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Marion, OH
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I
happened upon this a few years ago, but didn't have a camera with me.
Beautiful enough to be in Washington, D.C. Problem is it's the Warren G. Harding Memorial,
so...there it is in Marion.
(Route 66 is still a day away.)
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Cuba, MO
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Ignoring
the fact that Route 66 starts at Chicago, I
picked up 66 at St. Louis, skipped ahead on
I-40 and pulled off at Cuba,
MO. Famous Bar-B-Que joint "Missouri Hickory" seems to be adding
an authentic new old addition to the place.
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Cuba calls itself "Route 66
Mural City". Apparently those kids with spray paint just went crazy
there one night.
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Not a
mural - it's a restored Phillips gas station. Seems kinda gaudy.
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Another
mural: WWII theme.
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They're
all over!
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Murals
everywhere!
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Somewhere
in Missouri
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Eventually,
Cuba
runs out of murals, and buildings.
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Some
places, Route 66 is replaced by the Interstate. Here you have four strips
of asphalt: I-40 runs between 66 on the right and another access road way
on the far left.
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I-40
went on its own way. This is 66 somewhere in Missouri.
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??
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Or was
it Kansas?
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??
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Maybe
Okalahoma?
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Miami, OK
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South
of Miami (pronounced Mi-am-uh), Oklahoma,
is this strip dating back to 1922. All of nine feet wide! Curbs, yet! Good
thing there's no other traffic.
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Wait a
minute....
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Up
ahead.
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On 66
this is considered TRAFFIC.
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Afton, OK
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Afton Station/Route 66 Packards - a former DX gas station
rehabilitated to house a collection of Route 66 postcards and 12 antique
Packards
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Not
ready for the showroom just yet.
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Unfortunately,
I arrived a few minutes after their 3PM closing time, so this is the best
shot I could get of this rare Studebaker-Packard.
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Vinita, OK
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Seems
everybody in town knows what goes on here. Been in the same family since
1927.
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A
nearby antique store. Also handy and informative help for the lost and
confused.
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Foyil, OK
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I had
to stop at the Top Hat Restaurant because of the antique Coke machine on
the front porch. I didn't realize drive-up windows existed back in the good
ol' days.
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I
asked the proprietess when the establishment was built. She told me
"back in '89". Wow, 1889! "No," she said,
"1989".
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Also
in Foyil, OK, the world largest (and ugliest)
totem pole. Are they supposed to be cone shaped?
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Near
the totem pole was someone's idea of a good thing to do to a tree.
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Just
as well the gift shop was closed.
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Arcadia, OK
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After
passing through Tulsa on I-44, still
parallel with Route 66, it's Arcadia,
OK, home of the restored 1898
Round Barn.
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This
being tornado country, you'd think the design would've caught on.
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Just a
ways down the road is this 60-ft. bottle in front of "Pop's",
selling 400 kinds of soft drinks.
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Erick, OK
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Via
I-40, on to the west side of Oklahoma
(yeah, yeah, Oklahoma City
was mighty pretty...whatever). State route 30 is officially Sheb Wooley St.
in his hometown.
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Erick, OK
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Business
Loop 40 is officially Roger Miller Blvd. in his hometown.
Miller and Wooley were cousins, you know.
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At the
intersecion of Sheb Wooley St.
and Roger Miller Blvd.
is the Roger Miller Museum.
What you'd expect. His gold records, photos from his difficult childhood,
etc.
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And
this photograph of Roger Miller way back when. Recognize the guy shown to
the right of R.M.?
Time for a little
suspense. The answer to this brainteaser will be revealed once we're out of
Oklahoma.
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Somewhere,
OK
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That's
66 on the right. Glad I took the Interstate here.
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OK/TX
border
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Okay,
there's Texas,
up ahead. The middle of the three guitar players is....Willie Nelson! Maybe
he was auditioning for a gig with the Kingston Trio, or The Lettermen, or
something.
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Britton, TX
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There
are/were three towns that built their water towers like this, supposedly
just to get the Rte. 66 tourists to stop and ask, and spend money. This is
the only one I could find. Definitely worth the effort.
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Groom,
TX
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At 190
feet tall, this is supposed to be the "Largest Cross in the Western Hemishphere". Probably hides a bunch of
cellphone antennas.
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Conway, TX
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You've
heard of "Cadillac Ranch" - those old Caddy's buried nosefirst in
the ground?? Well, this is the "Bug Ranch", a cheap copy of the
original.
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Amarillo, TX
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Here's
the real thing - "Cadillac Ranch".
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Contrary
to almost everything ever written, Cadillac Ranch was NEVER on Route 66.
It's current inCARnation is on a frontage road off of I-40.
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The
artwork is occasionally repainted for special events, but the graffiti
artists keep coming back.
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Had I
known, I would've brought a few cans with me.
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Apparently
it's not well enforced.
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It was
getting late in the day, but I decided to get back on the Interstate
anyway.
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New Mexico
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The
scenery seems to be changing.
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Leaving
New Mexico
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I'm
somewhat surprised to find that I took no other pictures in NM. This has to
do with the fact that every town I saw was depressing. Empty shells of
former homes, businesses, etc. Possibly a KOA campground, but that's it.
Tucumcari was particularly depressing. Maybe I just didn't follow the
guidebook right. Crossing the Continental Divide was an experience, but not
a lot of places to pull off and take pictures.
On to Arizona - lots of
kooky stuff, but first scenery you have to see to believe.
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Painted Desert - Petrified Forest Nat'l. Park
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Photographs
cannot do justice. Painted Desert is the
geologist's "Shock and Awe".
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Petroglyphs
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Obviously,
this place could never sustain life. Unless you notice the drawings on the
rocks below.
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On the
way to the Petrified Forest
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Petrified Forest
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Trees
that got turned into stone over the course of gazillions of years. Poachers
in the early 20th century nearly picked the place clean before federal law
stopped the practice. Park Service is very protective of what's left. But
souveneirs are available from nearby landowners outside the Park.
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They
might look like tree stumps, but they're rocks now.
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Holbrook, AZ
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Time
to end the day's travels in nearby Holbrook, at the famous Wigwam Motel.
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Even
in May, business is flourishing.
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Ahh,
the peaceful comfort of a private wigwam! Surprisingly, my 20-year old
Peugeot seems to be the newest vehicle there.
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All the
amenities one expects of a 1950s wigwam.
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Holbrook
seemed to be a fairly prosperous town, even to having it's own dino store.
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Winslow, AZ
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Well, I
was standing on the corner in Winslow,
Arizona....
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It's a
girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to....
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(It was
worth the trip, just for that.) Dja notice the upstairs windows?
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Ashfork, AZ
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Where
else but on Route 66?
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Seligman, AZ
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As I
was taking this shot, I noticed there was someone sleeping in the passenger
seat! Wonder if he knows he's got a flat? Or maybe that's why he's taking a
nap.
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Another
Edsel!!
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Hackberry,
AZ
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General
Store, with parking for your rusted out Chevrolet.
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Approaching Death Valley, CA
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Straight
ahead.
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Are we
below sea level yet?
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Badwater
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279.8
feet below sea level. One of the lowest elevations in the western
hemisphere. Dont' believe me? Just turn around and find where sea level is.
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Do you
see the sign?
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Closer!
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Oh
look - vegetation!
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Elevation:
nope!
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Furnace
Creek
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An
oasis in the - ya can't even call this "wilderness"! Restaurants,
gift shop, and, of course, an 18-hole golf course.
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The
Bottle House - walls made of....
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And
the miniature Bottle
Village!
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The
Furnace Creek train station. People actually lived here a hundred years
ago.
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Leaving
D.V. on the way to Beatty, Nevada.
"What happens in Beatty, leaves as soon as it can."
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Guess
I can turn off the projector now. Whoever hasn't left already is probably
snoozing.
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