Oklahoma - Chandler

Chandler

The move to Chandler, OK was on September 29, 2016. We took all back roads from Oswego to avoid the tollway, costly for an RV with a tow dolly. It is always an interesting drive when we do this. Oak Glen RV Park was home for the week. It is located right on Route 66, can't get any closer than that.
It is a combination RV Park and Mobile Home Park. The RV park is well maintained, the mobile home park not so much. There are some permanent campsites but those are kept up very well. Most sites are fairly narrow but we lucked out and got the end site which has a great grassy area next to it. We paid $17 a night with our Good Sam Discount. Even though it is on Hwy 66 the road noise was minimal. There was lots of open space to walk the dog.
There was only one down side to our stay, on Sunday around 5:00 pm the police showed up to a trailer across the park from us. We assumed maybe a break in or something, until they started roping off the entire site with caution tape. The guy who lived there was found dead by his fire ring, and unfortunately it was a young boy who found him. The investigation lasted until 3 am or later. They brought in large spot lights to be able to continue after dark. As of this posting they seem to think there was no foul play involved. First major incident since we have been on the road.

Route 66 was the plan for this trip. We headed to Tulsa where we left off last time and explored to Oklahoma City. There was not as much on this stretch as we have seen in other places.

As you enter Tulsa from either end of the city, there is a large Route 66 sign over the road.
Route 66 Village is home to a restored Frisco 4500 steam engine that carried passengers from St. Louis through Tulsa to Oklahoma City, from 1940 -1947. There is also a 154-foot tall oil derrick, the largest in North America.











The Cyrus Avery Plaza has a large sculpture depicting the old meeting the new. Cyrus Avery was a leading figure in getting Route 66 to come through Oklahoma.

Old signs are one of the best things on the route. Even the Goodwill Store has a cool one.

The old buildings, especially the gas stations are always fun, they did create some great buildings back in the day.

The Blue Dome Building was a 1924 Gulf Oil Gas Station and is now an office. What is now an Avis Car Rental was once the Vickery Phillips Station built in 1932. These cottage style buildings were so popular that by 1930 there were 6,750 of them in 12 states.


The Admiral Drive-In was built in 1951 and is still in operation. It is Oklahoma's largest drive-in, with a capacity of more than 1,000 cars.

We have seen some really neat round-abouts in our travels, like this fountain one in downtown Tulsa.







Next town was Sapulpa. The Waite Phillips Filling Station is here, it was built in 1923 and is now a historical museum. It is thought to be one of the first with such a large covered pump area.



You come to the Rock Creek Bridge just as you are leaving Sapulpa. It is on the 1920's portion of the route. Today a number of vehicles would not be able to cross it as the clearance is only 7-feet. A railroad track runs right next to it, which gave Nancy an opportunity for another reflections photo. 
Just down the road from the bridge is a drive-in that didn't make it.

In Stroud there is a great sign for the Skyliner Motel.





Dawn Welch the owner of the Rock Cafe, was the inspiration for the character Sally Carrera in the film "Cars". The restaurant was built in the 1930's and is the only remaining business from that time period. Over the years it has been run mostly by woman, in the 40's during the war it doubled as a Greyhound Bus Station. It was damaged by a tornado in 1999 and a fire in 2008 and funds from the National Park helped to restore it. 

Just a short distance from our campground as you head into downtown Chandler, you came across this cool bowling alley sign, no bowling alley just the sign. Right down from there is the Lincoln Motel. We loved the sign that there are direct dial phones and free local calls, something we don't even think about today.













The Route 66 Interpretive Center is the best one we have been in so far.

The building was built between 1935 and 1937. It was the Oklahoma National Guard building. The sandstone walls were hand chiseled by over 250 workers.







The outer walls are 20" thick, built to withstand tornado winds.They have one of the chisels they used on display and it is extremely heavy. The construction offered much needed employment during the Great Depression. The displays were very unique. One room is filled with memorabilia from the route and over 50 photographs, both current and old.

There are "beds" to honor the memory of the many motels that lined the route. You can lay on them and watch videos about places on the route. There are also other video areas with seats from old cars and trains.



The Phillips Gas Station now sits empty, but has been kept up for show. There are some cool old cars in the parking lot. Sure do miss the uniqueness of cars these days.

Just outside of town we came to Wilson's Fruitstand and of course we had to stop. Enjoyed delicious fresh tomato sandwiches for dinner that night.




Warwick is where the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum is located. It is in a restored 1921 gas station owned by John Seaba who employed 18 people in the late 1930's.

They worked on Model-T's and ran an engine repair shop. Today it holds about 65 vintage motorcycles from 1908 to current. One of the best was the motorcycle that was used in the Captain America movies.







The township of Luther is a small farming community. The Booker T. Washington School for Blacks was built here in 1916 and was open until 1957 when the school system was integrated.
During the Jim Crow era, black travelers where not always welcome at some of the motels and gas stations. The Threatt Filling Station was a safe place for them. It was open from 1915 to the 1950's.

Arcadia was established shortly after the Land Rush. At the turn of the 20th Century the census reported that the area was split 50/50 black and white. The route brought many businesses to the area. Just before you get to town are Ruins of an old gas station that had been in business for years, but the owners got themselves in trouble when they got involved with making counterfeit money.

One of the most popular stops is the Round Barn. It was built by William H. Odor in 1898 and no one thought he could do it. He soaked and bent all the lumber used to make the 60 by 45-foot tall barn. It is a beautiful building, it had fallen into disrepair but was brought back to its original beauty. The lower level holds a gift shop and history information. There is an older gentleman, proud to say

he is 89, who gives you a short tour through the memorabilia, he lives not far from the barn. In fact the gas station ruins are next to his property. He has great stories to tell, it was so fun to listen to him. He taught one of the ladies in the group to dance. The upper level is used as an event room. What a cool place to have a wedding.

Oklahoma City didn't have as much about Route 66 as we expected. There are a lot of other great things. They have a wonderful river area.
The Route 66 places we found were, The Tower Theater sign, the Gold Dome building and the Milk Bottle Building.

On the western edge of town is the Overhosler Bridge, built in 1925. It carried Route 66 traffic until the 1950's, when traffic volume increased and a wider four-lane highway was built next to it. It still carries local traffic across the North Canadian River.


We of course found a number of Roadside Oddities on our travels.

In Tulsa we found drinks, a large bottle of Liquid Life and what appears to be a Mixed Drink. Plus, a giant "Spider" Bug.








The largest Buddhist Deity , Quan Am Bodhisattva, embodiment of compassion and kindness, also lives in Tulsa. She stands 50-feet tall and is on the grounds of the Tam Bao Buddhist Temple.

Steve's Service Station in Davenport, not really a roadside, but our son-in-laws name.



In Arcadia we found a Large Pop Bottle outside of Pop's convenience store. It is lit up at night and changes color.


A statue of Chief Who Touches the Clouds is on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.

Once again the Barrett Drug Center is not really a roadside oddity but how could we pass it up?


In Tulsa this crazy hanging metal piece is a circular staircase that architects hung between two buildings because they thought it looked like DNA.

There is a really beautiful monument to the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. Once again the Native Americans were forced off of their land. The government in an attempt to get people to move west, offered settlers parcels of land up to 160 acres. If they lived on the land and improved it they would receive the title to the land. While the practice seems
questionable, the sculptures depicting it are quite amazing.
They sit in a park along the river walk and actually cross over the river. It is a beautiful area with a waterfall and walkways on both sides of the river.

The details were amazing.

On a more somber note, we visited the memorial of the Oklahoma Bombing.
The fences on either side of the doorway are lined with items people have left to pay their respects.

Inside the memorial it is so peaceful, such a contrast to the atrocity that happened here. Those who visit are respectful of the space and speak in soft voices and walk slowly among the chairs.
Across the street is a statue of Jesus with his head held in his hand, it seems to be the most perfect response.

We are detouring off of Route 66 again and heading to Dallas, TX. A stop at the Bush Museum, JKF Memorial and a visit with one of Les's cousins in on the agenda.

Till we meet again...

Happy Trails to You!

Tips and things we have learned along the way. 
~ Flapping in the breeze.
When we travel in the RV we try to keep the windows open as much as possible and not use the AC. We average about 7 miles to the gallon for gas, and using the AC makes that even worse. One issue we encountered was that the drapes that wrap around the front window flap in the breeze. They have a plastic strap that holds them together but not tight enough.
Our solution is a small ribbon run through the back of the drape where it connects to the wall and tied tight. No more flapping and billowing drapes and no more noise.

Kansas - Oswego

Oswego

September 22, 2016 was travel day to Oswego. Another small town in the middle of farms and prairies, that got us back to Route 66. We stayed at the Hillside RV Campground.

A no frills park that is kept up very well. The owners were great and very helpful. After pulling into our spot, gravel with grass and a nice shade tree outside our door, we discovered the electrical hook-up wasn't working. They came right away to our site and replaced the breaker, so we didn't have to unhook everything else and move to another site. Lots of places for walking the dog, big fields on both sides of the park. We paid $18 a night with our Passport America discount.

Back on Route 66 we started off in Joplin, MO where we finished last time and went to just outside of Tulsa, OK. The stretch through Kansas is only 13-miles long, and was one of the few paved sections back in the day. It may be a short distance but we did find a number of things to do.

Galena is the first town you come to, it once was a booming mining town. Today it is still a busy town just on a smaller scale.

Cars of the Route is a small diner that used to be a service station.
The inspiration for "Tow-mater", from the Disney movie "Cars", sits in the parking lot, along with a few another old cars and trucks. 
The Galena Jail was a great spot to put Les and Mielikki to keep them out of trouble while Nancy took pictures.

Riverton is the next town, there is an old amusement park on the side of the road.

The Eisler Brothers Old Riverton Store was a fun place. It was built in 1925 and was a popular stop on the route. They have a deli where you can get some tasty looking sandwiches to go or eat there. They have a tiny general store with just about anything could want, groceries to office supplies, plus Route 66 memorabilia.



The Bush Creek Bridge is the only remaining Marsh Arch Bridge (named after the architect) left on the route in Kansas. The other two were dismantled in the '90's.

While we were there taking pictures we met a couple from Warren, MI. As we stopped along the way at other sites we kept running into them.





Baxter Springs is the last town before the boarder. The Route 66 Visitor Center is in the old Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station building. During the Great Depression, gas companies had to get creative to rebuild their brand. Many started building cute cottage type buildings to bring customers in. When this one opened in 1930 it was considered the finest Tudor style cottage in the area.

It has changed hands and businesses over the years, but in 2003 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and funds were raised to bring it back to its original glory. It is filled with old photos and memorabilia. The older gentleman who volunteers there was an absolute hoot. He was giving a young couple directions on how to get to other sites, he was drawing out a map for them. It took about 20-minutes to get it all done with stories included about each place. It was great listening to him.
You can leave your mark on the walls, as thousands of others have. They are filled with peoples signatures, remarks and drawings. It was pretty cool reading them, we of course added our own to the mix.


Commerce, OK is where the land starts to get flat as you leave the Ozarks Plateau and enter the prairies. It is also "Tornado Alley", with about nine watches a year, thankfully there were none on this day. We stopped at the Dairy King which was once a Marathon Service Station, and now is a dinner that offers Route 66 shaped cookies for dessert. Across the street is the adorable 1929 Conoco Hole In The Wall, it has been a number of business over the years and now sits empty.

Bonnie and Clyde share a history with Commerce. In the spring of 1934, they killed Constable Cal Campbell here and kidnapped Chief Percy Boyd and later released him in Kansas. This was the last murder they committed before being gunned down.





Baseball Hall of Fame player, Micky Mantel spent his childhood here. They have a statue of him in front of the high school baseball field.


Miami was next where we saw the Coleman Theater. It seats 1,600 and was built just before the Great Depression.
It was considered to be the most elaborate entertainment venue between Dallas and Kansas City. It is one of the best surviving examples of a Spanish Revival building in Oklahoma.

We made a stop at the Vintage Iron Motorcycle Museum. They have about 40 vintage motorcycles on display. The Harley Police motorcycle brought back memories for Nancy. The father of her best friend Gail, was a Detroit motorcycle cop. One day the two of them thought it would be fun to sit on his bike. Well, it was until it fell over. Luckily neither one of them got caught under it - but they sure did get into a whole lot trouble!

The 1929 Marathon Oil Service Station was one of the few to have Greek columns.

Between Miami and Afton you can drive on one of the oldest roadbeds that is still drivable on the route. It is called the "Sidewalk Highway". They advise you not to take it when it is wet and to go slow in a low clearance vehicle. At the end of it is a historical marker and a strip of the road where you can still see the curbs.

There is not much left to Afton except for the Packard Museum. The building is a 1933 D-X filling station and was one of the first 24-hour filling stations on the entire route.






There are a number of old signs and motels. All that's left of the Avon Motel is the sign and the walls.

Our last stop the first day was in Vinta, home to Clayton's Cafe. It is the oldest continually owned family restaurant on the route in Oklahoma.
They have been feeding locals and travelers since 1927, one year after the route opened. There is also a small Easter Trails Museum, but both times we were in this town it was closed.

Second day out was just as much fun. As you enter Chelsea you come to the Pryor Creek Bridge, the route crossed this bridge until 1932.

Also in Chelsea you will find one of the Pedestrian Tunnels were built in a number of places to allow safe crossing of the highway. This one has a mural of local attractions on one side and the other side is for people to leave their own mark on history.

The Hogue House is believed to be the first Sears House Kit in Oklahoma and one of the first to be built west of the Mississippi River. The 2,400-square foot 4-bedroom home cost $1,663 dollars. Everything was cut to size and shipped by railcar. The house remained in the same family from 1912 to 2014 when it sold for $137,000.

Will Rogers was born just outside of Claremore in the small town of Oologah. Route 66 is called the Will Rogers Highway in a number of places and there are quite a few schools, museums and parks named after him along the route. Outside of the Claremore newspaper office we found a statue of him reading the paper.


We made a few detours on the way to visit some Roadside Oddities.

The front "fence" is where is all began

First was Chris's Bowling Ball Yard Art in Nowata, OK. Chris was mowing the lawn when we showed up and stopped to chat with us. He has been developing this over the last 15 years. His wife used bowling balls as gazing balls in her many gardens.



When she passed away he didn't know what to do with all of them, so he started to create things and as is the case so many times one thing led to another and he now has a yard full.

The shed is not only lined outside with bowling balls, but is also full inside with balls, towels and pins.

Lollipop row lines one side of his driveway

 He has a whole barn full of balls waiting to use. People have sent him balls from all over the country. It was a great stop, we love when the artist is around to talk to.

In Chelsea we found King Kong
and a 90-foot tall Totem Pole with 200 carvings on it.











The last stop of the day was in Catoosa where we found the Blue Whale.

A quirky roadside oddity. It was built by Hugh Davis, a Tulsa zoologist as a gift for his wife. He started the project in 1970 and completed it with the help of friends in 1972. The Whale sits in a pond on his property and is 20-feet tall and 80-feet long. As the project was coming to completion it drew the attention of people exploring Route 66, so they opened the gates and let them in. His daughter Dee Dee and her husband now run the sight.

Next up is Chandler, OK where we will be staying right on Route 66.

Till we meet again...

Happy Trails to You!

Tips and things we have learned along the way. 
~ The power of a vent fan. 
We have two ceiling vent fans, one in the kitchen area and one in the bathroom. They help to keep the RV cool and the air circulating. The one in the kitchen helps to clear heat generated when cooking and clears any food odors. While one would think the same could be said for the bathroom fan, you do have to be careful or you could make the odors worse. If the toilet lid is not closed when you flush (which studies show you should do anyways because the water can spray up to 6-feet - think on that for a minute) the vent fan pulls the odor and gasses up from the black water holding tank. This is not a pleasant experience! So keep a lid on it.