Route 66 with Our Grandson – Shasta Trailer Adventure: September 12–14, 2015
Our latest journey took us back to the Mother Road, but this time with a new twist. Instead of our usual road trip by car, we brought along our Shasta Travel Trailer.
Another special part of this trip was traveling with our four-year-old grandson, Jameson, introducing him to the adventure of the Mother Road.
Because we were traveling with the trailer, we planned the trip differently than usual. Instead of long driving days, we chose shorter travel distances with planned overnight stops, giving us more time to enjoy each location along the way.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Speedway, Indiana → Springfield, Missouri
Originally we planned to leave Friday evening after work, but a late schedule pushed our departure to early Saturday morning.
Our destination for the first night was Springfield, Missouri, where we stayed at the KOA campground where we had camped just a couple weeks earlier during the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival.
After passing St. Louis, we began following Route 66 through Missouri as much as possible, enjoying the familiar scenery and historic towns along the way.
Further down the highway, we stopped in Fanning, Missouri, home of the Route 66 Rocker, the giant rocking chair that proudly claims the title of the world’s largest. It’s one of those classic roadside attractions that perfectly captures the quirky charm of Route 66.
One of our first stops was Lebanon, Missouri to visit longtime Route 66 supporter Ramona Lehman, owner of the Munger Moss Motel. It’s always great to meet the people who help preserve and promote the history of the Mother Road.
Continuing west, we made a stop In Gay Parita, Gary Turner’s replica Route 66 filling station near Paris Springs. Sadly, we learned that vandals had been stealing signs and memorabilia after Gary’s passing. Many of the historic signs had been removed to prevent further theft.
Gary’s daughter plans to purchase the property and reopen it in the future, and hopefully having someone on site again will help protect this wonderful stop along the Mother Road.
While we were there we also visited Teresa and John, fellow Corvair enthusiasts we had met during the Springfield Route 66 Festival the previous month after connecting through several Route 66 Facebook groups. It was great catching up with new friends.
Once we arrived at the KOA and Jameson had some time to enjoy the playground, we had dinner at the original Steak ‘n Shake on Route 66 in Springfield, a fitting stop along the historic highway. Afterwards we continued the tradition with dessert at Andy’s Frozen Custard, a Springfield favorite.
Before heading back to the campground, we also stopped to see the neon sign from the Springfield Route 66 Visitors Bureau, another bright reminder of the city’s deep connection to Route 66 history.
We enjoyed this KOA just as much as we had during our previous visit. One thing to note: there are railroad tracks nearby and a crossing close to the campground, so when trains pass you will definitely hear the whistle. Personally, I enjoy the sound and can fall right back asleep if it wakes me up — but your mileage may vary!
With our first day complete and Jameson already having plenty of fun, we settled in for the night — ready to continue our Route 66 adventure in the morning.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Springfield, Missouri → Tulsa Area
The next morning we continued west, following Route 66 as much as possible and stopping whenever practical — especially considering our combined vehicle length of 48 feet with the truck and trailer.
Our first major stop was Afton Station, where we visited our friends Laurel and Ron. Jameson enjoyed exploring the station and checking out the Packards and the old motorhome on display.
Next we stopped at the Blue Whale in Catoosa, another classic Route 66 attraction. Thankfully, by this trip our grandson had learned that leaving one fun stop doesn’t mean the adventure is over — there’s always something else waiting further down the road.
Unfortunately, the day had a few bumps along the way.
First, we ran out of gas in Tulsa. The truck’s “Distance to Empty” feature still claimed we had 50 miles remaining, which clearly wasn’t accurate!
Thankfully our Shasta trailer came with a year of Coach-Net roadside assistance through Forest River. They estimated an hour, but the service provider arrived with fuel and had us back on the road in about 45 minutes. Excellent service — two thumbs up!
Still, the experience left us a bit cranky… and things didn’t improve much when we reached our RV park for the night.
Cross Trails RV Park – Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Our overnight stop was Cross Trails RV Park near Sapulpa. Based on the description on their website, we expected a fairly nice campground.
The park advertises:
“Sapulpa’s newest RV park located on 7 scenic acres with all the amenities you need to feel at home… clubhouse with laundry, showers, playground, dog park, picnic area, and storm shelter.”
Website vs Reality. I’m speechless. I guess the bright side to running out of gas on I-44 in downtown Tulsa is that it prevented us from having to spend an extra hour here, where NASA faked the moon landings.
To start with the positives:
The manager was very friendly and responsive on the phone.
However, check-in instructions were unusual. We were told to meet his son by the dumpster along the fence after dark, through a chain link fence with barbed wire on top; not exactly the most typical or comfortable welcome experience.
The park itself appeared very new, which can be both good and bad. The concrete pads and electrical pedestals were excellent, and technically it was located along Route 66.
Beyond that, however, very few of the advertised amenities actually existed yet.
The playground and dog park had not been built, and the office/laundry building was still under construction. The grounds were scattered with piles of dirt and rocks, and many of the other trailers appeared to be long-term residents in various conditions, some even with flat tires.
Overall it did not feel like a comfortable place to stay, and we were ready to leave first thing in the morning.
Despite that, we did manage to squeeze in a short visit to the very cool playground in Sapulpa that we had discovered during a previous trip. It got dark quickly, but Jameson still enjoyed it.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Tulsa Area → Western Oklahoma
Our plan for Monday was to make a longer push and reach Amarillo, Texas.
In
Arcadia, Oklahoma, we stopped at Pop’s to get gas and browse their incredible selection of bottled sodas. They carry hundreds of varieties—some you know and love, some you didn’t even know existed, and a few you might not want to try at all. Flavors like dill pickle and bacon soda definitely fall into that last cat
However, once we reached western Oklahoma the wind picked up dramatically, and we began experiencing more trailer sway than we felt comfortable with.
Reports suggested the wind conditions were even worse further west in Texas, so we decided to play it safe and stop for the night at the KOA between Clinton and Elk City, Oklahoma.
There wasn’t a lot to do nearby, but the campground had a playground, and for a four-year-old that’s more than enough entertainment.
The campground itself was decent. While we’ve stayed at nicer KOAs, the grounds were well kept and it worked well for an overnight stop. There isn’t much within walking distance, though both Clinton and Elk City are about 12 miles away if you need supplies.
I took a quick drive along Route 66 into Elk City to pick up groceries, and it was a peaceful cruise along the Mother Road.
After that, we settled in for the night knowing the next day would be an easier drive into Amarillo.
Stay tuned for the next installment as we continue west on the Mother Road!
Links
- Our full September 2015 Route 66 RV trip overview
- Western Oklahoma to Amarillo: September 15, 2015
- Jack Sisemore RV Museum (Amarillo, Texas): September 16, 2015
- Amarillo to Tucumcari: September 16, 2015
- Amarillo, Texas to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: September 17, 2015
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Joplin, Missouri: September 18, 2015
- Final Days on Route 66 – St. Louis KOA and Heading Home (September 19–20, 2015)
- Tips for RV travel on Route 66
Photo Gallery
Below is a gallery of photos from the first three days of our Route 66 adventure with Jameson.
