Heading Across Oklahoma

October 14, 2018

We spent most of today continuing our trek across Oklahoma.  We saw lots of classic Route 66 signs and businesses.  Oklahoma was much greener and hillier than Texas, but very similar in terms of lots of cattle ranches, cotton fields, and oil wells.   Most of today's drive was in the rain, so we only racked up 150 miles before stopping at a Holiday Inn in Oklahoma City, so we could watch the Sox and the Pats tonight.

 This gas station also sold boots!

 Lucille's Service Station.  Lucille ran this gas station for 53 years after her husband died in 1941.

$0.26/gallon

Completed as a WPA project in 1933, locals refer to this as the Pony Bridge (each truss is a pony).  There are 38 ponies on this bridge.  The bride is nearly 4000 feet long and spans the South Canadian River.  This is the longest true bridge on Route 66.  It was used in a scene from the Grapes of Wrath.

South Canadian River

 This looks like one of banks robbed by Bonnie & Clyde.  Notice the grain elevator in the background.

 Yukon, OK

We're in Oklahoma

October 13, 2018

We completed our trek across the Texas panhandle today and made it into Oklahoma.  Most of the towns we passed through along Route 66 have seen better days.  Many are almost ghost towns.  I think for every restored sign or business that we photographed, there were 100 signs or businesses that our abandoned.  Life along Route 66 is certainly different than life in New England.

An oil refinery in Borger, Texas

 There are plenty of these in the Texas Panhandle where it's flat and windy.

 Do you think this home owner belongs to the NRA?

Slug Bug Ranch, Conway, Texas

Not a real water tower, Mr. Britten had a good sense of humor.  Groom, Texas

 Oldest Phillips 66 gas station in Oklahoma

 Hand cut ribeye steaks for lunch.  Outstanding!

Art deco Conoco gas station in Shamrock, Texas.  Featured in Pixar film Cars

Our first town in Oklahoma, Texola, population=38

 Texola, OK

  Texola, OK

Sandhill's Curiosity Shop in Erick, OK.  Hometown of Roger Miller and Sheb Wooley, who wrote "One Eyed, One Eared, Flying Purple People Eater"

We shouldn't have been surprised to see so many cotton fields since Texas does host the Cotton Bowl

 Our final highlight of the day was visiting this battlefield in Oklahoma, where on November 27, 1868, over 700 soldiers from the 7th Calvary, led by George Armstrong Custer, slaughtered a village of 100+ Indians, mostly women and children.  Chief Black Kettle and his wife were among the victims.  Not sure why it's called a battle.  The Indians were asleep in their teepees when the attack began just before dawn. 

When Custer signed a treaty and smoked the peace pipe with the Indians after this battle, one of the Chiefs dumped the ashes from the pipe on Custer's boots and said,  "if you break this treaty you will die."  Many historians have stated that Little Big Horn was the Indians revenge for this attack.

I'm not sure it sure it should be called a battlefield.  That's like calling Dachau a battlefield.

The trees in the back of this foggy scene are along the Washita River, the location of the Indians' village attacked by Custer.  It's not that picturesque, but just seeing the location was moving.

Foss State Park, Foss, OK

Finally a Sunny Day!

October 12, 2018

Another incredible campsite.  Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Texas

Our day started at the sketchy Adventure/Zip Line RV Park which actually had one shower.  It was a shaky setup, but it was clean as far as campground standards go, so we each took a shower, our first since Monday morning, and headed back into the town of Canyon, for coffee and a pastry.

 Grain elevators are everywhere.

If you can eat all of the 72 oz. steak at this tall guy's restaurant, it's free.  We passed on the challenge

The Palace Coffee shop was pretty cool, although we had to sit within earshot of a group of four, two of whom were sporting MAGA hats.  The pastries were delicious, so we relaxed a bit and took advantage of their WiFi.

On our way out of Canyon we stopped at Walmart to buy some groceries and then headed to the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument.  I didn’t know what to expect, I was imaging a quarry where they mined the flints for Zippo lighters.  WRONG!

Alibates flint is actually a very rare form of dolomite.  It is exceptionally strong and was used 13,000 years ago by the Plains Indians for their tools and weapons.   This type of flint is harder than untempered steel and harder than glass. The flint was also so valued that it was used for bartering.  Fossilized spearheads of Alibates flint have been found in ancient mastadons, which is how scientists have been able to determine how long ago this flint was used. The quarries were holes only 5 feet deep and 10 feet in diameter.  The Indians used animal bones to create hoe-like digging tools.  

This monument was created in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson.

Out of Business:  The Dam Store in Sanford Texas

Leaving the Monument we drove on to the nearby Lake Meredith National Recreation area that was formed by a dam on the Canadian River.  We found a beautiful campsite that overlooked Lake Meredith.  It was now sunny, so we decided to spend a relaxing day enjoying the view.  Good decision!

Sunset on Lake Meredith

We Finally Made it To Texas

October 11, 2018 

 From Santa Rosa to Tucumcari to Amarillo this stretch of Route 66 is truly a trip back to the 30's-50's when the interstates didn't exist.

Our first stop was the Route 66 Auto Museum that had a wonderful collection of antique cars, more Chevy’s than any other make, but definitely worth the $5 admission fee, at least for me.  Joni stayed in the car.

Many of these cars were for sale.  $8000 for this Woody.

 an Edsel converted into a backhoe

Leaving Santa Rosa we then drove through Tucumcari, immortalized in the song “Willin” by Lowell George.   This town is nowhere near as prosperous as Grants, New Mexico; there were lots of abandoned motels, gas stations, and other business, but there collection of vintage Route 66 was superb.

Every room at the Blue Swallow Motel came with its own garage.  We saw several others motels that offered this convenience.

Leaving Tucumcari, we soon crossed into Texas, our first visit ever to the Lone Star State. Shortly over the board we stopped for lunch at the Mid Point Café with is located equally distant from Chicago and Los Angeles.  

The Café was right out of Drive-Ins, Diners, & Dives; we loved it and the three women who now own the restaurant couldn’t be friendlier.  

Joni had a chicken salad sandwich and I had a cheeseburger made with local beef.  We shared a slice of Elvis pie for dessert:  a chocolate cream that includes peanut butter and bananas.  Yummy!

Amarillo was next on today’s itinerary.  Just outside the city we paused to take a shot of the Cadillac Ranch, which features 10 Caddies, all in a row with their front halves buried in the field.

Leaving the ranch we continued into Amarillo, which is a one of the larger cities on Route 66, and stopped anytime we notice a great photo-op.  Compared to Tucumcari or even Santa Rosa, Amarillo wasn’t that exciting, so we made a U-turn and headed to nearby Canyon, Texas, home of West Texas A&M, where we had a fabulous dinner at the Imperial Taproom.

Named after one of our favorite doggies! 

Leaving the Taproom, we had a short drive to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park, home of the second largest canyon in the US.  Unfortunately, the state park campground was full, so we had to settle for the sketchy Adventure/Zip Line RV Park, fortunately located next to the state park’s entrance.  Darkness was approaching, it was damp and cold outside, and the zip line park was not crowded, so we picked a semi-secluded site, put up our shades and settled in for the night.

The brown shed right behind our van is the shower!