Robert’s Routes

I recently returned from a visit with a group of intrepid travelers from the United Kingdom who are traveling Route 66 in its entirety from the shores of Lake Michigan at Chicago to the shores of the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica.

I joined them for just a short portion of their journey – just the 172 miles from Claremore to Oklahoma City in Oklahoma. The following is a brief resume’ of my short part of the trip with them.

You can follow their adventures in greater detail on their very excellent website at:
http://a7route66.typepad.com/

Wednesday, September 6, 2006
5:56 AM CT
0.0 Miles

I began my journey from Irving, Texas following Texas State Highways 161 and 121 and U.S. Highway 75 to Mc Kinnney, Texas. Along the way I made some contacts via the Amateur Radio Repeater Stations with fellow “hams”.

7:51-8:18 AM
82.4 Miles

My first stop was for breakfast at Braum’s Ice Cream Shop in Denison, Texas. In addition to a large selection of ice cream, Braum’s serves good hamburgers and breakfasts. A nice clean place for a full meal or a coffee break.

8:27-8:37 AM
88.4 Miles

Next was a stop at the Texas Tourist Information Center , where I picked up packets of Guide Books and Maps to distribute to the UK visitors.

8:43 AM
91.2 Miles

I crossed the Red River and entered into Oklahoma

8:46-9:01 AM
93.2 Miles

Oklahoma Tourist Information Center. Another stop for material for the visitors. Both visitor centers are worth a stop and the attendants were very helpful in filling up the bags full of information with guide books and maps to distribute to the Brits.

10:35-10:41 AM
173.7 Miles

A brief stop for gas at Savanna, Oklahoma and a refreshing drink from the ice chest – another thing which I don’t dare leave home without it.

12:42-1:06 PM
269.6 Miles

The Boston Avenue United Methodist Church at 1301 South BostonAvenue in Tulsa is one of the largest churches of that denomination, with 8,000 members . The church, which was built in 1929, is noted for its Art Deco Architecture and includes a 14-story skyscraper tower. The interior is also notable, with a large Sanctuary which also has an organ of many ranks and stops. Pictures were taken of the interior and exterior of the Church.

1:18-1:39 PM
272.3 Miles

A lunch stop at Taco Bell, along with some “scouting duties” to to check out “Historic Route 66″ for the tour group. Eleventh Street in Tulsa is so marked.

2:21-2:29 PM
297.7 Miles

I stopped briefly at the Super 8 Motel in Claremore to see if the groupfrom the UK had checked in yet. They had not, so I proceeded on tomy lodgings at the Claremore Motor Inn.

2:48-2:53 PM
300.3 Miles

I arrived at the Claremore Motor Inn and stopped just long enough to check in and check the room . I decided that since the group had not arrived, I would travel a few miles to the east to the noted Totem Poles at Foyil, Oklahoma.

3:11-3:43 PM
313.5 Miles

The collection of concrete Totem Poles is one of the noted side trips along Route 66. They are the handicraft of a local resident, Ed Galloway, who spent many years in their construction . To reach them, you travel about 10 miles east from Claremore to Foyil and then about 4 miles east on Oklahoma State Highway 28A, which is an interesting “roller coaster” road in itself with its many up- and down-grades.

4:00 PM
326.7 Miles

I returned to the Claremore Motor Inn to await the arrival of the convoy of Baby Austins. They arrived somewhat later. After greetings and introductions, I was appointed “guide car” to lead them to the Super 8 Motel, about 2.5 miles south of the Claremore Motor Inn. The Claremore Motor Inn is located on Historic Route 66 and the Super 8 Motel is on Oklahoma State Highway 20, just west of the exit from the Turner Turnpike.

Some of the streets in Claremore are named for notable persons. For example, Oklahoma State Highway 88, which leads to the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore and the Will Rogers Birthplace in Oologah is Will Rogers Boulevard. (Will Rogers said he claimed to be a native of Claremore since “Only an Indian can pronounce Oologah !”)

Oklahoma State Highway 66, also Historic Route 66, is Lynn Riggs Boulevard, named for the author of “Green Grow the Lilacs”, on which the musical “Oklahoma !” was based.

And Oklahoma State Highway 20 is Patti Page Boulevard, named for the celebrated “Singing Rage” of course.

I had the privilege of joining Ken and Eileen Cooke, from Hertfordshire, England and George and Joy Mooney, from Bournemouth, also in England, of course, for dinner at the Rib Crib Restaurant in Claremore.

The day’s total mileage was 341.8 Miles

Thursday, September 7, 2006

8:04 AM CT
0.0 Miles

The group fromt the UK had some duties to attend to today and had set aside today as a “rest day”, so I decided to take advantage of the situation and do some sightseeing on my own.

I set out after having a complimentary continental breakfast, courtesy of the Claremore Motor Inn. I might add that the Claremore is to be highly recommended with everything first class, inlcuding cable TV (with the Weather Channel, also
a necessity for one’s travels across unfamiliar country and weather conditions) , a microwave oven and a small refrigerator in the room.

8:13-8:17 AM
0.6 Miles

Stopped at the ICB Bank to cash a Traveler’s Check. The usual convenient drive-in tellers.

8:22 AM
1.5 Miles

Oops ! I forgot the film that I was going to take to Wal-Mart. Back to the motel
to pick it up.

8:33-8:40 AM
5.0 Miles

Dropped off the film at Wal-Mart, where they have convenient one hour service. Also, for a small additional fee, you can have your photos on a CD.

9:08-9:31 AM
21.2 Miles

The Will Rogers Birthplace is located north of Oologah, Oklahoma, which in turn is located north of Claremore via Oklahoma State Highway 88 and County Roads. The directions are well marked. In addition to the two-story home, there are extensive grounds with barns and other structures. There is a very good view of Lake Oologah also, so I took advantage of taking pictures. The place was deserted and there was no
one present but me and the chickens.

9:52-9:58 AM
34.5 Miles

Back to Claremore. The First United Methodist Church struck me as being very similar in style of architecture to the First United Methodist Church in Bedford, Texas, where we had been members for several years, so I just couldn’t resist taking a picture.

10:01-11:00 AM
34.9 Miles

A visit to the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, which is in a large and imposing building of brick and stone. One could spend many hours here exploring the many exhibits and artifacts. There is also a theater which has a continuous showing of movies in which Will Rogers starred. Like the home at Oologah, the museum was practically deserted and only one or two other visitors besides myself during my visit.

11:06-11:08 AM
36.1 Miles

A brief stop for a photo of the Will Rogers Hotel, which is, I understand, is scheduled for renovation and restoration for a Senior Citizen’s Center.

11:15-11:29 AM
37.8 Miles

Stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up the pictures.

12:14-12:18 PM
42.2 Miles

As the English would say, “Take-Aways” from Arby’s for lunch….I daresay I quite fancy their Roast Beef sandwiches, with a bit of horse-radish sauce if you please !

12:25-12:54 PM
44.0 Miles

Back to the motel for lunch in the room and await call from Ken Cooke for instructions on meeting them later in the afternoon.

1:05-3:18 PM
46.7 Miles

Met Ken and Eileen Cooke and some of the party at the Wal-Mart, where they were shopping for various items of necessity. I introduced them to the convenience of Lipton’s Cold Brew Tea. I don’t know if they considered this a blasphemy or not.

3:29-5:09 PM
49.6 Miles

Back to the Claremore Motor Inn for a rest stop – break. Some more “ham radio” contacts with the local radio operators and I also checked in to the local County Network later.

52.0 Miles

Joined the group back at the Super 8 Motel.

Shortly after arrival, a group from the Tulsa Antique Ford Club pulled up with their collection which included 3 Fords of 1937, 1949 and 1953 vintage; 2-1949 and 1-
1950 Mercurys and a 1957 Thunderbird .

We were also joined by Mr. Ron Jones, who has tattoos all over his body of Route 66 attractions. Ron’s car, a 1955 red-white-and blue Chevrolet, has license plates “WOOT 66″ (ala “Tweety Bird”) .

Some of the guests (including this writer) were treated to short ’spins’ in Ken Cooke’s “Chummy”. It was a cool evening and the natural air conditioner (no top, no windows) worked very well as he sprinted around the motel grounds !

Some more “take-aways” from Domino’s Pizza were served picnic style to the group. Rivers Duke, a member of the party from North Carolina also supplied us with a watermelon.

The UK group planned to turn in early for the night, so back to the Claremore Motor Inn for overnight.

8:22 PM
The day’s total mileage was 54.8 Miles

Friday, September 8, 2006

6:37 AM
0.0 Miles

I checked out of the Claremore Motor Inn just before sunrise. (Got what I thought was a very good picture of the motel in darkness except for the lighted sign and neon tubing around the roof tops, with the moon in the background.)

6:42-7:05 AM
0.8 Miles

Breakfast at Braum’s, “just down the road” from the motel. Sunrise while having breakfast.

7:13-8:01 AM
2.5 Miles

Back to the Super 8 Motel to join the Route 66 Baby Austin Convoy. Diana Garside, who now lives in North Carolina and is the daughter of Veronica Garside, brought up the rear in a “car hire” (Rental) “support car” of a late model Kia Sedona Minivan in which the luggage of the group was stored….those “Baby Austins” don’t have much of a “boot” for such things !. They had said they planned to be on the road by 8:00 AM, and true to their word, my dash-board indicated 8:01 AM precisely as the convoy headed westward on Historic Route 66. I followed along behind the minivan, which in turn followed along behind the caravan.

8:51 AM
14.8 Miles

After some minor errors in navigation, we stopped for a few minutes at the Blue Whale. This was once a popular “swimming hole” for refreshing swims by Route 66 travelers. It has been in a bad state of neglect for many years, but has recently been restored to its original appearance. Rivers Duke, one of the more adventurous members of the group, posed for a picture as if he was making a “swan dive” from the tail of the whale. He was encouraged to not do so from members of the group, since his assistance and services were badly needed and much appreciated. I had the pleasure of the company of Ken Cooke for a few miles as he rode along with me in the comfort and luxury of my air-conditioned 2000 Mercury Sable sedan (for which he received some good-natured kidding.)

9:36-9:44 AM
29.0 Miles

A brief stop at the Tulsa Airport to pick up some more baggage which had been shipped there. Veronica Garside joined me for part of the trip. On the way to the airport we passed a “Roundabout” (Traffic Circle) which one does not see much of these days on American roads. It seems these are quite present on British roads.

10:01-10:15 AM
34.1 Miles

A stop for re-fueling of the Austins at a “Petrol Station” (Gas) along East 11th Street in Tulsa, which is marked “Historic Route 66″ . Needless to say, the cars and their drivers attracted quite a bit of attention from the station attendants and passers by.

10:32-10:42 AM
38.2 Miles

The group took a break for rest and refreshments on the tree-shaded parking lots of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. They were impressed by the Art-Deco Architecture. The group also mentioned their notice of the large number of different denominations of churces in all of the towns they had passed through on their journey so far.

11:11 AM-12:27 PM
46.2 Miles

Along Historic Route 66 at Red Fork, Oklahoma, just west of Tulsa, is Ollie’s Restaurant. After some more minor mis-calculations in navigation, the convoy was soon re-assembled and then on to the restaurant for I suppose what they call “elvensies” of tea and a brunch. The restaurant is interesting in itself, not only
for its wide selection on the menu, but for its large collection of model railroad layouts. A train circles overhead in the main dining room and there are several other “layouts” in other rooms inside the restaurant, as well as some railroad artifacts outside. Put this down as a “must see/must stop” if you’re traveling down
Historic Route 66 !

2:23-2:40 PM
92.0 Miles

Continuing on down Historic Route 66 (the lead car was using the “EZ Guide”, a spiral bound note bound with volumnious maps and instructions for following the “old road”) . Our next stopat the historic Spangler’s General Store in Depew, Oklahoma. Next door is the United States Post Office. Veronica Garside asked if they sold postage stamps. Some humorous remarks were made when the car of the local Sheriff pulled up at the Post Office… “Uh-Oh ! The long arm of the law !” or something of that nature.

2:57 PM
98.3 Miles

We paused briefly for pictures at the “Shoe Tree”, which is another Route 66 attraction and needless to say, a bit of a curiosity . This is a tree which is decorated with many shoes, mostly those of the tennis and walking shoe types, all dangling from the branches by their shoe laces.

3:10-3:40 PM
102.2 Miles

Another stop for pictures, a gas stop and refreshments at the Rock Cafe’ in Stroud,Oklahoma. Vernonica Garside had remarked about the similarity of the countrysidethrough which we had passed to that in England. I thought this was a bit surprising.

“Over hill, over dale,
As we hit the dusty trail,
And those Austins
Keep rolling along !”

We then detoured via a very old section of Route 66, according to the guide a 1923-1930 section of the Ozark Trail, which was a fore-runner of Route 66, which did not come into existence until 1926. The road was a very rough and dusty trail….I had no idea where we were, so I just trusted to our trusty navigators in the lead car. Needless to say, the open cars following literally were forced to “eat my dust”. On the way we passed a concrete or stone obelisk, which one of four remaining markers in Oklahoma for the Ozark Trail . We also traveled over several miles of very old narrow concrete paving along the way.

4:33-5:02 PM
118.5 Miles

At Chandler, Oklahoma, we had returned to the paving of Oklahoma Route 66, also marked Historic Route 66. The group stopped for doughnuts at a Pastry Shop and were served by a young girl of Native American heritage. Rivers Duke remarked to the group that “Now you’ve met a real American Indian !” Also a re-fueling stop for the Baby Austins at a “petrol station” across the street from the Pastry Shop.

6:08 PM
145.9 Miles

Still another Historic Route 66 attraction is the Round Barn at Arcadia, Oklahoma. It has been restored , thanks to contributions, as they say on PBS “From Viewers Like You “. Rivers Duke, ever the adventuresome member of the group, had to inspect it at closer range. Along the road, the convoy had to take to the side of the road occasionally to let the backup of traffic pass by.

7:15 PM
172.0 Miles

After losing the convoy somehow on the outskirts of Oklahoma City and some mis-navigation on my part I arrived at the Carlyle Motel, on North West 39th Street in Oklahoma City. I have been to Oklahoma City many times in my employment at courses at the Federal Aviation Academy, so I thought I knew the place..but…….the North West Expressway is not the same as North West 39th Street. However, Oklahoma City has a very easy tofollow grid system of streets and I found my way to the motel, arriving ahead of the group, who apparently had some problems of their own and did not arrive until about a half hour later. However, all’s well that ends well and they were very cordially greeted by the managers of the motel and we were all checked in. The Carlyle is one of the older motels and a bit outdated by today’s standards, but an economical place to stay for a good night’s rest, in addition to having a convenient location along 39th Street, which is a part of Historic Route 66 in Oklahoma City. The evening concluded with some more “take-aways” from Quizno’s , just across the street from the motel, and a reading of a letter by Vince Leek before the group retired for the night.

Saturday, September 9, 2006

7:04 AM
0.0 Miles

Due to some obligations at home in Irving, I decided to return home Saturday morning. George Mooney was the only person in the party I saw up at that early morning hour. He was busy loading his 1934 Cambridge Special, perhaps the sportiest vehicle in the group. I bade him good-bye and best wishes for the continuance of their journey across the rest of the route on Historic Route 66, and then headed south on I-44 from the entrance ramp at Mile Marker 123.

7:15-7:47 AM
5.5 Miles

I enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Restaurant, at Mile Marker 145 on I-40. As I mentioned before, I have spent quite a bit of time in Oklahoma City and the Cracker Barrel is one of my favorites.

9:07-9:15 AM
79.3 Miles

Time for a short break for a rest stop and refreshments at the Rest Area at Mile Marker 59 on I-35. This is one of the very good Rest Areas which Oklahoma has on the Interstate Highways. There is a full facility with rest rooms and a tree-shaded area with covered picnic tables, in addition to a large parking for all types of vehicles from motorcycles to “eighteen-wheelers.”

9:30-9:38 Miles
89.3 Miles

Turner Falls is a scenic spot, located a few miles from the exit at Mile Marker 51 on I-35. It is on section of old U.S. Highway 77. In the days before the Interstate Highway (I-35) this was something of a “bottle neck”, especially if one got behind a slow moving truck winding up the grade along the switchback curves on the narrow highway. Nowadays, the trip over the Arbuckle Mountains is made swiftly. There is an overlook at the crest of the mountains, looking down on the falls. The flow was just a trickle due to the drought conditions, but there was a group of school children enjoying themselves from their shouts and squeals of laughter. A short stop for picture taking.

I decided to do some “Historic Route Explorations” of my own and followed “Route 77″ (Old U.S. Highway 77) from Turner Falls south via Ardmore and Marietta, where I returned to the Interstate at Thackerville. The old road is still in good condition, with sections of , as the English would say, “Dual Carriageways with their Central Reservations”….translation: Divided Highway with Median Strip. One can make just about as good time on the old road as on I-35 with just a few delays for traffic lights in the towns along the route. Off the road, there are a few sections of the old one-lane road, now grown up in grass fields.

10:43 AM
139.4 Miles

I crossed the Red River and returned to Texas.

10:47-11:09 AM
141.5 Miles

I stopped at the Texas Tourist Information Center at Mile Marker 502 on I-35, just north of Gainesville, Texas. I browsed about the many folders and brochures of points of interest in Texas for future reference. There is an information counter staffed by knowledgeable attendants who will give routing and information
for tourists. There are also rest rooms and picnic facilities, in addition to a large parking area. There is a stone marker in the shape of the state of Texas which seemed to be quite popular as a background for “The quaint American custom, which George R. Stewart remarked, in his book .U.S. 40- Cross Section of the United States’,
of ‘taking a snapshot.’”

12:07-12:12 PM
192.0 Miles

A stop for gas at the Chevron Station at the exit at Mile Marker 451 on I-35 at Lewisville, Texas. A check of the gas mileage was 29.5 Miles Per Gallon, about par for the course.

12:13-1:13 PM
192.1 Miles

On the I-35 frontage road – or service road as the British call it – just next door to the Chevron Station is another of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores and Restaurants. There is a large selection on the menu. I enjoyed the fried Catfish Dinner for a very sumptuous repast.

1:48-1:59 PM
209.7 Miles

I decided to drop off the film at the one-hour photo service at the Wal-Mart near the Esters Road on Airport Freeway (Texas State Highway 183) in Irving, Texas.

2:04 PM
210.9 Miles

I returned home after a most enjoyable trip which was certainly most entertaining and educational after spending some time with our British tourists traveling the Mother Road in their Baby Austins. Perhaps I shall devote some time in the near future for a lesson in translating British to American and vice versa. As Sir Winton Churchill so aptly put it, “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.”
Happy Trails, Y’All !