Sunday, May 5

Odometer Reading: 46,998 Food Supply: Ran out of bread.

Today our Route 66 adventure began. I say "adventure"for many reasons. First, let me start by saying that if you need a Route 66 tour book, do NOT buy the "Route 66 Traveler's Guide" by Tom Snyder. We did not choose wisely. All of the directions are confusing, and most say things like "jog north and then dynaflow south at the fork in the road." Without a compass, this book is useless. Take my advice; give your money to somebody else!

The first stop on Oklahoma's 66 (after cruising through Oklahoma City and checking out the old flour mill in Yukon) was El Reno's Big 8 Motel, the one used in RAINMAN (where Dustin Hoffman freaks out about burning the baby with hot water). This place was a dump! We were scared to get out of the car. Some books, including Tom Snyder's, recommend that you spend the night there. That would be okay, if you're NUTS! My advice: take a photo from a distance, then lock your doors and cruise the parking lot.

Around Fort Reno, the old road looks (literally) like it goes nowhere. Just look at that photo and you can see that I'm not kidding! Signs line the road warning drivers that "hitchhikers may be escaping inmates." We started to feel a bit of danger here as we moved on. Next stop: Geary, where Matt fell in love with the old 38 span bridge. It was so much fun to drive slowly across it and count the spans. One of my few regrets on this road trip was that we didn't turn around and drive across it again.

We soon passed into Texas--talk about a change of scenery! It was almost immediate--the landscape changed so quickly. While Oklahoma didn't have many trees, the Northern part of Texas didn't have any! The flat lands have a certain beauty to them, though. If only I could describe Texas...you have to see it for yourself.

The first stop in Texas along the Mother Road was Shamrock, a nifty little town with some cool art-deco buildings. If you are amazed by the architecture of the 1920s, Texas is the place to be. The U Drop Inn was probably my favorite, but we were sad to learn that it has closed down. There were more neat buildings down the road in McLean, including an old movie theater (with rotting posters noting their original showing of "Old Yeller") and a restored Phillips 66 gas station like the ones that once lined Route 66. It's interesting to note that the guestbook at the gas station had been signed by people all over the world, from Finland and Africa to Rome and Japan. Everybody's getting their kicks these days!

There's a sight near Groom that really makes you slam on the brakes. The Britten USA water tower was built with the intention of grabbing your attention--and it does. See, the tower was built at an angle, and it looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.The sad thing is, the whole place was a ghost town. This had to be a town full of booming business in the old days.

West of Amarillo sits the world-famous Cadillac Ranch, a row of ten graffiti-sprayed Cadillacs buried nose-first into the middle of a field. The millionare Stanley Marsh III footed the bill for this work of "art," and Matt & I both agreed it was worth every single penny. Very interesting indeed.

We waved goodbye to Texas and crossed the border into New Mexico. NM is another pretty state and once again, I was amazed at the scenery. I was starting to notice the desert-y landscapes and more pronounced rock formations. We stopped for the night in Tucumcari, a town blessed with 2,000 motel rooms. That's about all it has going for it! It was neat, though, to see all the old Route 66 motels that were still hanging on, their neon buzzing on and off.

Keep On Truckin'

If you'd like to see more photos from the trip, please click here to visit my Road Trip Photo Gallery.

This page was created and written by Louisa Moore.