HALF WAY THERE

The title for this mornings post was derived as a testimony to my optimistic nature. I recently turned fifty so you do the math.

The first indication I had reached this milestone came with the mail last Friday. That was when I received my application for AARP benefits that included a membership card, a token I gleefully refereed to as my "old fart card".

In celebration my dear wife made me a wonderful Mexican dinner and the kids, my son, his wife, their daughter, and my sons adopted BIG brother, "Big Louie", stopped by. As always my wife had more than enough to feed anyone who stops at the house.

The weekend, as always seems to be the case, was a busy one. Saturday was a half day at the office followed with several hours working on photos and attempting to resolve issues with Filezilla. This has become my latest technological nightmare as it is the required manner for submission for material to the publisher.

The day was rounded out by helping David, my son, pick up some furniture for the new house they will be moving into this weekend. Again, Barney was brought out of retirement for a little light work.

The original plans for Sunday called for me to fill in for Pastor Harlan Dennis in Peach Springs. Public speaking is not my strong point but as I intimately know most everyone at the church there, it is more like a friendly gathering at the house.

Instead we, my son and I, spent the morning recovering an abandoned Penske truck in Lake Havasu City. This desert community occupies the top four places on my list of least desirable places to visit, live in, or talk fondly of.

We were quite blessed as we were able to hit the road early and beat the record setting heat of the afternoon. As a result it was a mere ninety degrees by the time we hit town.

The landlord had neglected to prepare the cooler at the kids house so we had them over Sunday afternoon. With temperatures pushing 105 degrees the last place to be hanging out is an old trailer.

Monday, my official day off from the office, was spent running errands for mother, helping my wife with a couple of projects, a stop at Mr. D'z, and a half dozen hours working on the next book, Ghost Towns of the Southwest. With a fast approaching deadline of September 1, there is a sense of urgency to get a rhythm going on this project.

So far the first stop towards the golden years seems to be business as usual. There is, however, a sense of excitement and anticipation. After all the first half of this life has been a wild ride and there is no indication the second half will be any different.

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE - IN THE BEGINNING

A few weeks ago I posted a few photos and some information on the early development of front wheel drive automobiles. In answer to a number of responses, including one from noted automotive historian Kit Foster, here are a few additional photos of the Christie racers built between 1906 and 1908.
These cars were built in a number of configurations including two cylinder, four cylinder and four wheel drive with an engine at each of the car. Additional front wheel drive applications developed by Walter Christie included a motorized conversion for horse drawn fire equipment.
A surprising number of companies and innovators worked with front wheel drive, four wheel drive, and even four wheel steering, during the first decades of the 20th century.
The Cord is recognized as the first commercially viable American built front wheel drive automobile though it sold in limited numbers. Financial issues as well as internal problems resulted in the early demise of Ruxton, a contemporary of Cord.
One of the more intriguing "what if" stories pertaining to the development of front wheel drive in the prewar years stems from several experimental projects conducted by Checker. In addition to a prototype front wheel drive taxi, the company also tried a rear wheel drive with rear mounted engine configuration and a four wheel steering, four wheel drive Jeep type vehicle.

ROUTE 66 WHERE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE MEET

The feature on the 21st annual Route 66 Fun Run is finished and submitted. All that is left is a few final thoughts and a couple more photos that hint of the future for Route 66 and the old car hobby.

Consider the attraction generated by a near pristine Plymouth Volare station wagon and a Chrysler Cordoba of similar vintage. Or give thought to the fact the first generation Plymouth Voyager will be old enough to be considered a classic next year.

Then there is James Fishelson from Cold Spring Harbor, New York. He stumbled on the fun run as he was touring the country in an original, stock 1938 Dodge coupe .

The hot rod crowd is also experiencing a era of change. Deuce coupes and hopped up '55 Chevies

were in attendance. However, so were modified and customized 1990 Ford Thunderbirds.

Even the perception of Route 66 continues to evolve. Long ago the highway transcended its original purpose to become an icon like the Statue of Liberty or Mt. Rushmore.
I suppose the lesson, if there is one, to be derived from the fun run is one of encouragement. As long as there are automobiles and gasoline to make them go, as long as there are open roads and historic highways with vestiges of a bygone era, there will be fun runs and similar events.

MORE FROM THE RUN TO FUN ON 66

Under western skies old Route 66 climbs into the Black Mountains, and drops precipitously down the other side to the Colorado River Valley. Before 1953 when this portion of the highway was bypassed it presented a challenge to cars as well as drivers. Little has changed.

In that sense the Fun Run held every May becomes a living time capsule.
I left Kingman early Sunday morning to stake out a good location for watching the cars twist and turn up the steep grades into the mountains. As it turned out I had the pull out at Fish Bowl Springs, a stop for boiling radiators years ago, to myself.

In addition to a front row seat I also had a prime spot for folks stopping to check the view or let their cars cool. The highlight was a gentlemen from Lake Havasu City that stopped with his 1931 Essex Terrapalne two door coach.
After an hour at the springs I drove over the hill and stopped at the bottom of the curve into the old town of Goldroad. This is the sharpest curve found anywhere on Route 66.

Then it was on to Oatman and for the first time saw no burros on the streets. The traffic, lack of parking, throngs of folks all combined to present a peak at what it must have been like when Route 66 was literally the main street of what was then a bustling mining town.

I never tire of the drive on Route 66 through the Black Mountains and often refer to it as one of my top ten most recommended places to cruise. Sunday was no exception.

The highlight of the return trip was in meeting Ned Leuchtner, the visionary owner who has given a new lease on life to Cool Springs, a Route 66 landmark that is the caption photo on this blog and the feature on the cover of my new book. He has truly captured the essence of what made Route 66 an icon.
Now, it is time to focus on the next project as there are but a few months before deadline. As the search begins in earnest for ghost towns of the southwest I will take you along through photos so stay tuned.

FUN RUN '08

*click on photo to enlarge

The intention was to finish out the weekend, compose my thoughts and put together a professional overview of the Route 66 Fun Fun Weekend. Professionalism be damned!

This was hands down the most amazing automotive event I have ever attended. I will take that a step further and say the distance between this event and my next favorite is about the overall length of this rally/block party - 180
miles.

This event has always been interesting as it combines the best of southwestern scenery with the romance of Route 66. This year, however, the truly awe inspiring array of vehicles participating made this one for the record books.

I talked with a young man from Cold Spring Harbor, New York, that was celebrating the completion of college with a road trip that included stops in Key West, Port Arthur, Texas, and San Francisco, California. He was driving an original, mostly unrestored 1938 Dodge coupe!

One vendor sold home made ice cream. The kicker was the churns were being turned by a vintage "make 'n break" engine.

On the drive to Kingman from Seligman I passed a couple of daring senior ladies with big smiles cruising in a 1913 Ford Model T, a couple of elderly gentlemen in a 1912 Cadillac, and a fellow with long beard and overalls piloting the original rat rod - a T model Ford truck with missing front fenders and doors but an original engine clicking off the miles.

Street rods and custom cars ran the gamut from "original" 1950s built deuce coupes to a 1950s Jeep station wagon transformed into a close coupled, eight wheel drive mechanical wonder.
Original, unrestored vehicles were overwhelming in number as well as variety. I saw a 24,000 original mile Studebaker Lark and a 1971 Ford Ranchero with just 9,000 miles on the odometer. However, my favorite in this category had to be a 1952 Ford F-3, sun baked but straight as an arrow, with a mere 42,000 miles on the clock.

If foreign cars are more to your liking there were a wide array of Alfa Romeo products as well as a 1970 Datsun sedan, a herd of VW built vehicles, a couple of Rolls Royce sedans as well as Jags, Triumphs and MGs.

It was definitely rag top weather with temperatures in the mid 80s and they were well represented. There was an original 1948 Pontiac, a 1948 Chrysler, a 1948 Packard, a herd of Corvettes and early T-Birds, Model A Fords and a wide spectrum from the 1960s. In the latter there were several Mercury Comets, a couple of Cougars, a Rambler, a GTO, a Challenger, and a Galaxie.

For those who prefer cars that lean toward the "green" side there were electric cars, hybrids, and even a couple of the new smart cars.

In the morning I will get a head start of the pack so I can catch the cars as they climb into the beautiful Black Mountains. This should be a really exciting morning.

SOMEWHERE SOUTHWEST OF LARAMIE & NORTH OF ROUTE 66

With the high price of fuel Barney is in a state of semi retirement. Still, when there is work to done or adventure to be had Barny is a willing and faithful partner.
Saturday was the first morning the day started without the need for a light jacket. I gave Barney a few minutes to warm up and then backed the old truck to the gate. By the time the sun was cresting over the distant mountains I had the brush and assorted junk that accumulated over the months of winter piled high above the bed sides.
Next came a hearty breakfast of oatmeal with wheat germ and flax seed, toast with a touch of butter and strawberry preserves, and a cup of hot mint tea. After a quick shower, shave, and a hug and smooch from my wife it was off to the office.
On the way I stopped by the rodeo grounds, the site for the city clean up collection point. Trustees from the local jail had Barney emptied in half the time it took me to load it so I made it to the office with ten minutes to spare.
Saturday is a short one so by 12:30, after lunch, we were on the road. I worked in the yard cutting the brush (they were weeds when my wife cut them a few weeks ago) with a hoe and Barney was again put to work.
By 3:30, after a fuel stop, $20.00, we were ready for the next project. This time it was back to the office and moving trailers to the back of the lot.
Supper at five and then it was light duty for Barney. My wife and I made a trip to Walmart for a weeks worth of supplies so the really challenging part for the old truck was to get us back alive, not an easy task with heavy traffic.
The next morning there was church, a quick check of Barney's vitals (oil, water, etc.), and then off into the Cerbat Mountains to experiment with the camera before the Fun Run this coming weekend.
These mountains present the quintessential portrait of an Arizona landscape. As such they give the golf course in Kingman a unique setting.
Since my last trip into this section of the mountains a gate has been added along with paved streets, curbs, and bladed lots. It is times like these that I struggle with depression as some of the finest real estate on Earth is used for growing houses.
After wandering back toward Beale Springs, Johnson Canyon, and a few other favorite spots, it became obvious these to were not longer havens and oases from the urban desert.
So, I wandered back to town, followed the new road along the golf course into the canyons near the old Stockton Hill Road, broke out the camera and the tripod.
These are the results. Barney in all his glory - mud spattered and worn. As you can see this old truck is not in danger of being lost in a crowded parking lot.
Until next week -

THE NAME SAYS IT ALL!

ADIOS APRIL

April is almost over, the bright colors of desert wildflowers are quickly fading, spring has been delightful, and there is a hint of the summer temperatures that are just around the corner. The Laughlin River Run with tens of thousands of Harley Davidson's and other bikes is over, the classic Route 66 Fun Run is on the Horizon.

As to weather, Kingman is a near perfect blend. The winters are relatively mild. Spring and fall are really quite nice but often can be very short. The winds that blow most every day in spring can become tiresome but we don't have tornadoes, earthquakes are relatively rare, and to the best of my knowledge devastating hurricanes have never been a problem.

Summer is my favorite time of year though the temperatures often climb to 110 degrees. Its a dry heat, sort of like the oven.

This is one of many things my wife and I have in common. Another is we stay away from the Colorado River Valley, Phoenix, and Las Vegas during the months of summer. Even a dry roasted nut, a desert rat such as I, have limitations. Traffic, higher temperatures, and humidity don't mix.

My dear wife loves the warm days of summer and even though her car is the only one in the family with air conditioning this an option seldom used. Still, it is asking way to much of her to travel the deserts without it and I will be the first to admit it is really a nice luxury on a trip. Its really great to visit the past but really don't want to live there.

Spring, fall, and winter are the best times for exploring the desert back roads of Arizona as the temperatures are cooler and snakes are of no concern. During summer my explorations are generally confined to the high country.

So, here we sit with summer on one side and April on the other. Two plans are afoot to close out April, welcome summer, and say howdy to the ripe old age of 50.

Plan A would be a trip to Kanab, Utah, and a visit with a dear friend and his wife, a delightful lady Bill met when living in Germany. This would combine a little desert with a little high country.

Plan B seems to be taking the upper hand. This plan includes a quiet drive along Route 66 back roads to Prescott and into the ghost town of Crown King. A new restaurant there, The Mill, has grabbed my interest. An added plus is this is a place I really want to share with my wife, a good idea since there is a plan percolating in my mind about living in Crown King someday.

Next week is the annual Route 66 Fun Run, an event I will be covering for Cars & Parts. My next post may delayed a bit but I promise lots of photos from the event.

A LOOK BACK AT CHANGING TIMES

These photos are from a Buick press kit. As we battle to adjust in a changing world it can be helpful to remember there was a time when the changes were coming even faster and, perhaps, in an even more dramatic fashion.

It is the context and background in these photos that I found of interest. Imagine a time when flight was only a slightly more recent marvel than the automobile.

*click to enlarge photos