How do you say good-bye to a trip of a lifetime? From Pittsburgh to Chicago – from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA on Route 66 – and finally from Santa Monica to Seattle up the Coast on Route 1/101. What a great and beautiful country we live in!! Thanks for allowing us to share our dream with all of you and thanks to those who have and are continuing to contribute to KidsVoice.

It is with great sadness that we end our blogging adventures – but who knows? –there are more roads and states to conquer in the future!!! Van and John are on their way back via plane and Jere and Sharon will be retuning via other bi-ways and highways in the Corvette. Gyngr met me here and we’ll be flying back on Thursday.

Here is the last pictures of the Gang saying a good-bye from Seattle:

John, Van, Carnie, Merle and Jere

The Sights in Seattle

The City

The Market Salmon

The First Starbucks!!

The Locks

May God bless all of you and may You live your dreams on the road.

Merle

P.S. Carnie says he is available if anyone wants to take him on another excursion. He’s just loves traveling and meeting new people.

Another extra special thanks to UPMC Health Plan for their generous support and gift to KidsVoice.

An extra special thanks to WESCO International, Inc. and the WESCO International Charitable Foundation for their generous support and gift to KidsVoice.

Special thanks to these Individual Contributors to KidsVoice for Kicks for the Kids:

• Anonymous
• James and Noel Browne
• Curtis Pickett
• Dana L. Rattenbury
• Laura R. King and Richard Charles King
• Stephen M. Plung Memorial Philanthropic Fund, Louis Plung and Don Plung of Louis Plung & Company
• L.Scott and Roberta Neely
• Carole Lyon-Orr
• Carol Ziss
• Linda and Alan Komm
• Richard and Susan Herchenroether
• Constance Mockenhaupt
• Maureen and Richard Ackerman
• Frederick H. Bentzel, Jr.
• J. Richard Lauver
• Richard and Susan Klixbull
• Denice Allan

Plus all of our State Sponsors:

• Dave Thomas - Missouri
• Scott Wolfe - Indiana
• Buck, Kathy, Valerie & Katie Colbert - Illinois
• Eric Cowden & Joe Boone - California
• Jon, Margot, & Tim Minor - Kansas
• Ann Myers - Arizona

And to all of our Corporate Sponsors!

Being from Western Pennsylvania, and avid football fans we were going through withdrawal because of the lack of sports viewing on the trip. So the natural thing for men to do was to take in a Friday Night High School football game. We landed in the town of Warrenton, Oregon to watch the Warrenton Warriors play Portland Christian Academy. What a nostalgic time it was as Portland seemed to have the upper hand in talent and size. You don’t believe me do you?? Well take a look:

The Scoreboard

The Stands

The Game

The Food - Sausage, onions, potatoes, carrots, and other? All boiled together to make garbage can stew. (Jere and Van ate some!!)

And The People!!

Meet Brandon Stallsworth, a senior at Warrenton H.S. and DeeJ Hardwick- who is home-schooled and will be off to college soon . What a delightful couple - Brandon’s dad is the Chief of Police and involved in various businesses. Brandon works for his dad between being a student.

We wish both of them the best of luck living the life in Warrenton, Oregon.

Oh Yeah, unfortunately Warrenton lost 35-7 but put up a great fight.

With our hunger for sports satisfied, we said good-bye to Warrenton and headed north toward Seattle.

Still traveling the coast - and seeing Oregon. The most exciting spectacle was the Sea Lion Caves near Florence, Oregon. The shaft to the cave extends 208 feet down into the world’s largest and most spectacular sea cave. Our trek only encountered one sea lion perched on a rock. The others were playing in the Pacific. Here is a scene before entering the cave:

Another scene that is probably the most taken lighthouse photo is that of the Heceta Head Lighthouse. Pictured on the horizon from the Sea Lion Cave.

Onward and outward we progressed to Warrenton High School for a FOOTBALL Game!!!l.

After the game we traveled on up the road and stayed the night at Astoria, Oregon - site of the filming of the movie "Goonies".

ALMOST there!
The Boys

Meet John and Pat Morris from Topok, Arizona. They climbed into their motor home and headed to the coast June 3rd and now are going South on the Coastal shore. John says they may not leave this spot for a few days because they enjoyed waking up in the mornings to spot whales and seals. The couple aren’t returning home until October.

And here’s why they want to stay.

Carnie tried to hide inside their trailer but we spied him going in the back and whisked him away. Bye John and Pat, hope you have a great trip loving retirement

Each day all I can say is WOW as we continue to go up the coast of California. Here is Carnie as he mimics a huge WOW overlooking the ocean in Northern California.

Here are some more spectacular scenes!

One of our favorite places was Tomales, CA. Tomales is located on Route 1 North of San Francisco. Population is 210 and the area looks similar to PA with dairy and sheep farms. Tomales itself has a general store, bakery, cafe, post office, hotel and a Catholic and Presbyterian Church. The General Store manager told us that the Baptists tried but failed to gain roots in the town (sounded like they either got tossed out or ignored - not sure which). We all decided that if we were to live in California that this would be the place.

By the way - Did you notice the manly man metallic red car besides ours? We found that the PT Cruiser is quite the fashion in sunny California!! Matter of fact we saw many more of these than Mustangs. We feel that we’re really part of the "in crowd" with our wheels.

If we thought the sea coast was awesome, the Redwoods were another wonderful treat!! It’s mind boggling that trees can exist this large and be hundreds of years old.

We took many pictures of them thar wonders.

The Manly Man car making it through the tree.

Below is Carnie in Myers Flats, CA meeting with the redwood residents.

Carnie’s greatest privilege was to meet the legendary Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. They have always been big heroes to him. Here they are at Klamath, CA greeting visitors at the Redwood State Park and museum.

We continue up the coast to witness its splendor. Hope you enjoyed sharing this part of the trip with us!

Merle

Haven’t been able to get to an internet connection and trying to catch up on our blogging. Started Day 14 by heading toward San Francisco. Carnie was so tuckered-out from the Route 66 adventure that he called it a night early as we toured the city. Got great rooms at The Opal San Francisco in downtown. Yes, we did see all the typical tourist locations in the city. Hmmm… where do we start? Well how about the streets of the city. Here are some shots:

The Streets

Of course, no trip to San Francisco is complete without riding the Trolley!! Makes you want to sing "Rice-a-roni - the San Francisco Treat".

And there is Fisherman’s Wharf!!

With Shops and Eateries

The Boats

And of course the famous Alcatraz - I wouldn’t let the boys get too close for fear they would have a long stay!

And finally Chinatown with a great meal and indigestion.

I certainly can understand why people fall in love with this city. It has great sights, food, weather and a diversity of people and cultures.

All of us had a long day but Carnie is well rested and ready to hit the road tomorrow further up the coast.

Merle

Merle’s had a hard time finding a good internet connection (and we thought the whole world had gone wireless by now). He’ll be back to show some more pictures of the trip soon. He’s been photographing everything:

Rare behind the scenes!

Ann Myers wrote:

I will take Arizona! I’ve enjoyed reading about your trip. It looks like you’ve had a wonderful time. I can’t help but comment that your car, Merle, must have been the cutest thing in Carburetor County!

Another state claimed for KidsVoice!!!

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Thanks, Ann!

That leaves Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico to go. Who’ll step up next?

Jon and Margot Minor wrote:

We want the corner of Kansas! The only section we missed while driving from Irwin to San Diego to deliver our son to a US Navy ship.

Another state claimed for KidsVoice!!! Kansas goes to Jon, Margot, and Tim (currently deployed on a destroyer to the Persian Gulf) Minor.

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Thanks, Jon, Margot and Tim!

That leaves Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to go. Who’ll step up next?

p.s. Remember to keep Tim and all of our military men and women in your thoughts and prayers!

Meet Carmela and Ralph from Long Island, New York. Both are designers. Ralph designs furniture and Carmela is an interior designer. Ralph was in California to pick up a 1972 truck. Unfortunately there were things wrong about the purchase and Ralph decided against it. This was kinda sad because Carmela and Ralph expected to return with the vehicle via Route 66 (small world isn’t it?).

Carnie exchanged business cards with the couple and wished them luck on their travels.

One is such a simple primary number and very basic to the language of math. It’s not as complex as the number 66 which is larger and carries with it dividers of 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 22, 33, and 66. And that’s the way it is with Route numbers 1 and 66. While 66 has it’s history and nostalgia, Route 1 has it’s shear natural beauty, class and elegance. Both roads are great in their own way and it’s difficult to choose between the two stretches of asphalt and concrete. What I really like about Route 1 and 101 is that life is simple when it comes to following the Routes. The numbers are easy to recognize and memorize; and you can’t get lost if you always keep the ocean to your left!!

We began our journey up the coast and stopped at the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. It was built by the newspaper czar William Randolph Hearst. If you look closely you can see the Castle perched high on the hill.

Here’s a closer look.

Needless to say, the Castle was beautiful and you could only imagine what it would have been like being with the frequent guests of Clark Gable, Carol Lombard, Charlie Chaplain, Bob Hope, and Marion Davies (Hearst’s Mistress).

The Pool

The Dining Room

We continued our adventure up Route 1 and were entertained by the pretty scary curves up and down the coastal mountains.

The coast is beginning to be all that I expected and more. As we head toward San Francisco let me leave you with this visual - the sunset at Monterey Bay.

Mere, Jere, Van and John could almost hear The Beach Boys singing as they followed the beaches on their excursion and looked down on the Big Sur.

Life is Good! Wish you all were here.

Carnie welcomes you to Bubba Gumps at the Pier in Santa Monica, CA.

Meet Taylor Roof from Santa Barbara. Taylor was our waitress and attends Santa Monica College. She is studying cosmetology and hopes to become a cosmetologist some day.

Here is Collin - he came over to talk to Carnie and discuss our trip. He said he will be commenting on the blog in the next few days.

Carnie couln’t pass up the beach and talking to some children who instantly took a liking to him. Yes, that’s Van sneaking into the picture in the bckground.

Going on up the coast to meet new friends.

We made It!! The unofficial end of Route 66 is the Santa Monica Pier. The traffic on the freeway is somewhat challenging and unfortunately we missed some sights along the way. But here we are at the finish line!!

We all rushed to the beach to get our feet wet.

The Pier was beautiful, sunny and a cool 78 degrees (better than the desert!). Here are a few pictures of the skyline and attractions.

I am sure that you may not believe that we are finally in LA but here is additional proof with a shot of the city and Santa Monica Blvd.

Now it’s off to Seattle on Route 1 and Route 101.

There’s a little bit of sadness leaving the Mother Road with its old gas stations and cafes - the remembrance of the days when life was slower and there was adventure to hit the open highways; the excitement of exploration and heading to the new world on the coast. I’ll miss ya Mom Road - thanks for giving back to me the ghosts of the past and helping me live the dream.

The Mother Road

Merle

Meet a real Saint - Lou Kertesz. Lou was the star running back for Avella High School in 1965 and played with both Jere and John. What a great reunion - all us 60 year olds!! Why is Lou a Saint? Because he took us out of the desert and nursed us back to health. As you can see, Carnie took to Lou instantly especially after he was fed a rare juicy steak.

Lou asked us to make ourselves at home and Carnie, Jere and Merle quickly helped themselves to the pool.

The Pool

The Backstroke

The Float

The Sun Bathers

Sadly, it was time to go and we found it very hard to pull Carnie away from Lou and the Pool. I think this type of life with a pool and fresh meat every day really appealed to Carnie.

So with tears in our eyes the Boys and Carnie said a last good-bye to Lou and headed back to the Mother Road to brave the freeway traffic of LA.

Thanks Lou - You are the best!

California here we are!! Woke up in Ludlow and headed west.

Ludlow is in the middle of the desert with one motel, one diner and one gas station. In both directions is desert. Here is Carnie in front of a mining car since mining was prevalent in this area at one time.

As we headed west we finally got to civilization on Route 66 - the town of Barstow, CA. What a find!! When we arrived in Barstow a section of Route 66 was closed because of an oldies car show.

Please check out our car album of the show!!!

Not to be outdone, Jere decided to enter his 1987 Corvette in the contest. What an exciting hoot!

After this picture, we headed on our way - not sure if Jere won or not!

One of the neatest sites was the California Route 66 Museum with various articles from the ’50s. Here is a typical food booth that you would encounter at a soda joint back then.

What’s interesting is that we continued on to the Summit Inn Cafe which had the same booths from that era. Besides Buffalo and Ostrich Burgers, the cafe also had lots of cool stuff to view.

At this point we decided to take a detour to visit Lou Kertesz in Sun City who is a good buddy of both Jere and John. Lou was the perfect host and gave us a perfect respite complete with grilled steaks.

Time to Go the steaks are waiting!!
Merle

In every trip there is that one special moment that warms the heart of a traveler. This special moment took place at the Grand Canyon Caverns in Arizona. As many of you know, Carnie is an orphan. He was separated from his folks years ago when they went off to search for food and never returned. But alas the story did not end there. After years of Looking for Carnie, a distraught Mom and Pop went off to Arizona to be with family. You can just imagine the tears of excitement when Carnie met Dad who was a tour Guide at the Caverns!! What a wonderful reunion – We snapped this picture as Dad swooped down, picked him up and cradled Carnie in his arm.

Makes a fellow go FerKlemped!

Reporting from the road.
Merle

Today is the day to cross Arizona and enter into the desert. We expected hot weather but not this hot!! We saw the temperature peak at 112 degrees.

In Seligman, AZ we experienced famous Snow Cap with it’s gag signs (the Dead Chicken sign is a classic) and many Route 66 memories including customized old vehicles.

Traveling the Oatman Road, we encountered an amazing range of black colored mountains no wonder they call these the Black Mountains. Here are some pictures of the skyline:

The more we traversed the switchbacks toward Oatman the hotter it got. Here is Carnie taking a break under a cactus.

After traveling many switchbacks, out of nowhere appeared Oatman, AZ, a quaint old authentic western mining town with wild burros meandering the streets. We were told that the burros run wild in these mountains and that it is not uncommon for them to run out on the road like the deer in Pennsylvania.

Oatman, Arizona

They have reenactments of gunfights here and the rumors are that Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned at the Oatman Hotel on March 18, 1939.

After Oatman we decided to end our sightseeing and make up some time on the open road. California here we come!!

Night all!
The Boys

Carnie made friends with many people from other countries on our trip. Here are Michael and Sabrine from Amsterdam, Holland who decided to come to America and see the natural wonders it has to offer. Michael works for the planning department of BMW and Sabrine is an Account Manager for a Psychiatry practice. They have many other sights to see in the USA like Las Vegas, Death Valley, Phoenix, Sadona, and Los Angeles. We wish them the best in their travels.

Carnie isn’t the only one that can strike up a conversation with total strangers. In Williams, Arizona (south of the Grand Canyon). Van and Merle had a wonderful conversation with Doreen and Ian Scobbie from Stenhousemuir, Central Region, Scotland near Edinborough. Van and I shared our trip with them and the Scoobies shared their wit and charm.

Thought I’d say one more thank you to our many contributors both corporate and individuals. We appreciate your support and being part of our trip across Route 66 and Route 1 to Seattle to benefit KidsVoice.

As you know Hartford gave us a blow up Hartford Stag to take along on the trip. Jere turned blue and almost passed out from lack of oxygen every time he tried to blow it up. In Texas we took a picture of a stag’s head at the Big Texan steak house as a substitute. But Look Here -Got this shot in the Grand Canyon— not the best pose but it is a real live Elk Stag!!!

If you would like to contribute to Kidsvoice. Send checks payable to KidsVoice at the following address:

700 Frick Building
437 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Please mark your payments "Route 66."

All contributions are tax deductible

You are Appreciated!!

Today is a no travel day!! This is a rest day for all of us as we trudged up to the "Big Ditch" better known as the Grand Canyon. I’m personally taking a bloggers rest and will let these pictures speak for themselves.

And finally to show that John Stolze was there!

It was a grand day of rest that ended in Williams, Arizona which is a Route 66 Mecca with cafes, night clubs, steak houses and lots of Mother Road memorabilia and souvenirs.

So ends the day at the ditch – time to walk the streets of Williams and enjoy its ambiance and then to bed.

Merle

Another Biker for Carnie to to talk to!! Meet Chappy – a retired Army Chaplain who we met in New Mexico. Chappy has a great story to tell starting with being in the Marines for years and later hearing God’s call to be a pastor and then a Chaplain. He is now retired and loves to tour the USA on his motorcycle. He is a resident of Morro Bay, California. Carnie was sad to see Chappy go and wanted to ride the open road with him.

Chappy, Carnie and Van

Carnie caught this picture of Tony painting the inside of one of the Wigwams at the Wigwam Village in Holbrook, Arizona. The inside of these Wigwams were more roomy than you would think!! Tony has worked here for many years and before that worked for the Whitings who owned many of the motels and gas stations in this area on the Mother Road.

Just two more people Carnie met on the open road!!

As we headed West through New Mexico and Arizona, we either found less of the Mother Road to travel or discovered that 66 directly paralleled the main Interstates. This was good news and bad news. It was bad news because we drove less of the Mother Road but good news because we made up a lot of time to keep with our schedule. The skyline of New Mexico is beautiful and dotted with many Buttes (a butte is an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top) and Mesas. Here are a few pictures we took from Albuquerque to Gallup:

We then entered into the Grand Canyon or Copper State of Arizona.

Carnie discovered a really cool place in Holbrook, Arizona and that’s the well known Wigwam Village Motel. We all fell in love with the place which still rents out the Wigwams (matter of fact they are fully booked every day!) Check this out below!!!

Also check out Carnie and the boys!!

You’ve never lived until you visit the Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Joseph City. The "Here it Is" sign is the most famous billboard of all Route 66.

Besides that, the Place is fun if you like riding rabbits. Here is Jere on the Bronco Bunny hoping not to be tossed off.

Carnie loving a challenge and not wanting to be out done takes his turn at the reins. He beats Jere by an extra 30 second!!!

As a note the Flagstaff Route 66 loop should not be missed. We passed through the San Francisco Peaks and found a temperature difference of 10 degrees.

Well tomorrow we’re off to see the "Big Ditch" better known as the "Grand Canyon."

Til then God Bless,
Merle

Carnie found that it really is a very small world as he met two men from Pittsburgh when we were leaving Amarillo, Texas in the morning. Being a biker himself, Carnie asked for a picture. The bikers were John Collins from Homestead and Jim Simon from Forest Hills. Both men were out west traveling the mountains and looking for wild life. They showed Carnie pictures of Elk and other wild game they encountered.

Here is Fran Houser, owner of the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas She instantly took a liking to Carnie. The cartoon Character Flo from "Cars" was patterned after her. Because of Fran’s fame from "Cars", Carnie got an autograph. He hasn’t stopped talking about it since!!

People who travel the Mother Road aren’t just from America. Carnie talked to a few from other nations. Here are Andrea Vonlonthen and Thomas Corpataux from Fribourg, Switzerland!

Carnie continues to jabber away at everyone he meets. But that’s Carnie on the Road.

Left Amarillo early to head west and shortly thereafter we stopped at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian Texas. Yes !!! That’s right we hit the midway point in Adrian, Texas. Exactly 1139 miles from Chicago and 1139 to get to the end in LA. Of course this did not count the 470 or more miles from Pittsburgh to Chicago. But we all celebrated our feat of being halfway there to the end of Route 66.

When we first got to the Midpoint Cafe Fran Houser was frantically getting out of her car to open the Cafe. A couple from Switzerland was also there eagerly awaiting the opening of the place. Midpoint has some notoriety by having its owner and waitresses become character’s in the Pixar film "Cars." Fran is the owner of the Midpoint and may have been the pattern for the character Flo. We had some coconut cream pie and coffee and were prepared for the day of motoring ahead of us.

Then it was off to New Mexico for the next leg of our trip.

In New Mexico we passed by San Jon and got these shots of the scenery from bygone days.

Pixar also may have used Tucumcari as the model for Radiator Springs. Here is a picture of Tucumcari Mountain.

We saw very few churches of the past but came across this one in Newkirk and just had to take a picture.

One town that looked very interesting was Sante Fe. Getting there was a beautiful excursion through the Sata Fe Trail. Here are some pictures of the older downtown area.

So ends the day as we enter into Albuquerque for a long awaited and needed rest.

Good Night All!
Merle

Eric Cowden & Joe Boone write:

Millennium Machine will take California if it is still available.

Another state claimed for KidsVoice!!!

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Thanks, Eric and Joe!

That leaves Kansas (the corner), Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to go. Who’ll step up next?

Kathy Colbert says:

If Illinois is still available….we want it…Buck, Kathy, Valerie & Katie Colbert. Google says it was about 150 miles. We’ve been reading everyday….have the time of your lives guys!!

Another state claimed for KidsVoice!!!

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Thanks, Colbert Family!

That leaves Kansas (the corner), Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to go. Who’ll step up next?

A special hello to Julie Ackerman’s 4th grade class at Dayton Oaks Elementary in Howard County, Maryland. Hope you are enjoying the adventures of four old men and a crazy dinosaur. Maybe Carnie can visit when we finish our trip on Route 66?

Well it’s off thru New Mexico and then Arizona.

God Bless

Merle, Jere, Van, John and, of course, Carnie

Carnie is having so much fun just being himself and talking to the plain folk. Here at Lucilles in Hydro, Ok.,he talks to a family waiting for their breakfast of eggs and grits.

Carnie especially liked the company at the Big Texan and after having some red meat took a liking to the waitress. Here is Bethany Wilcox from Amarillo,Texas. Bethany is 23 years old and has a beautiful five month old girl named Syra. Her aspirations are to get her college degree and possibly become a teacher. She also would like to travel. Carnie appreciates those with goals and aspirations - he says it’s what makes America so great!!

Stayed in El Reno and headed west and once again found a place to eat breakfast. Cafes and gas stations are main staples for the trip. This is Lucille’s Cafe in Hydro Oklahoma. As you can see its fairly new with Route 66 decor. Old Lucille’s was a fixture on Route 66 since 1941 is located a little distance away. Lucille is gone now but her name remains as a Mother Road ghost of the past.

Our next stop took us to the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Ok. The Museum covered the Mother Road in all eight states and even had an old town museum complex complete with reproduced buildings and an elaborate display of farm equipment. We quickly lost Van and John for a long period as they ignored all the exhibits and spent time looking at all the farm implements and equipment.

Church at Route 66 Museum

Across the west you’ll find these windmill contraptions which use wind power to pump water into watering toughs for the cattle. Here is an actual operating one that we saw along the road.

Then we entered Texas which the second shortest span (next to Kansas) of Route 66 across the top of the state.

If you want to see art deco at it’s finest then drop in to the U Drop Inn in Texola, OK which was built in 1936.

When we started to approach Groom, Texas there were two things that could be seen on the horizon. One was a crazy leaning tower that reminded you of the leaning tower of Pisa and the other was the appearance of a large cross. The leaning object was a water tower which Carnie thought was a hoot.

The second structure that jutted out of the skyline was the 190 foot "Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ," built in 1995. The place is pretty amazing with statues surrounding the cross depicting the "Stations of the Cross."

Now for fine Texan eating you can’t go through Texas without stopping at the "Big Texan" restaurant in Amarillo, Texas. If you eat their 72 oz special with all the trimmings in one hour - you get it free!! This was a deal that Van wanted to try but the side dishes discouraged him from taking the challenge.

Carnie almost took the challenge but he wanted to spend time meeting people (although he did put away a small ‘T-Bone steak).

Our last stop of the day took us right outside of Amarillo to see some planted Cadillacs. Yes , I said planted Cadillac in Cadillac Ranch.

So ends another long day but with steak in our stomachs and a good night’s sleep we’ll be ready for the next leg of our trip on the Mother Road.

Happy Trails,
Merle

Scott Wolfe says:

I’d like to sponsor one of the states, as well. Indiana is 140 miles wide….count me in!!

Another state claimed for KidsVoice!!!

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Thanks, Scott!

That leaves Kansas (the corner), Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to go. Who’ll step up next?

Dave Thomas, our friend in Pittsburgh had a great idea and challenge:

Hi guys,

Great fun reading about your trip! Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle and hearing all the back stories that won’t make the blog.

Great cause also – one I am happy to support. I challenge other CEBS to “pay for a state.” 30 cents a mile sounds about right.

Google tells me Missouri is about 250 miles across. I’ll pay for MO. That leaves OH, IN and IL yet to be claimed, and others on the way. Let’s go everyone!

Safe journeys,

Dave Thomas – Pittsburgh

Dave challenged CEBS members to donate to KidsVoice, but we’re extending the challenge out to everyone else.

Here’s what Dave gets:

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Thanks, Dave!

A special thanks to The Hartford for their donation to KidsVoice. They gave us an extra special inflatable stags head to be a good luck charm on the road. Jere turned blue trying to blow it up.

We found the real thing, though:

Striking resemblance, no?

Meet Laurel Kane – another of Carnie’s friends. Check out his Doo-Rag!!! Laurel works at the Afton Station Museum in Afton, Oklahoma, where they have some fantastic restored Packard automobiles. It’s a very small world – we found out that Laurel lived in Mt. Lebanon in Pittsburgh for one year! She currently makes her residence in Tulsa and works at the station on Sundays.

You know Carnie loves movies and certainly one of his favorites is Pixar’s "Cars." Since he loves both food and movies, it was not hard for him to strike up a conversation with Scotty at the Rock Cafe. He was hoping to find Dawn Welsh the owner from whom Sally the Porsche was patterned in the cartoon "Cars." Scott is a fifteen-year-old Freshman and has been working at the Cafe for two years. His mother is the Cafe’s Manager. He secretly shared his nickname with Carnie which is "Scotty So Hotty." Best of luck Scott in all that you do in the future!!!

Getting lost a lot less because of a great travel guide/map called "EZ66 Guide for Travelers." Thanks to this guide we’re seeing more of the Road and doing less back tracking. Today we hit a little of Kansas (about 13 miles) and headed toward Oklahoma. Note the gas and train stations in Galena.

We went to church at the Trinity Southern Baptist Church in Afton Oklahoma and met some great people. In Afton is another old train station that houses an amazing collection of restored Packards. The cars were beautiful and parade ready. Laurel Kane welcomed us at the visitors center.

From Afton we were off to the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore , Oklahoma. What a fantastic place with film clips and artifacts belonging to the famous humorist. Will Rogers once said "I never knew a man I didn’t like." He must run with a different crowd than most of us!! In any event, the Museum was impressive and should be in your list of places to visit.

After the Will Rogers Museum we headed off to find the Rock Cafe in Stroud, OK, where Dawn Welch is the owner. It was Dawn who they patterned the character Sally the Porcshe in the movie "Cars." We did find the restaurant but unfortunately Dawn wasn’t there. But we had a great chat with Scotty who served us. Here is the Cafe:

This car sort of looks like our PT Manly Man Cruiser!! From here we will be off to Texas.

Hey –here’s a special Quiz –In what town was Mickey Mantle born?

A huge thanks to Ron over at Route 66 News. He saw our article in the Post-Gazette and gave us and KidsVoice a special shout-out.

Funny because I was just about to write Ron a quick email to tell him how helpful his site was to the guys when they were planning their trip. They especially loved this special Route 66 Guide to the “Cars” movie. I know the guys hope to meet a lot of the people mentioned in the guide!

Thanks again Ron! Go read his blog.

We visited the Trinity Southern Baptist Church in Afton, Oklahoma. Such a great friendly group of parishioners, we felt very welcomed. It was Pastor Gerald’s last day as Interim Pastor as the church welcomed his replacement Pastor David.

The message was from Joshua Chapter 1 – time to live on the promise of God and take the land. We’re all challenged to recast our vision for the church and ourselves and take the land according to HIS purpose.

We Love Yunz Guys Trinity!!! May God Bless you richly!!

We would like to thank all of our contributors to KidsVoice.

Thanks go out to Hartford Insurance Company one of our Corporate contributors from the Gemini Giant. Note Jere and Merle with the Hartford Stag.

If you would like to contribute to Kidsvoice. Send checks payable to KidsVoice at the following address:

700 Frick Building
437 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Please mark your payments "Route 66."

All contributions are tax deductible

You are Appreciated!!

The Sweetwater BBQ at St. Roberts, Missouri was a great place to eat. Since Carnie appreciates good cooking so much he wanted his picture taken with Shelton Clark the consumate cook of Sweetwater with his specialty – delicious BBQ Ribs –MMMMMMMMMMMM

Another one of Carnie’s favorites was Gary Hunter who rebuilt a Sinclair filling station. I think because Gary reminded Carnie of himself – friendly,helpful,and quite the conversationalist. Gary showed us maps, gave us magazines, provided cards and told of hidden site along the mother Road. You know, the world needs more people like Gary who give of their time without expecting anything in return. That’s what happens when you fall in love with the Mother Road.

Carnie never ceases to amaze me with his knack to meet new and interesting people.

Today we virtually zig-zagged the state of Missouri which was very unintentional. What do you get when you put four directionally impaired old men on a trip together? —LOST!!! Nobody ever told us that the Mother Road dead-ended occasionally. Arlington was the result of one of those dead-end trips. Maybe the bad news was good news because we had an opportunity to see one of those ghost towns that was cut-off from highway traffic due to construction and rerouting of the Road.

Arlington, Missouri

But you know what we do when stressed –EAT. Here is the Sweetwater BBQ Yes - pulled pork, ribs cole slaw and beans. Life doesn’t get any better than this!

Even Carnie enjoyed himself with friends as the head hog of the trough.

As You probably found out by now, old gas stations are pretty prevalent on Route 66 but this one is still functioning.

We thought we’d seen it all until we met Gary Turner in Ash Grove, Missouri who totally restored a Sinclair filling station with accessories and all.

Gary was an extremely friendly individual and sent us on a few side trips that were tourist treasures on Route 66. The main treasure was the town of Red Oak. In 1974 folk artist Lowell Davis bought a rural farm near Carthage, Missouri close to the Mother Road. It was here that the artist moved his hometown to his new home. How cool is that!! Now Red Oak is somewhat restored with cars, trucks, farm equipment and even a biplane. Here only a few of the building placed on Mr. Davis’ new tract of land.

These are only a few of the wonderful building in the town of Red Oak II. We wished there was more time to savor the moment and place ourselves in a time when life seemed simpler.

Onward then to the next adventure on the Mother Road

Remember KidVoice!

Merle on the Mother Road

Special thanks to Virginia Linn and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for their feature on the guys! Take a look!

The Ariston Cafe in Litchfield has been a watering hole for many 66 travelers since 1924. It probably has remained so because of the hospitality of the Adam family who have operated the restaurant for two going on three generations. Nick Adam greeted us and told of the many traveler he has seen come through his establishment. People from every location including world travelers, dignitaries and stars. Some have walked, bicycled, run and pushed wheelchairs on the Route by his place. Nick told us he worked in Pittsburgh once for a period of 6 months but decided to return to marry and help his dad at the restaurant.

Here is a picture of Nick and his son Paul with of course the social animal Carnie.

See yuns on the road!

Don’t forget the kids served by KidsVoice.

The Cozy Dog Drive-In is famous for its corn dog which is a cornmeal battered deep fried hot dog served on a stick. MMMMMMMMMM - Talk about calories. Better than that are the people. Below is Carnie enjoying a dog with Mel and Tony.

Tony is the son of the owner and Mel is a retiree who has been in Springfield, Illinois for 50 years. He talks fondly of the Mother Road and its history over the years. Mel retired some years ago after working for Allis Chalmers for 30 years and then Blue Cross/Blue Shield for another 7 years. He meets a group of men in the morning for coffee then returns for lunch.

Mel and Carnie quickly became good buddies as they both enjoyed their corn dog with mustard.

Sometimes there is so much to see that we’re not sure whether to sacrifice time for the experience of the road. Today was no exception as we find ourselves 200 miles behind schedule. The good news is we continue to have fun and are experiencing our dream. Our first stop was at Funks Grove where we tasted of their famous Maple Sirup (that’s how they spell it here). The Funk family has been making sirup for 100 years. Some say that Al Capone stopped once for a taste of this sugary elixir. Carnie of course found a friend but he always finds friends.

Carnie of course found a friend but he always finds friends.

In McLean, Illinois is the Dixie Truckers’ Home which has been in existance since 1928. The Dixie is heavily adorned with various Route 66 memorabilia.

Don’t miss Springfield if you are passing through on the Mother Road. Most particularly take the time to visit the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library (some high tech shows I’m still trying to figure out).

It seems that most of the sites that we have visited involve food. It would not surprise me if we all gain 25 lbs by the time we return. There was of course the Dixie, then the Cozy Dog Drive-In and one of my favorites - the Ariston. Below is our crew behind the counter of the Ariston restaurant located in Litchfield. The food was great and the service better. Thanks to the Adam family.

My favorite experience was a walk on the Chains of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis. The bridge crosses the Mississippi and is no longer in use to vehicles (it closed in 1965) but still allows bicyclists and pedestrians. The state line between Illinois and Missouri is right in the middle of the bridge.

Of course below is the thing the boys enjoyed the most on the bridge.

Another full and tiring day - who knows what tomorrow will bring but stay in touch - the Dream continues!

Remember KidsVoice and send in your donations!!

Merle

At Wilmington, Illinois we encountered the Gemini Giant who is one of the old 20 foot fiberglass Muffler Men which show up occasionally on Route 66. At one time these huge statues advertised mufflers. today they appear as various other characters. As you can see some are astronauts. The Gemini Giant is located at the Launching Pad Diner.

We stopped in the Diner to eat – some of us had catfish platters and others the classic "Fish & Chips"– all deep fried with a side of slaw and fires. But the service was grand and certainly gave us the flavor of the Road.

The Staff of the Lauching Pad Diner

You wouldn’t think that a carnivorous animal could make good friends and adapt to the road. But Carnie is quite the gentlemen and seems to be a pro when it comes to navigating the curves of the mighty 66.

In Joliet he took to liking two strange men in black suits, white shirts and black ties. Really strange characters but Carnie can make friends with anyone.

Carnie has always taken a liking to large women and when we got to a particular car lot in Bloomington,Illinois Carnie struck up a conversation and now has a new phone number in his address book.

Being a proper gentleman, Carnie asked Jere to be a Chaperone so that the meeting would be proper and honorable.

Chicago is not the best place to navigate especially in rush hour traffic. Unfortunately, we did not get to the starting gate at Lou Mitchell’s restaurant in downtown. So we missed the free Milk Duds and doughnut holes. The good news is that we made it out of the city to begin the adventure on the Mother Road.

It wasn’t until we were in Joliet, Illinois that the Road felt like a reality. When this sign appeared, we all knew that Route 66 awaited us ahead.

Joliet is about 40 miles SouthWest of Chicago and is famous for steel, stone and a canal. But what most remember about Joliet is Joliet Prison which was closed in 2002. It was here that the Blues Brothers served time for their iniquities. Of course we had to stop at the Joliet museum and catch the history of this All American town.

From here we were on our way to see muffler men and renovated gas stations.

And the Polk-a-Dot Drive In Restaurant below located in Braidwood, Illinois.

These are only a few of the sites we visited. Wish we could post more pictures but not enough time to post, sightsee, eat and sleep. I’ll try to cover some more as we progress down the Road. John, Van, Jere and I are holding up pretty well and are still good friends!! Looking forward to Springfield and possibly St Louis tomorrow.

Here’s to the Mother Road!

Merle

Joliet Prison, IL

It’s no fun to travel unless you can take the flavor of your roots with you. It give me great pleasure to introduce to you "Carnie the Dinosaur"..

Since Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Museum is noted for its dinosaur bone collection, we felt it was only appropriate to invite a companion for our trip. You will see along our trek that Carnie is a camera hog so be on the lookout as we post various pictures.

Plus he loves to drive cute cars:

Now instead of "Where’s Waldo?" you may want to ask yourself "Where’s Carnie?" Make no bones about it!!

Well, our trip started swimmingly with breakfast at King’s in Wexford, Pa and off to Cleveland to pick up a rental convertible. I was particularly excited because the car was going to be a Mustang. I had the confirmation in my hand which said "Mustang Convertible or similar" and twice called to make sure that this preference would be noted on the reservation. To some "similar" would be a Chrysler Sebring or another substitute that would be exotic like maybe a Jag or a new Chrysler Crossfire. BUT WE GOT THIS —

Yes –you guess it – A PT Cruiser Convertible!!!

Not exactly a manly man vehicle compared to the others. And don’t make us cringe by saying that it is "Cute". We men hate that. The good news is that it has more room and drives fairly well for a cute car –UGH. So the next time someone says the phrase "or similar" watchout!!! You may get a hot dog instead of a steak or a Vespa instead of a Harley. Go Figure?

We arrived in Chicago at about 7:00PM their time and Yes was off to a game in Wrigley Field. What a great experience to see this old ballpark especially the houses overlooking the outfield outside the park itself with spectators on their roofs.

Wrigley Field and the Outfield

Tomorrow we tackle Route 66 which starts right here in Chicago and the adventure continues.

On the Road Again,

Merle

P.S. If you add any comments to this Blog please don’t say "Cute Car" – Double UGH !!

DAY 1

Day 1 began with a little breakfast and the introduction of a new friend:

Day 1 - Dino-mite!

On the schedule today: driving and more driving - 478 miles from Pittsburgh to Chicago (and a stop in Cleveland to pick up the Mustang) with only the glimmer of hope for a Cubs game when they arrive.

View Larger Map

Route 66 is but a day away. Everyone wear your seatbelts!

A variety of sights and sounds on the trip. Many have gone before, leaving breadcrumbs for us to follow. Jay Crim and Shekar Davarya have created an oral history of their trip, called America’s Highway: Oral Histories of Route 66. They also created a really cool Google Map, with pictures of a lot of the things they saw, and a lot of things we’re excited to see:

View Larger Map

We have another addition to our trip across the country and that is Van Cowden

Who is Van Cowden? Van is the older brother of Jere and is a 1957 graduate of Hickory High School (before Avella was formed). He is the CEO of Van Cowden Electric with his wife Bonnie serving as President of the Company. Van has two sons Eric and Mark and is a resident of Cross Creek on Cowden Road (seems like every family in Cross Creek has a road named after themselves like John Stolze on Stolze Road).

What Trivia do we know about Van? Van once raced his 1952 lime green Studebaker Champion on the back roads around Hickory. To teach Van a lesson, his father alerted the police to be on the lookout for the Studebaker. Much to his dad’s shagrin, poor old dad was pulled off and given a ticket after he had borrowed the car from Van. Some years later the old lime Studebaker Champion became the farm car and turned into a modified truck like the old El Caminos. Of great interest is that Van was a member of the Hickory Cross Country High School Team which won the State Championship in 1955. Quite an accomplishment for a school much smaller than its competition!!

High School: Hickory High School, Hickory, PA — 1957

Poor Peck’s Pub - This is the site of our final planning Non-Planning meeting. Jere, John, Van and me discussed final preparations for the trip that will commence August 29th. Needless to say most of the conversations were about the old days seeing that Peck and his wife are related to either Jere, John or Van. I felt somewhat of an outsider. The day consisted of not much planning but more of hoisting brew (or a coke) and listening to the many stories and jokes told by Peck.

Here’s Peck as the Presiding Officer of the Non-Planning Meeting:

I guess we’re ready? The crew spent two hours of telling stories and 10 minutes focusing on the trip. But fun was had by all. Could this be a sign of things to come? The Non-Planning Committee confirmed that the best way to see Route 66 was to experience the road and adjourned with nothing more than our first destinination is Chicago and a  baseball game at Wrigley Field..

Here’s Part of the Committee Jere, Van and John - The diet coke is mine!!

So as you can see this is going to be an amazing trip and I’ll keep you posted on all the stories.

 Please Continue to Pray for Us!!

Merle

You need to understand that I’m very anal retentive when it comes to planning. I like to know where I’m going, what I’m going to see and how long I’m going to stay. I plan out breakfast dinner and lunch including restaurants and menu selections. So when Jere and John cancelled all planning for this trip and fired me as Planning Committee Chairman, I kinda lost it. You see, I’m left brain and organized –Jere is right brain creative and spontaneous .. and John is just along for the ride. All I got to say "this is going to be some trip!!!"

But after lots of reading and careful thought, I decided I will give up to the Mother Road and let it do the planning. These are the words that convinced me by Drew Knowles in his book "Route 66 Adventure Handbook":

"In a nutshell, I urge you not to plan to take charge of your Route 66 experience too precisely; instead, plan for the adventure on Route 66 to take charge of you. As much as possible, I encourage you to simply ‘go with the flow.’ Don’t set an itinerary which requires you to make it to a city ‘X’ by a certain day. Keeping to such a schedule will inevitably cause you to hurry through certain portions of your journey, and there’s no way of you knowing how much you’ll miss by doing so. Move as the spirit moves you; pause and take in the sights and sounds of your adventure as they present themselves to you. Your reward will be a trip like no other."

So with a long sigh and a HI HO Silver, I think I’m ready for the Adventure. Remember us on the Mother Road as we experience the history of the Highway called 66.

And Please pray for me!!!

Got Jere’s Corvette and will be picking up this Rental in Cleveland to begin our trip.

Let’s Just Do It!!

Merle

A great big thanks to the corporate sponsors who have contibuted to KidsVoice on behalf of Kicks for the Kids:

• WESCO International, Inc.
• Innovative Process Administration, LLC
• David J. LoCascio of LoCascio & Associates
• Jade Group, LLC
• Radelet McCarthy
• The Hartford
• Benefits Consulting Services, LLC
• Kapp Communications, Inc.

Thanks to our supporters, who have donated their time to our project:

• Cowden Associates, Inc.
• Wordwrite PR

Jere in his new (old) Corvette.

Turning age 60 is not that exciting but when you consider the alternative it ain’t bad. Some of us like to call this the beginning of a midlife crisis (for those of us who think we may live to be 120!!). Jere Cowden, John Stolze and Merle McGee felt they weren’t going to let this milestone go by without kicking. Therefore they started to plan an excusion across the United States in convertibles toward Chicago and onto Route 66 toward LA. Being mindful of their past and the infamous TV show Route 66 with Tod and Buzz.

FLASHBACK -Remember Tod Stiles’ (Martin Milner) father dies and leaves him a shiny new Corvette but little money; he and his buddy Buzz Murdock (George Maharis), who grew up in Hell’s Kitchen, take off in the car to discover America, in search of adventure and enlightenment.

With that said Jere, Merle, John and friends will begin their great adventure beginning August 29th and ending September 16th when they expect to end their trip in Seattle via Route 1 up the coast. Sounds like fun doesn’t it!! Jere has just bought an ‘87 corvette for this adventure and Merle will rent a Mustang convertible. To all you High School Class of 1965 graduates – pretty crazy stuff but it’s us.

To give this trip more purpose than our own whims, we decided to also make this a fund raiser for a non-profit organization called KidsVoice. KidsVoice was founded in 1908 as the Legal Aid Society of Pittsburgh, and provides full-service advocacy for abused, abandoned, voiceless and vulnerable children. Go here to find out more http://www.kidsvoice.org/about.aspx

If you want to support this cause we would welcome your contributions. All checks are to be made payable to KidsVoice. No monies will go toward the expenses of the trip (though we are looking for restaurants or motel chains to give us discounts).

We will be making daily updates to this Blog as to where we are on our trip. All large donors will be listed on our Blog and we would be willing to wear logos and take pictures for any contributor. This is a dream trip for us and it will be fun getting our Kicks on Route 66 and raising funds for KidsVoice. That’s why we called this site "Kicks for the Kids".

May God Bless You and Our Trip,

The Boys

August 8, 2007

KidsVoice proud supporter of Kicks for Kids!

Each year KidsVoice is able to represent more than 5,000 abused and neglected children in Allegheny County thanks to our many supporters. We are pleased that Jere Cowden and friends have found an innovative way to support our efforts and spread the word about KidsVoice through Kicks for Kids.

Kicks for Kids promises to be an exciting and memorable time in the lives of Jere and friends and we wish them the best on their journey. They are demonstrating to our clients through their generosity, that the community recognizes and supports them.

We need and welcome not only their support, but also your contributions to continue our important work. Your gift to KidsVoice through Kicks for Kids would help KidsVoice to provide a voice of hope and advocacy for children who can’t always speak for themselves. Together we can make a tremendous difference in the lives of children and our community.

Thanks in advance for your support.

In the struggle for children, I remain . . .

Very Truly Yours,

Scott M. Hollander
Executive Director

See the original letter (pdf).

Who is John Stolze? John retired as a manager for the PA State Highway Department. He currently lives with his wife Mary near the old homestead in Cross Creek, Pa. Not many people have a road named after him but sure enough, John resides on Stolze Road. Jere and John were born in the same hospital only six days apart (Cannonsburg General Hospital). Jere says that they became good friends at age five and the relationship has remained solid for 55 years. Both Jere and John have farming roots and John still raises sheep on the back forty. He says it’s a hobby because he has consistently lost money at it.

What Trivia do we know about John? John played High School football in his Freshman and Senior years. Unfortunately he had the dubious honor of playing back-up to Ralph Cindrich. Ralph Cindrich played for Pitt and eventually went on to be a linebacker for the Houston Oilers in the early 70s. Currently Ralph is one of the premier Sports Agents in the United States and Canada. John still believes that Ralph owes his success to him, since John gave Ralph some well earned rests many a game.

High School: Avella Area High School, Avella, PA — 1965

Who is Jere Cowden? Jere Cowden is the President and CEO of Cowden Associates, Inc., a leading independent actuarial, compensation and employee benefits consulting firm located in Pittsburgh. He is a 1969 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Jere’s roots began working his father’s farm through his tender years. His parents were both teachers who set him on life’s course with sound principles of hard work and honesty.

His wife Sharon is a pediatrician, his daughter Alissa is an intern at Children’s Hospital and her husband, Andrew is a radiology intern at Mercy Hospital. His other daughter is a 2007 graduate of Westminster College, his son, Michael works as a journalist in the metal trade industry and his wife Alice Yao, is a University of Michigan Ph.D candidate in Ancient Asian Culture.

What Trivia do we know about Jere? Jere was a football star in both his Junior and Senior years. He had such strength and stamina from working the farm that he played both defense and offense on the team. In his early years he modified a ‘56 Pontiac and turned it into a stock car, which he raced. His most fond memories involved his Kawasaki 125cc motorcycle. He decided to enter a 110 mile endurance race but after 22 miles, bruises, a broken rib, and other pains, the judges disqualified him. "It was the best thing that ever happenned to me", says Jere. "If I wasn’t disqualified for being so behind in the race, I would have killed myself on that fool bike!!"

High School: Avella Area High School, Avella, PA — 1965

We’ll be posting our schedule details and updates here. Right now we’re studiously examining Google Maps. Check back soon!

View Larger Map

Who is Merle McGee? Merle McGee is vice president of client services at Cowden Associates, Inc. Merle earned a masters of arts degree in Religion from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. He also holds an associate of arts degree in electrical and electronics technology, Pennsylvania State University, and a bachelor of arts degree in general studies, Shepherd College. He’s pretty balanced with left brain and right brain abilities. He previously worked for a large utility as both an engineer and later as an Human Resources Manager. He also has ministry experience after just completing a term as Interim Pastor for Woodland Valley Church in Mars, Pa.

Merle resides in Gibsonia, Pa with his wife of thirty-seven years, Gyngr. He has two children — Noah, a Carnegie Mellon University Creative Writing graduate and Anna who recently graduated from Syracuse University with an Acting Degree.

What Trivia do we know about Merle? Merle was once President of the Mason Dixon Sports Car Club in Thurmont, Maryland and auto-crossed a 510 Datsun Sedan and a Datsun 240Z. Unfortunately his wife Gyngr walked away with all the trophies. He also ran three full Marathons — which he now believes is silly. He states, "If you’ve done it once why do it again? Just check it off your list and try something else!!" He too, like Jere, had a motorcycle at one time, a Suzuki 250cc Street Scrambler.

High School: Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School, Hollidaysburg, PA — 1965