A Crystal Blue Mother Road Mistake Caught By A True Route 66 Roadie

I know the Mother Road/Route 66 runs through Albuquerque New Mexico and one of my favorite TV
shows "Breaking Bad" was shot in and around that City.  Every once in a while you would see the  
"Route 66" road marker on a building to let you know that is where the shoot was taken. How many
times did Walter take that road to go cook some meth?  Maybe never actually but there is plenty of
wide open spaces out there with no one keeping an eye on you.  Chances are if they put a camera here
and there unlike in the city it would be more likely nothing would ever show up.  I remember once  in
Tucumcari when I left my GPS in my hotel room I got a little lost.  I was just out having a bite to eat
and taking a few pictures.  I was only a couple of blocks from my hotel how could I get so lost.  I  found the police department finding that it closed at 4:30 PM.  A couple of turns later and there was the hotel.  Anyway back to what I'm trying to tell you about.  "Breaking Bad" piqued my interest when they started this episode called "Confessions" with Tod talking to Walters voice-mail this was the man who Walter trained to cook the meth before he decided he wanted out of the business.  Of

course I'm making this a lot more simpler than what led up to this phone call. 

This is not what piqued my interest.

This is what made me say it has to be Arizona.

No, Actually it was this one with 2 vehicles with Arizona Tags.  

This

And this put the nail in the coffin that they were in Arizona   NOT!!!

The phone call was made from a friendly little restaurant called Grandpa's Grill, Historic Route 66, 9200 Central SW near Albuquerque NM.  I found this out after chasing a ghost along with a little bit of my ego putting the picture of Grandpa's Grill on Facebook Route 66 Friends where Penny Black found it by not listening to any of "Breaking Bad".    

   

It's Less Than A Year Away "Route 66 International Festival Kingman"

I know I'm from the Boston area and you all think because the name of this here blog is "Route 66 Boston" that I'm going to the festival to take over it.

Well, I aint like that.

Some may remember me from Victorville some may not.

I think that here and there Route 66 has grown bigger than her britches.

I read a book that used the Route 66 stenciled in the road to sell a book that was not about Route 66 and might have everything to do with her marketing britches.

I lived in the city all my life with the exception of  my late teens when my dad bought his first home through an auction because of a small fire that left smoke damage then we gutted it and rebuilt into a fine home with an occasional boomerang landing as my own family grew. 

Middleton now has gown into quite the urban sprawl if I'm using the term correctly. 

I'm now back in the city in my first home that I purchased that sits less than 12 feet from highway extension Route 1A North, north of Boston a road that takes you along some of the most scenic New England shore lines one imagines they would see and

yes I have been asked what it is that I see in Death Vally or Sitgreaves Pass.  

I have floated on plastic air inflated rafts around rocky shores that I would not dare swim but it is the desert where I prefer to live out the last of my days.    

Keeping Up With Scott P.

Please if go off point DON'T BE NICE ABOUT IT JUST TELL ME!!!

I would like to think that my first trip down Route 66 was of my own FREE WILL but I left Boston with a heavy heart.

I have no regrets of the relationship that I developed with the Mother Road as she helped me through one of those rough patches which was mostly about me getting over myself.

My standards are strict and often too strict for my family, friends and associates to follow but as far as having a method to enforce those standards I am not strict enough with myself.

This brings me back to the title of this blog.

I made a pact with my self last November to write every day for a year;

got up early every day and wrote because morning was my best time to get my best out of me.

Then about a month back I would skip two to three days of writing per week.

What I have up to this point would be equal to a 300 plus page novel give or take a 100 or so pages.

I actually planned to write a novel, a mystery about revenge along the Mother Road.

This blog is about 26 post behind my planned schedule along with a post each in two of my other blogs.

Thanks to  Scott Piotrowski who some how motivated me by him challenging himself.

 This is my third week in a row about MY passion which is Route 66.

Actually this is about where I started from.

I took this picture when I came back from my first trip on Route 66 as you can see this is the first Public Beach in America two blocks from my House.

I bought the Route 66 stickers shown here on the rear window of my Voyager but was not worthy of placing them there until I drove back through Chicago on my was back home.

This bridge no longer exist it was part of the reason for the Big Dig.  Now all the roads the bridges were for are in the Big Tunnel.

Pay Day!!!

It's been along time since I looked forward to a paycheck.  I don't really like getting paid since Uncle Sam has to have some of it as small as it is when he can't do much for me because I aint some big corporation that leaves the country to avoid taxes when times get rough and forget what America is all about and how they use to, support this country through the tough times.

How could I be so stupid when the former employee asked me if I had any tools because he forgot his keys?  Thank God the local cops knew what the real situation was,

I knew where this stuff was made, this was back in 2003.

Can't Ride a Bike but would love to try one of theses.

 

All of these shots were taken in Missouri 2003.

East Meets East Meets Route 66

 

At 10:05AM I called Steve to let him know that I was running late and where I was on the road, told him where I was arrived shortly after 11:00AM, 11:01 to be exact according my phone record referenced.

I was an hour later than I planned but my eight year old GPS without updates got me exactly to where I was going.


When I got to Steve’s house I had to recheck the address because the GPS was too accurate for me.  I called Steve when I arrived.

My cell phone as usual acted up as Steve failed to hear my voice causing minor confusion.  Steve came out looking just like his picture but a tad older version.

My mind went wild into its analytical mode wondering before entering the house what was this guy about having very little by way of family on his Facebook page except for the great selection of Route 66 pictures.

I knew very little about Steve but the inside of his home was very clean and tidy.

I was,  my usual self, talking my head off .  I don’t even remember what I was talking about but I did have to pee.  When I came out of the bathroom there was a news paper article on the wall facing where I was standing or magazine article about a local woman who worked on the an Ellis Island committee which Steve told me was his mother then went on to tell me of his heritage.  He knew of actual people who came through the country that way but not from his family. 

Steve asked me if I would like to have lunch first.  He made a nice healthy fruit salad. I told him that I would prefer to see the collection first.  Thinking to myself, "seeing the collection will help me digest the poisoned breakfast I just had at Mickey D’s then eat the healthier salad after seeing the collection."


Steve mentioned that his dog just got put down the day before.  Steve did look distraught over his recent loss.  I still think of my Stumpy who suffered longer than he had to because we couldn’t bear to put him down.  My oldest daughter made the call for us.  That phone call worked far better than my email to the vet I never wanted to get.  But a chance to show off this Mother Road Collection sure seemed cheer Steve up.


Considering how challenging walking is to me anyway while navigating to the garage that was in back of the house, thinking now how some flagstones might have made it a tad easier for me to maneuver toward the garage.  Steve went ahead to turn the lights on while I trudged through the grass, shorter than mine at home due to my lawnmower being turned into a tiller by my daughter's boyfriend who helps us out once in a while. 

When I was within ten feet of the door what I could see as I approached was Route 66 paraphernalia.  I took my first shot five feet from the door.  I was amazed to see a ’62’ Thunderbird sitting there in mint condition, a soft top convertible that folds into the trunk.  

This was way more than I bargained for.  It was almost as great as being on Route 66 itself at a fraction of the cost in time traveled and gas.  There was so much to shoot I was lost.

Steve had everything sectioned off nicely.  Everything was in clusters and hopefully I’m using the right words.

This is a museum with history; everything right there in Steve’s head.

He knew every piece intimately.

 Like This Bob Waldmire original.

Looking around I could tell this man had a passion far beyond mine.  As one can see from these pictures I’ve posted it is worth telling this story that I’ll have no problem blogging about.  I took well over fifty shots before realizing this was overwhelming me.  I thought it might be worth having a video, shot by the man himself and I love putting people on the spot, so I asked.  Steve not only shot video for me he was relentlessly generous and knew exactly what to shoot.  This was one of many.  The man knew how to pan.   


As one can see from within this collection there are many great shots that Steve took him self.  Some of what he had pictures of and how they were taken seemed to outweigh the value of actual signage and or objects from the Mother Road itself.

If this museum in Albany NY was food from the Mother Road and I was eating it; I was full for now and knew I would want to come back and eventually eat the rest in smaller amounts as I paced myself and of course ask prepared questions. 
      

My Appology To My Fellow Roadies, But Depression Hurts!

It's the economy could be an excuse,

my mothers death but that was back in the beginning of 2010,

it could be my oldest daughter who came over on Mother's Day right after my wife and I came back from spreading my mothers ashes on Revere Beach, with her drunken boyfriend who seemed to let out on me what my daughter has been holding back but venting to him,

it could be my only grandson who is now Twelve by my youngest daughter has no home because we're the "Arguing Grandparents" and chooses to stay with his father's dysfunctional family and his ailing grandmother.

My grandson sleeps "Somewhere" on weekends while his mother and father sleep here without him.

This bothers me.

It bothers my wife but she refuses to deal with it.

If I threaten to say anything to my daughter, about how she has a great job but didn't even have money to bail out her sons father on MLK day, my wife nearly had a nervous breakdown.

My youngest daughter who has a twelve year old son has also been living here for over a year to get her finances together has nothing but a fake Gucci Bag and 12 year old BMW to show for it.

I am a prisoner without my free will and would feel like I was running away if I hit the road. 

Follow @Route66Boston

I Need To Hold My Own Feet To The Fire

"Hold your feet to the fire", is an Idiom or an Axiom really not sure but being from the Boston area I'm sure it was an effective method used by Puritans to make you believe or die.

If anyone happens to read this who lives near or around Route 66 I doubt your a puritan but please feel free to hold my feet to the fire as far as letting others know what a great experience traveling the Mother Road is.   It is a piece of ongoing living history not to be confused with Hillary Rodham Clinton's book "Living History"

Thanks to my nephew Tyler Cantone and taking him with me or him taking me on my third trip makes me an expert of The Mother Road.

I guess it was me taking him after all it was my van but leaving 3 weeks earlier than our original plan so we could chase tornadoes?

We saw some serious formations in Texas but nothing happened. 

It might not be any better than hopping for tornadoes but before we spent a week in Cali I was hopping to experience an earthquake.

  After a nights rest this was the beginning of our adventure.

Late Start Early Saturday Morning Chicago Traffic

20 Hours after crossing the Tobin in Boston! Yea!

 

It was overcast warm and humid when we arived on Saturday June 12th 9:37 AM.

Why was I surprized to see a toll to drive into Chicago?

If I had questions I could have pushed a button to get answers?

It is a Toll Booth Right?

I was excited to be back in Chi-town and was about to be surprised at how excited Tyler was becoming about the whole experience.

We couldn't see the Willis Tower which I knew as the Sears Tower before leaving for Route 66.

We were certainly corrected every time we asked for directions since it was hidden in the clouds hovering over the city that day.

I have been to the beginning of Route 66 here in Chicago now I needed to shoot the end of Route 66.

Without the Willis Tower there was not much of a reference for me and Tyler was satisfied with just exploring this great city amazed of its cleanliness.

We were both exhausted only stopping at a rest area where I sweat a lot more than slept.

We stopped at what would be the best of any place we had to pay to stay at which was the Best Western in Countryside, IL.

Maybe because it was a Hotel instead of a Motel now realizing there is huge difference.

We stopped in a White Castle for Sliders and Chicken Rings and went back to our room for a great nights sleep.

 

Wish I Was Back On Route 66

Revere Beach in foreground Boston in the haze.

Sitting here on my favorite beach I realized that there was a story to tell about about an uncle who took his nephew on his first road trip after a first year in a N.H. college.

My nephew is the oldest of four sibling who are the tightest I have ever known.

Unlike his father and I whom use to get one of my army boots flung at him when his snoring became too loud.

That was when I was trying to sleep but I was Batman he was Robbin when were not.

One of our daily adventures was a climb up the side of the building which was actually holding onto the railing to the upstairs bathroom where we would do our business then slide on our pillows downstairs before the toilet finished flushing.

Tyler told me he would be in Revere as soon as he dropped his brother and sisters off at school.

My wife who usually helps me get my stuff to my van on my other trips needed to be to work early and I was on my own.

I took the essentials out, laptop, GPS, camera and made room in the back of the van.


This is some of the stuff I think of as I reminisce over the trip, anything with Two or more Sixes in it.  This was a tough shot trying to get the Route 66 key chain at my favorite place to park on the beach

66+6 to me = Route 66

 

 

all in one focused shoot.

I contemplated taking my huge Boss suitcase down my front stairs but had visions of it rolling out of my hand onto Route 1A North which is in front of my stairway and driveway.

Eventually Tyler showed up. 

A late start  was better than not going at all.

We shot this short video before leaving.  You will have to hunt around to find it but it was fun shooting it.

This was Tyler's first trip on Route 66 my first trip with company.

We were officially on our way which I measured by the receipt from the Tobin Bridge at 1:49 PM on July 11, 2010.

LAST DAY TO PACK FOR THE ROUTE 66 ROAD TRIP

They added the finishing touches on my Caravan repair which was a front end alignment after replacing the passenger side tie rod. 

Along with the purchase of a Verison MiFi and Nat King Cole's Greatest Hits we are finally ready to motor west.

Tyler and I will be on our way to Chicago early tomorrow morning hoping to literally write the book on traveling from Boston to LA by way of Route 66.

We are hoping to have YOU keep an eye on our progress as we journey across this wonderful country of ours.

Speaking of writing the book; could someone Please Kick me in the ass for paying $30.00 for a blank book/journal with a picture that I have a better more professional looking one of in my own collection of Cool Springs than the outdated one on the cover.  That is $10.00 more if you checked out the link and need help with the math like I did.

I don't want to mention where I bought the book but I guess YOU too could make a little profit as a struggling writer and help Amazon make a little on the side on the way to the top. 

I will take donations once I get the gadget set up on this blog.

Hopefully with Tyler's help as I teach him what I know it will be my training time as well.

I have to put all of my gadgets together today after my doctors appointment so YOU can see what works and what does not.

I'll have some links from FB, Twitter and Brazen Careerist and will be looking forward to YOUR input.

The Route 66 Road Trip With New Blood

What could be a better experience for a young man after his first year in college?

To get his "Kicks on Route 66".

I have to admit my nephew did not seem all that hyped up for this trip but believe it or not we are leaving a month before what we had previously planned.

We had two side trips that seemed to be an inconvenience in relation to our original plans and itinerary.

We have decided to save N.C. and NYC for last which fits in perfect for our way home.

If we are killing each other on the way back we can leave out NYC but N.C. is a relative related must do.

We'll be in Chicago on the 12th hoping to get a shot at the "End of Route 66" sign and a redo of the "Begin Route 66" sing hoping it will be without a decoration around or a better shot at the Sears Tower as a back drop.

I'll be taking the "EZ66 ROUTE 66 GUIDE" by Jerry McClanahan for some guidance along with my vast experience we should have a great Road trip.

The  "EZ66 ROUTE 66 GUIDE" is worth twice what I paid for it according to Amazon.com which I have no idea how to link to it being an amazon.com Associate so pardon me for not leaving a link.

There is stuff happening in June along Route 66 and we'll be participating.

 

 

Route 66 The TV Show Vs. Route 66 in the Real World

The "Sixties" Wish We Had Those Day's Back Again?

I was six years old in 1960 and the only reason apparently that I would even remember seeing Route 66 the TV show was because it aired on  Friday nights at 8:30 on CBS.

After watching a couple of episodes one has to wonder what would happen to Buzz and Tod these days being as helpful as they were back then.

After receiving the Third Season it had me thinking of how Tod and Buzz  would be thought of today as their moral compass might have been set way to high for today's standards.


I doubt that I would see a person lying on the street bleeding and NOT call 911 but if Tod and Buzz were in the same situation they would throw the guy in their Corvette and drive him to the hospital.


Believe me after crossing this country as many times as I have I consider my self lucky just from being polite at the wrong time.

Let me Explain.


I got some great Shots in Chicago, with my camera that is.


It was early morning way before there was any traffic as I found and shot the Route 66 Begins sign.


I missed so much the last time wanting to get everything this time.


I still missed stuff this time around but instead of rushing out to California I stayed two days in McLean the heart of Illinois on Route 66.


So that I don't carried away from my explanation let me say this I got some great shots and Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup and it is spelled with an i as its original Webster's spelling.


It was not in Illinois where I could have been killed for being polite it was in Joplin Missouri.


This is where I was going to spend another night since the last trip I never stopped in Kansas.


It was late at night for these folks anyway.


I was starved and had to defecate badly finding a convenience store that sold pizza slices and had a clean Handicap Accessible toilet.


I cannot walk with a beverage and drink it at the same time noticing I was in this man way who was on his way to the counter moved then apologized.

He said under his breath, "No you're not!"


I was fortunate there were people around and a lady who helped me with ice for my cooler.


It was not until the following semester at UMass when I found out about the epidemic of Meth users in this part of the country.


Or he was a straight guy who hated my Boston accent.

Atlanta By Thursday Leaving Wednesday Morning, You Coming?

I know it has been a while!

I would love to have you folks hold my feet to the fire but you don't even know who I am.

This is not my only blog but it is not from having too many blogs that has caused my lack of blogging,  it is because I have not been blogging. 

I am a baby boomer re-raizing my GenY her child and his father. 

I'm not a behavior EXPERT but know when people act a certain way; there can be several reasons why and being a baby boomer a lot of stuff out there now was not invented when I was my daughter's age nor where the stresses that come with our voguish times.

One thing I do is speculate but then I turn it off but my wife does not have the same ability but blocks out reality a hell of a lot better than I do.

You know this is why I like the peace of the desert of Route 66.

It is so beautiful,

so is the ocean where I live until someone drives behind me while meditating over the view with their bass so loud the wall I'm sitting on feels like its going to crack but it is not louder than my ipod filled with Classic Rock.

I'm taking another journey to Atlanta and will be telling anyone who cares to read this blog what I'll be doing on a daily basis.

I'll be reporting on highway conditions and details about every stop and looking for comments from you folks even if you want to tell me what a dick I am.

I might no be able to take a comment like that without crying but to have a comment will make my day after I dry my eyes.

When I get to where I'm going that is where there will be a blow by blow of the event I'm attending.

I'm taking this here Mac.

I have not learned how to use all of the cool tools it supposedly has but with ME being a PC it has been a challenging experience to say the least.

I have not found anything in a PC notebook lately as light and dependable as this here MacBook.

Yes I have been in the stores lately and they look at you like you have two heads when all you want to do is hold the chained down demo to see how heavy it is or when you find the one that has everything that looks light enough there is nobody around.

This goes back to an earlier entry, "Where's the quality?"

I know they're chained down to prevent the employees from stealing them, not me.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.

   

Where Is America's Pride In Quality?

I would love to let you folks know what I think about the TV series Route 66 that aired between 1960 -1964 but reviewing all the episodes has been a chore. 

I believe in buying online expecting to trust who ever I buy from.   I consider myself to be an expert if at nothing else surfing and researching the web.   I am not the greatest writer or at marketing myself and suck at making money online but when spending what little is available I want trusted Quality.  I also love to buy American but seeing a great website does not mean that will happen because it looks American.

So why is so difficult to buy a box set of an American TV classic like Route 66?

I would love to be sponsored by a Quality American company that can make a decent Box set of DVD's of old TV shows.  At least when I send an email it should be answered by a human not a robot. 

When I was sent my missing and damaged episodes by the company mentioned in my previous post; all I could think of is some small village in the middle of nowhere who was bootleging this TV series Route 66 I bought from them.  They replace my damaged DVD case with 5 VCR cases.  Something really went wrong in communications here.

One of the episodes on a replaced DVD failed at the same exact spot on an episode that the misslableld DVD was at.  I was going to have a Chinese friend help me with the corispondence to help them deliver a Quality product but after serious thought about taking this action by reading between the lines on their web site.  I realize no body is checking the Quality of these DVDs.  They are sticking it on a machine and don't care about Quality only Quantity.  

 

I Need My Route 66 Fix After Watching Tod, Buzz & Linc

Let me tell you about a TV show that I have been watching lately from the 60's. It has a lot to do with the title of my first entry of this blog but unlike the TV show with the same name that ran from 1960 - 1964 it has little to do with with Route 66 / The Mother Road itself.

The show "Route 66" staring Martin Milner as Tod and George Maharis as Buzz and last 31 episodes with Glenn Corbett as Lincoln Case all of which were shot on location all over the US and toward the shows end a few episode where shot in Canada.


Most of my favorite episodes were filmed near the original Route 66 or at the least in a state where the Mother Road exist.  There were two episodes shot in Boston near here. One Boston episode I have not seen yet because because it was among the missing episodes 31 - 40 on DVD #4 which was not formated correctly.  This left me with 106 episodes. I bought my Route 66 TV series from  the "ClickDVDstore"As far as I know those missing episodes are on there way from China, on what appears to be a slow boat, as this is being written.   The shipping package that these DVD's came in was destroyed along with a disintegrated DVD case that they came in but the DVD's themselves were OK.  The quality of each episode varied from just OK to what appeared to be someone not paying attention while they were being recorded and left unedited. Too bad I have a limited knowledge about locating the VCR version of the show.  I could do my own dubbing with my DVD recorder. 

Anyone reading this please contact me if you know where I can find them.    

More than half of the 116 episodes were well written with great  story lines breaking out a box of tissues would be advised, while the rest were more or less mediocre at best.  When George Maharis was written out of the show the writers struggled to come up with  good story lines.  Some of the stories were way out there but nothing surprised me.

The last 31 episodes with Glenn Corbett as Lincoln Case had about the same story line quality ratio also half and half  as well as the Tape to DVD.   The very last two episodes really sucked lacking an emphasis being The End which left Tod with a ball & chain to Barbara Eden with Linc walking off to Texas.