DennyG

I just realized that, although I had posted an interior view of my room on my website, it was invisible. I failed to mention it in the text or provide a link. I've now corrected that and I've also posted the picture in the forum gallery here.

My first chance came yesterday. I didn't get to meet Rainie but I did meet her son, Kevin. I left with a much better feeling about the motel than I had in 2008. In 2008, the place was on a slow but visible decline. That decline has been more than reversed. I think the previous operator may have been blindsided by what it takes to run a motel. Not so the Sonntags. They knew what they were getting into and have things well in hand. And they seem to appreciate the fact that they're on a major historic highway. There are a few pictures and words about my stay here.

I won't even attempt a comment on the eastbound portion of your trip since I know darned near nothing about it. Besides, you've caught KtSotR's attention and he will definitely be able to help you there. I'll start with direct answers to two of your questions. "Is route 66 to far out of the way?" Nothing is too far out of the way if you have the time and the inclination. The western terminus of Sixty-Six is indeed pretty far south of Seattle but it would set you up for a nice drive along the Pacific coast. "or would it be fun to goback home through Canada?" I bet it would though I don't exactly know why. I also don't know what sort of roads you would find. An attraction for me would be going through Calgary which I've long wanted to do although I'm not entirely sure why that is either. I live near Dayton, Ohio, so might be able to offer some pointers there but, since that appears to be a destination for you, I'm guessing you have your own contacts in the area. Two of the coast to coast named auto trails, the National Old Trails Road and the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, passed through Dayton so you might want to consider incorporating one or the other into your route home. Much of the eastern part of the NOTR morphed into US-40 while much of the western part became US-66 so you could actually get in quite a few US-66 miles by following the NOTR. The junction is in Santa Fe, NM. Or you could pick up US-66 in St Louis after following the NOTR there or, of course, head to Chicago and follow the full length of US-66. Although the earliest alignment of the PP-OO passed through Dayton, it was subsequently moved north a bit and became, for the most part, US-36 through these parts. It intersects US-66 at Springfield, IL, which is just about the closest Sixty-Six gets to Dayton. KtSotR mentioned the Lincoln Highway which is a sterling idea. It runs several miles north of Dayton so you might be tempted to shorten the path by angling northwest to meet it. But an option I personally like better is heading straight north on another named auto trail that went through Dayton, the Dixie Highway. Start at the intersection of the Dixie and NOTR in downtown Dayton, cross the National Road in Vandalia, and connect with the Lincoln Highway in Beaverdam. Old roads and history everywhere. You didn't identify time constraints, which is often the first thing mentioned, so I'm thinking you're not concerned with time. None of these are weekend or week long drives. Some aren't even month long drives. I'll look for your feedback and, as KtSotR said, "share a little of what makes for a good auto trip for you".

A prize that certainly makes it all worth while. I look forward to it.

What is a Taylor-Dunn Trident? I googled for images of 1960s 3-wheelers and came up with a match then a description here. It's electric, built from 1959 to 1963, with a top end of 16 MPG. I bet Jan & Dean would have picked up on it if they'd only found a rhyme for Trident.

Great pictures of some beautiful cars. I'd never heard of the Simeone Museum but it has now become yet another incentive for visiting your neighborhood. I stopped by their website and it says they currently have a Jaguar XKE display going on for the car's 50th anniversary. That's hard to believe; Seems like it appeared only yesterday and it still looks like tomorrow.

Doubtful but never say never. I spent several years with a Chevy van with a bed in the back that saved me many motel bills. It was a great expressway cruiser but it handled like what it was -- a truck. With careful driving, I approached but never crossed the 14 MPG barrier.

That's a very nicely done video. It looks like you've mastered another medium. I have a tiny bit of slot car experience from my late teens (high school and barely beyond) but nothing even close to this. I really enjoyed the soundtrack, too. I'd forgotten how stirring the horns were at the beginning of Dead Man's Curve. The glory and glamour of street racing is projected from each note. Of course, the tone changes after the crash. A combination of trumpets, harmonies, harp, squealing tires, and breaking glass that is a true classic. Funk #49 is also a classic but without the trumpets or, as best I can tell, a harp. There was also, as you no doubt know, a Funk #48 but it seems the preceding 47 funks have been lost to the world. I'm always looking to include AoW in a trip and someday I'll get it done.

Thanks for the URL of the previously unknown to me registry and thanks even more for the advise. I typically do a room inspection but that's about the only one of your recommendations I've been following. That will change.

I got a chuckle from that myself. Of course the chuckles diminished when I considered my waistline and realized that blocking some roadways is possible.

I wasn't even aware of a Camino Real in Missouri although it seems natural once I thought about it. I can't help with any off-61 routings but did discover that the DAR put up some markers in the 1910s. Two identified on waymarking.com are in Benton and Kimmswick. There may be others.

Anyone planning a cross country trip on US-50 may want to put things on hold. A rock slide in Colorado will have the route blocked for awhile. Newspaper article here: http://tinyurl.com/4jyztrm I learned of the slide from Steve Riner in the RoadGeek Yahoo group.

Sorry about your wedding day. I've only stayed at the motel once and that was in the fall of 2008. It is a true classic and I really enjoyed my stay. My impression was that it could benefit from a little love and a little recognition. It sounds like it's getting the love and we can only hope that, as the LH gets more recognition, so will the treasures beside it. Wishing you great success. I will definitely be checking in the first chance I get.

Good info. Of course they saved time by not putting out orange barrels.

I'm adding a reply so I can get a fresh error to copy and paste for Guy. Plus I'm kind of hoping to get a massage like Dave did.

Yep, there are quite a few old photos on the wall though, to my shame, I didn't study them all. Some showed the Cafe in older and smaller times and I looked closer at them than the others. BTW, for those doing selective reading, I forgot that there's a bit of 101 in the next day's journal when I returned to San Diego.

Shortly before my time on Old US-80, which I've already mentioned in that route's forum, I spent a day on Historic US-101 between San Diego and Oceanside. That tale is here.

The Space Age Lodge, which I'll risk guessing is what you're thinking of, is still there and going strong. I stayed there Wednesday night. It was the subject of a recent Memory Motel article. The error that replies generate has been going on for awhile and has been reported. Even so, additional reports might help get it some attention. Note that it seems to be affecting some statistics, such as viewed and reply counts, and may prevent replies from appearing in "New Content".

Two museums on one ticket.

I don't have NetFiix but I do have wanderlust. I'll keep an eye out for it -- somewhere.

I recently got to spend a little time on Old US-80 in California & Arizona. There's a bit on Desert View Tower to Pine Valley (plus some CA-94) here and the Gillespie Bridge to El Centro here. The drive was assisted, in absentia, by Jeff Jensen and his Broadway of America. Thanks, Jeff.

I also got an error message from my reply. This post is more to see if I get another as to tell you that.

Welcome to the forum. I've absolutely no personal experience with US-54 but somehow recalled that Route 66 News honcho Ron Warnick reported on a drive along the northern bit a few years ago. It's listed under "Road trips" on the blog's home page but you can get to it directly here. Unfortunately, I don't think he gets to any of that "desolate territory" you mention.