GETTING MY KICKS ON ROUTE 66

(MARCH 31, 2018) Today was all about the Mother Road as I made my way from Amarillo to Oklahoma City on Old Route 66.  If you want to get from point A to Point B as quickly as possible then by all means take the interstate. If you want to get from Point A to Point B and see the pure the character of this country, travel the old roads.  No road has more character than America's Main Street, Route 66.

Route 66 was established in 1926 and was one of the original highways roads in the U. S. Highway System. It originally covered 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. It was decommissioned and officially removed from the federal system in 1985. Since then stretches of the road has disappeared or been swallowed up by Interstate 40.  But the lure of the Mother Road remains and every year people from all over the world come to travel what is left of one of our classic highways.  The road is still so popular that several states have have adopted the road and identified it as State Route 66.

Some of the small towns along Route 66 have all but disappeared, while others have embraced their place on the iconic highway and welcome tourist and travelers with museums, throwback motels and diners.

Today, I traveled only a small portion of the old road from Amarillo, Texas to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and I relished the true character of the small towns and communities along the road.

As I left Amarillo, I headed east on Interstate 40 for a few miles and saw a huge cross, that stood between the Interstate and the Old Road. This is one of the largest crosses in America, rising almost 200-feet above Texas landscape. But if you think the cross is all that's here you are sadly mistaken. Visitors will not only see the cross up close but you  will also be treated to a series of sculptures depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is truly an amazing scent and an awesome work or art.  It was appropriate that I found this amazing place on Easter Weekend.

Just a mile or so down the road on Route 66 is an icon of the mother road, The Leaning Water Tower

of Groom, Texas.  This cockeyed water tower was the brain child of a man named Ralph Britten who operated a truck stop and diner on Route 66.  Like so many other place along the highway, Britten though he need a gimmick to entice motorist to stop at his restaurant and truck stop. So he bought the water tower form the town of Lefors and towed it here to a spot near Groom, Texas.  He then set the tower at a precarious angle.

The gimmick worked and his truck stop and restaurant was a huge success but disaster struck years later when his business was destroyed by fire. He never rebuilt and all that remains today is the Leaning Water Tower.

A few more miles up the road is the town of Shamrock, Texas, which is the hometown of Bill Mack. Now I know very few of you will know who I am talking about but Bill Mack kept me company many a night as I drove up and down the highway.  Bill Mack was an overnight disc jockey on the 50,000 watt radio station WBAP in Dallas Texas.  Known as the Midnight Cowboy, Bill Mack, joined other such overnight radio voice as Charlie Douglas and Dave Nemo from WWL, way down yonder in New Orleans and the Truckin Bozo form WLW in Cincinnati.

Bill Mack was born here in Shamrock, Texas which is also home to the Route 66 Icon the "U Drop Inn and the Conoco Tower Gas Station.  The Conoco Tower and U-Drop Inn was built in 1936 by James Tindall and R. C. Lewis. The service stations and Inn operated until 1995 and was on the verge of being demolished when a local bank bought the property and donated it to the City.  Today the City of Shamrock has restored the diner and station to its original appearance and operates it as a museum.

Shortly after leaving Shamrock, I crossed over into Oklahoma.  Shortly after entering the Sooner State I lost Route 66 and ended up back on Interstate 40 for a few miles.  While on Interstate 40 I saw a Brown Sign, which drew my attention to Washita Battle Field National Historic Site. 

Since I like Brown Signs I decided to make the 25 mile drive north to the small town of Cheyenne, Oklahoma.

Arriving at the small visitors center the really nice ranger explained what took place here 150 years ago. After watching a short film about the battle and the events leading up to it I drove the Half-mile out to the site to the battle. On November 27, 1868,  the 7th U. S. Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer attacked the village of Cheyenne who were in winter camp along the banks of the Washita River.

The leader of this band of Cheyenne was Chief Black Kettle.  Custer's cavalry attacked at day break, leaving the Cheyenne with little chance of survival. Custer claimed he killed 103 warriors, but the Cheyenne put the number was closer to 40 and consisted of men, women and children.

Chief Black Kettle, and his wife were among those killed. Following the massacre which lasted about 20-minutes,Custer rounded up the Cheyenne that were left and they were relocated to a reservation.  Some Cheyenne women pulled Black Kettle and his wife's body from the river and carried them to another location for burial. To this day, the location of the graves are unknown.

The next time someone tell you to "trust the Govenment," you might want to remember what transpired here and earlier at Sand Creek.

It was very late afternoon when I returned to Route 66. I made my final stop at the Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma. This is actually several museums in one, including a museum dedicated to Route 66 along with transportation and a pioneer Village.  For the $4.00 admission it is well worth a stop.  I could have spent longer here but at 5 o'clock they closed and I had to be on my way.

Some tow hours later I was I pulled into Oklahoma which I will be spending the Night.  With today 311 miles I broke through the 5,000 mile barrier. It will be close to 6,000 miles total when I roll into home sometime next week. Tomorrow I will visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial and then move on east. Not sure how far east but I am inching myself closer to Home.

TODAY'S MILES:     311
TOTAL MILES:       5040