Route 66 with Our Grandson – Western Oklahoma to Amarillo: September 15, 2015
Our Route 66 adventure with our grandson Jameson continued as we made our way through western Oklahoma and into the Texas Panhandle.
One of the things we enjoy most about traveling Route 66 is discovering the small and often overlooked roadside pieces of history that still remain along the Mother Road. This stretch of the trip certainly delivered plenty of those moments.
Western Oklahoma Stops
Our first stops of the day came in Sayre, Oklahoma, where we spotted an old Rexall pharmacy building that still hints at the town’s historic past along Route 66.
A little farther west, we passed through Texola, Oklahoma, one of those nearly-forgotten border towns where the highway history still lingers. We found an old jail just off the road and a weathered bar near the state line that looked like it had plenty of stories to tell.
Nearby we also stopped at a Will Rogers Highway monument, a reminder of the days when much of Route 66 was known by that name.
Before crossing into Texas, we pulled over along the road to take a few photos of our Shasta travel trailer sitting right on historic Route 66 at the Oklahoma–Texas border. It felt like the perfect moment to capture the spirit of the trip.
Shamrock, Texas – The U-Drop Inn
Our next stop was Shamrock, Texas, home to one of the most iconic buildings along Route 66 — the beautifully restored U-Drop Inn.
Originally built as a Conoco station and café, the Art Deco building has been carefully restored and now serves as a visitor center and gift shop. The building is famous for inspiring Ramone’s House of Body Art in the Pixar movie Cars.
Inside, they had Cars playing on a television, which of course Jameson loved. While the restaurant portion is no longer operating, the building itself is fantastic to see and they offer a great selection of Route 66 souvenirs.
The Texas Panhandle
Continuing west through the wide-open Texas Panhandle, we passed the Britten Leaning Water Tower near Groom, another classic Route 66 roadside curiosity.
Eventually we reached Amarillo, where we checked in at the Oasis RV Resort, which would be our home for the next two nights.
We were extremely impressed with the park. The facilities were excellent, and they even had their own fun Route 66 attraction — an RV buried nose-down in the ground, a playful nod to Cadillac Ranch. Jameson especially enjoyed the playground, which quickly became his favorite spot at the campground.
Cadillac Ranch
Since we were staying nearby, we made sure to visit Cadillac Ranch, one of the most famous Route 66 attractions anywhere.
Standing in the field with the brightly painted Cadillacs half-buried in the ground is always a fun experience. Visitors are encouraged to add their own spray paint, so the cars are constantly changing colors.
Dinner at the Big Texan
To cap off the day, we headed to the legendary Big Texan Steak Ranch for dinner.
The Big Texan is famous for its 72-ounce steak challenge. If you can finish the entire meal — the steak, salad, shrimp cocktail, baked potato, and roll with butter — in under an hour, the meal is free. If not… you pay the bill!
We didn’t attempt the challenge, but it’s always entertaining to watch someone else give it a try.
Dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch was especially memorable because it happened to be Jennifer’s birthday. Unknown to her, Pat had arranged a surprise with the restaurant staff. While we were enjoying our meal, the Big Texan’s singing trio came over to our table and serenaded her with a lively rendition of “Happy Birthday.” It was a fun and unexpected moment that made the evening even more special — and a perfect way to celebrate a birthday along historic Route 66.
After a full day of classic Route 66 sights, roadside history, and a few Texas-sized attractions, we headed back to the RV park for the night — ready to see what the Mother Road had in store for us tomorrow.
Links
- Our full September 2015 Route 66 RV trip overview
- Shasta Trailer Adventure: September 12–14, 2015
- 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.
