Glen Campbell at the Hollywood Bowl

Glen Campbell was my first pretend boyfriend. You regular readers know about my wildly varied PBFs, and you can take note that the musician thingy started with Glen and his Goodtime Hour television show. (Derek Longmuir from the Bay City Rollers kicked off both the Scottish and drummer thingies for those really keeping track!)

When I heard Glen had Alzheimer's Disease and was doing a Goodbye Tour, I had to find a show. Luckily, he was performing at the Hollywood Bowl as the final LA performance.

The first half of the concert was all tribute, with Jackson Browne, Kris Kristofferson and the rest of the bunch performing classic Glen tunes and sharing tales of his impact on Elvis, the Beach Boys and The Monkees. The second half was all Glen, who was still the guitar maestro of his hey-day. It turned into a sing-along, with the packed Bowl audience chiming right in to the hits. My fave is "Try A Little Kindness," and the words come out from the depths of my musical rolodex. It was awesome! Glen had a few slip-ups, but his guitar playing was amazing, and his kids in the band kept him on the mark. So glad I got to see the show, and hear "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," and all his other tunes live. Thank you, Glen, for all the memories!

Click here to go to Glen's Web site.

Click here to learn more about Alzheimer's.

Home

First day back from the roadtrip, and what do I do? Meet up with three friends from Indiana at a place called Home, of course!

And yes, Home works the "there's no place like Home" line. Mind you, I've now invested lots of miles into Kansas, and I ate nothing like this. Here you see my Beets and Pear Salad with chicken, caramelized walnuts, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. YUM! My chums - who hadn't carnivored a huge variety of pig products all across America - enjoyed "home-ier" sloppy joes and turkey rubens. Next time!

Home is located on Hillhurst, near Griffith Park and the Greek Theater. They have a delightful outdoor patio with shady trees and a central fountain with plastic dinosaurs surrounding the bowl. There is no place like Home!

Click here to go to Home's Web site.

Roadtrip 2012: Williams, AZ

My last day on the road after a night in Holbrook, Arizona. I'm bummed that the teepees are sold out, as that would be a fine way to cap off the trip.

As if I hadn't eaten enough pork across America, I was craving a good BLT. This one from Goldie's Route 66 Diner in Williams, Arizona near the Grand Canyon did the trick. The secret was a zingy horseradish sauce, and marble rye always wins me over! Only a few hours left now until I can park Lovey in her regular spot.

Twelve states (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana going north and east, and Illinois, Missouri and Kansas heading south and west until reconnecting in Oklahoma) and 4,600+ miles of fun across America are coming to an end. Who's up for the next one?!

Goldie's does not have a Web site. Street address is 425 E. Route 66 in Williams.

Roadtrip 2012: Kansas and Shamrock, TX

Today I decided to take the scenic route through Kansas. For a change, I got to drive behind tractors and Army caravans, cruise through small towns and see farmlands and storm clouds up close. But, no Dorothy or tornadoes!

Kansas led me back to Oklahoma City and Route 40, and I'm getting my Irish on in Shamrock, TX, again, for the night!

This is the U-Drop Inn, inspiration for Ramone's body shop in the animated "Cars" movie and an awesome example of Route 66 classic architecture.

And after all the pig products, Cicero's Green Frog Pizza and their veggie pizza - no frog legs, I am assuming - sure hit the spot.

Cicero's Green Frog Pizza does not have a Web site. Street address is 911 North Main Street, Shamrock.

Roadtrip 2012: Cuba, Missouri

On the road again! After a late start this morning - had to recover from the drive-in, after all - I'm heading to St. Louis and beyond. (Note to self: the last White Castles are in St. Louis for a final fix before heading west!) As dinner time approached, I paid more attention to the wacky billboards alongside the freeway. How could I not pull over for Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q? (He looks like the Superhick from my high school's 1971 state Final Four basketball team, but that's another story.)

Missouri barbecue is different from Memphis barbecue. Missouri is all about the smoking versus the sauce. It was my duty to give it a taste before I could comment here.

This is the Hick sampler: pulled pork, brisket and ribs served sauceless, with seven sauces to choose from, with potato salad and baked beans. YUMMM!! Final evaluation: I like Memphis and Missouri pig versions equally!

Outside Cuba heading back to the freeway, I spotted this Route 66 rockin' icon.

I stopped tonight in St. Robert, Missouri and was lucky to get a room since graduation was happening at the nearby Fort Leonard Wood Army base.

Click here to go to Missouri Hick's Web site.

Click here to go to the Route 66 Rocker's Web site.

Roadtrip 2012: Georgetown Drive-in

After several whirlwind days of Relaying, White Castles and Culver's Butter Burgers, zombie-watching marathon of "The Walking Dead," Jeep fine-tuning courtesy of my brother, playing "It's A Long Way to the Top" on pipes with my nephew on guitar, and rummaging through Mom's attic for some long-neglected treasures, my final Indiana activity was the Georgetown Drive-in. We grew up going to the drive-in both with our Dad while he was working and later with our friends. This is a super-fun activity I've missed over the years, and my rockin' nephew came along for his first drive-in opportunity.

They were playing some good movies as you can see. We went with "Prometheus" and "Snow White and the Huntsman," for the bargain price of $9.

Have you ever been to a drive-in? These old-school speakers provide the sound, or you can also listen over your car radio. I don't know why you would, but you could. I won't spill any beans, but this is a shot from "Prometheus." Go see both these films, at a drive-in if you can find one!

Click here to go to Georgetown Drive-in's Web site.

Roadtrip 2012: Graceland and A&R Bar-B-Q

Day three was pretty uneventful and about putting in some miles to West Memphis, Arkansas. But today, the plan is to visit Graceland, find a pig sandwich and high-tail it to the Hoosierland.

I've stopped at Graceland before but never took a tour, only food and shopping. Randomly, today is the 30th anniversary of Graceland's opening to the public, so the joint is crawling with news crews. Did you see me on any of the coverage? I'm taking the basic Mansion Tour, but the real fans make a day of it with the Platinum and Entourage VIP Tours.

If you've never visited Graceland, you walk through the King's home, see his living room, his parents' bedroom, dining room, kitchen, TV room and of course his famous Jungle Room with the green shag carpeting on the floor, walls and ceiling.

In his Music Room, the walls are covered with gold records and memorabilia, including this blingy guitar.

In the former racquetball court, Elvis' splashy stage costumes are displayed, several with the video footage of the performance playing nearby.

Finally, the gravesite. Of course, I have to think about Spinal Tap, with the lads harmonizing to "Heartbreak Hotel" and trying to not make it barbershop ra-ga. Sorry, Elvis fans, but you know how my brain works!

Before leaving town, I had to try the famous Memphis-style pig sandwich, which is pulled pork with tangy sauce and topped with cole slaw (does my post on Cindy's Restaurant from March sound familiar?). This one is from A&R Bar-B-Q on Elvis Presley Blvd. A mess to eat but delish, and it is just fun to ask for a pig sandwich!

Woohoo, made it to Mom's house!

Click here to go to Graceland's Web site.

Click here to go to A&R Bar-B-Q's Web site.

Roadtrip 2012: Cadillac Ranch and Big Texan

Day two, and Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo was my first stop. I've driven by multiple times but never stopped by to leave my mark on the 10 Cadillacs "stonehenged" into a dirt field.

My SL artwork and purple and green cans of spraypaint. Be advised that paint fumes are pretty intense, and that you need to bring your own stash since there's nowhere close to purchase any.

My stylized bagpipe graffiti, tagged on another Cadillac.

Note that within 10 minutes of my SL mark, another artist had already painted over it! That's how quick things change at Cadillac Ranch.

With spraypaint still wet on my hands, I drove 15 miles to the Big Texan for this delicious filet. The first time I ate there, I contemplated the Big Texan challenge: 72 oz. steak, salad, shrimp cocktail, baked potato and dinner roll all eaten within 60 minutes. And, how you couldn't just polish off the meal, you would have to work up to it, sort of like training for a marathon. And, how I could probably eat the huge meal before I could run 26.2 miles. Well, as you may know, I've since completed four full and six half marathons!

These guys are taking on the challenge, but I couldn't stay to see what happened. Anyone know if they cleaned their plates?!

On day two, I stopped in Shamrock, TX (more to come on Shamrock!).

Click here to go to Big Texan's Web site.

Roadtrip 2012: Holbrook, AZ

I'm taking a roadtrip across America, destination Indiana, for several reasons. Primarily, it is Relay for Life time with Team Lucas walking for the fifth time to raise funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society. I decided to drive this time and bring back some of my treasures abandoned/stored at my Mom's house for two decades. My brother also offered to work his mechanical magic on Lovey, as I was getting some sketchy input from the Jeep dealers on needing a new axel. (That's right, I'll drive across American for my bro to take a looksie at my car!) The direct route is the 40 to the 44 in Oklahoma City, which runs through all those Route 66 cities, to the 64 in St. Louis where I would head east (not that I took the direct route coming or going). With this ballpark plan to see some America in mind, bring on the kitsch!

After flying through Cali, Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ came to mind for some lunch. Remember when I stayed at the Wigman in Rialto back in September 2010 during my Cee-dee's Big Adventure? I didn't plan to stay in Holbrook but assumed there would be some tasty chow nearby. (More to come on Holbrook!)

Seeing this wall painting, I knew I was at the right place! Joe and Aggie's Cafe dates back to 1943 and is still owned and operated by Gallegos family. Two of the grandkiddies took my order and brought out the chips and salsa.

This bean and beef burro (their word, not mine) with red chile, enchilada style. Dang, it was spicy, hot and delish! Properly fueled up, I'm back on the road.

Day one ended in Moriarty, New Mexico, outside Albuquerque.

Click here to go to Wigwam Motel's Web site.

Click here to go to Joe and Aggie's Web site.