Day 26 The Texas Panhandle into Tucumcari, NM

Today, we traveled from Amarillo, Texas, to Tucumcari, New Mexico with two stops along the route.  Our first stop was the historic Magnolia Station in Vega, Texas. The gas station was leased by Kenneth Lloyd and his wife in 1935, and they lived upstairs, a fairly common practice for early Route 66 gas stations.  It appears that the station is in the process of being cleaned up and renovated.  

Our next stop was at the Route 66 Mid Point and Cafe in Adrian, Texas.  It is the mid point between Chicago and Santa Monica --- 1139 miles from Chicago!  1139 miles from Los Angelos!  The main street of Adrian is pretty quiet now that I-40 has by passed the town and Route 66 but the Midpoint Cafe and Route 66 Gift Shop was a charming diner for our lunch! 

Then, shortly after our lunch at the Midpoint Diner, we entered our sixth Route 66 state -- Welcome to New Mexico.  We traveled only 115 miles today, to Tucumcari. Once we had all arrived at the campground, we drove a short distance into the small town to see how Route 66 helps to keep the town alive today.  The Blue Swallow Court Motel is a real Route 66 gem!   Built in 1939, the Blue Swallow is one of the oldest continuously operating Route 66 motels, and it operates at a profit today.  Originally, the motel was advertised as "100% refrigerated air" -- a great selling point in the New Mexico desert.  Each room had an accompanying garage to house the motorcar, and each garage included a mural.  The present owner seems committed to keeping The Blue Swallow's character alive --- even adding Disney "Cars" to the garage murals!  We're pretty partial to traveling Route 66 in our RVs…but the Blue Swallow would be a great option for those without RVs.  

Tucumcari is also home to the New Mexico State Route 66 Museum!  Nice cars!  

After dinner in a local restaurant, Tucumcari's main street was the perfect place to see some great neon signs!  Rest well, because tomorrow, we make our way to Santa Fe…

Days 23, 24, & 25 Amarillo, TX

Typical of our traveling days, we covered just 151 miles from Elk City, OK to Amarillo.  Driving Route 66 means driving two-lane roads much of the time…at a slower pace than is typical for RV driving on the interstate.  The slower road gives time to savor the views and small town America.   Hey George and Kathy!  Hey Larry!  --- let's get on the road!  Amarillo tonight!  






Soon we had entered the state of Texas --- the fifth of the eight states we'll drive on our Route 66 journey. We drive Texas at its narrowest part -- the Texas panhandle. Among our stops en route to Amarillo were the U Drop Museum in Shamrock, TX and the Devil's Rope Museum.  

This art deco gas station and restaurant was built in 1936 in Shamrock, Texas.  Today the Tower Station serves as a Route 66 gift shop and visitor center while the U-Drop Inn provides a glimpse of the diners that were typical in the heyday of Route 66.  After falling into disrepair, the structure was purchased by a bank, given to the city and restored with funding from a federal grant.  It appeared in the Disney movie "Cars" as Ramone's automotive body and paint shop.  It appears that Jim and Rae Anne are still waiting for lunch…sorry, guys, the U--Drop no longer serves food.  

Who knew that there are so many styles of barbed wire, so many cattle branding irons, and so many types of rope that they fill a whole museum?  




Driving the authentic Route 66 as much as possible means some directions that can get a bit confusing.  When the road has fallen into great disrepair, our caravan drives the interstate for a short distance.  Sometimes the authentic Route 66 is on one side of the interstate, then it switches to the other side.  The navigators needed to be alert, and detailed as they read the trip log to their driver. Most days our navigators handled their role perfectly.   And then, there was today ---- let's just say that many in our caravan were directionally challenged!  More than one rig came upon this sign.  One driver (nameless, of course) unhooked the towed, backed the RV a half mile, and turned around.  Several rigs followed a (nameless) RV several miles past the sign, only to turn around in a pasture.  The good news is that all arrived safely in Amarillo and no rigs were damaged during the trip!  Our social hour became a true Attitude Adjustment Hour as we shared our stories!  



So, now that we managed to get to Amarillo, let's explore.  It was especially nice to have a charter bus for our tour of the sites of the city.  Since it was Kathy Snyder's birthday, she came prepared to celebrate her 66th birthday on Route 66!  

Cadillac Ranch, though technically not on Route 66, was a highlight --- even if the day was a bit drizzly and the field a bit muddy!  

These half-buried cars have been an outlet for the artist in each visitor since 1974. And so we wouldn't be left out of the fun, our tour guide brought along the spray paint!  

Nice work, Randy Bradley!  


Throughout Amarillo, there are statues of quarter horses, honoring Amarillo as the home of the national Quarter Horse Congress Museum and Hall of Fame. 

Another Amarillo museum that captured our interest was the Sizemore's Traveland RV Museum ---- a huge collection of all brands of vintage RVs, some famous and the not so famous.  A favorite was the Gornike's bus from the Robin Williams movie, "RV". 

After our bus tour of Amarillo, it was time for dinner…Big Texan style!  Limos arrived at out campground to escort us to the restaurant --- and we enjoyed the ride!  Steak dinner with all the trimmings, roving entertainment, and the chance to watch another contestant attempting to eat his way through a 72 oz steak dinner!  There was no amount of encouragement that could convince any in our caravan to join the competition!  

Our time in Amarillo was about to end, but not before a totally unscheduled choose-your-own-adventure day!  Yes, some of us chose to take care of necessary tasks of laundry and cleaning, but many of us  made time to drive a few miles to the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  The Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States, and is a beautiful spot for photography, a scenic drive, or hiking.  Palo Duro Canyon is known for its caves and hoodoo formation -- and both were easy to see from the comfort of the car or gentle trails.  

Amarillo has offered much to this group of modern day travelers on Route 66!  Tomorrow --- Tucumcari!!!!   

Day 22 & 23 Elk City, Oklahoma on Route 66

Day 22 was a travel day with a short stop at the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK.  Along the way, we are reminded that Route 66 is Mainstreet, USA.  In El Reno,OK, a small town where automobiles were once built, there are a number of murals honoring Route 66, those who have served in war, as well as a mural of hero burial.  Beautiful for those of us driving through…and even nicer for those who call El Reno home.  

Near Hydro, Lucille's Service Station, built in 1929, is one of only two upper story, out-thrust porch style service stations left on the Oklahoma stretch of Route 66 --- just one of the many treasures we pass as we drive The Mother Road. 

On the Afton Oklahoma section of Route 66, this monument
tells the story of another of the famous names for Route 66---the Will Rogers Highway. Alongside the current Route 66, you can see a 9-foot wide section of the original highway…gravel and cracked asphalt.  This section of the original highway is about 13 miles long, and is listed as an 
Oklahoma National HIstoric Landmark. 

Many of the eight Route 66 states have a state Route 66 museum.  This retro neon sign and a cherry-red '57 Chevy welcomed us to the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton.  Inside, a walk along the "Main Street of America" gives visitors a chance to look at old cars and souvenirs and displays about old route 66.  

Wouldn't this retro Love Bug van be a great addition to our Route 66 Adventure Caravan!

Fortunately, we have not had need of the Oklahoma State Police, but this 1937 Ford with a flat-head V-8 engine is a beauty. A very fast car…but also difficult to stop!  Although it's a vintage car, it has been recently used by the OHP to arrest and transport a suspected DUI violator.  

While we usually stay in more typical RV parks, we stayed one night in Elk City, Oklahoma. This wise Chamber of Commerce must have known, "If you build it, they will come."  They have RV sites with water and electric hookups behind the Convention Center.  Thanks, Elk City!  But before we departed Elk City for Amarillo, we made a visit to the NATIONAL Route 66 Museum, and the adjacent Old Town Museum, Farm and Ranch Museum, and Blacksmith Museum --- all on Route 66!  

JW Hurdle inspects the tiny teardrop trailer in the National Route 66 museum. 

Kathy Snyder enjoyed the nostalgia of the Popeye room.  Where's your spinach, Kathy?  

Tailgunner Sharon Gilbert remembers her childhood days when playing in a caboose was loads of fun.
All along Route 66,  various railroads run parallel to the Mother Road. 

  

In many of the small towns along Route 66, we've seen tributes to entertainment of the past.  Because the railroad parallels Route 66 so much, it was often railroad officials who helped to bring opera houses and theaters to small towns.  In the Elk City, Old Town village museum, we see an Opera House built in 1998 that is used as an event venue today.  

Days 20 & 21 Oklahoma City Highlights

Always, on Route 66, there are treasures to explore…and today's drive was no exception.  En route to Oklahoma City, there were two noteworthy stops.  The first was this Old round Barn in Arcadia, OK.  It seems that Big Bill Odor  designed and built the unusual barn in 1898.  Nearly a century later, his son said that his father built the barn to be round in hopes that if a tornado hit the barn, it would go around the barn, instead of through the barn!  Today the barn serves as a venue for community events and local museum. 

The second noteworthy stop was just a mile or so down the road:  Pops in Arcadia.  Pops is actually one of the newer roadside attractions on Route 66.  Opened in 2007, Pops has a giant neon sign in the shape of a soda pop bottle.  The glass walls of the restaurant are decorated with shelves of soda pop bottles, arranged by beverage color.  All of the pop is for sale, and it seems there is an endless variety of brands---dozens of brand of root beer, for example, and a variety of flavors, too.  Ever had a butterscotch root beer?  Quite a popular place on Sunday afternoon, Pops guests parked in the spacious lot and then along the highway.

After an afternoon of exploring, we arrived at out very nice rv park near Oklahoma City.  Wagonmasters Barry and Terry Klein prepared dinner for us and JW Hurdle surprised us with more of his wonderful homemade potato chips --- no one can eat just one!  He also made some of his fried pickle slices -- the perfect compliment to our BBQ pork sandwiches!

Our visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial was a solemn observance honoring the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995.  The Field of Empty Chairs, 168 lighted glass, bronze and stone chairs, represent the adults and children who died in the senseless act of terrorism. We were privileged to have a guide, a woman who was working in a nearby downtown office at the time of the bombing.  

Our guide introduced us to the memorial's Gates of Time, two bronze gates, one at each end of the reflecting pool.  The outdoor memorial begins with the eastern gate with the time 9:01serving as a representation of the last moments of peace, the final moments of ordinary time, prior to the bombing.  On the western gate, at the opposite end of the reflecting pool, the  time 9:03 represents time forever changed by the violence of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. We were moved.  

We visited the inside exhibits at the Oklahoma National Memorial & Museum the next day.  While a number of exhibits focussed on the terrorism of the bombing, and others focussed on remembering those who died, it was the selflessness of the rescuers that inspired what has come to be known as "the Oklahoma Standard".  On the 20th anniversary of the bombing, a dedicated campaign asked Oklahomans to commit to one act of service, one act of honor, and one act of kindness to honor those who gave of themselves following the tragic bombing.  

Oklahoma City is more than the remembrance of one tragic day, and we went on tour to discover several of the city's other assets.   The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is home to western art and a celebration of western life, including rodeo.  This sculpture, titled End of the Trail, welcomes visitors to the museum and provides a meaningful reminder of a childhood spent on the American frontier

We also enjoyed a narrated water taxi in the Bricktown Canal through a touristy part of Oklahoma City. It was a bit chilly, but our guide kept us entertained and shared stories of Oklahoma City.  The Centennial Land Run is one of the largest free-standing bronze sculptures in the world. After the water taxi ride, some of our group found pizza in Bricktown to be a great way to end our Oklahoma City visit.  More adventures await on Route 66.

Days 18, 19, 20 & 21 Claremore & Tulsa, Oklahoma

Claremore and Tulsa, Oklahoma were full of wonderful places to visit, and a motor coach bus was a great way to see the highlights.  

Our first stop was just 3.5 miles east of Route 66 --- the world's largest totem pole, built by Ed Galloway during the years 1937-1948.  It is made of 100 tons of sand and rock, 28 tons of cement and 6 tons of steel but what its most interesting features are the 200 different bas-relief carved pictures.  The totem pole sits on a large three-dimensional turtle and is one of several totem poles created by Galloway.



Mr. Galloway also carved violins and they are housed in the museum, or "Fiddle House", an 11- sided building which resembles a Navajo hogan. 



Galloway died in 1961 and his totem poles and property fell into disrepair. It has now been acquired by the Rogers County Historical Society with a restoration effort of volunteers, art conservators, and engineers.  

The Blue Whale of Catoosa has become one of the most recognizable attractions on old Route 66.  The Blue Whale was built in the 1970s by Hugh Davis as an anniversary gift to his wife, but it has served as a swimming hole for locals and Route 66 travelers alike.  While we were there, on a sunny cool morning, the swimming hole seemed to be a great spot for turtles.   

Next, we had a delicious buffet lunch at Maxxwell's Restaurant on historic Route 66 in Tulsa. 

Following lunch, we went into the adjacent Campbell Hotel. Noted for its themed rooms, each room was renovated by Tulsa's 2011 Designer showcase and was inspired by a piece of Oklahoma history. Of course, we had to take a peek into the Route 66 two room suite.  

Certainly a comfortable hotel room, the decor reflected the heyday of Route 66.  Nice as it was, we have our own RVs, and we're traveling Route 66 with our own creature comforts!  

Enroute to downtown Tulsa, we passed by the Oklahoma state fairgrounds where a 76-foot tall Golden Driller rests his hand on a real oil derrick as he welcomes visitors. The 43,500 pound statue of an oil worker is the tallest free-standing statue in the United States and reminds us that much of Tulsa's economy is petroleum. 

Though we have not driven our RVs in the heart of major cities, we have experienced those more congested sections of Route 66, either in our cars, or by tour bus.  Today we visited the Cyrus Avery Memorial Bridge in Tulsa.  Known by locals as the "old 11th St. bridge", most Route 66 historical authorities have described it as the place where east meets west in America.  Cyrus Avery, known as the "Father of Route 66", served as a county commissioner in Tulsa. 





Today the bridge has been restored and improved and was listed on the Register of Historic Places in 1996.  From the bridge, we got a great view of the plaza which includes flags of the eight states of Route 66 as well as a view of the original Route 66 bridge. 

Cyrus Avery was a member of the federal board appointed to create the Federal Highway System, and then pushed to establish the U.S. Highway 66 Association to pave and prom or the highway.  A visionary for America!  

Next we traveled to downtown Tulsa. Our very energetic guide did an outstanding job of explaining that oil is the history of Tulsa. She took us to two building built by Waite Phillips of Phillips Oil. The first was the Philcade where Mr. Phillips and his wife lived on the top floor.

   

There are many chandeliers in each building, purchased at $300 each. You could buy a Model A Ford for $300 at the time this building was constructed. Note the WP initials everywhere.

   

The second building, Philtower Building, was built across the street. That was where Mr. Phillips’s office was located. He was concerned about security and hired a Nevada miner to dig a tunnel between the two buildings.

 A few blocks away, the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church was built in 1929. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical art deco architecture in the United States and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark as well as listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Dr. Adah Robinson, the church structure continues to have an active congregation and welcomes visitors for architectural tours and worship. United Methodists in our group found numerous recognizable figures and spiritual symbols on the exterior, as well as interior, of this very well-maintained church. 

After this active day of touring, it seems Gunter is ready for his nap!  We'll save more treasures of Claremore for tomorrow!  But tomorrow is a new day, and we'll all be ready for what's next!  

 This retired school principal entertained us with rope tricks while he introduced us to the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, OK.  Rogers was a cowboy roper, entertainer, statesman, humanitarian, writer, political satirist, adventurer, and well-known friend to the world's movers and shakers.  Born in Oologah, OK in 1879, he died in Point Barrow, AK in 1935. 

The Wisdom of Will Rogers:                                                               

"If advertisers spent the same amount of money on improving their products as they do on advertising then they wouldn't have to advertise them."  

                                                                                                                                                              "We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others."  

"You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is."  

Our next stop was the J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum.  Shortly after our arrival, a gun battle ensued.  Fortunately it was a humorous skit and the gunmen were using blanks.  And, it seems that one our caravan members was accused of crimes, and arrested by the local sheriff.  Tom was, however, released for our departure!  

Dinner was a special treat provided by our caravan guests Gunter and Sandy Oeser.  Brats, red cabbage, sauerkraut, salad and all the trimmings!  Thank you Gunter and Sandy!

Our group of Route 66 caravaners have become friends -- 
supportive of one another, enjoying one another's company, and happy to share a meal together!  But that was not all --- Sandy created beautiful scarves for all of the ladies in the group!  

Scarves for the ladies!  Thank you, Sandy! 

But Wagonmaster Barry Klein thought he'd look pretty good in a scarf, too!  What do you think, fashionistas?  Barry did our travel brief dressed in this fine multi-colored fluffy scarf.  

Claremore, OK has been a wonderful place to visit the treasures of Route 66.  Tomorrow, we're off to Oklahoma City!  Thanks, Claremore!