Just last week, I was telling Pete an interesting story about an incident that “happened in the 1980’s in the town of um… well… It was somewhere past Sunland and Tujunga. It was before Pasadena and Burbank. It was near Alta Dena and La Canada.”

Oh, I gave up with trying to figure it out, so I just got out my California map. The town I was trying to recall was La Crescenta.

Now if you’ll stay with me, I’ll tell you what happened. That year during the mid 80’s, the area flooded so bad that there were mudslides on the sides of the hills of La Crescenta. Along with the mud, were bodies from an old cemetery washing down the road. At one time, caskets did not have to be buried within a concrete box as they do in many areas now. They didn’t even use coffins or even plain old wooden boxes for that matter. They just placed the body in the mud, and when the mudslides came, so did the bodies or shall I say skeletons of the deceased who were buried there.

The heavens have opened up and poured its waters upon Tulsa throughout the month of May. In fact, depending on what it does tomorrow, May could very well be a record breaking May as far as inches of rainfall for the month.

The cemetery in front of our house was flooded with streams of water rushing into the street and that is why I told Pete the story about the bodies floating down the hillside. I took photos of the rushing waters because I have lived in this neighborhood for fifteen years and have never seen it so bad.

Anyway, my whole reason for telling this story is because yesterday, in the Tulsa World, there was an article entitled, “Erosion Exposes Human Remains.”

The subtitle is, “Heavy water drainage has washed away the banks of a creek at Rose Hill Memorial Cemetery.”

It turns out that on the very day I was telling Pete about the La Crescenta story, the remains of three bodies turned up floating in the creek at Rose Hill. They believe the bodies were buried about ninety years ago.

And so..

You’re probably wondering why the story of floating bodies is on a blog about the Mother Road.

Rose Hill Cemetery is located on the corner of Admiral and Yale in Tulsa, Oklahoma which was Route 66 at one time. The sign in front of the cemetery reads, “Route 66, 1926-1932.”

**NOTE**
I’m glad one of the bodies didn’t get washed up into my front yard.

A Harley Ride Through Amboy

According to Wikipedia, “In 1938 Roy Crowl opened “Roy’s” as a service station on Route 66 in Amboy. Roy, together with his wife Velma owned the town.”

Here are some great photos my sister took during their recent Harley trip. Two of the photos were taken in front of the Roy’s Cafe Sign. Notice the Route 66 emblem on the sign.

According to Wikipedia, “Amboy is famous as a genuine Route 66 landmark.”

Located in the Mojave Desert, Amboy is nearly a ghost town.

Amboy was established in 1858 and is one of the oldest towns in California. More recently, Albert Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain, purchased the entire town in 2005 for $425,000 and a promise to restore and preserve the town.

The reason I’m writing about the this little town located on the old Mother Road, is because I recently received an email from my younger sister with photos from a recent trip her and her husband took on their “his and her” Harley’s.

Here is what she said, “The pictures of me and Hugh are from our trip to Laughlin two weeks ago. We had a great time and rode home on old route 66. The picture with the signs are from Amboy an old boon town from the 50s.”

She sent photos taken in front of Roy’s Cafe which will be included in another post.

She went on to say, “It was an awesome little town. We took Route 66 home from Laughlin and went the long way through 29 Palms past Joshua Tree. It was so much fun.”

“We also hit Route 66 in Kingman, Arizona and stopped at a restored cafe. I didn’t take pictures but wish I had, I noticed other people taking pictures.”

New Welcome Center Becomes Tourist Destination

San Bernardino is the largest county in the US and home to California’s largest cruising classic car show the “Route 66 Rendezvous.”

San Bernardino’s new California Welcome Center opened it’s doors on May 18, 2007.

“I believe the center can really be a nucleus for establishing San Bernardino Valley as a bona fide tourist destination,” said Steve Henthorn, outgoing president of the San Bernardino Convention and Visitors Bureau, whose offices will be housed in the center. Henthorn, born and raised in San Bernardino, graduated from San Gorgonio High School and San Bernardino Valley College. He finished his bachelor’s degree at Cal State Chico.

The California Welcome Center in San Bernardino will literally put San Bernardino, and the surrounding area, on the map, nationally and internationally. Not only will the center be located in San Bernardino, the Welcome Center will have its own Web site and will be linked to the state of California Department of Tourism’s Web site, which receives 84 million hits annually.

State studies project the center will draw 100,000 visitors annually and pour close to $6.5 million into the local economy.

The new Welcome Center promotes San Bernardino and surrounding cities as destination points. The opening of the center is a major step toward revitalization.

Josie Gonzales said, “With myriad resorts and sport venues, the San Bernardino area can become a tourist hub and not just freeway sign en route to Los Angeles or Las Vegas.”

Janice Simoni, the state’s manager of the Welcome Center system, said, “State leaders who approved San Bernardino for the center site were impressed by the city’s community support and collective investment.”

According to Henthorne, “Refurbishing the building to accommodate the center and posting billboards on Interstate 10 cost about $200,000, a tab split among more than a dozen public and private partners.”

The center will be open seven days a week. Inside, it features multimedia panels advertising local destinations, an Internet cafe, a gift shop and kiosks with promotional brochures. Two Red Fusion computer stations take tourists on virtual tours of local hot spots.

A faux Route 66 made from composite material slinks between the multimedia panels.

“Tourism will enhance the city’s economic and social future. If they visit and enjoy, they’ll stay and invest,” Pat Morris said. This region is a wonderful place in which to live, work and play. We now have the opportunity to share it with the world.

SOURCE:
http://www.sbsun.com/

The Rose Bowl is Back

But It’s Not A Bowling Alley Any More

Tulsa’s Rose Bowl has been closed for several years now, but it’s coming back to life. Bowling won’t be allowed, but the Rose Bowl will be available for many other type of uses.

When the doors closed, we thought the Rose Bowl would disappear into a mere memory of the “old days.” But Sam Baker has a better plan.

Sam and his nephew, Chris Whinery, are partners in a massive remodeling project to turn this eye sore into a thing of beauty.

According to channel 8 news, Baker said, “We’re painting it back pink, its no longer going to be that offensive red, purple, and blue.”

“What we’re wanting to do is have an event center,” adds Whinery. “We’re looking to have fights, flea markets, auctions, concerts, car shows, bike rallies.”

No bowling allowed. The 36 lanes have been removed as part of the sale agreement with a “no compete clause.”

A couple of the lanes were sold to the Los Angeles Fire Department to use in their new fire station and to a sushi bar in Hermosa Beach, California.

“You wanna have a wedding, you want to have a bar mitzvah, a party of some sort, a corporate retreat, its available for rent.”

Chris and Sam bought the Rose Bowl for about $300,000 dollars and sold the lanes for about a thousand dollars each. Grand opening will be in July with an antique furniture auction.

SOURCE:
Channel 8 News, Tulsa, Oklahoma

“Plans in Motion for Route 66 Progress,” was the title of an article in the Tulsa World on March 18, 2007.”

Federal funds are available from the National Scenic Byways office to enhance and improve neighborhoods along Route 66.

One idea the state of Oklahoma is looking at, is a statue of Will rogers at a roadside park in Bethany.

Part of the plan is for a group of Oklahoma State University Landscape Architecture students to spend the spring semester coming up with ways to draw travelers to park along Route 66 in Bethany to stretch their legs and take in the scenery. There is talk about adding restaurants and entertainment venues.

The student’s plan will be presented to the Bethany City Council in May.

They are also thinking of designing a Will Rogers Memorial to be put in place near Lake Overholser bridge.

These photos were borrowed from a yahoo group called, “Rialto 50’s and 60’s.” Since I just posted a little story from my own life regarding the wig wams, I thought it would be nice to post some photos.

The Wig Wam Motel is actually located on Foothill Blvd (Route 66) right at the borderline of Rialto and San Bernardino. I don’t really know the people in the photos, but they were having some sort of reunion called, “Memories Of The 1950’s at RJHS.” Although I went to RJH, I’m too young to go to a 50’s reunion.

Anyway, these photos will remain until someone tells me I can’t use them.

The Red Fork Hippie Chick posted some information about photography and one the photos she included was a sign at the Wig Wam Motel on Route 66 in San Bernardino, California. Here was my response to her post:

I was surprised to see the neon sign photo taken at the Wig Wam Motel in San Bernardino. I grew up in that area and just seeing the sign brought memories flooding to my mind. I realize this post is about neon sign photography, but I would love to see a photo of the wig wams themselves.

We lived only about two miles from the Wig Wams. One year when I was about twelve or thirteen, we vacationed to various locations such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and Mount Rushmore and Badlands in South Dakota.

On our way home, we took Route 66 which we called the southern route. We stopped at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico and Petrified Forest in Arizona.

We were almost home when my dad suddenly had an idea. As we passed by the Wig Wam Motel he decided we would stay all night there even though our house was only two miles away.

We had never seen the inside of the Wig Wams, so it was quite an adventure for me and my little sister. The inside was tiny and they weren’t really very nice, but we still had a good time. They didn’t have air conditioning, only window fans. It was mid-July so it was really hot in the tight quarters.

It was nice that we had the experience of staying in the wig wams, but we were really happy to get home the following day.

They used to have their little slogan or motto on a sign back then. It said, “Sleep in a Wig Wam.”

Thank you for sharing your photos.

Best Oldies of All Time ! ! Great Music ! !

Reviewer: Bette L. Hall MA (Oil Capital, OK United States)

Art Laobe’s “60 Killer Oldies” is a 4 CD collection of some of the greatest music of all time.One of the CD’s is entitled, “Memories of El Monte: The roots of L.A.’s Rock and Roll.” The first song on that CD is “Memories of El Monte.” Here are just a few of the words to that song:

If they only had those dances again,
I’d know where to find you and all my old friends…

Earth angel, earth angel will you be mine at El Monte…

If we could go back to
The days of the past,

I’d show you a love
A love that would last.

O I remember those wonderful
Dances in El Monte.
In El Monte.

I grew up in Rialto, California which is in the San Bernardino area and all my friends used to go to those dances at the American Legion Hall in El Monte during the 1960’s. I never did get to go to any of the dances in El Monte, but had always wanted to. I always danced at the National Guard Armory in Riverside, the VFW Hall in Rialto, or the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino.

All of the songs on these CDs invoke emotions in me that bring both laughter and tears and they always give me a longing for the “Good Ol’ Days.” Now days it seems as though the only way to go to a dance is to go to a bar. Back then, there were dances everywhere. Bar hopping isn’t my style, but I miss those old dances including the ones in peoples garages or living rooms.

Art Laboe used to be a DJ on KRLA from Pasadena. KRLA and XPRS were my two favorite radio stations. I don’t even know if KRLA even exists any more since I no longer live in the Southern California area.

Anyway, the songs on these CDs remind me of the dances, the radio, my first boy friend, my first love, my marriage, my first child, and my youth. O to be young and in love again!

All of the songs are good and it’s difficult to choose a single favorite, but among my many favorites are “Angel Baby,” “Daddy’s Home,” “Dedicated To The One I Love,” “Together,” “Baby I’m For Real,” “Natural High,” “10 Commandments of Love,” “I’m Your Puppet,” “Confessin’ A Feeling,” “In The Still of The Night, and “Those Oldies But Goodies Remind Me of You.” But really, I like all of the songs on this CD collection.

I give this set of CDs five stars plus plus *****++.

Simply the best ! ! !

**NOTE**
This music review is included on this Mother Road blog because Route 66 goes through Rialto and San Bernardino. San Bernardino is also mentioned in the Route 66 song.

“If only they had those dances again, I’d know where to find my old friends.”

This is a Photo of the Rose Bowl Bowling alley located on 11th street (Route 66) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After the bowling alley sold a few years back, the new owner painted it these ugly colors. It’s doors were closed on March 12, 2005 and the contents sold at auction.

It was originally pink, but I actually liked the pink better than the red, white, and blue.

On August 3, 2004, Michael (Mickey) K. Sparks was arrested and booked into the Tulsa County Jail for setting fire to the Rose Bowl which he had previously owned. At the time of the fire, Sparks owned another bowling facility at the Eastland Mall. Sparks claimed he did it because “his business was suffering from competition with the Rose Bowl Bowling Alley.”

Altogether, attempts to burn down the Rose Bowl were made three times.

In the late 1990’s, my grandson bowled on a league for children for two bowling seasons. It saddens my heart that so much misery has come from such a great Tulsa Icon.

The name of the building was originally the “Rose Bowl” but as it changed ownership, the name became “AMF Rose Lanes.”