Table of Contents
Mojave 66 Exhibit Complete
Nuggets From Needles by Maggie McShan
California Theatre by JoAnne Willis
Route 66 TV Series Now on Video
Over the Road
Gypsy Caravan
Aloha to Hulavile by David Allen, Daily Press
Media Take On 66 by JoAnne Willis
Margie and Lollie Take a Long Walk by Vivian Davies
Dive! by Geoffrey Willis
Latest Book on Early Route 66 by Dan Harlow
MOJAVE 66 EXHIBIT COMPLETE
Restoration of the vintage photo exhibit, "Mojave 66", acquired by CHR66A in
January 1995 from the California State Archives is now complete. As this goes to press,
the exhibit is receiving its premiere showing at the Get Your Kicks Fair in Victorville,
CA July 29 – August 6, 1995. We owe our thanks for this accomplishment almost
entirely to our secretary, Bill Mutschler.
Although titled "Mojave 66", we were surprised to find that the original
exhibit contained no photos of Needles, Barstow, or Victorville, CA. After receiving no
response to our call in Roadsigns for vintage photos of these cities, we discussed
the situation at length at our membership meetings. Mutschler came forth to take charge of
the project. He made numerous long distance trips to historical societies in those
communities and spent many hours gathering prints of archive photos, then making choice
selections. In diligent and methodical fashion, he restored and reaffixed damaged photos
from the original exhibit. He became our principal liaison with fair coordinators for its
premiere showing.
For the first time, CHR66A has a mobile archive exhibit to be proud of. Likewise,
we’re proud of Bill Mutschler for pulling this project together.
ROUTE 66 POSTAGE STAMP CAMPAIGN
The following is a reprint of a letter from Scott Maness of Springfield, Missouri:
During the week of August 20-26, 1995, I am calling on all members to write to the
Postal Service requesting a stamp for Highway 66. The USPS issues stamps commemorating
nearly everything else. Stamps have been issued for soccer, sport horses, "Wonders of
the Sea" (the Post Office has yet to tell me what this stamp commemorates) and the
Alaska Highway (2/3 of which is in Canada).
I am asking everyone to write in to the Stamp Committee during the last week of
August in support of this stamp, even if you’ve written before. The idea is to deluge
the committee with requests for Route 66 just prior to their meeting in the Fall which
determines what stamps will be issued for 1996. I have requested November 11 of that year
for the issuance of the stamp as this will be the 70th Anniversary of U.S.66.
Please write" USPS Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, Room 5301, 475 L’Enfant
Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-2420
NUGGETS FROM NEEDLES By Maggie McShan
Future Brightens for El Garces
Is it a dream come true or what?
News leaked out recently that our Harvey House, El Garces, was being sold, but no
amount of snooping would reveal to whom, or for what purpose. Billy Bradshaw, the realtor
involved, refused to comment. So did the real estate arm of the Santa Fe Railway.
The Harvey House closed in 1949; offices on the first floor came and went, including an
Amtrak ticket office, but El Garces has been totally shut down for eight years.
We, of "Friends of El Garces", feel a vested interest because of working more
than two years toward the goal of restoration. Our dedication to saving what had been the
crown jewel of the Fred Harvey chain of hotel / restaurants located at Santa Fe depots in
the west has been boundless. With refurbishing it could be the central attraction to
Needles. Time, donations, dues and hopes are invested. The people of Needles also have a
vested interest in the Santa Fe Park in front of El Garces because it was restored some
years ago with donated labor and money; and the WW1 cannon belongs to the people, not the
Santa Fe Railway.
Rumors flew. Suddenly the mystery was solved. We have a ringside view of El Garces from
our windows at Needles Regional Museum. While doing my volunteer time, I noted two men
walking purposefully about El Garces, the park and the cannon.
Ah-ha! Thinks I! They’re up to something! Soon the men walked into the museum, and
started asking me questions about the famous building. I countered with, "Are you the
guys who are buying the property?"
One of them answered, "Yes, I am." He identified himself as Jerry Jenson, a
poker dealer in a Laughlin casino.
Next question, "What are you planning to do with it?"
Reply, "Put it back the way it was, with the exception of a poker room, the latter
to help support the venture."
Third question, "Do you have the money or backing to do all that?" The answer
was a confident "Yes".
After that we settled down to a nice visit. Jenson’s companion was a friend from
Bullhead City, who may or may not be an investor. I urged them to go right to the Desert
Star newspaper and release their story. They didn’t, but no matter. It was released
when told to me. Perhaps the gentlemen forgot that I am a media person, or maybe it was on
purpose. Anyway, I called Robin Richards, editor of Desert Star, and he tracked Jenson
down for an interview right in El Garces, and the limited information came out.
The next week at Chamber of Commerce, Bradshaw and Howard Levitt, a local dentist
talked freely about the sale, referring to the buyer familiarly as "J.J.", and
expressing complete confidence that the venture would be a success.
Boy! Did Bradshaw and Levitt have smug looks on their faces!!!
I talked to "J.J." later by phone and discussed this column, asking if it
would be premature. He generously said, "Write whatever you wish." He related
having lunch with Leon Berger, City Manager of Needles, and said he hopes to work closely
with the City of Needles and with the El Garces committee. He also hopes to make El Garces
a hub for tour buses to Laughlin, NV, Lake Havasu, AZ, and excursions on Historic Route
66.
Well, perhaps this is just what we’ve been waiting for. Hopefully the grand old
building will again be beautiful and functional, attracting Route 66 visitors along with
train and bus travelers.
As to the poker room, retired railroader Herb Bender loves to tell about playing poker
in Room 32 with General George S. Patton when he was here for Desert Exercises during
World War II. Bender said Patton often stayed at El Garces because the A/C was ice
activated. So it can be said that poker is part of the tradition of El Garces …
legend, anyway!
CALIFORNIA THEATRE by JoAnne Willis
Everyone will be ogling the cars and street partying at the Route 66 Rendezvous, San
Bernardino, mid-September, but despite all the distractions, it’s hard to miss this
historic landmark in your peripheral vision one block west of the action on Fourth and E
Streets.
The California Theatre at 562 West 4th Street is the last place that
humorist Will Rogers performed before his fatal air crash over Alaska in 1935. In 1952,
coinciding with Warner Brothers movie, The Will Rogers Story, Route 66 was
commemorated as The Will Rogers Highway. The California Theatre has paid tribute to him
throughout the years. The audition room off the lobby is known as the Will Rogers Room and
the beautiful black velvet drapes with silver irradescent pattern is known as the Will
Rogers Curtain.
The theatre was built in 1928 in a Spanish revival style. While "talkies"
were not yet produced, it was built with a sound system wired and ready for their advent.
Twenty five cents included live music in the orchestra pit, a string of vaudeville acts and
the movies. Although it was built as a Pantages Theatre, Fox took it over almost
immediately and changed some of the specifications. However, in the course of its upkeep,
most of the scroll work and gold trim is back to its original state. The lobby features a
swirly left and right staircase that meets midway then goes up to the balcony.
CHR66A thanks the management and docents, Alan Mitchell and Pat Lane for giving us a
tour which was one of our bus stops, June 10, 1995. As we walked down the aisles, Lane
accompanied us with old-time tunes on the theatre’s original pipe organ. We learned
that there are only two Southern California theatres still having one, the other is the
Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles.
Concurring with our tour, children were spilling down the double staircase and on
lounge benches awaiting auditions in the Will Rogers Room for the production of
"Evita". The California Theatre’s proscenium stage provides a home for San
Bernardino Civic Light Opera Association which produces three plays and four musicals
annually.
ROUTE 66 TV SERIES NOW ON VIDEO
Columbia House has released a limited collectors series of twenty episodes from the
popular early sixties TV show, Route 66. Available only through mail order, an
introductory price of $4.95 plus $2.45 shipping and handling gets you the first
two-episode cassette, including the series premiere, "Black November". A ten-day
examination period is allowed during which you may return the tape without further
obligation. If you keep it, you will continue to receive Route 66 cassettes at
$19.95 plus S&H every four to six weeks. The same trial period applies and you may
cancel at any time.
The series starred Martin Milner as Todd Stiles, a mild-mannered, educated Californian,
and George Maharis as a former street fighter from Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in New
York. It aired from 1960 through 1964 and featured many stars such as Robert Redford and
Alan Alda before they became household names. It was the first on-location show to travel
throughout the United States. Many of the locations are far flung from the Mother Road.
Even the series opener takes place in Mississippi with Todd asking Buzz, "How did we
ever get off U.S. 66?"
This black and white blast from the past personifies the spirit of adventure this road
represented.
OVER THE ROAD
Illinois – Signs are up! Using ISTEA funds (International Surface
Transportation and Environmental Act), the Illinois Department of Transportation has put
up 600 signs along their state’s parts of 66. They concentrated on the ‘40s
versions of the road, but also signed alternate routes through the hearts of towns and
along Illinois 4, which was Route 66’s alignment from 1926-1930. Signs also have
directional arrows and show the dates that their road bed was part of 66. In addition,
there are many signs along I-55 that direct people to the old road.
Historic Exhibit – Terry Ryburn, LaMonte, IL Assn., member and history
instructor at Illinois State University has worked with staff of Old Court House Museum in
Bloomington, corner of Main and Washington Streets, to produce a wonderful Route 66
exhibit. It’s photos and automotive and cultural memorabilia and can be viewed here
through February 1996.
MISSOURI – Coral Court Motel, St. Louis, (suburb of Marlborough) is gone! For
many of us, this is not news. There were real efforts to save this art modern gem built in
1941. It was on the National Register of Historic Places, but it mattered not. Its owner
didn’t want anyone else to have it and the small city of Marlborough seemed to want
to put behind its link to the "no-tell motel" — with no positive outlook to
tourists rediscovering Route 66 — and so it came down March, 1995. A developer will
put homes at the site. At first there was promise to save the big oak trees, now even they
may go. Driving into this motel court was like pulling into the woods with gleaming tile
cabins. Other features included closed door garages, bay walls with glass block empirical
designs, octagonal ceramic flooring with rug-shaped pattern at doorways.
The Museum of Transportation, Kirkwood, MO is dismantling and rebuilding one of the
units, brick by brick for their grounds. The Missouri Historical Society wants one bay
wall for display in their museum.
March, 1994 St. Louis lost a landmark drive-in, the 66 Park-In Theatre about a mile
west of Coral Court Motel. It was photo-captured with classic cars in its last days by
Lucinda Lewis and is used as the cover of her 1996 Route 66 calendar.
KANSAS –Race Across Kansas – All 13.2 miles of KS-66, Oct. 21 Dinner and
more.
OKLAHOMA – Tourist Information – "Cruisin’ Route 66"
brochures with map and photos will be available at all Visitor Centers approaching all
directions into the state via interstate.
Oklahoma Historical Society is accomplishing much for Route 66 with funding from
ISTEA. Aug. 5, dedication of first three satellite mini museum exhibits in Edmond,
Arcadia, and Chandler. These talking exhibits consist of photos as motorists tune in their
radios for more information. Eventually they will be all across the state on 66.
Clinton, OK, September 23rd – Dedication of new Route 66 Museum
(formerly Western Trails Museum). Guests: songwriter Bobby Troup, author Michael Wallis,
cartographer Jim Ross; dinner, dance and cruises 66 miles to east or west.
NEW MEXICO – 66 Diner, Albuquerque on Central Avenue (66) was gutted by fire
May 24, 1995. The diner had a sleek art modern design with neon, a newer structure with a
nostalgic look. Owner Tom Willis said it was an accidental fire and will bring it back
again. Unfortunately, the juke box and interior neon fixtures were part of the loss. If
you happen to have one of those beautiful Route 66 calendars, photos by Lucinda Lewis of
Sherman Oaks, CA, check out May 1995; ironically, the 66 Diner was featured in the month
it burned.
Don’t forget the Downtown 66 Station, a long-time two-story eating
establishment and bar across the street from the "pueblo deco" Kimo Theatre. Its
shield design neon sign hangs over the sidewalk on Central Avenue, downtown.
ARIZONA
Twin Arrows Trading Post, Exit 219, between Winslow and Winona has reopened its gas
and gift shop (June 1995). By this reading the café should also be open. Twin Arrows was
always a favorite stop for travelers. You may have seen it recently in a car commercial
which was full of Route 66 imagery.
CALIFORNIA
Roy’s Café, Amboy is under new management. The partnership of Don Meyers, a
general contractor from Lake Arrowhead, CA and Walt Wilson, a heavy equipment salesman
from Palm Desert, CA have expanded operation of Roy’s Café. The café and gas pumps
are now open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Even the motel is back in
operation. Currently six units with two double beds are available at $40 per night as well
as five single bed units at $35.00 per night.
Meyers says they are "hot about opening!" Well aware of the landmark status
of this Mojave Route 66 oasis, they plan to make no changes that are out of character.
Before the neon sign can again light up the night, Meyers says some repairs will have to
be done. Being a contractor, he is a stickler for making sure it is done right.
When asked if Roy’s could accommodate buses, Meyers says he is already handling
tour lines and marines being bussed from Las Vegas to the Twenty Nine Palms Marine Base
south of Amboy. Like everyone else, they are anxious to see a resolution to the detour up
the road toward Essex.
Route 66 Ludlow to Amboy – Road conditions are reported to be better since our
last report.
GYPSY CARAVAN
Coming soon to a bioregion near you, Folk artist / armchair naturalist / unofficial
Route 66 expert Bob Waldmire’s Gypsy (bus) Caravan!
In his converted 1966 school bus, Bob will lead all who wish to follow on a leisurely,
interpretive tour crossing 1,700 miles of Historic Route 66. The tour begins in his native
town of Springfield, Illinois and ends at his Old Route 66 Visitors Center in Hackberry,
Arizona.
He intends to cover no more than one hundred miles per day, leaving plenty of time for
hiking trails, exploring ruins, and visiting interesting characters along the highway.
Stick close to Bob and you’re bound to learn something about history, culture, or
geography.
One way or the other this will undoubtedly be one of the most unconventional and
enjoyable tours of Old 66 ever offered.
Target date is some time in October. For updated information send self-addressed,
stamped envelope to: Old Route 66 Visitor Center, Box 46, Hackberry, AZ 86411.
(520-769-2605).
It may be time to say ALOHA TO HULA VILLE? By David Allen, Daily Press
Hula Ville, an ex-carny’s oddball tribute to hobo buddies long gone, is fading
like the way of life it memorialized.
Built in 1956 alongside old Route 66, the open-air, sort-of-museum takes its name from
the 12-foot metal portrait of a hula dancer that beckons motorists.
But Hula Ville, which covers a half-acre off Amargosa Road about one mile south of Bear
Valley Road, is decaying, and its aging architect is reportedly in a nursing home
Many of the handmade signs commemorating tramps and bearing verse dreamed ujp by Miles
Mahan are faded past recognition, lying on the ground or missing entirely. Signs still
honor Rubber Tramp Ralph, Steam Train Wagner and Shoot Em up Charlie.
A sample of verse, painted on a board: In Victorville there was the Green Spot, John
Roy the owner served meals a lot. They wined and dined when Vegas bound
The last line is unreadable. And Hula Ville’s mish-mash of bric-a-brac —
including a make-shift Boot Hill, pinwheels, old shoes, and trees made of posts and wine
bottles — is crumbling and weedy.
A busload of Route 66 aficionados made a stop there Saturday on their way to Calico
Ghost Town. Repeat visitors were surprised and saddened by Hula Ville’s decline.
"When we came here in ’92, everything was neat as a pin." Lamented
JoAnne Willis, vice president of the California Historic Route 66 Association.
"There was a whole tribute to people who were dead, his bindle buddies,"
Willis recalled, referring to the popular image of hobos carrying their belongings inside
a handkerchief tied on one end of a pole.
Mahan, whose old nickname was "Frypan Miles", ran concessions and guessed
people’s weight in carnivals and circuses for some 30 years before moving to the
desert and beginning work on Hula Ville.
"Mahan’s Quaint Museum", as one sign calls it, grew up alongside Route
66, where curious travelers could simply pull over and take a gander. Mahan, an authentic
character, would lead them on a free tour, spin stories, do a little waltz and maybe sell
them his book of poetry.
He continued doing so into the 1990s. With the freeway, though, there’s no easy
way to get to Hula Ville. Several bus passengers Saturday said they had never even noticed
it before while zipping by at freeway speed
Devotees of Route 66, a road which lives on mostly in memory, naturally dote on
off-the-wall bits of Americana like Hula Ville.
Geoffrey Willis, the association’s president, wryly called it "a monument to
eccentricity". "This is something you don’t find every day — a
roadside attraction", JoAnne Willis said.
They wandered what’s become of Mahan. A cramped and dirty blue and white camper
trailer containing only a bed and a sink is the closest thing to a residence on the
property, but no one was around. Sonny Fenstermaker, Hula Ville’s closest neighbor,
said Mahan has been in a nursing home the last three months. "He fell and broke his
leg and couldn’t take care of himself any more", said Fenstermaker, who’s
lived there 20 years and used to let Mahan use his telephone.
Mahan, who never married, has no children and apparently no other family.
"I saw him a month ago. His social worker brought him by to look at his
property", Fenstermaker said.
Mahan’s age, which he refused to give in a 1989 interview, is something of a
mystery. Perhaps that’s appropriate.
"I heard that next birthday he’d be 100", said Fenstermaker’s
daughter, Cathy, "but I don’t know if that’s the truth or just a
story".
MEDIA TAKE ON 66 by JoAnne Willis
We can’t begin to tell you how many journalists, film and other media makers are
on the road, but we’ve had fun meeting two of them. First, meet one who went first
class:
Betsy Miller is an energetic free lance writer from New York. She flew to Chicago
where her first perk was waiting — Chevrolet lent her a new red Corvette convertible
for her month-long journey. She was only slightly hampered by floods in Missouri, a
buffalo licked her car seat in Illinois, and she met all the "real McCoys" of
the highway, though she had to be steadfast to faxes and phones. Accommodations (mostly
gratis) varied greatly as in having a grand view of the Gateway Arch on the Mississippi in
St. Louis, Missouri at a large holiday Inn, to quaint and homey Old Trails Inn, Needles,
California, to the most elegant, the Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica, California.
In Kingman, Arizona she met a journalist who was scouting out all the body building
gyms along the route. Sounded funny, but he was with Muscle Magazine who would be
able to say they "remembered when" some future fitness star started out in
"small town USA".
Betsy met video director John Paget for lunch back in Chicago. It was supposed to be
their only meeting, but comically they ran into each other all down the road. In Amarillo
she made a personal detour to a store where John came out of a dressing room bedecked in
new jeans!
Like clockwork on her tight schedule, we’d known for months that we’d meet
Betsy on June 22nd. We got an unexpected call: "It’s John Paget,
I’m in town." So the four of us dined at Dive! And then on to House of Blues in
L.A. (Betsy still not parting with her camera even at journey’s end).
Look for Betsy Miller’s 2-part Route 66 account in Country Living Magazine
which boasts a readership of 13 million per month (found noticeably at all grocery store
check-out stands) October ’95 and March ’96 issues.
John Paget’s video, Route 66: An American Odyssey, received a silver
award as a top independent video production in the 28th Annual WorldFest (film
festival) held in Houston, Texas, April 1995. There were thousands of entries. (A rave
review was written in Roadsigns Winter 1995 issue.)
John achieved this by the age of 24. Obvious that he’d spent more than college
credit time behind a camera, (Biola University, So. Cal.), an interesting field trip was
making a documentary film about religious practices since Castro in Cuba. He says there
you will see the greatest collection of American ‘50s cars anywhere, and since they
receive no parts from the U.S. they have inventive ways of holding them up. His own choice
of a car to film the road was a ’69 Cadillac convertible. It had some rust, but on
the road one guy offered him $5,000 cash for it, $2000 more than he paid for it with many
more miles! Too bad he needed the car himself. It wasn’t for the Americana image down
Route 66 like everyone thought, rather, "it made a good camera platform because
it’s the longest, heaviest and smoothest riding car ever built; that’s what
Cadillacs are famous for," John said. "It just happened to fit in with the
spirit of the road." It was hard to find "regular" gas so it takes lead
additive plus a quart of oil with each fill up, and blows one tire each summer.
In the making of the video and subsequent pounding of the asphalt to promote it,
he’s done about 13,500 miles just on Route 66, never mind the miles home. He won the
"James Dean Lone Wolf" award (lone guy who comes from farthest away) at
Arizona’s ’95 Fun Run — regrets he didn’t meet "Marilyn Monroe
Lone Babe" recipient. He’s been on 39 radio and 10 TV stations and in print
about 30 times and rising.
John brought a taste of Route 66 to his video premiere party at his family home in
Olympia, Washington. He flew in hot dog batter from Cozy Dog Drive In, Springfield IL, and
frozen custard from Ted Drewes, St. Louis, MO. ‘cause John found a theme: From the
savored to the darndest things, they’re "the only one in the world".
MARGIE AND LOLLIE TAKE A LONG WALK by Vivian Davies
The nostalgic media hype of the last few years put the frame around the picture for
her: "The long-held aspiration to walk across the country would be done (why not?) on
Route 66. A phone call in late March from Margie McCauley explained her project and that
she needed a map. Everyone wants a "today map" of Route 66, so I directed her to
two different ones that are now available and also our Guide to Historic Route 66 in
California.
Living in the desert in Landers near Lucerne Valley, Margie, 5’7", 115 pounds
and beginning her 66th summer, would walk California State Route 247 to Barstow
and begin her walk on Route 66 to Chicago. Her faithful big dog, Lollie, part akita and
part labrador retriever, would pull her gear by being harnessed to a customized
three-wheeled cart.
Margie departed Saturday, May 6th. A small cut on Lollie’s paw slowed
them down somewhat, reaching Barstow on Saturday, May 13. Rest stops Sunday, May 14th
at a laundromat, a few groceries, phone calls, and a shower via a friendly stranger, and
Margie and Lollie left Barstow walking east on Route 66 on Monday morning, May 15. What
needed supplies she didn’t get in Barstow, she would get "when shopping in
Amboy". Margie was not very well acquainted with our California Route 66!
My desire to rendezvous with her in Barstow to give her a hug, take her photo, and bon
voyage had to wait for the next day where I found her one mile west of Daggett. She was
doing just great and all was well with Lollie, mostly due to the unusually cool weather
for this time of the year in the Mojave desert. The lady was just loving what she was
doing, and Lollie was not talking. I gave Margie the names of some friends she would find
down the road. Together we checked the Association’s California Guide and I
helped her to read the thing backwards — heading east instead of west. During the
days that followed I imagined her going through Newberry Springs, Ludlow, Amboy, etc. I
found out later she did just that: Went right through those three places, making no stops,
even for a motel.
Margie’s daughter is our liaison as to her whereabouts and on Thursday, May 25, my
friend Dave Settle and I drove out from Los Angeles to the Essex area wanting to see for
ourselves if all was well with her and her faithful companion, Lollie. A lady with a big
dog pulling a cart on the shoulder of Route 66 in the middle of the California’s
Mojave Desert is not hard to find. We knew she did not stop in Danby, because our friend
there saw Margie and Lollie pass in front of her place. Farther on, the postmaster in
Essex told us she had camped the previous night there. We came upon Margie several miles
beyond, near Fenner, heading for Goffs. She was sitting on the narrow shoulder of the
road, her little stove at the ready, preparing lunch. Our extra supply of water brought
for them was quickly lapped up by Lollie as she lay in the sparse shade of a big creosote
bush.
The incredible cool weather continued to benefit our hiking friends and any ideas we
had of getting Margie to quit while she was ahead were nipped in the bud. It was her
passion to continue as long as she could. It appeared to us that continuing the walk was
her highest priority and anointing Lollie’s paws at night was the way to achieve it.
The freeway heading east into Needles is on top of old Route 66 so we referred again to
our California Guide which includes the Santa Fe Railroad and Margie planned to
walk on the railroad service road. Dave gave Margie a AAA map; and showed her the short
cut to Oatman, Arizona from Needles, skipping Topock, AZ. We drove into Goffs, then
Needles, and a brief visit with Maggie McShan alerted her that Margie was on her way. We
picked up some ice and cottage cheese for Margie and checked with Margie one more time on
our way home telling her how to find Maggie McShan’s house in Needles.
The man who owns the Goffs store (closed) had spotted Margie on the way into Goffs and
invited her to stop there for a cup of coffee, which she did. And phone calls from there
told us Margie would walk on the shoulder of the freeway into Needles because there is no
other road and walking on the Santa Fe Railway right-of-way is illegal.
On Sunday, May 28th, our hiking friends found Maggie in Needles, and Margie
and Lollie gratefully accepted a much needed day of rest and regrouping of supplies. The
next day, Monday, May 29th, Maggie followed the duo and their cart as they
crossed the Colorado River into Arizona to bid them best wishes, and farewell from
California.
Dave and I had been sure that Margie and Lollie should not hike the Sitgreaves Pass
east of Oatman, and I was relieved to hear that they found a friend in Oatman who agreed.
They would somehow get the cart in the truck, the gear and Lollie in the back seat, and
Margie would be driven over the pass by this new-found friend.
My next report came from Margie herself: She called me Sunday, June 4th from
Bob Waldmire’s Old Route 66 Visitor Center in Hackberry, AZ. Her trek into Kingman
had been a hard one and aside from the welcome at the Arizona Association office in
Kingman, she didn’t spend much time there. And, of course, Margie added Bob Waldmire
to her growing list of Route 66 friends.
Let us know if you see them!
Latest report: July 23, 1995, Bob Audette (father of "Save Route 66"
movement in NM) had Margie next in a trailer outside his home, Tijeras, NM (15 miles east
of Albuquerque). Bob said they were both very hot. He hosed the ground for Lollie to roll
in. "People don’t realize what a hard grade that is," he said. Tijeras, at
7,000 ft. is 2,000 ft. higher than Albuquerque.
DIVE! by Geoffrey Willis
Bursting forth from the front corner of Century City Mall and overhanging Santa Monica
Boulevard (south roadway) is a life size, neon-trimmed yellow submarine, home of Dive!
Dive! is a theme restaurant featuring (what else?) submarine sandwiches.
In concept it is a revisiting of the programmatic architecture (where the building is a
3-dimensional depiction of a product) once so prevalent in Southern California.
Randy’s Donuts (1954) at 805 West Manchester, and the Tail-o-the-Pup hot dog stand
(1946) on San Vicente just north of Beverly Boulevard are surviving examples in Los
Angeles. The Donut Hole Drive-thru at 15300 East Amar Road (late 50’s) in La Puente
is another classic On California Route 66 there are the Orange (formerly a farmer’s
juice stand), now located on a Walmart lot in Fontana, the Shrimp Boat restaurant in
Claremont and now Dive!
Dive!’s nautical theme is detailed in high tech fashion. Featured are portholes
filled with bubbling "sea water", pressure gauges, pipes, and torpedoes. A
periscope offers views of the mall / marketplace above "see level". A 210 square
foot rear projection screen and 32 additional monitors take passengers on an undersea
video voyage. This "cruise" flows to a music score and a variety of sound
effects. Hourly, the "dive sequence" is initiated. Safety lights flash and
portholes bubble as the sub plunges deeper into sea. Staff members refer to all of this as
"entertainment".
With all of this attention to concept it is gratifying that as much devotion has gone
into the menu and preparation of food. Sub sandwiches have been reinvented as gourmet
creations such as the Brick Oven Cheese Steak Sub, the Parisian Sub, two veggie subs, the
Chinese Chicken Salad Sub, and even the (almost) traditional Sicilian Sub Rosa with Genoa
salami, mortadella, prosciutto ham and provolone cheese done in gourmet style.
For those wishing to "sub"sist on other offerings, there are entrees such as
Roasted Shrimp and Vegetables, and pastas including Penne Rigate with Sweet Italian
Sausage. Beef and chicken burgers, "submaribs" and a variety of appetizers,
deserts and specialty drinks round out this tasty and inventive menu.
Bear in mind that everything is ala carte and a meal for one typically costs between
$10 and $20. Perhaps this is a bit upscale for a Route 66 haunt, but the experience is
well worth your investment.
Dive! has its origins in the creative minds of famed director Steven Spielberg and
Jeffrey Katzenberg (formerly the Chairman of Disney Studios, now a member of the
Spielberg/Katzenberg/Geffen "dream team"). Spielberg invited Katzenberg to lunch
in his office one day. In advance, Spielberg sent aids to comb Los Angeles for the best in
sub sandwiches. They returned with about a dozen. As the two sub fans sampled their
sandwiches they agreed that they were either too soggy or too leathery for their taste.
They flippantly suggested that they should open their own sub shop. They soon took the
idea seriously.
They took their idea of elevating a fast food staple to gourmet status to restauranteur
Lawrence F. Levy. Levy began in Chicago with a single delicatessen and now operates forty
restaurants nationwide including multiple award winners Spiaggia and Bistro 110 in
Chicago. They all agreed that quality food was the anchor to their submarine dreams. The
creative concepts of Spielberg and Katzenberg coupled with Levy’s culinary expertise
are aimed at providing an experience as memorable to the tongue as it is to the eyes.
Dive! is a fun place to visit especially when entertaining friends. In dining and decor
it is a 1990’s expression of distinguishing elements of California’s past and
present.
Dive! is located at 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard (Century City Mall).
LATEST BOOK ON EARLY ROUTE 66 by Dan Harlow
Route 66 still inspires literary interest outside the realm of periodicals and tour
guides. A recent book by California author Spencer Crump is neither a nostalgic essay nor
a "how to" menu. His is a new and intriguing mix of personal notes, clever
observations and research.
Crump is a former reporter, editor, educator, historian and avid traveler. Past
publishing includes books on railroads, Spanish missions, and texts on writing and
journalism. He brings all these talents to the task of writing Route 66: America’s
First Main Street.
Full of fun images, this book of 100-plus pages includes reproductions of the first
maps published by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Vintage postcards are
scattered throughout. Pictures from the past make marvelous counterpoint to recent
photographs.
"I only do a book if it truly interests me," Crump remarks. "I like to
drive and Route 66 is the best drive you can take."
He doesn’t overlook any significant point as he keeps his eye on the road. A
biography of Bobby Troup, a synopsis of the television show, and lists of publications and
organizations round out a thorough look at Route 66.
This is not a glistening coffee table volume. Some reproductions suffer from the
condition of the originals and all the pages inside the color cover are in black and
white. However, this only heightens the sense of history found in the easily read text.
Published late in 1994 by Zeta Publishers Co., the book is beginning to appear on store
shelves along the road and in mail-order catalogs. It is softbound and the cover price is
a reasonable $7.95.
