Day Twenty-seven – October 5, 2018
A sunnier day today – that’s always appreciated! Quick breakfast and gas for the car and we are leaving Tulsa in hopes of getting to Kansas and then Missouri. We are able to check off more of the 50 US States on this trip – still hoping to get to all 50 while we are able.
This first part of our day’s journey is about all things Route 66.
The next listed attraction is in Afton, OK. This is a restored 1930’s D-X Service Station.
Inside we see lots of Route 66 memorabilia and then the unexpected – a separate showroom with classic cars. Again, no charge for the museum, just donations.
Everyone who visits seems to write their names and cities on every square inch of the walls – they are from all over the planet!
There are a lot of Packards here – I remember we had a Packard once, navy blue I think; but I’ll have to ask my mom about that.
Back inside the station we ask if there are plans to restore some of the buildings across the street as they are in quite disrepair. The lady at the desk said “no. The person who owns the building says it is for sale but every time someone makes an offer she says ‘not for sale.’” That is a shame because this could be a really cute little town.
Then the lady says this station may not be around for visitors soon. It seems the owner died about 8 weeks ago and the widow is thinking of selling. It would be a travesty if this place did not stay open on the 66 – it is such an important reminder of the past. We will have to write to the Oklahoma 66 people and let them know, perhaps someone(s) will be able to purchase this and keep it open.
She is still talking and we find it kind of hard to leave her – she seems a little lonely and sad about maybe losing her job there. But we need to keep traveling because the next part of the road is really interesting.
North of Narcissa, OK we find ourselves on part of the original 66. This is known as the “Ribbon Road”. Nine feet wide, this portion of the road is pre-1937 when Route 66 was rerouted. We take this really slowly – one, because we don’t want to ruin the car and two, because we just want to savor driving on part of the original 66.
In Miami, OK we find out we are in the Gateway to Oklahoma. Didn’t know that before – but they do take Route 66 fairly seriously here.
The Coleman Theater is a 1929 Art Deco style that is still used! Beautiful building!
Through Quapaw and wow – here we are in Kansas. We were in Kansas City once for a conference, but not to really sight see.
We stop in Baxter Springs at a small diner on Route 66. Good homemade food and pies; and Route 66 curtains!
We are looking for the Brush Creek Bridge. This bridge was built in 1923 and is the last of this style on Route 66. This “Marsh Arc Rainbow” style bridge is two-lanes and is drivable only one-way.
I don’t really like bridges, but this is an exception. It is so cool we turn around and actually drive on another part of the original 66 and cross this bridge – and look, it’s me driving across a bridge. Wonders!
You can see the new bridge and the old bridge.
We are only in Kansas a very short while but there is another attraction we want to see.
In Galena, KS there is a restored 1930’s Kan-O-Tex Service Station. This is the place where the tow truck was the inspiration for the Disney’s “Cars” movie character – Mater. They also have the original pumps, signs, and a snack bar.
They should still be open but sadly they are not. We walk around and take a few pictures – a fun place!
As we make our way across Kansas there are several, out-of-the-way things to see on the 66. In some places you can see how they have widened the original road.
As we pass through Joplin we seem to remember this is where that horrific tornado touched down in 2011. The city is rebuilding and doing well! That is so good to see.
Is comfordable a word?
The signage can get confusing – Historic 66, Byway 66, Pre-1937 etc. We really have to keep our eyes open to find some of these sights.
We are often not far from the Interstate on 66.
West of Cambridge, KS we find one of only a few drive-in theaters that is still open for business on Route 66. This is the only drive-in with the Route 66 name. Of course, it is not open in October, but we still wanted to see it.
Part of the old road exists here too – although it is quite narrow and not traveled too much.
In Paris Springs Junction, MO, we stop at Gay Parita; another service station replica.
And so much more! Once again, there is no charge to visit the museum, donations accepted.
We ask George, the gentleman running the museum how many visitors he gets a year and the answer is surprisingly fewer than we thought – about 5,000. He also tells us we just missed the Tattoo Man by a few hours – he was visiting his friend here. Drat – that would have been cool to see him in person.
Gay Parita is not listed on many of the Route 66 materials so you have to be actually traveling on the old Route 66 to find it. Seems like the larger venues get posted more and get more visitors. But shouldn’t they be taking the old roads as much as possible? We think – yes!
Another fun, quirky place.
We stay on the old route and make our way to Springfield, MO. The signage gets tricky here too – as we try to stay on the oldest parts of the 66.
The Gillioz Theater has been restored and is still operating. It seems that when Mr. Gillioz found out Route 66 was going through this part of town he bought the one remaining building – even though it was only 16 feet wide – to construct a theater. They say this was one of the first theaters to show “talking films” in 1928. How cool is that!
Springfield seems like a good place to stay for the night but they are crowded and the first place we try is totally booked. Okay, there is a sister hotel right next door – they have room – whew.
The Whole Hog Café or Ruby Tuesdays for dinner. We can smell the smoke from the smoker and choose the Whole Hog Café. Gotta love a restaurant that is within walking distance from your lodging!
The menu is on a billboard type sign as you walk in and it is overwhelmingly large! We decide on the combo plate with two types of meat and two sides. I opt for the pulled pork and beef brisket with salad and baked beans and Dale has pulled chicken and pork loin with salad and cookies as his two sides. Really? Cookies as a side dish? Heavenly for him!
More than happy and satisfied we walk back to the hotel and hope for a quiet night’s sleep.
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