Another day traveling back in time. We drove about 250 miles today, mostly following Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Carthage, Missouri, which is just east of Joplin. In between Oklahoma and Missouri, we were in Kansas for just 13 miles.
Just a few of the 600 different kinds of soda pop available at "Pops", a gas station/soda store in Arcadia, OK
A round barn in Arcadia, OK
Originally a Seaba Gas station in Warwick, OK, that opened in the 30's, now a motorcycle museum.
Gravity flow gas pumps from the 1930's
Clanton's, a diner in Vinita, OK, run by the same family since 1927. Both "Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives" and "Bizarre Foods" filmed episodes here. I had the chicken fried steak, Joni was more cautious and just had fried chicken. Both were exemplary!
Some of our fellow diners at Clantons.
The very first Sears Catalog house built in America. How ironic that we saw this house on the day that Sears declared bankruptcy.
Miami, OK: The Coleman Theatre, built in 1929 when this town was booming. During the heyday of Vaudeville, this theatre hosted acts from the Three Stooges to Will Rogers.
A Conoco station in Commerce, OK, the hometown of Mickey Mantle
A Marathon gas station, also in Commerce. It's now an ice cream shop.
Growing up in New Jersey in the 1950's the Yankees were my favorite team, and Mickey Mantle was the first sports hero that I idolized. We moved to St. Louis when I was 7. My parents returned to NJ from a house hunting trip to St. Louis and gave me an autographed photo of Stan Musial, whose restaurant was next to my Dad's new office. I had no idea who he was, but I soon learned.
Mickey's childhood home.
The Mantle's barn...see the plaque below.
