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Memories of the Kon Tiki

Jackie discovered this vintage postcard from the Kon Tiki Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. On the back it explains the Kon Tiki offered a “fabulous Polynesean (sic) atmosphere in the midst of Phoenix.”

Back in 1989 we made the trek to Phoenix, Arizona for the U.S. Grand Prix. Now as Formula One Grand Prixs go it was a mediocre affair- the course was set out on the streets of downtown Phoenix and, needless to say, it was hotter than hell. And yes, it was a dry heat.

One of the non-automotive highlights of that trip for me was our accommodations. A friend from Spartan had told me about a unique hotel at the corner of 26th and Van Buren. “You’d love the place,” were his words, “And it’s across the street from the State mental institution.”

Hmmm, lovely. Not knowing much more than that I dug around and found out a hotel called the Kon Tiki was located at 26th and Van Buren. Turned out it was a mecca of island kitsch, soaring Fifties rooflines and orange Trimline phones. It was also smack in the middle of the red light district- but that’s a story for another day.

“Come to KON TIKI and take away a life long memory.”

You Can Take It With You

WD-40 that is.

Hank Hill carries his WD-40 on a keychain. Now you can be even cooler than Hank! Not possible? Check out this handy dose of WD-40 in a pen!

That’s right gadget freaks- you get a full 1/4 ounce of everybody’s favorite home remedy in a handy no-mess pen. Changing lives since 1953.

Directions:

Before first use, point pen downward and press tip against surface until saturated
Apply, pressing the tip to release more WD-40 as needed
Pen will not dry out, re-activate by saturating tip

Why’s it called WD-40?

Ten Cars That Should Have Been

We’ve seen our fair share of Ugliest Cars lists lately- so I was tickled to see a list celebrating beautiful cars for a change. The irony is, they’re all concept cars.

Winding Road offers us their Ten Concepts We Wish Had Become Production Cars.

I’m not 100% on board with their entire list. For example, the Suzuki looks like it might be more at home in a toy store than your dealer’s lot. And the Cadillac, well… let’s just say it’s the best looking Cadillac product I’ve seen in a long time.

But for the most part it’s a great list of some great cars that never were.

Remember the DeTomaso Mangusta?
Judging by this Shelby GR-1 prototype, someone at Shelby does.

Go Karting Grows Up

I recently had the pleasure to visit a Pole Position Raceway on a group outing for my birthday (below). If you typically yawn when someone mentions go-karts then this place is for you! When we arrived I think my coworkers were a little intimidated. After signing several liability releases and removing open-toe shoes we were instructed to don balaclavas and full-face helmets.

First off, this is not the typical amusement park foot-to-the-floor stuff. There is no way to make a complete lap with the pedal to the metal. At least I couldn’t! The cars are electric, but don’t let that fool you. These are not toys for toddlers to tour the yard turf. They are capable of 45 MPH on straight and level and handle… well, like a go kart.

The track we visited in Las Vegas was a 1/4 mile long with about seven turns. Two of the turns were very tight and require some real skill to maneuver swiftly. Track sessions last for twelve laps, which gives you plenty of time to get a feel for the track and the way the cars work. Our group did the Grand Prix Package which includes three of those 12-lap sessions- a practice, a qualifier and the main event. In the main event we lined up on the grid and started from a standing start. Just like Formula One!

In the end I blew it in the second to the last turn on the very last lap! After setting the fastest lap in each session and whittling my time down to 27 seconds, I spun out mere feet from the finish line. Chris managed to slip by for the top spot on the podium (right).

A rematch is being planned.

Pole Position has locations in California, Las Vegas and Oklahoma City. After the great time we had in Vegas I definitely plan to visit the location in OKC soon!

Through November 8th race for only $10 with this special coupon.

Check it out!

Exploring Oklahoma’s Bridges

Aren’t infatuations wonderful? Name most anything and I can show you someone who collects, studies or shoots at it. So to is the case with bridges.

Last week some folks attending our Precious Moments Tour up in Osage Beach, Missouri had invited us to come ride with them around Oklahoma City. One of their recent destinations they mentioned was Oklahoma’s longest one-lane bridge. I’d never really considered it before, but someone must measure such things.

Later that night I called home to Tulsa and mentioned this conversation to Jackie. The next morning I had an email with a link to a page about the Wanette-Byars Bridge built in 1902.

The reason it’s such a long one-lane bridge? It’s actually an old railroad bridge over the Canadian River that was converted for automotive use. Learn more on Wikipedia.

In the process of tracking down this not-so-elusive bridge Jackie discovered several sites that can only be described as portals for, you guessed it, Bridge Geeks. Who knew? Well… guess I could have guessed (see first paragraph).

But we found a wealth of information provided by these intrepid spotters of spans.

Finding historic, unusual or defunct bridges close to home is really quite easy. And interesting. We browsed for older bridges close by and found several interesting examples- mostly the metal girder style that’s shaped like a camel’s hump (turns out “camelback truss” is actually a type of bridge). One unique design that caught my eye was a bridge south of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (see photo below) that sported two inverted triangles for supports. Pretty soon we were taking notes and loading up the motorcycle for an excursion!

Exploring historic bridges can be fun because they’re usually in rural areas- the type of place you might go for a Sunday drive anyway. The history these bridges reveal can tell you a lot about a community, the landscape or the road that passes over them. It’s also interesting to see the engineering of these older contraptions, something hidden by concrete on most modern bridges.

Make your next day trip a bridge tour. Here are a few links to get you started…

Bridge Hunter
Lists historic bridges all over the U.S. Use the map to search by state (there are currently 1495 listings in Oklahoma incidentally) or by county or by type of bridge. Most listings include photos and map links.

Oklahoma Bridges
Wes Kinsler has been cataloging the bridges of Oklahoma since November 2000. Along with photographing historic bridges and maintaining the website, he is also a founding member of the Oklahoma Highways Group. Notable sections of this site are the Bridges by Highway and the Field Guides page that you can download and take along on your travels.

Spans of Time
A dry but informative site is the product of an Oklahoma Department of Transportation project called the Oklahoma Historic Highway Bridge Project. The site offers photos of early bridges in Oklahoma and the 171 bridges identified as candidates eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Bridges are listed mostly by type so it can be difficult to use as a reference- but it’s fun to browse.