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Origins of the Ozark Trail

Arkansas: Where Route 66 Began.
Wait… what?

Back in 2010 a friend and I created a travel show called Two Wheel Oklahoma. It featured Brad Mathison and myself roaming the two-lanes of Oklahoma on our motorcycles. The first episode was about the stretch of old Route 66 from Sapulpa to Arcadia. We began that show on a crusty iron bridge over Rock Creek on the west side of Sapulpa. The bumpy concrete leading west towards Kellyville is part of a very old roadway that predates Route 66, known as the Ozark Trail.

TWO riders cross the Rock Creek bridge near Sapulpa

Before Route 66 became America’s Main Street there were several private efforts to cobble together cross-country highways. One of these was the Ozark Trail, a route stretching from St Louis, Missouri to Las Vegas, New Mexico. A large portion of this road network would later become Route 66, which has prompted some to call the Ozark Trail the “Mother of the Mother Road.”

Imagine: a Scorpion EV

Converting classic cars to electric power is a tender subject. Some call it the way of the future. Some call it a “restomod.” Others consider it heresy. Many enthusiasts see it as a way to prolong the driving enjoyment of a piece of automotive history.

After all, the challenges of maintaining an older car can be daunting: finding the correct parts, stopping the decay, running antique engines on modern fuel, and sometimes just the inherent flaws of older designs. Electrification of classic cars, while not historically preserving their powertrain, can improve their practicality.

And sometimes, you might even rewrite a little history.

What Happened to the Switchgrass?

Or: Why is All Our Ethanol Made from Corn?
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed into law by George W. Bush and created the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Among other things, the RFS set goals for the amount of renewable biofuels to be blended into the nation’s petroleum fuel supply. That meant gasoline would contain ethanol and biodiesel would be blended into diesel fuel. At the time the domestic source for almost all that ethanol was corn. But corn was not supposed to be the sole source. Over time, corn was supposed to be supplanted with other sources of ethanol.

Catch Some Air(table)

There’s no quicker way to suck the lifeforce out of a room— just mention this word: database.

Aeeiiiyyyy!

Unfortunately there are times when such evil things cannot be avoided. A recent project required keeping track of the ins and outs of certain items. Dates, amounts, notes, and sometime even photos would be recorded. A spreadsheet seemed adequate… until it wasn’t.

Window Sticker Lookup

Have you ever pondered your car’s original price? Or maybe which factory options were ordered? There’s now a free online tool that can help.