Continuing through Oklahoma

A friend of mine once commented about my love of driving alone on back roads for long trips--he said that I must like my own company.  I know that this is not a trip many women my age would take on their own.  I love every minute--I like getting out my maps and books and figuring out where to go and what to see.  I usually leave the radio off, enjoying the silence, and try to focus on appreciating a way of life that is mostly part of our past.  Last night I was chatting with the motel receptionist.  We hit it off because his mom grew up in Bangor and he even knew where Topsham is, having visited Maine many times from Boston, where he was raised.  He drove Rt. 66 in the early '60's, when it was more authentic and still a highway.  At one point I lived in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri--so close to the road--who knows, maybe my family even drove on 66 back then--I would have been around 7.

So, to continue with Oklahoma...

Near Luther, I pulled over to photograph some ruins of  a stone gas station, built in the 1920's.  It's said that it was the scene of a counterfeit ring!  Looks lonely now.  The inside has a fire place, leaving me picturing gas station attendants sitting around the fire warming up between customers.



Then on to Arcadia, home of the Round Barn.  It was built in 1898, and sits right next to the road, so I'm sure it saw many visitors over the years.  Arcadia was also visited by Washington Irving in 1832--He wrote "Rip Van Winkle".  He also coined the phrases "the almighty dollar", and "happy hunting ground"--the latter referred to the American Indians' life in the hereafter.

Not far down the road is what may become a new Rt. 66 icon.  A gas station ad invites folks to "pop-in" for whatever you needed.  The giant soda bottle sits in front.

In the big cities along Rt. 66, much of the original road has been replaced or changed, and many of the old businesses are gone.  Each city seems to have a few remnants, sometimes on the outskirts of the city.  Travelors back then also didn't want to deal with traffic and finding their way in the cities.  They wanted lodging and food to be easy to find and convenient.  I tend to take the most direct route through or around the cities--usually a newer alignment of 66.  In Oklahoma City, I saw the triangular building with a milk bottle on top...the Townley Dairy Milk Bottle.

One of my memories from my first trip on 66 was going to see the Oklahoma City National .Memorial.  I made my way over to the site, and once again was amazed by the sensitivity and creativity that was involved in the building of this memorial.  This horrible act of terrorism happened in April of 1995--doesn't seem that it was that long ago, does it?  The memorial is built on the site of the building that was destroyed.  On either end are tall dark marble-type structures--first photo--each has some thoughtful words on it along with the engraved time of the explosion.  Between these structures on one side of a reflecting pool are chairs, one for each victim, with their names on the chairs.  On the other side is a grassy area.  Very moving.

Some photos of sights between Oklahoma City and the Texas border...

Yukon's Best Flour Mural on top of a huge grain storage facility.

Scenes from the road...

Lucille's in Hydro, opened in 1941.

Another view from the road--starting to look like the wild west!

Ruins of a place called Kobel's Place in Foss.

Can you guess?  Yep, the largest Rt. 66 sign is in Elk City.

Storefront in Erick.

Last town in Oklahoma--Texola--truly a ghost town--almost every building in ruins. 

Has an old one-cell jail.  The names on the tablet must be the inmates!

To Texas next!  Thanks for reading my blog.