Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX

Ahh -- to be a kid with a can of spray paint!

Day 4: Amarillo, TX to Tucumcari, NM

You probably saw the news stories about the heavy rains and flooding in OK City. Well, we were lucky to have headed west just ahead of that storm. -- I wrote about the VW Bug Ranch in my last post. Turns out that was a copy of the Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo. So, this entrepreneur decided to bury about 10 Cadillacs nose first in the Texas prairie. The best thing about this is you drive up to the gate, and walk about 1/4 mile to the cars, but there is no admission, nobody hawking t-shirts, nothing but people and the cars. When we were there, there was group of day camp kids -- all with cans of spray paint -- climbing in and out of the cars, painting them up. Looked like a lot of fun. -- We did pretty good sticking to the old road which mostly parallels I-40. We went through the Texas towns of Vega, Adrian, and Glenrio, before hitting the New Mexico border. The best part of today was hitting the geographical halfway point between Chicago and Santa Monica and having a late breakfast at the Midpoint Cafe -- somehow the ham and eggs were better here. -- Glenrio was a real ghost town - the First and Last Motel in Texas was a crumbling shack that probably saw its share of travelers and truck drivers over the past 60-70 years. -- We then headed for our layover point, Tucumcari, NM, where we chilled overnite -- Had a nice southwest style meal (Carne Adovado) at the Pow Wow Inn and Restaurant and admired the nightime, lit-up art deco of the Blue Swallow Motel and the Teepee Curios souvenir shop - both reminders of an America where being different was the key to attract customers vs. the cookie cutter fast food places and motels we have today.-- A good day on the road/kc

Photos from OK City west to Amarillo

From top to bottom:

1) Rattlesnale Ranch, Conway, TX

2) The Bug Ranch, Conway, TX

3) Murrah Building Memorial, OK City

Day 3: Oklahoma City to Amarillo, TX

Thanks for the comments and messages. We appreciate your interest and will try to keep these short and interesting. Started out in OK City visiting the memorial erected on the site of the 1995 federal building bombing. It really is an extensive memorial and one does begin to appreciate the scope of that tragedy. There are 168 chairs placed within the footprint of the structure. Kind of gives you pause when you consider the impact that narrow ideologies and hate has on the human condition. --- We are trying hard to stick to the old Route 66 road alignments but over the years, local development and the Interstate system makes it difficult sometimes. Much of the old road through places like Hydro, OK is really nothing more than frontage roads along the Interstate. But - the value is in seeing history as you move through some of the small towns which are often in poor condition or really more like ghost towns since businesses failed as development moved away from the old road. One highlight today was the VW Bug Ranch near Conway Texas. There are 5 old VWs buried in the ground - all painted in a 6os psychedelic style - and located in this fairly decrepit old gas station/tourist stop. Quite a sight out in the middle of the Texas plains - which by the way go on for miles. --- We ended up in Amarillo, TX where we ate at the Big Texan - a famous steak house where if you eat a 72 ounce steak, its free -- Needless to say, I had the smaller prime rib. Weather looks fair for our leg to Tucumcari, NM so I will close here and catch up tomorrow. Internet connection here is weak so will try to add some photos later --Bye4now/kc

Day 2 - Joplin, MO to Oklahoma City, OK

The interesting thing is you may be driving along and then find "old" sections of Route 66 that either parallel or cross the newer paved sections. We found what we think is one of the oldest sections, a 9-foot wide (only good for one lane) path that meanders through hay fields outside of Afton, OK. We also came upon an old rusty bridge with a red brick deck built in 1921. When you drive through some of the small towns, you see both the history and the resurgence of interest in Route 66. On the same street, this burned out grocery (Bassets, in business since 1922) is across the street from a DX gas station that has been restored. But - the town looks deserted for the most part. A run down building on Main Street is a home for hundreds of nesting birds. We stayed overnite in Oklahoma City - went to Bricktown, a lively nightclub/restaurant district near Mickey Mantle Stadium. Tomorrow will go by the Murrah Building memorial before heading west to Texas.

First Day - Kansas City to Joplin, MO

We headed south from Kansas City to Springfield to pick up the old sections of route 66 westbound to Joplin. What I am learning is that you have to do some work to actually find those roads that used to be part of the old 66. Most of the old road signs are gone; but some regions have capitalized on the historic interest by posting markers along the way like the one you see here. Along the way, we saw vestiges of old gas stations, motels, and even an old Desoto dealer.

We stayed overnight in Joplin, which we learned was a large lead and zinc mining town. We toured a museum where the curator spent a lot of time showing us around and explaining the mining operations and other historic items about the area.

In the evening, we ate at Wilders, a noted steak restaurant, and then went to the Boomtown Days Festival. I saw this 1973 Plymouth Satellite at a classic car display. The owner said she bought it new in 1973. They were only produced for 2 years. I had a 1974 Satellite Sebring model, bright yellow with a 3/4 vinyl roof like this one. Jeanne and I bought it used in 1975 with money we received as wedding gifts. A nice memory.

We are heading to Oklahoma City today.

Getting Set

Lou is Amtraking it from NYC to Kansas City, MO via Chicago. Once we get the car, we will be heading south from KC to Joplin, MO, about 160 miles to pick up Route 66.