Drivable Dreams on Coronado, CA, Streets

I spotted this rare Datsun 1200 P/U while walking to breakfast this morning.

There are nice bugs everywhere in this area.

1955 Ford Mainline -- for sale at $10,500. Fresh paint, but with a straight 6.

VW Vans everywhere as well, as you might expect.

A mid-1970s MGB, tired, but probably a great deal of fun here near the beach.

Hi folks -- there are not as many collector cars on the streets of Coronado as I thought. But there are some-- almost one per block -- and there are a number of interesting-looking cars that lurk under covers. I have not yet had the courage or foolhardiness to pull off the covers, however, to take photos for this blog! The photos here reflect the eclectic nature of Island.

Home on Coronado!

I am about two blocks from the golf course.

Hi folks -- last night was my first one on Coronado! Unpacked, and started walking the island. A soon to be done feature will be the cars of Coronado -- interesting cars parked on the street. I have already seen a good number, and more are under car covers. Got my library card yesterday as well, and checked out a few auto history books to re-read -- Charlie Sorenson's memoir and Jim Flink's first study, America Adopts the Automobile. I had breakfast this morning at Clayton's Coffee Shop on Orange Avenue -- it ha a big horseshoe counter -- and now will go to Kobe's Swap Meet. After that it is on to Tony's and finishing the welding job on the 1967 Mercury Cougar floor pan.

A note to friends like Randy Hughes -- I have plenty of space here for a visit when you get tired of shoveling. So long you cook.

Fast Driving Fun -- U.S. 95, a Desert Highway to Experience!

Hi folks -- if you like fast driving with some curves and plenty of undulations, U.S. 95 from Needles to Blythe, CA is the drive for you. After Experiencing Route 66, I thought life couldn't be better. But indeed it did get better, as I drove 95. It is hard to beleive how desolate the region on both sides of the highway is, given that within a few hours you back up right to LA and SD.

Dash to the Coast -- Days 3 and 4 -- Bozo's Route 66 Car Museum in Santa Rosa, NM, and a Frigid Night in Williams, AZ

Bozo's Route 66 Car Museum in SAnta Rosa, NM

Outside the Museum

It had snowed about a week before and shut down Williams, AZ for three days. The morning I left it was 3 degrees at dawn! Williams a town I definitely wnat to return to. A super place -- and a train to the Grand Canyon.

I thought I left all of this back in Ohio!

In front of the Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, AZ.

A typical roadside view on Route 66 on the way to Kingman, AZ.

More to come once I get some rest!

A Night at the Motel Safari, Tucumcari, NM

The rather famous (thanks to Mike Wallis!) Blue Swallow Motel. Closed for the winter.

Hi folks -- After experiencing my first minoar jam on I-40 due to what appeared to be a junkyard tire fire, I was hoping to stay at the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari last evening. Disaapointed, found it boarded up! Actually it was just closed for the winter. So just down the street and on the other side I found a very attractive 1950s-style motel, the Motel Safari. It had to be a car-friendly place, since a 1964 Galaxie is parked near the office. I must say this place did not disappoint. $39.99 plus tax for a beautifully renovated room with large flat screen, wi-fi, and perhaps the world's most comfortable bed! The room was perhaps the cleanest I have been in -- bar none, including hi-end luxury hotels -- and the woman who checked me in was most friendly. The place is owned by a former engineer who had extensive work experience working for Marriott and the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG). I wish them the best in terms of future business. Better than any chain motel or hotel.

Tucamcari Tonight! Also some photos from the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX

An abandoned structure on Route 66, Texola, OK

All of the above at the Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX. Take exit 60 off of I-40, then go under I-40 and then take a left turn back towards Amarillo.

Hi folks -- I am in Tucamari tonight, at the Hotel Safari. Terrific place -- tomorrow I will take Route 66 across NM, or at least until I get tired of life in the slow lane. I love this journey on 66, especially now that I am truly in arid territory. The landscape is phenomenal, the people are fine, and it has been a long time coming. I have taught the history of Route 66 since 1998, and with the exception of one journey up to Flagstaff, I have never really experienced it until now.

Day 1 of the "Dash to the West Coast" -- 618 miles, from Centerville OH to Mt. Vernon, MO.

A great place to get a meal on I-70, about 60 miles east of St. Louis

Next to the Interstate at Effingham is this huge cross, with what appears to be mediation and prayer benches around it. This photo does not doe the cross justice. The only other cross that I have seen previously that rivals it in size is at the Exposition Park in San Francisco.

Hi folks -- well, it is more of a saunter than a dash, at least from what was accomplished on the first day. The Nissan performed well, and I did my best to move fast, but at age 62 I just don't drive as hard or as long as I once did. But it was a start, and I had some great fun along the way. Attached are two photos -- one at the start, another at a favorite restaurant in Effingham, IL, Nieberg's Family Restaurant, which at one time featured mile-high pies. I opted for a more healthy chef salad, however. I overshot my objective of Springfield, MO, and ended up in this weird little town of Mt. Vernon. The only food establishment that had any other folks in it was El Asteca, and had some decent enchiladas there. But an authentic Mexican menu in the Ozarks? I guess you can find it almost anywhere in America now.