747. Route 66

Where: "From Chicago to LA"
When: March 9-10, 2019
With: Dave

I expect this post will be one that I will be adding on to over time. This is because short of spending two weeks driving cross-country, it wouldn't be accomplished in one trip. Route 66, as Nat King Cole famously sang, "winds from Chicago to LA, more than 2,000 miles all the way". Therefore, as I happen upon the country's Mother Road throughout my travels, I'll update here with any fun stuff I see along the way.

A quick history. It was established in 1926 as US Route 66 and quickly became the main highway to traverse when heading out west. When the Great Depression met with the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, it became a beacon of hope for farmers hoping to find better fortunes in California. This was famously displayed in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. In post-war times, it became the ultimate family road trip, as quirky motels, quaint diners and oddities began cropping up along the way.

However, in 1985, in the face of the Interstate Highway System, Route 66 was removed from the US Highway System. The massive interstates with their fast speeds and direct routes became the more efficient way to travel, and businesses along Route 66 suffered (as accurately depicted in the movie Cars). As such, a continuous drive along Route 66 can be difficult, as some swaths of road no longer exist.  However, there are still gems along the way, and with a lot of research and patience, you can still follow along a good portion of the original Main Street of America.

Oklahoma
Oklahoma is famous along Route 66 for two reasons. One, it's where the Joad family's famous journey originated in The Grapes of Wrath, setting off along Route 66 towards California and being referred to as "Okies" the whole way. Two, the state has the longest swath of original Route 66 still in tact in the country. Needless to say, there was a lot of history involved in this stretch of the road.

After spending our morning at the Gilcrease Museum, it was time to start touring Tulsa's quirkier side. As we explored, we learned that quirky spots within the cities along Route 66 are considered part of the tour, regardless of whether they actually sit on Route 66. For a prime example, we have The Cave House of Tulsa.

We didn't get to tour the inside (it was by appointment only), but it was originally built in 1924 as a chicken restaurant / speakeasy...? Sure. 

It is also referred to as the Flintstone house.

Continuing on to downtown Tulsa, we reached the part of the city where Route 66 actually crosses through. It was fairly easy to find as it is marked everywhere.

The neighborhood surrounding this part of Route 66 is called the Blue Dome District, named for, well, a Blue Dome. It was once a gas station, and the attendant lived in the dome. 

The district that has sprouted up around the Blue Dome feels like the essence of Route 66. There's old diners, neon signs, and quirky blue "domes" on all the light posts. And the lack of tall buildings around the neighborhood makes it feel like an oasis for weary drivers. 

The Blue Dome District is also known for being artsy, and I must say, the street art was amazing. 

After wandering through the Blue Dome district, it was time to experience Route 66 as it was meant to be - in a car! The part of Route 66 that runs east of downtown Tulsa is pretty hopping. It had lots of restaurants along it mixed with some historical signs and landmarks. But even the chain restaurants felt like vintage versions created just for this drive. 

Street art game, still on point. 

For lunch, we headed to a classic Route 66 establishment: a diner. This one was only established in the 1980s, but great care was taken to make it look like a classic 1950s style diner. And with its locale right on Route 66, it gave us all the right feels. 

Inside, it was exactly what you'd expect. Red leather booths, neon lights, and friendly waitresses serving up tasty burgers. Photos of Elvis on the wall completed the look. 

Dave got an Oklahoma classic - chicken fried steak - on a bun, with a side of gravy. I opted for the "lighter" option of a cheeseburger. Both were delicious. 

After lunch, it was time to start finding more landmarks. First up was at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds where we found The Golden Driller, a 75-foot statue of a man next to an oil derrick. He sure was golden and he is the sixth tallest statue in America. How about that?

He was built in 1952 and donated to the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 1959 due to his popularity. He is now the official state monument of Oklahoma. His hand is resting on an actual oil derrick from a depleted field. 

For a little perspective, here's Dave and I standing underneath him. 

From here, it was time to head to Oklahoma City via Route 66. And what an awesome welcome onto the highway. 

Just outside Tulsa is the Route 66 Historical Village, which was really just a train, a massive sign, and an oil derrick. 

Maybe there's more going on during the daytime, but at night, we just snapped the photo and moved along. 

It was a bit of a challenge trying to follow along Route 66 here as our navigation wanted us to drive on the interstate that literally ran parallel to it. But, we wanted to get the experience so we stuck to the slower speed limits and 2-lane roads. And then we were rewarded with this gem: as 66-foot gas pump in Sapulpa, OK. 

As we drove through one town, they had some classic neon lights that screamed "Route 66" to me!

However, as time wore on and the darkness set in, the towns became fewer and farther between, the landmarks disappeared, and our trip became longer and longer with each time we skipped the on-ramp for the highway. Our view was just a lot of this:

We had one last stop to make for the night and it closed at 9pm. With time running out, we made the cardinal sin of Route 66 driving: we jumped on the interstate to save time. We literally became the exact reason why the towns around this road became irrelevant! But we forgave ourselves because we couldn't see anything and we had places to be!

And what a place to be it was. Just outside Oklahoma City was one of our greatest landmarks we'd seen of the day: a 66-foot tall neon soda bottle (complete with straw) beckoning drivers to stop in for some food and rest. The colors kept changing constantly.

The name of this wondrous establishment was Pops. The best I could describe this place was a soda-fountain-diner-gas-station. It sat in the middle of this dark stretch of road like a beacon of light.

Inside was one of the coolest concepts I've ever seen: lining the slanted walls of the massive interior were over 700 brands of soda from all over the country. They are all available for purchase and any one of them can be turned into a float. The choice was overwhelming. 

I found a butterscotch cream soda that was fantastic as a float to go with my ghost pepper grilled cheese sandwich and cup of fruit (gotta stay healthy). Despite this restaurant only being 12 years old, it felt so vintage and fun and we had a blast. 

Welcomed to Oklahoma City with more street art. 

While in Oklahoma City, we had a few Route 66 landmarks to tackle the following day. The first up was the Gold Dome. Built in 1958, it was originally a bank. However, when it became too expensive to maintain the dome, it was almost sold to the nearest Walgreens. Luckily, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and saved, though I read it may be turned into a supermarket... 

Right across the street from the Gold Dome is the Milk Bottle Grocery, another staple landmark of Route 66. The grocery store was built in 1930, but in 1958, the milk bottle was added to attract drivers from Route 66. 

I loved this poster on the side of the grocery store. 

Our final Route 66 stop in Oklahoma City was at The Tower Theatre. The original theater was built in 1936, but was left dishevelled for years. 

It has recently been restored with the hope that it will bring some attention and money back into the area. 

So we saw a bit of it all: the old, the new and the neon. While the new stops may not be "classic" Route 66, it's really cool to see people investing in making the road trip a destination again. Maybe this will become a new old place to get your kicks!