Pontiac's Walldogs

Walldogs. Have you heard of them? They are a group of sign and mural artists from around the world who are transforming the walls of buildings on America's Main Street into amazing works of public art. We've already seen their eye-catching work along The Route from afar, but here in Pontiac we get to take a much closer look at these amazing murals. Pontiac is the home of Chief City Walldogs, a local group of sign and mural artists who have painted some awesome public art on the buildings around town. Our first stop today is to visit these remarkable "Murals on Main Street."

But before I tell you more about this extraordinary public art project, let me say a word or two about our overnight stay. As I have noted previously, Pontiac does not have a lot of lodging options--and none on Route 66 in our estimation--so we were happy to find the Best Western Pontiac Inn for our first night's stay on The Route. Conveniently located near the Mother Road, this older property has benefited from a recent remodel. The front-desk staff was friendly and helpful. Our room was clean, quiet, and comfy.  The price was right, especially with the free hot breakfast. Until the Fiesta and Palamar motels on Route 66 are renovated, we will stay here the next time we are in town.

Now let's go see some murals!

As we approach downtown, we are astonished by the number of murals on the buildings in downtown Pontiac. This touching tribute to Bob Waldmire, noted Route 66 cartographer and traveling artist, is also a lovely homage to the Mother Road.

Other murals, like this vibrant Coca-Cola advertisement, recall the old-fashioned commercial wall murals before the advent of billboards. These "Ghost Signs" are still visible on old buildings in many towns and cities today. Have you seen them around town where you live?

The mural painters of yore were often called Walldogs--a nickname that has been adopted by today's mural artists. In addition to their name, contemporary Walldogs have also espoused other traditions and techniques from the past, such as the use of vibrant colors

distinctive design styles

and themes imbued with nostalgia and historic significance.

Pretty nifty, huh?

Plus, Pontiac holds a significant place in the Walldog movement, which began in Allerton, Iowa, where the first official Walldog meet was held in 1993. Event host Nancy Bennett invited dozens of sign artists for the occasion, who convened in Allerton to paint large historic wall advertisements on several downtown buildings. The Walldog movement has continued to grow since then, hosting events around the country and transforming America's towns and cities with eye-popping wall art. The Walldogs' growing list of accomplishments are being chronicled by the International Walldog Mural and Sign Art Museum, which is located right here in Pontiac.

The Walldog movement arrived in Pontiac when its resident Walldogs hosted the Chief City Runs with the Dogs meet in 2009. Pontiac's Mayor, Bob Russell, describes the positive impact that the event had on the city:

Walldogs from around the world occupied our City for 4 days in June of 2009.  Even before they arrived in Pontiac, I could sense the anticipation and excitement growing in the hundreds of volunteers who had been planning for the event.  During those 4 days, the laughter and smiles on people’s faces was something that hadn’t been seen in the City of Pontiac for the past couple of years. When I walked around on that Sunday evening at the end of the event, and looked at all the murals, I still couldn’t believe what I had just seen happen. The many buildings that just a few months before where looking old and tired, now looked new and alive.  A long time City resident came up to me and said, “This City hasn’t looked this good in 40 years”.  I agreed with him.  Since that weekend, thousands of local residents, and untold numbers of visitors from around the world, have been able to enjoy the beauty of the murals as well as learn more about the history of Pontiac.  It is a pleasure to be downtown and see people strolling along the streets, taking pictures, or just enjoying everything that the murals have brought to our City. The City of Pontiac sends a big “Thank You” to all the Walldogs that made this happen.

The murals created during the celebration continue to draw the eye of tourists like us from around the nation and the world.

The Walldogs are certainly making their mark in communities across the country, playing an especially important role in the revitalization and beautification of small-town America.

We didn't expect to find so much great public art on Route 66. What other delightful surprises will we find along the Mother Road?

On the (Mother) Road with Jack Kerouac

Our first day on Route 66 reminds me of the movie On the Road (2012). On so many stretches of The Route, the scenery was so cinematic, unwinding like a film reel on the screen of the windshield while T and I watched with wonder. The film lacks the continuity and poetic rhythm of Jack Kerouac's novel, but it is well worth watching just to enjoy the beautiful cinematography of the road trips.

I can see a bit of myself in Sal Paradise, the main character of the story, who takes to the road as a kind of therapy. Sal seeks to distance himself from the life he leaves in the rear-view mirror; the greater the distance, the better he feels. And so do I. Like Sal, I am searching for answers to Life's questions. For me, this Route 66 road trip is as much a spiritual journey--a homing quest for authentic self--as it is the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream.

The film is based on Jack Kerouac's autobiographical novel On the Road, which chronicles the travels of a young writer across America between 1947 and 1950, beginning with his first long road trip that starts on Lincoln Highway and continues on parts of Route 66, among other highways and byways throughout the country. Like Sal, Kerouac embarked on a journey to find America and the inherent goodness in "American man." His quest for meaning, truth, and authentic experience was shared by other members of the Beat Generation (William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg)--and this Blissful Vagabond. To me, there's no better place to begin this quest than on America's Main Street.

The book is a great read, as a novel and a travelogue. In fact, The Modern Library, The New York Times, and Time magazine ranked On the Road as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. As a milestone in American literature, On the Road continues to inspire new generations of poets, writers, actors, musicians, and filmmakers--and travelers like me.

Perhaps even better than the novel itself is the Audible audio edition of On the Road, superbly narrated by Will Patton. (Matt Dillon's reading is notable, too, but Patton's masterful renditions of the characters make the story come alive.) This 11-CD 50th Anniverary Edition is well worth the listen--especially if you've got an 11-hour road trip ahead of you. The narration expresses Kerouac's notion of language as jazz, "somewhere between its Charlie Parker Ornithology period and another period that began with Miles Davis." The story of Sal's road adventures with Dean Moriarty flows with a jazzy, colloquial, improvisational fluidity. I wonder if Kerouac's cross-country road trips introduced him to the pulsating rhythm of the pavement and the liberating promise of the open road, leading him to associate the "beat" of the Beat Generation with the musical term of "being on the beat" and the spiritual state of being "blissful."

I am certainly beat from spending ten hours on the road, but more than mere weariness, I am still feeling the syncopated beat of tires striking control joints in the pavement, still sensing the forward momentum of all that road going, as I receive the benediction of the evening star and the blessing of blissful sleep.

So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, and all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars'll be out, and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear? the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all the rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty.

--Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Route 66 Day 1: Top Five Experiences

Because we have had so many peak experiences on our first day of driving Route 66, picking my Top Five experiences is a challenge. But here goes:

1. Clifford, the Travel Angel (aka, Ambassador of the Route 66 sign on Adams and Wabash) Meeting interesting people on the Mother Road--especially people I would never meet otherwise--is by far the peak experience of our first day on The Route. I'm still feelin' the love!

2. Lou Mitchell's Restaurant & Bakery 

Breakfast here was one of the best meals I've ever had. This place is definitely one of the Great American Diners and deserves its excellent ratings on Yelp! and TripAdvisor.

3. Berwyn's Toys & Trains 

This little treasure chest was the biggest surprise of the day. We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion to the happy days of childhood. So glad we stopped here on a whim.

4. Joliet's Route 66 Experience

This museum provided the best introduction to the history and cultural importance of the Mother Road. I loved the interactive exhibits, the faboo merch in the gift shop, and the free literature on The Route's coming attractions. Funks Grove and Devils Elbow, here we come!

5. Dwight 

What a charming whistle-stop on The Route! I loved the historical architecture--especially Ambler's Texaco--and the tranquil vibe of this quintessentially Midwestern village, the epitome of small-town America.