Sunday, June 19, 2011

Ta en titt på dette attraktive par

That's Norwegian for "Check out this hot couple!" :-) It's hard to beat the good looks of folks from Norway, and this couple is no exception. And, they were very nice and knowledgable too! The couple, from the town of Skien, were actually the last of the 29 visitors we had today at Afton Station, but they were also the only foreign travelers to visit today. It's not their first trip to the U.S., but it's their first time on Route 66.


Ron M. and I were impressed by the interesting and varied folks who visited today. Here are two friends from San Antonio, TX and San Ramo, CA respectively. The Texas lady is a longstanding member of the Road Map Collectors Association, and she's such an avid collector that she even had a road map tattooed to her arm! (Mike Ward, take notice. Pascha said she knows you from your contributions to the roadmaps.com site.)



Our first visitors of the day were some bikers from Stark City, MO. One of them had this gorgeous Indian motorcycle which was tricked out with lots of unique additions, including the buckskin fringe which I liked a lot.



These two pleasant guys are brothers from Baltimore, MD and Melbourne, FL. They're making their way across Route 66 with lots of laughs and smiles.


But that's not all! We also greeted Dan Oberle from Edwardsville, IL whom we first met when he sat at our table at the Amarillo Festival last weekend. It was good to see him again. Also, a couple with the last name of King, from Virginia Beach, VA stopped by on a search for information about his father who had a gas station in Afton in the thirties. Of course, this piqued my interest. Fortunately, Betty W. stopped by after church and met the folks. She wants to ask around and see what information she can get for them. Knowing Betty, she'll have a full family bio before the week is out! The Kings also gave me a photo of the gas station his father owned, and I'll post that tomorrow. It's a beauty!


A self-confessed "Packard guy" and his friend from LaGrange, IL stopped by on their motorcycles, followed by a retired teacher from Chicago. A perfectly lovely family (mom, dad, college-age son, and high school-age daughter) from Festus, MO arrived at Afton Station because their son had found us in a tour book he'd been reading on the trip. He is very interested in Route 66 and its history, and his sister is interested in collecting old postcards. It's great young folks like these that are so important to the further renaissance of Route 66!


But I'm not done yet. There were also travelers from Clarendon MN, Salina OK, Grove OK, Houston TX, and Ft. Lauderdale, FL. All of them were wonderful guests, too. We really hit a home run today for sure. Sometimes I need a day like this to remind my why I'm here and to energize me. Believe me, I'm energized!


Happy Fathers' Day to all who fit that description!!!

1 comment:

Susan Yates said...

"A perfectly lovely family (mom, dad, college-age son, and high school-age daughter) from Festus, MO arrived at Afton Station because their son had found us in a tour book he'd been reading on the trip. He is very interested in Route 66 and its history, and his sister is interested in collecting old postcards. It's great young folks like these that are so important to the further renaissance of Route 66!"

It will be the young people indeed!
I've just returned from 9 days at Disneyland--or as they like to be called now, Disneyland Resort. So pleased to tell you that the mountain range of Radiator Springs in the new Cars Land addition looms high above the construction walls in Disney California Adventure. It is BIG and promises to remind millions of park guests every year that Route 66 is still out there waiting to be explored. You know, being ensconced in Disneyland is a form of cultural immortality. George Lucas entrusted Disneyland to help perpetuate the Indiana Jones legacy and has just this year updated his spectacular Star Tours (Star Wars) attraction there. Jim Henson made a similar arrangement with Disney to give his Muppets a home beyond his lifetime. Seems all together right that Route 66 is counted among these cultural icons.