Posts Tagged ‘Route 66’
Most Recent
 
Read More
May 27, 2020

The Mom & Pop spirit of a roadside motel

 

ELDON, Mo.—During the 1960s and 70s, tiny Eldon, Mo. was known as “Gateway to the Lake of the Ozarks.” Old U.S. 54 curved through town like a rainbow. The Randles Court and Coffee Shop greeted tourists at the north end of a bend in the road. Clear sailing ahead, ten minutes to the lake.

Loyd A. Boots built what was originally called the Boots Cottage Court in the early 1930s in Eldon. He was from Bagnell, Mo. In 1931 the 2,500-foot long Bagnell Dam was constructed, which created the lake.  Boots had a foot up on tourism. There were no motels at the Lake of the Ozarks. (In 1939 his brother Arthur opened his Boots Motel on old Route 66 in Carthage, [...]

504
 
Read More
April 16, 2020

Farewell, Great Northern Gypsy

Ilse Dietsche, 2014

 

People are saying there are lessons to be learned from these hard times. Lines of communication have been refreshed and some things are no 
longer taken for granted.

On the evening of April 2, I sent a short e
-mail to Ilse Dietsche. I had not done this in a long time. I wrote about Ilse for this website in September 2014 when she decided to drive Route 66 alone.

Ilse was 86 years old in 2014.

Her determination and wonder became one of my all-time favorite travel 
stories.

I called her “The Grandma of the Mother Road.” I had Ilse and her daughter Christine on my [...]

388
 
Read More
May 13, 2019

Grassroots Baseball: Route 66

Hank Aaron’s childhood home, Mobile, Ala: This image shows the reverence coaches and players from four historically African-American high schools have for Hank Aaron. Grassroots photographer  Jean Fruth left Hank’s rocking chair on the porch empty, out of respect. The home is now located next to the Mobile BayBears Ball Park and has become a museum. (Courtesy of Jean Fruth)

 

The road is always a good place to change gears.

When I need to refocus I take my camper van to the Driftless Region of southwest Wisconsin. The summer after covering the 1990-91 NBA champion Bulls for the Chicago [...]

166
 
Read More
April 10, 2019

Cascade Drive-In Dreams

All photos by D. Hoekstra

 

When spring opened its renewing arms for the first time last Saturday, I went to the liquidation sale at the Cascade Drive-In on old Route 64 in West Chicago, Ill.

I spent several summer nights at the Cascade while growing up in Naperville. And, as an adult a road trip from Chicago to the Cascade followed by a visit to John’s Buffet in Winfield made for a perfect Saturday night date.

As I wandered down Route 64 (North Avenue) I thought about the live Dixieland jazz behind the bar at John’s Buffet. John’s closed in 2017 after a 96-year run leaving nothing but ghosts. I [...]

383
Loop Sidebar Left
Loop Sidebar Right
Compare
Go