Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Day 8 - Addendum
In McLean Texas, I stopped at the Devil's Rope Museum. I didn't know that devil's rope is the other name for barbed wire. And boy are there different varieties of barbed wire! Easily over 200 different kinds of barbed wire were on display along with their history. They say that barbed wire made the west civilized and windmills made the land habitable.
Day 8 - Texas Panhandle
My morning began with a visit to the Oklahoma Route 66 museum. It showed the history of the road by decades and ended with an interesting anthology. I was off riding the frontage roads that comprise the former Route 66. In Elk City I visited the National Route 66 Transportation Museum (every town has their own museum). I think I am experiencing museum overload.
I stopped in the town of Erick which is the birth home of Roger Miller (King of the Road) and Sheb Wooley (Purple People Eater). One book suggested that I stop by the City Meat Market for lunch. Well, its no longer a meat market and the owners Harley and Annabelle provide a redneck serenade for visiting travel groups. They invited me to join 30 motorcyclists from Norway for lunch and there musical review. Their venue is a store with all sorts of memorabilia.
They usually perform for tour groups of motorcyclists and bicyclists. They claim to have video clips at You Tube. Search Harley and Annabelle to see a snipet of their performance.
From Erick, I took the mother road to Texola which now is only a ghost town. Then I crossed into Texas. Texas has 178 miles of Route 66 of that about 150 miles remain. Most of it is frontage road for I-40 and some of it is dirt road (not for me!) I made it to Amarillo, TX and enjoyed a homestyle rib dinner.
I stopped in the town of Erick which is the birth home of Roger Miller (King of the Road) and Sheb Wooley (Purple People Eater). One book suggested that I stop by the City Meat Market for lunch. Well, its no longer a meat market and the owners Harley and Annabelle provide a redneck serenade for visiting travel groups. They invited me to join 30 motorcyclists from Norway for lunch and there musical review. Their venue is a store with all sorts of memorabilia.
They usually perform for tour groups of motorcyclists and bicyclists. They claim to have video clips at You Tube. Search Harley and Annabelle to see a snipet of their performance.
From Erick, I took the mother road to Texola which now is only a ghost town. Then I crossed into Texas. Texas has 178 miles of Route 66 of that about 150 miles remain. Most of it is frontage road for I-40 and some of it is dirt road (not for me!) I made it to Amarillo, TX and enjoyed a homestyle rib dinner.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 7 - Across Oklahoma
Today, I traveled across most of the Sooner State and got a chance to ride some of the original concrete that comprised Route 66. You can tell it is original because it has 45 degree gutters on each side. Oklahoma touts the mother road as its biggest tourist attraction and they have done a very good job of identifying it. They have renamed it State Route 66 for the most part. I would be misleading you if I told you that I didn't get lost during my adventure. In the cities of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, I tried following the original route through town only to try and regroup and refind it on the outskirts of town. Temps started out cooler today in the low 70's, but got up to the mid-90's by afternoon. Hot and dry is the word for today.
Sunday saw me riding about 300 miles from Grove to Clinton, Ok in about 10 hours. My first stop after breakfast was in Catoosa to see the Blue Whale. This concrete creature was once the showpiece of a swimming hole and had waterslides which are probably the predecessor to today's water parks. There is no swwimming allowed today, but it was a quaint place to visit. Next stop was Chandler where they have converted a former armory into an interpretive center. No artifacts, but they have video snippets about subjects such as Route 66 neon signs.
Some of the seats are carseats, but others are reclining couches. I'm not sure, but I think I might have dozed off (just for a few seconds) during one of the presentations. Down the road was the round barn in Arcadia. This restored barn is huge. The upstairs has been used for barn dances and wedding receptions (maybe Brian would like to move his reception to Arcadia).
I stopped for dinner at the Cheyenne Restaurant (and souvenir shop) outside of Clinton. I asked to elderly locals about how to get back to old Route 66 and started a friendly disagreement. The older man was convinced that it could be accessed from the north side of I-40 and the other said it was on the south side. Well, the older man departed and the the remaining gentleman offered to escort me to the mother road and then to a motel. He was quite hospitable. In the future, I guess I will only ask directions when the person is alone! On Monday I will see the Route 66 museum in Clinton where I spent the evening.
Sunday saw me riding about 300 miles from Grove to Clinton, Ok in about 10 hours. My first stop after breakfast was in Catoosa to see the Blue Whale. This concrete creature was once the showpiece of a swimming hole and had waterslides which are probably the predecessor to today's water parks. There is no swwimming allowed today, but it was a quaint place to visit. Next stop was Chandler where they have converted a former armory into an interpretive center. No artifacts, but they have video snippets about subjects such as Route 66 neon signs.
Some of the seats are carseats, but others are reclining couches. I'm not sure, but I think I might have dozed off (just for a few seconds) during one of the presentations. Down the road was the round barn in Arcadia. This restored barn is huge. The upstairs has been used for barn dances and wedding receptions (maybe Brian would like to move his reception to Arcadia).
I stopped for dinner at the Cheyenne Restaurant (and souvenir shop) outside of Clinton. I asked to elderly locals about how to get back to old Route 66 and started a friendly disagreement. The older man was convinced that it could be accessed from the north side of I-40 and the other said it was on the south side. Well, the older man departed and the the remaining gentleman offered to escort me to the mother road and then to a motel. He was quite hospitable. In the future, I guess I will only ask directions when the person is alone! On Monday I will see the Route 66 museum in Clinton where I spent the evening.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Day 6 - "And the heat goes on . . ."
Saturday found us again with temperatures in the upper 90's. I am still in Grove, OK with my Indian riding buddies. There is supposed to be an article about our reunion at www.grand-chronicle.com I did about a 75 mile ride today in the blistering heat. Am riding in shorts for some comfort, but will put long pants on tomorrow as I return to Route 66.
Stopped in the town of Afton, OK to see Laurel Kane at her remodeled gas station. They have quite a collection of Packards in the service bay along with the usual memorabilia and souvenirs.
We enjoyed homemade spaghetti this evening for supper and I helped prepare the meatballs.
Other than that, we are all trying to keep cool. A front is supposed to pass through this evening that should be some relief. Scattered thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow, so I am hoping that it stays cool and dry. Hoping to reach Texas by tomorrow evening. Time will tell.
My rommate from NY is planning to make Bowling Green KY by day's end. He will not be taking any stops for the tourist traps. Will finish repacking this evening.
Stopped in the town of Afton, OK to see Laurel Kane at her remodeled gas station. They have quite a collection of Packards in the service bay along with the usual memorabilia and souvenirs.
We enjoyed homemade spaghetti this evening for supper and I helped prepare the meatballs.
Other than that, we are all trying to keep cool. A front is supposed to pass through this evening that should be some relief. Scattered thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow, so I am hoping that it stays cool and dry. Hoping to reach Texas by tomorrow evening. Time will tell.
My rommate from NY is planning to make Bowling Green KY by day's end. He will not be taking any stops for the tourist traps. Will finish repacking this evening.
Day 5 - Grand Lake
This morning began with a garbage omlet (all things included) on top of a waffle. I am in Grove, OK at the Honey Creek resort. Staying in a one room cabin that was probably built in the late 40's or early 50's. I am at a gathering of Indian motorcycle riders from across the US. My roommate is from Rochester, NY. In all, there are about 25 bikes and about 40 individuals. There is even a motorcycle manufacturer called Crazy Horse who has brought models to test drive. I got on an Indian tricycle and enjoyed its comfort. Its almost like riding with the sidecar again because it doesn't lean into turns.
We are staying at the Honey Creek resort on Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma. It is a huge body of water created by damming up the Elk River. We took time to ride around a portion of the lake and stopped to see my roomie's brother's yacht. Its a 46 foot Sea Ray with all of the bells and whistles.
Friday night was a fish fry and we were joined by local motorcyclists, including another Indian Rider. Temperature is in the mid 90's - to low 100's. Weather has been clear with very little clouds. Need to keep hydrated. Gas prices so far have been declining since leaving Chicago. Lowest price for regular, so far, has been $2.32.9
We are staying at the Honey Creek resort on Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma. It is a huge body of water created by damming up the Elk River. We took time to ride around a portion of the lake and stopped to see my roomie's brother's yacht. Its a 46 foot Sea Ray with all of the bells and whistles.
Friday night was a fish fry and we were joined by local motorcyclists, including another Indian Rider. Temperature is in the mid 90's - to low 100's. Weather has been clear with very little clouds. Need to keep hydrated. Gas prices so far have been declining since leaving Chicago. Lowest price for regular, so far, has been $2.32.9
Friday, June 26, 2009
Day 4 - "Three States"
I left my friends in Mt. Vernon and found that I was only 5 miles south of returning back to Route 66. Clouds were approaching, but I needed to press on. By Noon, I had encountered 3 separate storms of varying intensities. Putting raingear on, taking it off, putting it on and finally deciding to drive in a t-shirt and jeans. Headed into Joplin which is the last Missouri city before going into Kansas. Factoid: It was in 1935 that Lester Dill, owner of Merramac Caverns along Route 66 in Missouri, invented the bumper sticker to promote his attraction. And the rest is history.
Before entering Kansas, I stopped at the Stateline Bar & Grill. They offer a Route 66 burger which has 66 ozs. of meat, bun and fries for $16.66. If you eat it all, its free! Unfortunately, it was not on the menu when stopped by.
Kansas has the smallest number of miles in the entire Route 66 system with 13.2 and they are the only state, of the original 8, that did not get any interstate mileage to replace the loss of 66. Southeast Kansas was a mining community where they mined lead and zinc. Later they extracted a mineral called cadmium which is now very important in "Nickel-Cadmium" batteries which is currently powering this netbook.
In Galena I encountered 4 Women on the Route who have restored the Kan-O-Tex gas station and have the inspiration for "Tow-Mater" froms the movie CARS. They can talk your ear off! The best Kansas site is the Rainbow Arch Bridge which was built in 1926.
From Kansas, I headed south into Oklahoma. Through Quapaw and then to Commerce. I stopped for a root beer float in Commerce and the lady waiting on me shared quite a bit of history. For you baseball fans, did you know that Commerce is the boyhood home of Mickey Mantle and he played high school baseball for the Commerce Tigers? In Miami (My-am-ah) I stopped to see the restoration of the 1400 seat Coleman theatre. It is gorgeous as they are restoring it to its 1930's beauty.
From there, I am veering off the Route for 3 days to meet up with other Indian Motorcycle riders in Grove, OK. We had tacos and fry bread for dinner plus watermelon. To top off the evening, we created a small outdoor theatre and viewed "The World's Fastest Indian" on the side of a tractor-trailer. More group rides planned for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Before entering Kansas, I stopped at the Stateline Bar & Grill. They offer a Route 66 burger which has 66 ozs. of meat, bun and fries for $16.66. If you eat it all, its free! Unfortunately, it was not on the menu when stopped by.
Kansas has the smallest number of miles in the entire Route 66 system with 13.2 and they are the only state, of the original 8, that did not get any interstate mileage to replace the loss of 66. Southeast Kansas was a mining community where they mined lead and zinc. Later they extracted a mineral called cadmium which is now very important in "Nickel-Cadmium" batteries which is currently powering this netbook.
In Galena I encountered 4 Women on the Route who have restored the Kan-O-Tex gas station and have the inspiration for "Tow-Mater" froms the movie CARS. They can talk your ear off! The best Kansas site is the Rainbow Arch Bridge which was built in 1926.
From Kansas, I headed south into Oklahoma. Through Quapaw and then to Commerce. I stopped for a root beer float in Commerce and the lady waiting on me shared quite a bit of history. For you baseball fans, did you know that Commerce is the boyhood home of Mickey Mantle and he played high school baseball for the Commerce Tigers? In Miami (My-am-ah) I stopped to see the restoration of the 1400 seat Coleman theatre. It is gorgeous as they are restoring it to its 1930's beauty.
From there, I am veering off the Route for 3 days to meet up with other Indian Motorcycle riders in Grove, OK. We had tacos and fry bread for dinner plus watermelon. To top off the evening, we created a small outdoor theatre and viewed "The World's Fastest Indian" on the side of a tractor-trailer. More group rides planned for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Day 3 (on the "moist side"
Day 3 began with saying good bye to Springfield Illinois and heading south on the mother road. Sometimes I had to take I-55, but most of the time I was on a frontage road either east or west of the interstate. I stopped in a diner to have breakfast in Virden. Their specialty was called "The Shoe". It started with toast, topped with breakfast meat, then hash browns, then scrambled eggs all covered with sausage gravy. Don't even want to think about the calories! But it filled me up for breakfast and lunch. I traveled down to Staunton and stopped by to see Henr's Ra66it Ranch & Route 66 Emporium. It has real rabbits and the Volkswagen variety along with a reconstructed gas station and souvenir shop. Old gas station memorabilia and former neon signs bring the nostalgia of bygone days back to life. And Henry is a pleasant gent who admired my Indian Chief.
Headed down to Granite City and up to the Mississippi River to see the Chain of Rocks bridge. This is the original 2 lane bridge that vehicles used to take on Route 66 if they wanted to head into Missouri. The bridge is still used for hikers and was built with a bend in the middle to benefit river navigation and withstand currents. I hiked halfway, but the temperature was hovering in the high 90's, so that was enough of a hike.
Heading into Missouri, I ended up taking Interstate, mostly. Getting on and off when appropriate. Hit serious rain about in Buckhorn. Suited up and continued. Not sure if that was wise or not. Reports later said that they experienced 21 inches of rain within an hour! I could feel the motorcycle "hydroplaning" on the front tire. Time to slow down.
Finally stopped at Springfield. Headed on to a Boy Scout friend's home in Mt. Vernon. A delicious dinner of lasagna and cobbler awaited me after a long (and drenching) day. Thanks to the Goosman's for their hospitality. Tomorrow, its back to Route 66 and on to Kanasas and Grove, Oklahoma.
Headed down to Granite City and up to the Mississippi River to see the Chain of Rocks bridge. This is the original 2 lane bridge that vehicles used to take on Route 66 if they wanted to head into Missouri. The bridge is still used for hikers and was built with a bend in the middle to benefit river navigation and withstand currents. I hiked halfway, but the temperature was hovering in the high 90's, so that was enough of a hike.
Heading into Missouri, I ended up taking Interstate, mostly. Getting on and off when appropriate. Hit serious rain about in Buckhorn. Suited up and continued. Not sure if that was wise or not. Reports later said that they experienced 21 inches of rain within an hour! I could feel the motorcycle "hydroplaning" on the front tire. Time to slow down.
Finally stopped at Springfield. Headed on to a Boy Scout friend's home in Mt. Vernon. A delicious dinner of lasagna and cobbler awaited me after a long (and drenching) day. Thanks to the Goosman's for their hospitality. Tomorrow, its back to Route 66 and on to Kanasas and Grove, Oklahoma.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day 2
Enjoyed a hearty breakfast at my brother's house. He said they don't eat this good every morning. Must have been company staying over. His wife is a wonderful cook. Finally got things in gear after the rush hour to set out driving Route 66 south in Illinois. It was 82 degrees in the garage, so I knew I wwas in store for a hot day. Headed out Route 53 which is the former Route 66. You knew you were on the old 66 when you saw two concrete lanes (abandoned) running alongside your road. I personally experienced the President's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act when I ran into road resurfacing! Parts of the road were ground down to the original pavement (including those former potholes). Then spots had been tarred awaiting the asphalt, but riding on two wheels was treacherous. Stopped at a museum in Joliet about Route 66. Saw a big astronaut statue in Wilmington and visited restored gas stations in Dwight and Odell. I visited with the "Old Coot on Route 66" Mr. Ernie Edwards. He ran the Pig Hip restaurant on Route 66 for almost 60 years. Now, at 92, Ernie has plenty of stories to tell about his business and acquaintances including Col. Harlan Sanders and the time the Col. showed Ernie how he cooked his chicken with the secret spices recipe! Harlan cooked the chicken, ate it and left without paying. Ernie can spin yarns for hours, but I had to press on.
I ended my day with dinner at the Cozy Dog Diner in Springfield. Opened in 1950, they claim to be the originator of the corn dog. Another great attraction along the mother road. I am spending the evening at Route 66 hotel and conference center. With temps over 100, I enjoyed at dip in the outdoor pool. Time for bed. Tomorrow's travels are supposed to take me to Mt. Vernon, MO by supper-time so I can visit with a longtime Boy Scout friend.
I ended my day with dinner at the Cozy Dog Diner in Springfield. Opened in 1950, they claim to be the originator of the corn dog. Another great attraction along the mother road. I am spending the evening at Route 66 hotel and conference center. With temps over 100, I enjoyed at dip in the outdoor pool. Time for bed. Tomorrow's travels are supposed to take me to Mt. Vernon, MO by supper-time so I can visit with a longtime Boy Scout friend.
Day One
The rain subsided and it was a great ride down Sheridan Raod. Going through Illinois communities like Lake Forest, Wilmette, Kenilworth and Evanston provided interesting views. Being close to the lake provided that Cooler by the Lake Effect. It was a pleasant relief to enjoy nature's air conditioner. Got to Chicago and headed west and lost that effect. Temperature was in the 90's. Started at Adams and Michigan and headed west. Went past the Sears tower and proceeded to Ogden Ave. I was within blocks of the American Idol auditions that were being held at the United Center. Driving down Ogden was a throwback to my youth in the suburbs. It was fun to see landmarks and other memorable sights, but also seeing open spaces and trying to remember what was there years ago.
Visited with my parents in Brookfield. Said my goodbyes and headed to Naperville (off Route 66). Enjoyed dinner with them and their children. Good cooks and great hospitality. Great time reminiscing about events in our youth. Showed them my route 66 information and then called it a night.
Visited with my parents in Brookfield. Said my goodbyes and headed to Naperville (off Route 66). Enjoyed dinner with them and their children. Good cooks and great hospitality. Great time reminiscing about events in our youth. Showed them my route 66 information and then called it a night.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Its 8:45 am and I am packed and ready to depart. I am including a picture of my 2000 Indian Chief and a picture of myself. (You should be able to tell the difference). Hoping to miss scattered showers as I head down Sheridan Road to N. Lake Shore Drive to Jackson to Adams as I begin my journey. If you wave, I will honk back!
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