
"Therefore, as your members travel your sections, please let us knw if, for
example, an old motorcourt is in danger of being torn down in favor of a mini mall. Or, a
bridge is slated for demolition.
"With your help, we can make a difference."
Our responsibility does not include keeping the litter picked up.
MARGIE AND LOLLIE UPDATE
The last most of us had heard about 67-year old Margie McCauley’s remarkable trek
along Route 66 by foot last year was that she had had totemporarily call it quits while in
Missouri after her faithful canine, Lillipop, bolted and smashed the supply cart into
Margie’s leg. She had flown home to California to recover, vowing she would return in
1996, pick up where she left off, and complete her hike to Connecticut to visit her
sister.
Margie did return to the Road. Finally reaching Chicago, she went on as far as
Mansfield, PA. There the cold rains and increasingly hilly terrain became too much for
her. The pads on Lollipop’s feet were becoming too warn. Her supply cart carried
about 75 pounds of food and gear and was becoming difficult to handle.
Margie bought a 1979 Ford to take her and Lollipop the rest of the way. Then she drove
back to California, visiting many Route 66 friends along the way.
This woman’s courage, determination and faith are a special testament to the kind
of people that have made our land so great.
