Kickin’ Back on 66

Kickin’ Back on 66, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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Totally energized after the stop at Russell’s (see prior posting) I was still mind tripping and flashing back on the last time we drove this stretch of road. It was 1976 and we had to get back to NYC after visiting some friends in Albuquerque. We made it back in two days!! That was some heavy duty driving and in a 70 Ghia. My co-pilot was out cold and I grabbed this shot of her feet just before I punched the Jetta up to 95 and we were soon in the heart of Santa Rosa our final stop at the end of day 5.

After checking into a motel we took a little tour of the town and I grabbed a few shots - of the Blue Hole (kinda cool) - the court house - some road signs etc.. They are in the Picasa album if you want to see them. The highlight of this stop was Joseph’s and their killer tamales with green chile sauce and some ICE COLD DOSX’s ambers ;-) A little bit of road food heaven at the end of this long hot day…..

Russell’s Truck & Travel Center off Exit 369 I/40 NM

Russell’s Truck & Travel Center - off Exit 369 I/40 - NM, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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After the Big Texan stop (see prior posting) in Amarillo we crossed into New Mexico by mid afternoon and stopped for gas in Endee (exit 369) not far from the state line on I 40 (Route 66). After those Rattlesnake IPAs we both needed to make a pit stop and we are so glad we did. Don't forget that many of the stops were unplanned. Turns out that we had stopped to pee and gas up at none other than Russell's Truck&Travel Center. Basically it is a full service facility that caters primarily to the trucker community with a cool 50's Diner - a massive super market / gift shop - tire shop - service station etc ... The main and in my opinion coolest attraction is a FREE museum that houses a great collection of classic automobiles as well as a boat load of fun collectables. Okay, so maybe by now you are beginning to realize that this road trip was turning into a trip down memory lane. It was about to turn into a total mind warp/flash back nostalgia moment triggered in true Proustian fashion not by a tune, food or a scent but buy the lines and color of an automobile. Not a classic American car of the 50's or 40's as most of what is housed here but by a small two seater with a body designed in Italy on a German chassis....

Nestled between some larger American cars I could not believe my eyes - an almost pristine (note the small dent) 1972 Karmann Ghia!! I owned a 1970 model in this exact color for seven wonderful years and many many thousands of miles. The same Ghia that took me almost to Alaska when I drove it from Homestead Florida to the West Coast and up into Canada eventually bringing me back to NYC about 3 months later after my discharge from the USAF. An epic road adventure that started in May of 71. The same Ghia that made several trips back and forth to NYC from Florida and up to Nova Scotia - down to the Great Smokeys and again out West as far as Utah in 76. Not the most comfortable car in world for some but a pure fun car to drive AND easy to fix and maintain … What an incredible little mind trip seeing this 72 gave me there in the middle of this pitstop ;-)

The Panhandle & The Big Texan

The Panhandle - Texas (day 5), a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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After crossing into Texas we stopped for a break at a welcome center in the panhandle off I-40. It was still damn hot and very dry but off in the distance to the North someone was getting a bit of rain. It was a little disconcerting when I started walking back to the car to see a sign that there were rattlesnakes in the area but thankfully I did not see or hear any. We did however encounter some of very large grasshoppers near one of the picnic areas. If we had known that they had grills we would have picked up some hot dogs ;-) Next stop Amarillo and another 66 roadside attraction..

GODB LESST EXAS, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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Billboard signage in the parking lot of The Big Texan - a historic roadside attraction that promotes a free 72 oz steak to anyone that can eat it in an hour. People have done it but at least 2 have died in the process! We stopped in and shared a pulled pork sandwich with a couple of Rattlesnake IPAs ;-)
They had an interesting craft beer list and some fun stuff in one of the back dining rooms. Check out the fake raw hide tablecloths - the beer pulls and the one armed bandit.
Next up The Land of Enchantment - New Mexico and one very cool pit stop off I-40/Route 66….

Days 4 & 5 in Oklahoma

Replica Pumps - Miami Oklahoma, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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Thought to be the oldest standing "House with Canopy” style Marathon Oil Station, this landmark was built in 1929. The station has recently undergone an exterior renovation and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in February of 1995.

On day 4 we drove out of Missouri and into Oklahoma with the 3 digit heat following us all the way into this state as well. Pulled into Miami OK for a short break to mail some postcards. Finding this station was a total surprise as well as a beautiful old theater near the post office both on 66…

The Coleman Theater on Route 66 - Miami Oklahoma, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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This historic gem was donated to the city of Miami by the Coleman family in 1989. Built in 1929 it has been restored to its original style. Sadly the day we were there they did not have anyone from the historical society available to conduct a tour of the interior. What a building - I can just imagine how cool the inside must be !! Note that there was not a soul in the street - it was about 104 degrees the day we stopped here on day 4 that afternoon...

Route 66 Museum in Elk City Oklahoma (day 5), a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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After spending the night in Clinton - we stopped in Elk City for gas and breakfast. On the way out of town driving West towards Texas we saw this sign and of course we had to stop. The museum had not opened yet so we took a walk around the grounds and much to our surprise found that they had a large space in the back by the parking area dedicated to ranching and farming. The collection of old vintage wind mills alone justified the stop and the price of admission. Below are some selections from this stop….

Windmills of Elk City Oklahoma, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

Vintage Magnolia gas pump (detail), a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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The Ranch and Farming building and the windmills around it in the prior posting were IMHO very interesting – to photograph everything that was in that building would require more memory cards than what I had on me. The rest of the buildings and surrounding structures ( from a purely historical perspective) provided a fairly good representation of pioneer life in Oklahoma and the states that Route 66 crossed on its way down from Chicago to LA. There were a series of interactive displays around the central theme of transportation and RT 66 memorabilia that were fun to look at but I can’t help but feel that this was just a primer of what is actually out there on the open road given the time to find them all. The “Old Town” portion of the museum buildings are an interesting mix of replica and original structures interspersed with vintage items like sewing machines, barber chairs, old metal signs and the like. Some of the highlights was a 1930's Teardrop trailer, a beautiful Indian motorcycle some Drive-In memorabilia and vintage gas pumps. I was especially drawn to a 1962 GT Hawk with its understated elegant design. More about that car and it’s siblings will be forthcoming on this road trip recollection towards the end of our adventure. Hint hint - we stopped in South Bend the next to last day before coming back to NYC ;-)

One of the better stops on this trip - for sure

Not just another roadside attraction, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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This very large very pink elephant draws a lot of attention from anyone driving along I-55 in Livingston Illinois. It turned out to be one of the better stops made on this trip …..

Twistee Treat, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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The Twistee Treat stand in front of the Pink Elephant antiques mall was doing very well on this 105 degree day. Now if I could just get people to stand perfectly still when I do a panorama shot ;-)

Big Beach Guy, a photo by PatMinNYC on Flickr.

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He stands about 24 feet tall in front of the old Livingston HS gymnasium building that is now the antiques mall. we could have easily spent the day there looking at what they had on display but after a Twistee Treat we hit the interstate and drove well into Missouri before calling it a day ...

The Mural - a Pink Elephant and a UFO

Mural at the Wild Hare Cafe - Elkhart Illinois, a photo by PatMinNYC (back in NYC & catching up slowly) on Flickr.

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A few hours down the road from the grain elevators (prior image in this set) off I-55 on Route 66 is the small town of Elkhart.  We stopped there to take a break from the driving and found ourselves pleasantly surprised to find a funky little cafe/antique/gift shop housed in what was once a former bank building .  The mural above was on one wall of the old vault room that now serves as one of the single table dinning rooms. More from this stop are in the Picasa album…..

The Pink Elephant Antique Mall - Livingston IL (off I-55 Route66), a photo by PatMinNYC (back in NYC & catching up slowly) on Flickr.

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A must stop if you’re in the neighborhood - a total legal mind trip back to your youth. Not so much an antique store - more of a memory jogging collection of toys and memorabilia from yesteryear ;-)
Yes, that is a UFO in the background and did I mention the Twisstee Treat ….

A UFO on the Highway, a photo by PatMinNYC (back in NYC & catching up slowly) on Flickr.

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If you are in the market for a UFO “fixer-upper” home they have one at the Pink Elephant ;-)

Skyline in the Prairie

Skyline in the Prairie, a photo by PatMinNYC (back in NYC) on Flickr.

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A group of grain elevators in Central Illinois

Greetings everyone - hope your summer is going well - This frame is one of my favorites from the larger full document, that I’m still editing and posting to, of a cross country road trip (my wife & i) made to Boulder, CO and back - some fun adventures along the way as we followed portions of the historic Route 66 Bi-Way. The first few days were not all that interesting but thankfully we had some great tunes to sing along to on the SAT radio like this one by Willie and his son - have a listen :-)
Willie Nelson - Just Breathe (Featuring Lukas Nelson) by Legacy Recordings
Above this post is a looping thumbnail slideshow linked out to a Picasa album where all the shots will be housed as I go along…. more are on the way just need some time to edit etc…