The Mother Road Part 1

Travels with Caroline and Party Research Part I

Once we come up with a party topic, we usually do a bit of research to help us figure out food, decorations, and the game.  For our Hollywood through the ages party, we researched popular food through the decades, watched a lot of movies, and paused Big so we could painstakingly recreate the office party buffet complete with baby corn.  Similarly, for our James Bond party we watched most if not all the James Bond movies.  For Death and Vodka we read a book, perused the internet for foods of the time, and we watched a lot of movies and TV Shows.  Come to think of it, to prepare for any of our parties, we watch a lot of movies and TV shows.  This year, the movie watching approach isn’t going to work. We’ve found approximately 2 documentaries on Route 66 and the popular tv show was largely filmed in Arizona.  There is a lot of internet research out there, and tons of pictures of what remains of the roadside attractions, motels, and cafes that once kept weary travelers entertained, rested, and fed as they traversed the 2448 miles that made up the mother road.  While these are helpful, they don’t really give you the full impression of what an 80 foot long concrete sperm whale looks like sitting in a pond in the middle of Oklahoma.  We decided to take our research on the road- literally and set off to get our kicks on Route 66.

This is the sort of trip that a Thunderbird convertible was made for. Unfortunately, it is no longer acceptable to allow your child to ride in the small area between the seats and trunk, and the thirteen-year-old wouldn’t have fit anyway.  Instead, we decide to make the journey like many American families would have at the peak of the Main Street of America in a station wagon, or in our case a “vanlet”.  While, we couldn’t share in my grandmother’s joy of driving a Thunderbird across America (of course her wasn’t a convertible and had a proper backseat), we could travel in Dorothy Smith style, by packing all the fixings for sandwiches, snacks, and sodas thereby reducing the need to stop at Dairy Queen and allowing us to enjoy the scenic views that come with all the properly placed rest stops along the way.  As with many adventures, this would not go entirely according to plan, but would also serve us well as we would find many cafes and burger stands in Oklahoma are closed on Sundays.  

Since we don’t live anywhere close to Route 66 we had to pick a place to pick it up and follow it.  Based on work, school, and tennis schedules we had about three days at the beginning of spring break.  We decided to start in Joplin, Missouri and follow the route through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and end just across the New Mexico border.  Armed with plenty of beef jerky, Diet Coke and 10 episodes left of Season 5 of the Undisclosed podcast, we piled in the trusty vanlet on Sunday morning and drove the most direct route we could to Joplin, Missouri. 

We had a plan for everything we wanted to see along the route, except Joplin.  Google let us know that Route 66 wasn’t a set route.  Apparently, it moved around a bit.  For one thing, its original end was in Los Angeles not Santa Monica.  When it comes to Joplin, the route moved around at least 3 or 4 times.  All of them ran through the downtown area.  We settled on “Mural Park.”  I’m not sure that “park” is the word I would use for it, but it did contain a couple of route 66 related murals painted on the side of a historic hardware store building.  The mural of the map with 3D Corvette Stingray made it an apropos place to start.  It was a quick stop to take pictures, but that is pretty much the nature of the attractions left on Route 66.  It would seem it was made for Instagram, and when we hit Oklahoma that really did seem to be the case.  While we were innocently snapping pictures at Mural Park, we either witnessed either a low key drug deal or illegal dumping in the parking lot behind us.  It’s the little things that make a trip more memorable.  

The Mother Road runs through Kansas, but it’s a short stretch and we didn’t have anything pinpointed to stop and see.  Kansas, however, it seems is determined to show up on people’s social media feeds. So, we obliged and stopped to take some pictures of perfectly placed Route 66 sculpture made out of car wheels.  

Next up was Commerce, Oklahoma. If you’re interested in efficiency (which we were)  this is a great stop because the two highlights are right across the street from each other.  First up, was the Dairy King, not to be mistaken for the Dairy Queen or Burger King.  The Dairy King was a pretty standard mom and pop “cottage style” burger joint that used to be a gas station.  It was full of charm on the outside, but was closed on Sundays so we didn’t get to enjoy the atmosphere or the tasty treats.  Thankfully, we packed lunch!

Across the street is Allen’s Conoco Fillin’ Station.  At first glance, it looks like something that was built for kids to play in while their parents perused the shops downtown. This hole in the wall gas station was smaller than most buildings and is built into the wall of the neighboring more “adult” sized buildings.  Allen’s is no longer selling gas, but is still a pretty picture spot. Rumor has it Bonnie and Clyde spent some time grabbing burgers and gas in Commerce or maybe they just wanted content for their social media (Perhaps, this notorious duo should have just kept driving, as their time in Commerce was the beginning of their end. After getting stuck in a ditch they killed a constable and kidnapped a Police chief. As a result, the manhunt really got serious) .  A couple boasting New York license plates pulled up to the corner as we were leaving.  I guess we weren’t the only ones touring America’s Main Street on a Sunday afternoon.  

Our next stop was going to be Afton Station in Afton, Oklahoma.  I’ve also seen it referred to as the Ashton Station Packard Museum.  Whatever charm this building once had is long gone.  From the outside it just looked like a rundown auto body shop that boasted an out of date Presidential Campaign sign.  We didn’t stop. Since, returning home, I’ve done a little more research and the “Route 66 business of the year in 2009” has since been closed and all of the Packards and other memorabilia were sold.  This historic landmark should be crossed off the list. 

With two stops left we needed to kick it in high gear, if we were going to make them before dark.  We headed over to Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park in Chelsea, Oklahoma. According to the National Park Service Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park is the “oldest and largest example of a folk art environment in Oklahoma.”  While I have to admit the artistry and relief work on the 90 foot totem were impressive, our family found it to be a bit “creepy.”  The park is about 4 miles off the main route, but if you’re into crossing the “world’s largest” off your list.  This fits the bill according to RoadsideAmerica.com.  Our New York friends seem to have skipped Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park, but did join back up with us at the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma. 

The Blue Whale of Catoosa was admittedly the main Oklahoma attraction we wanted to see.  After all, who can pass up the opportunity to see an 80 foot concrete sperm whale in the middle of Oklahoma?  Personally, I think the story behind it is rather sweet.  Basically, Hugh’s wife loved to collect whale figurines so for her anniversary he decided to give her a giant one!  I am unsure how he managed to keep the construction a surprise, but the story is he did.  In addition to being a massive collectible for his wife, the whale was also designed to be a fun play structure for kids.  It has slides that drop into the water and a diving platform off of the tail.  To our surprise, it also had a ladder that led to a “hideout” in the top of its head.  The nostrils were actually windows that Alex and Caroline enjoyed peaking through.  This upper level also served as a great place for angsty teens to hide away and watch Disney movies (For the record it wasn’t Pinocchio).  With the exception of Cadillac Ranch, the Blue Whale of Catoosa was by far the most popular stop.

The Blue Whale was our last official stop for the day, and we headed from Tulsa to Oklahoma City via Route 66.  Our plan, as much as we had one, was to stop and eat at a “local” diner.  It turns out this was NOT a good plan.  Local diners it seems are not open on Sunday evenings in Oklahoma. Caroline was rather openly hoping we’d end up at “Denny’s”; I am sure there are plenty of Denny’s all over Oklahoma, but they are along the interstate and not tucked back on what remains of America’s Mother Road.  Finally, we gave up and grabbed a bite at Sonic (that’s classic, right?)  We ended our first day in Oklahoma City.  As much as we loved Schitt’s Creek the thought of actually staying in a roadside motel isn’t my favorite. More importantly, 10 years worth of travel means we’re lifetime Marriott people.  So, we checked in to the Spring Hill Suites, turned on Friday’s episode of For All Mankind and called it a night.