Greetings from Elk City, Oklahoma!

Our first stop this morning was Fort Reno, a fort that began as an army camp during the Indian Wars Era.  Not a lot of building are left, but what is left (like the officer's quarters and the chapel, below) are beautiful.

Our next stop was Lucille's Roadhouse, in Hydro, Oklahoma. Owned by Lucille Hammons and her husband, they served travelers along Route 66 during its heydey.  Lucille herself pumped gas for many years.

Our next stop was the newer, larger replica Lucille's Roadhouse, just down the road in Weatherford, Oklahoma.  Lunch was classic diner fare, and was great!

Next, we stopped at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum.  They had some fantastic exhibits about the history of Route 66, along with some great memorabilia.

We came out to some beautiful retro cars in the parking lot and I couldn't resist taking a few shots.

The owners of these beauties had already driven Rt 66 all the way west, and were heading back east to Pennsylvania.

We swung by the Cotton Boll Motel, a Route 66 icon.  It's now a private home, but they've kept the sign.

Next, we headed into our next pitstop, Elk City, Oklahoma.

Tomorrow, we head into Texas!  We'll be stopping in Amarillo before heading into New Mexico on Wednesday.

Stay tuned!!

Day 5 on the Mother Road

Okay, so I will be the first one to admit today was a bit of a lazy day for us, especially compared to yesterday.

After sleeping in, Mom and I headed to Polar Donuts, a local fave.  Despite the fact it looked a  sketchy on the outside, their donuts were really good.  I had a classic chocolate glazed donut, and Mom had a peach fritter.  Yum.

After making a pit stop to get some snacks, Mom and I headed into downtown to the Oklahoma City Memorial.

Every bit of it was amazing, from the outdoor area to the extensive indoor museum.  It seemed that every single detail had a meaning.  The history was so well preserved.  It was amazing to see the extensive displays that literally cover every minute of April 19,1995.  To me, the most moving was at the beginning of the museum...you sit in a dimly lit room and listen to a recording of a water board meeting in the building next to the Alfred P. Murray Building.  The bombing happened minutes after the meeting started, and yet, it was startling to hear the attendees reaction on the tape.

Overall, it was well worth it!  Mom and I spent nearly 3 hours there, and I think we could have spent another 3 and still not see everything they have.  If you are ever in OKC, I highly recommend stopping by.

After the OKC Memorial, Mom and were pretty wiped out.  We came back to the hotel, took a nap, and did some laundry.

Tomorrow, we head further west, to our next pit stop, Elk City, Oklahoma.  There is a lot to see on the road, so tomorrow will be another full day for us!

Stay tuned for our next installment!  

Greetings from Oklahoma City!

Greetings from the big city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma!

Mom and I had a very full day!

We were up early to hit the road and see a few sights before the rain came.  Our first stop was the Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma.

It was very cute and well worth the stop!  I loved all of the picnic tables with the whale seats...

as well as the ladies restroom sign with the adorable girl whale, complete with eyelashes.

Next, we decided to stop and get breakfast at Tally's Good Food Cafe, a Route 66 icon.  Breakfast was delish!

Soon after we left Tulsa, the skies opened up.  We pretty much cruised 66 without stopping because of the rain.

The rain cleared up and the skies were a beautiful blue by the time we reached Arcadia, home of the Round Barn.  The bottom floor has an extensive collection of the history of the Round Barn, as well as Route 66 and other knick-naks for sale.

Just down the road was our next stop, Pop's Restaurant, home to the giant neon pop bottle...

and over 400 types of soda...yes, 400 types of soda!  In addition to the classics and a few retro flavors that aren't seen very often, there were the oddball flavors, like this one...

and this one...

and these....

As tempted as we were by the hundreds of soda flavors, we needed to head on.  Our next stop was the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.  This was on our "maybe" list, but Mom and I are oh so glad we stopped.  It was so cool.  When you walk in the lobby area, you are met by this statue, which is depicting an American Indian after he's been forced to relocate.

 

Between my dad and my grandpa, I've seen a lot of western movies, so seeing their massive exhibit on the western and cowboy movies was awesome.

Mom and I agreed that if we had ever taken Grandpa Morrison here, we never would have been able to get him to leave!

Next, we stopped at the Tower Theater, a 1930's era theater in Oklahoma City.

Currently, only the sign has been restored.  We looked in the windows, and what we think was the lobby has been gutted.  We couldn't see past the lobby, so I don't know what condition the theater is in.  It was obvious it was a beautiful theater in its heyday, so it was sad seeing it in that condition.

Next, we stopped at the Milk Bottle Grocery, a 350 square foot building located literally in the middle of an intersection.  It currently houses a bakery/cafe.

For dinner, Mom and I went to an iconic Oklahoma City establishment, the Cattlemen's Steakhouse.

Cattlemen's Steakhouse opened in 1910, and has continuously been in business since then.  The steak I had was by far one of the best I've ever had.  Mom and I are now in a food coma, recovering from our meal.

Tomorrow is more of Oklahoma City, including the Oklahoma City Memorial.

See you tomorrow!

Greetings from Tulsa, Oklahoma!

Greetings from Tulsa!

After a yummy breakfast with Matt and Kelly this morning, Mom and I hit the road.

Our first stop was Halltown, Missouri, a virtual ghost town not far from Springfield, MO.  Not much is left there, except for the Whitehall Mercantile, an antiques/junk store.  The sweet employee asked us about our trip, and filled us in on all of the visitors she's had from all over the world.  There was an awesome industrial filing cabinet I wanted, but Mom didn't think it would fit into the car.  :)

We then headed down the road, stopping at Gary's Gay Parita, a replica Sinclair gas station in Ash Grove, Missouri.  It had a lot of awesome vintage signage, gas pumps, and cars.  There were some nice gentlemen who asked us if we were country singers after we'd told him we were from Nashville.  He seemed a little disappointed when we said we weren't singers!

After Ash Grove, we headed further west into Oklahoma.  Our first stop after crossing the state line was Miami, Oklahoma, the small OK town where Mom was born.  As soon as we got into town, we headed to the Ottawa County Historical Society, to donate the books and legal papers that once belonged to Vern E. Thompson, the Ottawa County District Attorney I referenced in my earlier blog entry, The Box From the Attic.  We met two wonderful volunteers, who were very excited and happy to receive the items.  Mom and I loved telling them how we came about the items, and the history of them.

What was even cooler is the fact that they had a map my grandpa created for sale!
 

Next, we stopped by the beautiful Coleman Theater.

The interior is absolutely gorgeous.

Pictures don't do this theater justice.

After Miami, we took a quick drive through Fairland, Oklahoma, the birthplace of my grandpa Morrison.  Then we hit the road to our next pitstop, Tulsa.

Tomorrow we'll be seeing the infamous Blue Whale in Catoosa, OK, as well as taking in Tulsa's Art Deco architecture.

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Day 2...

Greetings from Branson, Missouri!

Today was a blast.  Mom, Matt, Kelly and I spent the day at Silver Dollar City, a theme park based on the late 1800's.  They have lots of talented craftsmen/women, lots of yummy food, and some awesome rides.  SDC prides themselves on their clean, family friendly atmosphere.  Matt and I spent many summer days there with our grandparents, so today's trip brought back a lot of wonderful memories!

Unfortunately, one of Matt's favorite attractions, the Huck Finn Hideaway, was closed a few summers ago.  He was sad.

Matt, Kelly and I rode the Outlaw Run, one of SDC's newest roller coasters.  It is a wooden roller coaster, with a 168 foot, 81 degree drop.  Yes, 81 degrees!! That's almost straight down, folks.  It also has 3 upside down turns.  It was probably the most intense roller coaster I have ever ridden.  And it was awesome.

We also rode two of our favorite childhood rides, The Flooded Mine and Fire in The Hole.  Both are among some of the first rides/attractions at SDC, so they were starting to show their age, but they were still lots of fun!  Kelly and I also rode one of SDC's newer rides, Electro Spin.  It looked simple and unassuming when we got on, but it was crazy!  Not only did it swing from side to side, but it rotates as well.  There were a few times it felt like we were going to fly off the end of the tracks.

Of course, no trip to SDC would be complete without a trip on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train and a walk through Grandfather's Mansion.

Overall, we all throughly enjoyed ourselves today.  Tomorrow, Mom and I head into Oklahoma, while Matt and Kelly hang around Branson for another day.

Stay tuned for our next installment!

Greetings from Branson!

Well, we have day one on the books!  It was a LONG day, which started before 5:00 am!!  Dad dropped of us at the airport, assuring Mom he'd give Molly her meds, and telling us he could't cook and was going to starve while we were gone.  Once we got in St. Louis and got our car picked up, we hit the road!!

Our first stop was the Gateway Arch on the St. Louis waterfront.  It. Was. Beautiful.

We got there right after opening, which was perfect because there were NO LINES!!  We took the ride up the Maytag dryer-esque elevators to the top, and took in the breathtaking views...

It was a very cool experience and well worth the $10.00 for the ride to the top!

Our next stop was our first "cheesy attraction"...the Giant Catsup/Ketchup Bottle in Collinsville, IL.

No, it is not filled with ketchup.  It's a water tower, built in 1949 by the W.E. Caldwell Company for the G.S. Suppiger castup bottling plant-bottlers of Brooks old original rich and tangy castup.  You can check out their website for more information about the history and restoration of the water tower.

After the big bottle of ketchup, we headed back into Missouri to check out the Chain of Rocks Bridge.  While the bridge was in need of a little love, it was still very cool.

 The bridge spans just over one mile, and has a 22 degree curve in the middle.  It is a gorgeous piece of architecture.  Towards the middle of the bridge, there was as small display of Route 66 signage.

The sign detailing the pieces was faded and illegible, so I do not know if they are restored originals or replicas.  Never the less, they were cool to look at!

After seeing all of the bridge we could see, we headed down 66, winding around St. Louis and through many small (and I mean SMALL) towns.  We got to see the WORLD'S LARGEST ROCKING CHAIR!!!  It stands over 42 feet tall and is, well, huge.  I wanted to climb up in the seat, but there were signs saying that was a no-no.  And Mom didn't seem to think it was a good idea either.

We then wound our way through more farms and small towns, including St. Clair, St. James, Rolla, Cuba and more that I can't think of at the moment.

Our last stop before hopping onto Interstate 44 and heading towards Springfield and Branson was the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, MO.

The Munger Moss is a vintage motel from the hey day of Route 66.  It still proudly boasts its original neon sign, which was restored not too long ago.

Mom and  I then headed to our first pit stop, Branson, MO.  We met Matt and Kelly here, and will be headed to Silver Dollar City tomorrow morning.  After a yummy dinner of pizza and beer, and a trip down memory lane, we are all pooped and heading to bed.

Check back tomorrow!

Love yas!  

Our Adventure Begins

After over a year of planning, our bags are packed and we are ready for a mother/daughter adventure!
Not only am I excited about what lies ahead, I am thrilled that my daughter wants to spend 10 days in a car with me!!

For me, this trip actually started years ago with my dad.  My dad, like me, was raised in Oklahoma
and he was passionate about history.  It didn't matter what it was...Civil war, WWII, old west or
Indian history...he loved them all.  But he really loved the history of Route 66.  Of course, it helped
that Route 66 ran  through our little home town in the corner of Oklahoma. 

My dad always talked about driving the entire Route 66...all the way to San Diego.  I think he hoped in retirement he and mom would make that trip.But years passed and his health made the trip impossible.
So even though dad is gone now, I know he will be in the back seat loving every minute.

This trip is for you, dad.