Getting Our Kicks on Route 66 – Part Two

Cuba, Missouri, to  Chandler, Oklahoma

Waking up in the nostalgic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo. — the oldest continuously operated motel on Route 66 — we were once again ready to hit the road. We were excited to see all of the murals in this charming town, but even more excited to meet up with Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, who drove an hour and a half from her home to meet us. She even brought road-trip snacks, since she rightfully figured we weren’t responsible enough to pack the car correctly.

We grabbed breakfast at Shelly’s Route 66 Café, which was filled with humorous signs on almost every surface, as well as a life-sized, sad-eared Easter Bunny that you had to pass to get in the door.

Terri: What is that creepy thing?
 Vanessa: It’s a large, rabid-looking rabbit holding a bowl of candy.
 Terri: Why would you have such a strange thing in a restaurant?
 Vanessa: Says the woman who thinks a 19-foot Paul Bunyan statue holding a hot dog is normal.

While eating breakfast, we almost convinced Barbara to hop in the car and head to California with us, but because she has better sense — as well as a trip to Mexico two days later — she politely declined. But we did spend a few hours together enjoying “Route 66 Mural City” before saying our goodbyes and heading to Fanning, Mo., and the Fanning Outpost General Store — home to the world’s largest rocking chair.

There, we picked up some Route Beer (spelled correctly) for the road and attempted to find the bathroom. The owner has a peculiar sense of humor, as evidenced by his labeling every door “Not the bathroom,” which is amusing until you actually need one. After a bit of searching and some luck, we were able to leave with our dignity intact.

Dignity went right out the door, however, when we came upon Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store in St. Robert, Mo., where Terri made us pose as the ass-ends of various animals. Yes, you read that right.

Terri: Come on! It will be fun! You can pose in a giraffe, an elephant or a zebra! Think of the pictures!
 Vanessa: I am. Which is exactly why I’m saying no.

Of course, we did it, and now we shouldn’t show our faces in public — especially considering where they’ve been.

Uranus is filled with every touristy product imaginable, as well as every imaginable pun on the word — just like this sentence. It is a must-stop, if only to experience the sensory overload of the store, sideshow museum and the world’s largest belt buckle all in one place.

Springfield, Mo., is also a must-stop, especially since it’s known as the birthplace of Route 66. The road comes alive at the History Museum on the Square and the Route 66 Car Museum, as well as at Gary’s Gay Parita, located about 25 miles west of the city. Here, owner George Bowick, who is married to original owner Gary’s daughter Barb Barnes, will tell you all about the collection of Sinclair dinosaurs, vintage cars and trucks, and signs and other historic memorabilia while posing with you for a selfie.

One fun fact for foodies: Springfield-style cashew chicken was invented by Chinese American chef David Leong in 1964, and you can still enjoy the original recipe at family-run Leong’s Asian Diner, dining in or taking it on the road. We chose to enjoy the delicious dish at our final stop for the day — the brilliant green-neon-bedecked 1939 Boots Court Motel in Carthage, Mo., where famous guests have included Clark Gable (Room 6), Gene Autry, Guy Lombardo and Mickey Mantle. And now us.

Motormouths and Gearheads

Only 13 miles of Route 66 run through Kansas, but each one is utterly amazing. Vanessa couldn’t hit the brakes fast enough when we saw cars and trucks with big googly eyes looking at us — who knew characters from the movie “Cars” were alive and well and living in Galena, Kan.? We visited with Tow Mater and friends and spent time with Melba “The Mouth” Rigg — one of the owners of Cars on the Route — who talks so fast that we had no idea what she actually said, but we enjoyed the conversation anyway.

Right down the street, Gearhead Curios owner Aaron Perry has built the most amazing bathroom (stay with us here) in an old Texaco station. You enter with a key connected to a full-sized hubcap — no way anyone is pocketing that key anytime soon.

Aaron designed every detail of the blue-light-lit bathroom, which features a 1952 pink toilet, a pink-and-white checkered floor, a powder-coated funnel stand-up urinal for women, and lights made from car parts. There’s even a brass horn to let people know when the deed is done. Of course, we had to take another embarrassing photo while inside, because we still haven’t learned any better.

We also stopped at the one-cell Galena jail, located outside, to take a quick photo — we didn’t want to spend too much time there in case we’d conveniently forgotten about any outstanding warrants.

Although our time in Kansas was short, it definitely made a lasting impression. We were sad to leave this surreal part of the ride, but on to Oklahoma we went!

Livin’ on Tulsa Time 

In Catoosa, Okla., we stopped at the Blue Whale, a massive marine mammal built in 1972 by zoologist Hugh S. Davis as a 34th wedding anniversary present for his wife. The 20-foot-tall, 80-foot-long landmark is now a popular place for fishing and feeding turtles, though when we visited, it was pouring rain, so we didn’t stay too long. We did take time to visit the facilities, however, which featured two toilets facing each other in one room

Terri: What is it with weird bathrooms on Route 66? Who would even use this?
 Vanessa: I guess someone who really, really needed to.
 Terri: I can’t imagine just sitting there, staring at the other person.
 Vanessa: And you’re the one who always enjoys making new friends.

We decided to move on and headed to Tally’s Good Food Café, home of the world-famous chicken fried steak. While we didn’t test to see if this was true, we did fuel up enough to head to Tulsa and a visit to Decopolis, a free Art Deco mini-museum. 

Vanessa: I’m in heaven. A museum that also sells Art Deco items! This is going to be an expensive stop.
 Terri: Put your wallet away. There’s no room in the car for more stuff.
 Vanessa: There’s no room in my budget for frivolous purchases, either, but here we are.

After much discussion (and only a few small purchases), we left the store to tour Tulsa, which has one of the largest collections of Art Deco architecture in the U.S. Many of the city’s buildings — especially in the Art Deco District — were erected during the town’s oil boom in the 1920s and ’30s.

We turned in for the night at the retro Lincoln Motel in Chandler, Okla., beckoned by its 1950s bright red and green neon sign. We needed rest before heading into Texas, where everything is supposedly bigger and better — something we couldn’t possibly imagine at that point.