Day #4

It’s always interesting when you start your day at the Laundromat. Hurrah. Got everything dried while watching the Beverly Hillbillies on a TV there. Somehow, that seemed appropriate!

Got back to the room and it was a mad dash to get everyone showered and to the car. Pete really needs a tubby, but that tub was gross, so we’ve decided that tonight’s place is supposed to be really good, so we’ll wait. Besides, after everyone was done getting their skin peeled by the water pressure, the drain couldn’t keep up and so the tub was almost overflowing with used shower water…yuck!

Before we left, we documented the hotel with photos, including Room 215 where Elvis used to stay. Hmmm….donuts anyone? Instead we had a quick meal of cereal in the room, and then we were off…not very far, though. We were going right across the street! The Route 66 Museum was there. The birth of the Mother Road began in Oklahoma, and Clinton has always been a huge supporter of keeping the road going. Their museum consisted of walking through various rooms, each one dedicated to a different decade and what that brought to the road. The 70’s room had an old VW bus. And then it hit me. I reminded the family that the Pixar team came through here and saw this museum (they also had stayed across the street where we stayed). Perhaps that bus was the first inkling of Fillmore?

Anyway, the 20 minute film which was showing at the end was really good for the kids. Gave them a great sense of the history of the road (as well as of America!) and showed them with real footage what we’ve been talking about. Pete was busy with a sticker on the floor, so he didn’t distract from the film too much. ☺

After a quick stop in the gift shop, we were off. Today was a on/off the Mother Road kind-of day. We had a lot of distance to cover to get to New Mexico, and the road is just a frontage road at time. We would get off the road if we wanted to see something, drive 66 a bit, and then get back onto the highway. In some places you had to drive on the highway anyway!

We went past another Route 66 museum in Elk City. It was huge, and we just didn’t have any more time, but we photographed it. Into Erick, OK I told Steve we had to stop at the Curiosity Stop. It is home to Harley and Annabelle, the Mediocre Melody Makers. (both mentioned in the special thanks of the Cars movie!) I had seen them on my DVD, too. It isn’t a shop or anything, just a stop. They invited us in, gave us lemonade, talked with us for a spell, and then sang Route 66 to us. Andy got it on his camera, but there was something wrong with his disc. ☹ They were quite the characters. They had to get the shop ready because a group of about 30 Norweigan Bikers (I’m not kidding!) were coming through, so we thanked them, took some pictures and headed back down the road.

We crossed into Texas after going through the ghost town of Texola. Took some photos. We YEHAW and we were off! Headed to our STEAK MEAL. Unfortunately, it was getting late for lunch. I think we ended up having it for linner? Dunch? It was about 2:30, but the steak was mmm mmm, good! The Big Texan in Amarillo will offer your meal free if you can eat a 72 ounce steak in one hour. No one was trying it when we got there (and we had already said NO, ANDY), so he had to settle with a 21 ounce. He was full afterwards!

Another trip to the gift shop, some photos in the HUGE rocking chair, and we were off…to Home Depot! I bought some spray paint, and we headed to Cadillac Ranch. It is a series of Cadillacs that Stanley Marsh (an very rich man who loves art) buried half way in the ground in the 70’s. (We had seen Bug Ranch in Conway earlier in the day which is a smaller version someone did recently burying old VW Bugs part way into the ground.) People are constantly spray painting them with various things, and we let the kids do their thing. It was hot out there (it’s in the middle of a field) but Steve assured me it was a dry heat. Blah.

We loaded up the car again and headed to New Mexico. We were excited to get to Adrian, TX to the Midpoint Café. I had told the kids to not have dessert at the Big Texan because THIS was where we were going to get dessert! It is the home of the Ugly Crust Pie (and also mentioned in the Cars credits). This town is located midway between Chicago and Los Angeles (there’s even a sign!). Well, we pulled up and saw that they had closed 30 minutes earlier!! I was SO sad. We could look in the windows and see the pie in the cases. It was CRUEL! Everyone else got in the car and opened up the cookies. I just pouted all the way into New Mexico.

At Exit 0 I told Steve that I was tired of the ‘super slab’ as Mother Roaders call the Interstate. So, we got off and headed through Glenrio, another ghost town. As we drove into New Mexico the road went from paved to dirt. The navigation system said “Historic 66” so I knew we were on a very old version. We drove for about 5 miles past all sorts of beautiful scenery far far away from the superslab. Our car got FILTHY (there was a layer of grime on everything IN the car too), but it was beautiful. The scenery had changed so much since our ‘pie stop’. We had started seeing mesas and a definite rise and fall to the previously completely flat land. There were no trees, but what there were can only be called brush. I could envision cowboys coming up over the ridge chasing a bandit.

We made it to the Blue Swallow an hour earlier than I had thought (Thank you Mountain Time!). It is an old motor court which has been lovingly kept up. Some of the rooms still have adjoining garages (as these Motor Courts did). We have adjoining rooms with the kids in one room and Steve and I in the other. The hall that connected us has a cute little closet and shared bathroom with a shower (Sorry Pete…tubby tomorrow night?). It is really a sweet hotel…and a favorite with “Mother Roaders” according to my guide books.

After a quick small dinner at Del’s (“Mom, I am still so FULL!” – Andy), we tucked in for the night. Tomorrow…all of New Mexico!

FYI: For a link to the pictures we have uploaded to the web so far, go to http://www.flickr.com/gp/34503352@N00/6M21nN