GETTING OUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66 – PART 3, CHANDLER, OK TO GALLUP, NM

OKLAHOMA

After enjoying a lovely evening in the Lincoln Motel Inn in Chandler, Oklahoma, where we took advantage of the proudly advertised micro fridge and cable TV, we headed off to finish the 400 miles of Route 66 that runs through the Sooner State. 

First, we took a gander at the Round Barn in Arcadia, Oklahoma, which is, in fact, both round and red. A more colorful stop lay ahead at Pops 66, marked by the world’s largest pop bottle, a 66-foot-tall LED neon structure that signals a truly amazing road trip mecca. The glass walls of this convenience store (and every available surface) are covered with roughly 700 varieties of sparkling soda bottles lined up in every color of the rainbow. Even someone who had crawled, dying of thirst through the desert to get there, would have to admit it’s a little much.

Terri: Hey, Ness, want to try some Elf Elixir, Alien Snot, Fungal Fruit or Worm Ooze? Or maybe some of this stuff that I think is labeled in Japanese — that could be a fun surprise!

Vanessa: Not unless you want to make pit stops every mile from here to Oklahoma City.

Terri: Point taken. One regular Diet Coke it is.

Public service announcement: Parents traveling with kids, take heed! Drive past, or your kids are going to be riding a sugar high all the way to Santa Monica. 

Oklahoma obviously believes in hydration, because the next roadside giant was a huge milk bottle on top of the Milk Bottle Grocery Building, which was built in Oklahoma City in the 1930s. (The sign was added in 1948.) We enjoyed a leisurely and swear word-laden tour of the area because we happened to arrive during a marathon and a number of roads were blocked off, which did, however, allow us to check out the Oklahoma City Capitol Building (the only capitol on Route 66).

There are some pretty cool murals in this western part of the state, especially in Yukon, which is home to a number of public art pieces. We checked out a historic mural of the Chisholm Trail Crossing at Main and 4th street, where it looks like the cattle are actually coming out of the wall, and a vibrant Yukon Sunset mural on West Main.

Needing sustenance, we stopped at Lucille’s Restaurant in Weatherington, Oklahoma, which pays tribute to Lucille Hamons, known as the “Mother of the Mother Road.” Her original restaurant, located in Hydro, was known for its hospitality to Route 66 travelers, and today’s version of the restaurant is just as welcoming.

In Erick, Oklahoma, we spotted a mural dedicated to hometown boy and country icon ROGER MILLER, famous for his hit “King of the Road,” which seemed apropos to our journey. While Miller was not actually born in Oklahoma, he moved there as a baby, and the town paid tribute to him by naming this section of Route 66 the Roger Miller Memorial Highway.

The highway changes names again in Texola, the last town before you cross the border into Texas. Outside this ghost town, which has about 36 residents, stands a Will Rogers memorial plaque. In 1952, this portion of the road was rededicated to Rogers, who is remembered on the plaque as a Humorist, World Traveler, and Good Neighbor. It notes that Route 66 was the first road he traveled in a career “that led him straight to the hearts of his countrymen.”

YEE-HAW! WE’RE IN TEXAS! 

You know you’re entering Texas when you see a sign plastered with bullet holes as well as stickers. Here, the trip started getting kitschy again, and we knew we were in the right place when we saw the Elvis painting and the licking cow mural in Shamrock, Texas.

We almost lost Terri at the Tower Building, a stunning tribute to Art Deco architecture. Erected in the early ’30s, this former gas station/diner is a must-stop, though I probably should have braked more slowly to prevent her from plummeting through the windshield.

Terri: What the hell? Were you about to hit something?

Vanessa: Nope. Just saw one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen in my life. Look at the green and cream colors, the geometric detail, the “U Drop In” sign!

Terri: I don’t think they meant that literally!

Though it’s no longer a working café, you can enter the building (and one of us — guess who? — had to actually be dragged back out). Behind the Tower is a tribute to radio host and songwriter Bill Mack, the Midnight Cowboy, who was born in Shamrock and whose show was a favorite of long-haul truckers. 

Once Terri was convinced to get back into the car, we headed on to Amarillo and the Bug Ranch, which is a smaller version of the famed Cadillac Ranch. We don’t know why people in Texas like to bury cars vertically in the sand and then spray paint them, but it is an eye-catching stop, especially as most of the cars had cattle horns mounted on top.  

There were also plenty of kitschy roadside attractions, including at our overnight stop — the Big Texan in Amarillo. Decorated to look like the façade of an old Texas town, the hotel has an unmissable neon cowboy in front, along with a massive horned cow and some kind of lizard wearing cowboy boots. A sign notes that the Texan added the lizard because they didn’t have a dinosaur. Go figure.

Opened in 1960, this Texas mecca includes the Texan Steak Ranch, where diners are challenged to eat a 72-ounce steak with sides (one dinner roll, three fried shrimp, one baked potato, one dinner salad) in an hour. If they succeed, the meal is free. A countdown clock keeps track above the raised dais where they eat. And eat. And eat.

Terri: It says here that for men, the success rate is 1 in 10, but for women it’s 1 in 2. I think we should try. 

Vanessa: You first.

Terri: Maybe I’ll just get something off the menu.

Vanessa: Yeah, try the mountain oysters; it’s advertised as a Texas “sak” lunch.

After a night in a western-themed room, we headed off to Cadillac Ranch, because you can’t go through Texas without looking at more buried cars. Unfortunately, the cars were mired in mud, which made it hard to add our spray-paint artistry to them, though we did our best. Terri then decided to give her extra spray paint to a kid at the ranch, which I’m sure his mother appreciated — once she found out.

Adrian, Texas, is the midpoint of Route 66, which you know because it’s written on the water tower. At this point, I was sure we’d been on the road for a million days, but it was only Day 5, according to Terri, who I think might have had some road-induced amnesia.

Another new state, 

NEW MEXICO!

Heading into New Mexico, the western Route 66 vibe got stronger as we passed Teepee Curios, the Palomino Motel, the Roadrunner Lodge and the Blue Swallow Motel. Vintage cars were parked everywhere, and though we weren’t able to book a stay in a massive teepee, that’s definitely on our list for the future. We ended the day at the Silver Moon Café in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, enjoying Mexican food at this Route 66 landmark eatery.  

We meandered through the hills to Santa Fe where we visited the oldest house in the United States, circa 1646, as well as San Miguel Chapel, the oldest church structure in the United States. Inside the mission walls, we stopped to ring the 780-pound, 3.5-inch-thick San Jose Bell with the rubber mallet provided. Legend says the ringer will return to Santa Fe, which we certainly hope is true. We also visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, where we bought some holy water to help us through the rest of the trip (it’s always good to be prepared).

We crossed the Continental Divide in Grants, New Mexico, at an elevation of 7,295 feet. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any kind of big ceremony for us — just a covered wagon that marked the site. 

In Gallup we visited El Rancho, a historic hotel where numerous celebrities stayed, including John Wayne and Lucille Ball. Advertised for its “Charm of Yesterday, Convenience of Tomorrow,” all of the rooms are named for different stars, and the lounge area features signed photos from many of these luminaries.

While Gallup is renowned for its neon, unfortunately, we went through during the day, so that means another trip back to see what all the fuss is about. But to make it back to Vanessa’s now very harried dogsitter, we had to stay on track. 

NEXT ISSUE, THE FINAL LEG! JOIN US FOR ARIZONA TO SANTA MONICA!