And, boy did things click. I rarely pass up an opportunity to tell about the time I shared a bathroom with Abraham Lincoln, and, being in his home town, had recently had a couple of openings to do just that. But despite once again sitting across a table from him and chatting for several minutes, I had not recognized my former fellow lodger until I heard the name. I did manage to catch Fritz/Abe briefly before he left. Although he did not remember me, he did remember that day in Georgetown, OH, even before I showed him a picture from our previous meeting.

A recorded message from Rhys Martin, President of the Route 66 Association of Oklahoma filled out the morning. The afternoon presentations were "Route 66 Without Borders: How International Travelers Help Keep the Mother Road Alive" from Marian Pavel and "Springfield's Stewards of 66" from Evan Stern.

My afternoon of remarkable good luck began here. In the contest, I started out pretty good, then dropped way back, but had worked my way back to second place just before the last question. Josh Friedrich had a firm grip on first, and I was quite pleased with the prospect of finishing second. Josh told me later that he had slipped on that last question and realized almost as soon as he hit submit that he missed it. That let me sneak into first and a pair of tickets to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The traditional passing of the mop that follows each Miles of Possibility Conference was a bit different this year. Last year, the mop had ended up with Scott Dahl of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau to handle the conference for the road's centennial. This year it was passed back to the MoP Board of Directors. But Terri Ryburn is retiring from the board at the end of the year which leaves things a little uncertain for 2027. With this one behind them Cheryl and Debyjo will be able to start sorting it out.

ADDENDUM: Oct 16, 2026 - I was very appreciative of my run of luck and the prizes it had brought me, but I also felt a little embarrassed by it. This attached itself particularly to the neon sign. I knew that many attendees had their eyes on it and had a spot in their home where they would really like to display it. I did not. I actually have no electric signs displayed at all. While chatting with Anne Slanina at the Miles of Memories exhibit on Sunday, I became aware that she was one of those who had eyed the sign, and that she would display it in the way it deserved. So, after taking a photo, I passed the sign to Anne where I know it will be treated most kindly.