Guess who got a HOWDY DOODY UKULELE for Christmas? Thanks Danielle and Jay! Happy New Year everyone!
How We Do The Videos
In this video, I mention that we will take photos of the outside and inside cameras, microphone and camera application then post them separately. I actually added them into the video.
When you are seeing Linda and I in the car, you can see the microphone, with it's wind noise reducer (known in the business as a "dead cat"). And, the audio you hear when you see us, is actually from the camera mounted outside the car. That is the only audio we use. As you will learn in the video, that one audio recording must be synchronized to BOTH video streams. If is wasn't, when Linda and/or I talked, our lips would not match the audio and it would be like an old kung fu movie, or bad lip syncing to a song.
I've become pretty efficient at setting up the roof camera and microphone. Only takes me about 3 minutes and we're good to go. The inside camera takes even less time. But there is one thing you MUST remember to do....start up both cameras....then CLAP! (No, not applaud, just one single CLAP).
I feel blessed to be a geek and to have the technical capability to do this. I really enjoy it and hopefully, it makes it more interesting for you.
BE SURE TO WATCH FOR THE 30' or 40' segment of brick pavement with the Route 66 logo on it. It's in the video and is commented upon.
Oatman Arizona
Well, it's nearly 10:00 p.m. here in Needles. I have one more video I want to post. I'm going to start it and hit the hay. Hopefully, it'll finish all by itself and the laptop will shut down. That's the plan, anyway.
This is a video driving toward and through the town of Oatman, Arizona. A very famous little town. It was named for Olive Oatman, a young girl abducted from her parents by Indians.
It gets more than 500,000 tourists a year and has been location for such films as "How the West Was Won", "Edge of Eternity", "Universal Soldier" and "Foxfire". It has also appeared on many commercials, calendars and historical documentaries.
Wild burros roam freely in Oatman. They are descendants of pack mules turned loose or lost by prospectors.
Seligman Arizona
Originally Seligman was called “Prescott Junction” because it was the railroad stop on the Santa Fe mainline junction with the Prescott and Arizona Central Railway Company feeder line running to Prescott, in the Arizona Territory. The [[Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad]] had reached it in 1882. In 1886 it was renamed Seligman, after Jesse Seligman, one of the founders of J.W. Seligman Co. of New York, who helped finance the railroad lines in the area. The original feeder line to Prescott was replaced in 1891 by the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway with the Santa Fe mainline junction at Ash Fork instead.
Because of its flat land Seligman became a large switching yard consisting of many tracks, and served as a large livestock shipping center for the areas ranchers.
Seligman was on the original U.S. Route 66 from 1926 through 1978, when Interstate 40 bypassed it a couple miles south. Seligman experienced its real heyday after World War II, when returning veterans and other motorists hit the road and made the Southwest a popular tourist destination.
In 1987 Seligman gained its name “Birthplace of Historic Route 66” due to the efforts of Seligman residents, who convinced the State of Arizona to dedicate Route 66 a historic highway. Seligman is the first stop heading west on the longest uninterrupted stretch of historic Route 66, running around 160 miles to Topock on the east side of the Colorado River.
Padre Canyon Bridge
I really wanted to photograph the old 1914 concrete bridge which spans the Padre Canyon just east of Winona, AZ. Saw it in the guidebook we use. It's written by Jerry McClanahan.
Jerry strongly advises against this side trip and ensure the reader that it is not to be undertaken by the casual tourist. The road is "very rough". There is a "cattle guard from hell" toward the end of the 7.5 mile (one-way) journey.
Well, we've seen some of Jerry's cautions before and went on the journeys anyway. They were pretty much all overstate in terms of difficulty. But then, the Two Old Buzzards aren't casual tourists. So, I programmed coordinates along the old road into the GPS and off we went.
The first six miles or so were pretty decent. It was mostly old pavement that suffered from potholes that were not very deep. As you will see in the video, when we left the pavement things changed a bit. So, did we make it, or did we didn't??? Watch and find out!
Standin' on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona
When we got to "the corner" in Winslow, there was a group of people (appeared to be associated with motorcycles) setting up to take a group photo with the well known statue. This whole thing was brought about by the Eagles 1972 hit, "Take it Easy", which was written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey.
I had been snapping shots, and thought... Hmmm, I'll turn on the video for this......
I spoke with one of the riders. Most of them are from the UK. When I asked, "So, you folks tour on motorcycles?", I was immediately corrected. His reply, "Only Harley's". So far, they have been through California, including Death Valley and expect to ride about 2,000 miles before going home. - John
Pony Bridge and a Bit of Lava
West of McCartys, NM is a little pony bridge on Route 66. Just past the bridge are some lava fields. We saw more lava along the regular Route 66 Route than on this little side trip, but it was fun anyway.
Route 66 Laguna Pueblo
While there was quite a bit of Interstate today (boo!), both in New Mexico and Arizona. West of Albuquerque is an old patch of Route 66 that goes through the Laguna Pueblo Reservation lands. Most of the pavement is still there, but there a loads of potholes.
Along the way are two bridges. The railing posts on the bridges look to be 4x4's and the are old and look pretty rotted.
There are some cliffs in the distance on the left and right as we drive along. Toward the end, there is some nice, red New Mexico dirt.
Driving the Cuervo Cutoff
After the preamble below, here is the video shot along part of the journey. The first segment is toward the early part of the cutoff. The second segment is toward the end when we finished the Cuervo Cutoff and got to pavement, Hwy 156, heading for Santa Rosa.
WIndmill on the Prairie
This very short video effectively demonstrates why farmers and ranchers out on the plains generally did not install the windmill near their house.
Glenrio to San Jon Dirt Route 66
Glenrio to San Jon, NM - 1930 to 1952 alignment.
Extending from the Texas border at Glenrio to two miles east of San Jon, this 14.6 mile segment of Route 66 runs almost two miles south of Interstate 40 through the sites of the early homestead towns that lined the now abandoned Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. This departure from the interstate enhances the feeling of cross-country travel in rural eastern New Mexico, especially with the vistas across the slightly rolling semi-arid rangeland, the barbed wire fencing paralleling the road, and the remains of the railroad grade with its wood trestle bridges.
The cross sections of the early roadbed and the bridges remain largely unaltered. When the road was turned over to Quay County, it was given a gravel surface that enhanced its historic feeling and recalled the era of Route 66 that preceded its paving in the 1930s. This segment served as Route 66 until 1952.
Jericho Gap
Well, we wanted to see how far we could get into Jericho Gap from the east end which is just west of Alanreed, TX. Watch the video and you'll see the great progress the Two Old Buzzards and Fannie Mae (and Ponty) made toward this objective.
Oh, and in the video we mentioned that we would be going to the west end of the Jericho Gap as well and shoot some video there. We decided not to do that.
Old Dirt Route 66 Near McLean TX
We spotted this one in the guide book and decided to take it if there was no recent rain. There wasn't. This is all dirt. It is the pre-1932 Route 66. The road is dirt, sand and gravel, It goes from McLean, TX to Alanreed, TX and is about 8 miles long. You could do it with just the guide book map, but I promise that having a GPS unit with up-to-date US maps is a valuable tool and provider of assurance.
It was a really great ride and we will take you on just a short piece of it. You will be able to see just how straight this old road is and get an idea of the generally flat terrain in the Texas panhandle.
Hope you enjoy the ride along! - John
Gnarly Route 66 Alignment
We were driving along Route 66 west out of Sayre, OK. I kept looking over to my right and say really old roadway in deep shadows among trees. After a while, it became clear that this was a really old Route 66 alignment buried back there. Then, when I saw crossroads, I would see signs and barricades blocking access to the old road.
Finally, I saw a grass covered asphalt turn off to the right. Was lucky to have seen it. We turned right onto it and drove back to the old alignment.
East of where we were, the alignment was literally covered in low hanging trees. But, west of where we were promised some possibilities for at least a short drive.
Sorry it didn't show up on the video, but soon after we started, a roadrunner dashed of the left side of the old road. - John
More than one way to skin a cat....
One of the lovely sounds we get to hear as we travel along many parts of old Route 66 is the road noise. I wanted to find a way to share a bit of that sound with you. Hopefully, it will bring back memories of being on the road in times past. It certainly did for me.
Couldn't think of a way to just "give" you the sound. My solution was to incorporate that sound (recorded for me by my darling wife ....Buzzard #1) along with a few images from today's adventure into a video slide show. That let's me add audio tracks. Problem solved.
See what you think and let me know if you like it or not.
A Visit to the Site of the Key Bridge
Near Bridgeport, OK, a suspension bridge spanned the South Canadian River beginning in 1921. This structure, called the Key Bridge, carried Route 66 traffic until 1933, when the Pony Bridge was built to the southeast (We will post photos of the pony bridge). Only the pillars of the bridge remain on the river bank. Getting to the ruins requires traveling a 4.3-mile dirt or gravel road that shouldn’t be attempted after a rain unless you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle. This road that carried Route 66 was never paved – and still isn’t.
Three Miles of the Ozark Trail
This video is of a 3-mile segment of the Ozark Trail. What is the Ozark Trial? Glad you asked!
The Ozark Trail was a network of locally maintained roads and highways organized by the Ozark Trails Association that predated the United States federal highway system. The roads ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to El Paso, Texas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, over a series of routes. These roads were maintained by both private citizens and local communities. In one case, however, the US government was directly involved; it built the Ozark Trail Bridge in 1925 over the South Canadian River between Newcastle, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City, as the first federal highway project built in Oklahoma. Note that the bridge near Sapulpa, OK in this video was built in 1921. In 1926, it and the trail became part of Route 66.
Bicyclists Ride Across the Gasconade Bridge
So, I mentioned earlier my suggestion to two bicyclists that they lift their bikes over the barrier and ride across the old Gasconade Bridge.
At that point, Linda and I left them about two miles from the bridge, got on the interstate, drove to the next exit and decided, heck, we'll go over to Route 66 and head back toward the Gasconade Bridge to see it from the other end. Maybe we'll see the bikers across the bridge.
Sure enough, when we got to the bridge, there at the other end were the two bicyclists lifting their bikes over the barrier. Soon they were headed our way. Linda walked out into the middle of the bridge to shoot some photos of it from a different perspective (to be posted later) and was there to greet the bicyclists at mid-bridge.
I switched my camera over to video and started shooting. Here are the two fellows riding across the Gasconade Bridge.
Save the Gasconade Bridge
I've known about the Gasconade Bridge (over the Gasconade River) closing since before we started our adventure. This is a beautiful old steel truss bridge. The Missouri Department Of Transportation would like to replace it. People who love Route 66 would like for it to be repaired and re-opened.
And, in fact there is a petition at this terribly long URL that you can sign to help keep the bridge fro being replaced.
https://www.change.org/p/missouri-department-of-transportation-repair-restore-and-maintain-the-gasconade-river-bridge-on-historic-route-66-at-hazelgreen-missouri?source_location=update_footer&algorithm=promoted
The Route 66 highway signs now divert you from this section of Route 66 onto the interstate to the next exit, thus bypassing the bridge. If you aren't aware of what's happening, you can miss this great old bridge. Fortunately, we were able to find it, shoot this video and take some photographs. The photos will be put in a later post (have to process them, AND some were take from Route 66 at the other end of the bridge (we took the interstate bypass, then drove back from the other end.) There is another story there as well about two bicyclists whom we met as we were leaving from taking this video. We saw them studying their maps and told them if they wanted to see the bridge, it was about two miles further down the road. I suggested they could lift their bicycles over the barrier and ride across the bridge. See what happens later......
