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July 6, 2014: Amarillo, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico
0August 4, 2014
by Jennifer
in Road Trips
Today’s Map
Below is an interactive map of our trip, tracked using my Trimble Outdoors Navigator iPhone app.
Feel free to browse and refer to the map for details about where we traveled, the photos were taken, etc. You can zoom in, or click the link below for a bigger, fullscreen map.
We got started from our hotel in Amarillo and headed over to Route 66. First, we spotted this now-closed shop called Spudnuts Coffee and Donuts. My grandson got a huge laugh out of “Spudnuts,” so for quite a while he amused himself by repeating “Spudnuts”…over and over and over…we felt alot like Charlie Babbitt in Rain Man, as Raymond repeated 97X, BAM – the future of rock and roll, 97X, BAM – the future of rock and roll…you get the idea.
Followed by a cool Sinclair Dinosaur at King Auto Sales
Arrow Motel sign
Next up was a newer addition to Route 66, but not Amarillo. This cowboy statue used to call his home a barbecue joint in Amarillo, but he was sold at auction earlier this year and now resides at the Cadillac Ranch RV Park on Route 66 in Amarillo…of course, not far from Cadillac Ranch.
Then we motored on through Vega and Adrian. Just for my grandson, more water tower excitement, complete with a Route 66 shield, which he’s also fond of spotting. So, this was 2 for 1! 
We stopped by the Sunflower Station gift shop, owned by Fran Houser, former owner of the adjacent Midpoint Cafe, and the inspiration for Flo, from the Route 66 themed Pixar film, Cars. Fran had an abundance of die cast Cars, and we picked up a Doc Hudson (in full Fabulous Hudson Hornet paint scheme and crew chief headset). We chatted with Fran for a bit and promised not to wait 12 years to come back, however, she currently has the Sunflower Station up for sale so she can retire (again) and spend more time visiting with family. More info on the sale can be found on Ron Warnick’s Route 66 News site, here.
At the Texas-New Mexico border, is the “ghost town” of Glenrio. The town sits on the border, so there is a Glenrio, Texas and a Glenrio, New Mexico.
Another inspiration for the Pixar team here in the former Little Juarez Diner…
…which Pixar made into “The Glenrio Motel.” Again, for more locations that inspired Cars, see this link.
After crossing into New Mexico, we took the pre-1950’s alignment from Glenrio to San Jon. It was paved, but is now dirt. It is very reasonably passable when dry.
We then arrived in Tucumcari, another town which provided alot of inspiration to Pixar for Radiator Springs. Tucumcari is a neon paradise, though it was very early, so we were not staying here (I had stayed here in in 2000 and 2002, though, and would love to again!).
Here’s a collage of some of the signs in Tucumcari (many are from the return trip too). For more from Tucumcari, see the slideshow at the bottom.
Of course, another prominent – and natural – feature is Tucumcari Mountain, which inspired the mountain in Cars, shaped like a radiator cap.
We shopped at Tee Pee Curios and picked up some souvenirs, then left Tucumcari, continuing on 66 through Newkirk, and as we passed Cuervo, we took the pre-1950’s alignment of Route 66 known as the Cuervo Cutoff. If you look on my trip map above, you can follow along our path. We took the “dog leg” route, but didn’t take the diagonal section (we had taken part of that during our honeymoon in 2002). 
Here’s a brief video from the Cuervo Cutoff:
The next major city along Route 66 in New Mexico is Santa Rosa. Many towns along Route 66 in various states are preserving – and restoring – their neon signs and buildings. Sometimes the building is long gone, but the signs remain, and they are being restored. But it sure appears New Mexico Route 66 is really working hard at restoring signs, because there are some beauties in this state! I wish I could have been in every town and city with neon during the golden hour. Ahhh, the dream of early retirement…back to reality! Here are few shots from Santa Rosa. Like most of this trip – I didn’t take all my photos westbound…we were also taking 66 eastbound, so I saved some photos for the return trip!
Past Santa Rosa, we continued on I-40. There’s a fragment of post-1937 Route 66 at the westbound rest area at exit 252, just past the on ramp back onto I-40, which you can see on my map. We saw this in our friend Jerry McClanahan’s excellent book, EZ66 Guide for Travelers, which you can pick up at Amazon. We continued on I-40 until Clines Corners, a large travel center, which dates back to 1934 when it was started by Roy E. Cline as a filling station and cafe to the south of its current location. In 1937, it was relocated to its present location. It’s a very cool stop, with tons of souvenirs, curios, and other sundries. Quite a lot for a 3 year old to get (over)excited about, so we couldn’t spend as much time as we would have liked, and it was getting late. The sun was setting!
From Clines Corners, 66 continues to follow I-40 until Moriarty. By this time, however, it was dark and we were all pretty tired (did we say yet that traveling with an over excitable 3 year old is tiring? LOL). We wanted to stay in Albuquerque, so we continued on I-40. We were also taking 66 back, so if we needed to skip any parts of 66 on the way out, we would take them on the way back.
We decided to stay at a mom & pop motel in Albuquerque called the Monterey Motel. It’s a non-smoker’s motel and they mean it. From their neon sign to their website, they make it perfectly clear that’s how they want the air there – so NO smokers. Asthmatics like me do appreciate that.
It was a very nice place – clean, well decorated and comfortable. I would definitely stay there again and I’d like to. We rolled into Albuquerque far too late, and with a tired toddler in tow, we couldn’t take any nighttime neon shots (though of course, I’d prefer the golden hour anyway). Maybe next year. But until then, we hit the sheets, ready to seize the next day – taking some photos of Wild Hogs filming locations around Albuquerque…fun!!
Slideshow of All Photos (from July 3-5, 2014)
Below is a slideshow of all of the photos from this portion of the trip. Click any photo to stop the slideshow and view the photos on my Flickr site. If you are on an iOS device and do not see the slideshow below, click here to view the set on Flickr.
Hope you enjoyed the ride! Pat & Jennifer
July 3-5, 2014: Route 66 – Riverton, Kansas to Amarillo, Texas
0July 17, 2014
by Jennifer
in Road Trips
Day 1: July 3, 2014 – to St. Louis, Missouri
Today’s Map
Below is an interactive map of our trip, tracked using my Trimble Outdoors Navigator iPhone app.
Feel free to browse and refer to the map for details about where we traveled, the photos were taken, etc. You can zoom in, or click the link below for a bigger, fullscreen map.
The first day of our trip was largely uneventful – we took the Interstate to St. Louis after work so we could make some progress on getting to the California border. We stopped at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and met with our camping friends Dane & Elaine, and then headed to our hotel, the Holiday Inn – Route 66….which was on Route 66!
Day 2: July 4, 2014 – St. Louis, Missouri to Tulsa, Oklahoma
Today’s Map
Below is an interactive map of our trip, tracked using my Trimble Outdoors Navigator iPhone app.
Feel free to browse and refer to the map for details about where we traveled, the photos were taken, etc. You can zoom in, or click the link below for a bigger, fullscreen map.
Day 2 was a partial day on the Interstate. Usually referred to as the Evil I, it did serve its purpose today – to quickly get us where we wanted to go. We love Missouri 66, but took the Route several times in recent years, so our goal was to get to western Missouri quickly, then slow down in Oklahoma. Plus, we’re strongly thinking about joining the 25th Missouri Route 66 Motor Tour this year!
We did make a stop in Phillipsburg at Redmon’s Candy Factory – also a travel center/gas station, etc. By Joplin, we exited the Interstate for Route 66, but were bummed when we found the Candy House Gourmet Chocolates store was closed. We’d been there last year during the Route 66 Festival and gone on a tour and were hoping for some chocolate!
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, we had an ill-fated quick visit to the Route 66 Carousel Park. I made the dire mistake, after my 3-year old grandson asked to go on a merry-go-round, of saying maybe we’d find one (it sounded innocuous at the time and I thought it would go well, and the place was listed on their site as being open). So true, the park was opened when we arrived, but as we approached the gate, they informed us they were closing for 1 hour. 1…hour…not great to hear for a 3 year old who has no concept of time and was very excited to go on rides! Not great for us, who wanted to make the stop count by going on rides with him…not waiting for an hour, then go on rides! So that went over like a lead balloon! Not good…
So we meandered on 66 and stopped at the Marsh Arch bridge.
My grandson is fascinated with water towers, and this trip didn’t disappoint. He saw plenty and really seemed to enjoy this one in Quapaw, Oklahoma.
We stopped for lunch at Waylan’s Ku-Ku Burgers in Miami, Oklahoma
And of course, the big Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma!
By this time, it was getting later in the day and we decided to stop at a really nice playground/park in Sapulpa, Oklahoma called Heritage Park (considering the missed chance to go on the amusement rides earlier). It’s a very nice park that was built by volunteer residents. It’s huge!!
It was getting late and we didn’t want to miss anything driving in the dark, so we decided to go back to Tulsa to stay, as it wasn’t far. We did a Priceline and got the Crowne Plaza in southern Tulsa, but being the night of the 4th of July, several routes across the river were closed. We didn’t stop anywhere to watch fireworks, but we were treated to displays in all directions – that’s the good thing about the flat land. Ultimately, we made our way to the hotel after a number of detours, which you can see on the interactive map above…but finally we made it!
Day 3: July 5, 2014 – Tulsa, Oklahoma to Amarillo, Texas
Today’s Map
Below is an interactive map of our trip, tracked using my Trimble Outdoors Navigator iPhone app. You can zoom in, or click the link below for a bigger, fullscreen map.
Feel free to browse and refer to the map for details about where we traveled, the photos were taken, etc.
Coincidentally, our hotel was located across from Oral Roberts University, which was the site of a photo op from my Roadside America app, which helps me find neat roadside attractions and oddities from their site, in a pretty cool iOS or Android app. It’s also available as a Garmin GPS add-on too.
We easily spotted the giant Praying Hands – wish we could have gotten inside to avoid the ugly power lines, but the gates were closed:
And some neat architecture as well:
Heading back into Sapulpa, I spotted this art display which pays homage to the town’s manufacturing history, of glass and brick factories as well as Frankoma Pottery.
In Bristow, this Ford dealership’s new building was built in the style of the 1920’s architecture throughout town. Their original building burned down, and they wanted to retain the original style when they rebuilt.
The Rock Cafe is in Stroud
As well as the Skyliner Motel
The Round Barn in Arcadia
Restored Phillips 66 Filling Station in Chandler
The Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City
Braum’s Milk Bottle
Giant Route 66 Shield at the Route 66 National Museum in Elk City
The Conoco Phillips station in Shamrock, Texas (U Drop Inn) – featured in the Pixar film Cars
And the Big Texan, whose adjoining motel was booked up, unfortunately. We had an acceptable generic stay at a nearby Sleep Inn.
Slideshow of All Photos (from July 3-5, 2014)
Below is an interactive map of our trip, tracked using my Trimble Outdoors Navigator iPhone app.
Feel free to browse and refer to the map for details about where we traveled, the photos were taken, etc. You can zoom in, or click the link below for a bigger, fullscreen map.
Hope you enjoyed the ride!
Pat & Jennifer
Christmas on Route 66 — Greetings from Amarillo!
0December 25, 2008
by Pat
in Road Trips
Just pulled into Amarillo, Texas about an hour ago and have set up at the Big Texan Steak Ranch & Motel. We’re here in the “Cattleman’s Hotel” wing of the Big Texan Motel.
The winds today in the Texas panhandle have been intense! Dad’s Impala only got 20mpg today after a tank of 22mpg on Wednesday. We should have the wind at our backs on the way home, so the mpg should improve. The Big Texan is packed right now, but it’s slowly starting to thin out.
We’re heading over there for some flame broiled goodness after I post this. More pics of dinner to follow!
Christmas on Route 66 — Greetings from Claremore!
0December 24, 2008
by Pat
in Road Trips
We made it from Indy to Claremore, Oklahoma today. The weather started off quite miserable, as it rained most of the trip through Indiana & Illinois. Once we got into Missouri, the clouds parted and the sun was shining throughout the afternoon, and provided one heck of a sunset as we entered Oklahoma.
We stopped for lunch at the Circle N in Bourbon, Missouri for a fine grilled ham & cheese and then in Phillipsburg for a stop at Redmon’s for a bag full of road food (candy). We pulled into the Will Rogers Inn in Claremore tonight following nearly 630 miles of travel today. By the time we got ourselves settled in, we went out to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately just about everything was closed, so we ended up getting some chow at a convenience store.
We’ve got another nearly 400 miles to cover Thursday to get to the Big Texan and our Christmas steak. Hopefully we’ll have internet access in Amarillo.
Merry Christmas!
Christmas on Route 66
0December 24, 2008
by Pat
in Road Trips
As if the Thanksgiving on Route 66 trip wasn’t enough, now comes “Christmas on Route 66″. I’ve been wanting to get my dad out on the road with me for a couple of years & now he’s finally agreed. Destination: A Christmas steak dinner at the Big Texan in Amarillo.
He’s picking me up Christmas Eve morning & we’re interstating Wednesday & Thursday and bunking up at the Big Texan Motel Christmas night after a steak dinner at the BT. Friday we’ll turn around and mosy on 66 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Should be a cool father/son bonding thing. I’ve always been intrigued by the story he told me of his family’s trip out to California in ’49. On the way back home…on Route 66…my grandpa had to be admitted in the hospital in Tucumcari, NM with stomach ulcers. Being the stubborn German he was, he checked himself out of the hospital 3 days later and my dad drove he & my grandma home via 66. So, I’ll be taking him on some of those sections of 66 that had been bypassed, but were in use in ’49, mainly in Oklahoma. No, I don’t expect he’d remember much about those sections, but it’ll be cool to tell him that this abandoned stretch is the same road he would’ve driven 60 years prior when he was a teen.
Anywho, I’ll be bringing along the laptop to provide updates as internet connections allow.
June 22, 2002: Our Honeymoon on Route 66 (Day 9)
0June 22, 2002
by Jennifer
in Road Trips
Adrian, Texas to Joplin, Missouri
We had an early breakfast at the Midpoint Cafe, which was excellent! We met with Joann again, then parted until next time! We both felt the Midpoint cafe was our new favorite place to eat along the route!
Evil-I to the Jericho Gap
We continued on the Interstate until east of Oklahoma City, where we took 66 through Edmond, Arcadia, and Warwick. We stopped by Seaba Station and met with list member Sue Preston and her husband Sonny…what great people! We stayed and talked for about two hours! We wished we could have stayed longer and gone to dinner, but we knew we had to be back home Sunday night so Pat could be in work Monday morning. Sue’s station is wonderful and an absolute “must stop” on any Route 66 journey!
In total contrast to the wonderful independently owned El Rancho Motel in Williams, our first choice of a motel in Joplin was a perfect example of when NOT to support Mom & Pop. Based on the exterior, the Roadsite Motel in U.S. 71, near the I-44, seemed to be an “OK” place to stay – cool neon sign, too. But after checking out the bathroom, the floor was crawling with insects, and a few dead ones too! These additional guests didn’t confine themselves to the bathroom, so we immediately went to the office and got our money back. It was the first time we ever did that! And if we ever encounter a place like that again, it won’t be the last!
We opted to stay next door at the Hampton Inn…as you might expect, it was an excellent choice. We stayed there because of their support of Route 66 and assistance in restoring/preserving Route 66 landmarks.
Slideshow of All Photos
For more details about a particular photo, click on it in the slideshow and it will open in my Flickr site.
[flickrslideshow acct_name=”roadtripmemories” id=”72157606260796699″ width=”500″]
June 21, 2002: Our Honeymoon on Route 66 (Day 8)
0June 21, 2002
by Jennifer
in Road Trips
Williams, Arizona to Adrian, Texas
We enjoyed a great stay at the El Rancho Motel in Williams, Arizona on the eastbound side of Route 66, on the east end of town. We highly recommend this motel. It’s independently owned, friendly service, clean, nicely furnished, and has great amenities – our room had a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker…all at a reasonable price! This is a perfect example of a place which makes you want to support Mom & Pop.
We had breakfast at Goldie’s Route 66 diner and walked around Williams for a bit and visited a few gift shops.
We had to take the Evil I, and continued east. As we neared Holbrook, we had limited visibility due to smoke from the wildfire about 30 – 40 miles south, near Show Low.
We made decent time through New Mexico until Albuquerque, where we hit both rush hour and construction traffic. Unfortunately, taking Route 66 in this area would not have been a viable option, since it’s the very busy Central Avenue through town!
We did turn off in Santa Rosa and take the route there, to grab a quick bite to eat. We finally pulled into Adrian at about 8:30, and were very happy to see the Midpoint Cafe was still open! We had two slices of Joann’s chocolate peanut butter pie, and were able to meet yet another fellow e-group member, Fran, the owner of the Midpoint Cafe. We talked outside for a bit, and when we said good bye, we had planned on continuing to Vega. Instead, we decided to stay next door at the Fabulous 40 Motel, owned by an 85 year old woman.
Slideshow of All Photos
For more details about a particular photo, click on it in the slideshow and it will open in my Flickr site.
[flickrslideshow acct_name=”roadtripmemories” id=”72157606260796699″ width=”500″]
June 17, 2002: Our Honeymoon on Route 66 (Day 4)
0June 17, 2002
by Jennifer
in Road Trips
Amarillo, Texas to Tucumcari, New Mexico
Monday, June 17 we left the Big Texan after meeting up for breakfast with Becky.
We then went to the western edge of Amarillo where we walked into a field a couple hundred yards to Cadillac Ranch. After signing our names on one of the Caddies, we took off onto 66 into the flat Texas panhandle. We proceeded on to Vega where we had a nice time visiting with Linda Drake, 
another e-group member who works for the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce. We had a great visit, and she was kind enough to take us over to Dot’s Mini-Museum. Dot is an 85 year old resident of Vega with an interesting collection of “stuff.” Her children have built her several small outbuildings on her property to house her collection and run this neat, free “mini-museum.” It’s free and always open during the day, so please be sure to stop by when you go to Vega!
We motored on to Adrian where we had the world’s best chocolate peanut butter pie at the Midpoint Cafe, which as its name implies, is the midpoint of Route 66. Here, we met anothere-group member, Joann Harwell, who works at the cafe and makes the pies. We visited the gift shop and bought lots of souvenirs, and Joann asked us if we would be so kind as to deliver a slice of coconut pie to Hilda Bakke, who owns the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari with her husband Dale. We were happy to oblige!
Continuing west, we stopped in the now deserted town of Glenrio, which straddles the Texas/New Mexico border. This little town once boasted several cafes, gas station, and motels. When I-40 was built in the 60’s & 70’s, Glenrio was essentially cut off & left to die. Today, there are just a couple of homes left and no operating businesses. From Glenrio we ventured down an unpaved alignment of 66 that was quite dusty due to the dry weather in the west. Our stop for the night was at the historic Blue Swallow Motel (www.blueswallowmotel.com) in Tucumcari, NM. Built in 1939, the 11 room Blue Swallow was recently restored to it’s former glory. It still has a garage for each room, which were standard for many motels and motor courts back in the 40’s & 50’s.After today we were in total “winging it” mode, so we didn’t know where we’d end up tonight. We anticipated staying in Gallup or Grants, based on the pace we’ve been going, but we only made it as far as Tucumcari, which was fine by us! We lodged at the Blue Swallow and delivered Hilda’s pie to her. Dale & Hilda Bakke have done a fantastic job restoring this gem – they are also members of the e-group and we had a nice talk with them.
From there we motored down the road to Adrian for a piece of pie at the Midpoint Cafe. The chocolate peanut butter is to kill for! We missed Fran, who was in Amarillo picking up t-shirts. However, we had a nice time chatting with Joann Harwell, who was manning the impressive gift shop at the Midpoint. From there we motored to Tucumcari for the night, staying at the Blue Swallow.
Slideshow of All Photos
For more details about a particular photo, click on it in the slideshow and it will open in my Flickr site.
[flickrslideshow acct_name=”roadtripmemories” id=”72157606260796699″ width=”500″]
Our Honeymoon on Route 66 (Day 3)
0June 16, 2002
by Jennifer
in Road Trips
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Amarillo, Texas
We started our day by meeting with Ken & Melissa, two of their kids Alicia & Jericho, Ken’s friend Mark and Nicole to go to breakfast at a fine place called Jimmy’s Egg, where we met up with more e-group members: Jim Ross, Laurel Kane, Sue Preston, and Mark Potter. Jimmy’s Egg is much like a Denny’s or Perkin’s, it dispenses some fine bacon & eggs!
After our breakfast with the group Sunday morning (Thanks, Ken!!) we mosied west. We took a very slow, leisurely pace, staying off the interstate. We passed through Yukon (the hometown of Garth Brooks) and El Reno, where we saw that the Deluxe Inn was closed down. The rooms were being torn apart – old mattresses littered the parking lot! The Deluxe Inn was formerly the Big 8 Motel, and was unique in the fact that it was used in the 1988 movie Rain Man, with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Filmmakers thought the motel and sign were perfect for a scene where the main characters stayed in Amarillo for the night. However, with the Big 8 being in El Reno, Oklahoma, they created a sign to hang on the motel touting it as “Amarillo’s Finest.” The owner decided to keep the sign and promote it’s appearance in Rain Man. The room they stayed in remained decorated as it was in the movie, and you could stay there, or at least just look and take pictures. Unfortunately, during Jennifer’s trip in August 2000, the Big 8 had changed hands, and become another non-descript, dumpy motel called The Deluxe Inn (a misnomer if ever there was one!). But now, it appears that they are tearing the place down, yet another example of how history takes a backseat to “progress.”
After we left El Reno, we decided to take the original alignment of Route 66, dating back from 1926 – 1933, which cut north through Calumet and Geary. From Geary, it meandered south as an unpaved, dirt alignment to the point where it crossed the South Canadian River at Bridgeport. However, the site of that river crossing, also known as the Key Bridge, was demolished in the 1950’s. So, we headed east and connected with a newer alignment of 66, which cut across the South Canadian River on a 3/4 mile long, 38 arch pony truss bridge, built in 1933, thus spelling demise of the Key Bridge. 
We continued on to Hydro, where we stopped to check out the now-closed “Lucille’s” historic gas station, dating back to the 1940’s. From there, we went on to Clinton, where we first stopped to check out the site of the former Pop Hick’s Restaurant. Pop Hick’s was located on Route 66 for a long time, and was featured in Michael Wallis’ video Journey Down Route 66. Jennifer was quite disappointed during her first trip upon discovering that Pop Hick’s had burned down a year earlier! Unfortunately, the current owners had no insurance, so they were unable to rebuild. We then toured the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, which is more than worth the $3 admission.
We had driven about 100 miles after 6 hours. So after we left Clinton, we jumped on I-40 through western Oklahoma and into Texas. We did get off the Interstate at the business routes (66) through Shamrock, 
McLean, Alanreed (where Pat nearly had a fatal encounter with a skunk with tail fully engaged), and Groom, where we visited the 190 foot-plus tall “Cross of the Plains,” much like the cross in Effingham, IL along I-70. We needed to jump back onto the Interstate to Amarillo where we got in around 10:00 PM. Going against our better judgment, we had a small steak dinner before they closed the doors at the Big Texan. The Big Texan is famous for offering a free 72oz. steak dinner if you can eat the steak, potato, salad, shrimp cocktail, and roll & butter within an hour. (www.bigtexan.com) If you don’t make it, the cost is about $60. Just so happened one gent was trying the challenge while we were there. He walked out $60 lighter!
Another fellow e-group member, and human resources director at the Big Texan, Becky Ransom, reserved an incredible room for us at the Big Texan Motel. The furniture is all rustic in appearance, including wooden doors covering the windows instead of drapes. It was a very nice stay!!
Until tomorrow…
Slideshow of All Photos
For more details about a particular photo, click on it in the slideshow and it will open in my Flickr site.
[flickrslideshow acct_name=”roadtripmemories” id=”72157606260796699″ width=”500″]
