Monday 4th September 2000

LABOUR DAY

AMARILLO


Had breakfast in room today, good coffee, juice and pastries, not so hot at the moment, cool breeze blowing and temp about 85° to 90° (or are we just getting used to this temp every morning). While checking out of the hotel we asked for a message to be left for Becky when she retuned to work on Tuesday. We asked if she could sort out those stairs to our rooms as we had worked out, that all 4 of us had tripped up over the past two days.

We soon found the route out of town on our day’s journey to our final destination of the day the Blue Swallow Motel, in New Mexico and the 6th State of the trip.

We stopped along the roadside to have a look at the famous Cadillac Ranch, what an amazing sight, 10 old Cadillac cars stood on their ends and buried halfway up and all covered in graffiti. This was in the middle of a farmer’s field: there wasn’t any shop or any fuss or bother, certainly no commercialism.

We carried on, staying on Route 66 as much as possible to the Midpoint of our whole journey, at this point we had travelled 1546.4 miles and were half way across Route 66 between Chicago and L.A. Here there was a café that we had earlier decided to have lunch; it was called The Midpoint Café.

While we were menu viewing and deciding what to eat the waitress came over and asked if we were Ken & Bev and Rob and Penny and looking at each other began to worry as no one here knew us and no one knew we were here, until she said that Becky had rung ahead and said we were lunching there today and she wanted to wish us one last farewell. As we eat lunch a young couple from Nottingham came in they were on their Honeymoon and travelling the route, but they were only taking 2 weeks and also stopping over in Las Vegas as we were. The Café owner was so pleased and surprised to have 6 English people in the café at one time so we all had our photograph taken together.

After an excellent lunch and some free goodies at Beck’s request we made our way along the route and at 1.35pm we crossed the border into New Mexico, but as we were also crossing another time zone we had to put our watches back one hour. Arrived in Tucumcari and our first visit was to the Tee Pee Curios, a shop selling all sorts of souvenirs including all manner of Route 66 ones. The shop doorway was in the shape of a Tee Pee and you entered as if you were going into a real Tee Pee and it is said that this is the last curio shop left in Tucumcari.

We found the Blue Swallow Motel, another small mom & pop place, very quaint with old curio’s scattered around the office that was one out like a lounge room. Excellent rooms very clean and well decorated with Tiffany lamps (Ken’s favourite) and lovely pictures on the walls. No swim for us today though as no pool, so make do with an extra long shower.

As it was the middle of the afternoon and this was a small one horse town we found a bar and had a long awaited beer, it was so relaxing and very hot outside, we spent the rest of the afternoon in there drinking beers and eating chips and salsa, very friendly staff. We decided it was a good place for dinner as they boasted about the Catfish and the Salmon that they have flown in specially.

We went back later for dinner to find that the Salmon and Catfish were very peppery and the service was very slow. We were promised after dinner entertainment of live music, good we thought some entertainment, but as there was a very important ball game on the TV the music would be on later. So as 10.00 and still no sign of the game ending we decided to take a drive along the strip and take some video of the renowned Neon at night and check out where the museum was for tomorrow.

We all had an early night again as this driving and not doing much everyday is very tiring.


TRAVELLED TODAY 149 MILES

Sunday 3rd September 2000

AMARILLO


Just starting our 2nd week, time going nice and slowly, just how we needed it to. It was a little cooler this morning, temp around 80 to 85° at about 8.40am. Started today by visiting the laundry room, putting in the washing and then going for breakfast, can’t eat too much today as still full from last night, we had fresh doughnuts, apple/orange juice and coffee.

After completing the washing (the first opportunity we'd had to wash some smalls or bigs in my case!), we made our way to a small town called Canyon and then onto The Canyon, this would give us an insight into things yet to be seen. We drove around the Canyon road, but found it difficult to understand why the Visitors Centre was closed, especially as this was Labour Day weekend. (Labour Day is a United States Federal Holiday and always taken the first Monday in September so getting name of Labour Day weekend).

After leaving The Canyon we drove to a place called Old Tascosa, Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch being our venue for the afternoon. It originally was used as a place for wayward boys, but now takes girls and even whole families and now is used as a refuge while parent’s sort out their problems. It looks a fantastic place and some of them have been there for years, it looks like they get a fantastic education. Every year they have an Annual 2 day Rodeo performed by all the boys and girls, the oldest being about 17 to the youngest being about 5 years of age. It was very hot there with a hot breeze blowing: the temp must have reached about 100°.

We had a brilliant afternoon, the kids were great, even the drink and popcorn sellers were kids from the ranch, their manners were impeccable and everyone was very supportive. The afternoon started by the youngest children coming out on the backs of large sheep, jumping around the arena until unseated, great sight. Then as the animals got bigger so did the child until the 17 year olds lads were coming out on young bulls. Some of the girls completed some horse races, weaving around sticks and barrels, Rob and Ken found this section very enjoyable, as they were the older girls with all the right gear on, even down to the cowgirl hats. At the end of each session there was prize giving and all the contestants would be driven round the arena in a large cart showing off their medals. It was a brilliant afternoon, the entertainment value was fantastic, but it was so hot we were glad to get back into the van for the long drive home.

We returned to the Hotel, hot, tired and weary and couldn’t get in the swimming pool quick enough, very refreshing swim and just what we needed to wake us all up. We returned to our rooms and Bev tripped up the stairs. For dinner this evening we drove into Amarillo and after driving around for a while decided to go to The Olive Garden restaurant in the centre of Amarillo, great meal, bit expensive for what is was but later found out it is part of a chain, so not quite authentic America from what we were used to.


On our return to the Hotel, Ken & Bev decided that they wanted to go on a shopping trip to the local Wal-Mart, so they dropped Rob & I off as we were all shopped out and they went shopping while we went to the bar for a long cool beer. We noticed there was rather a lot of noise from the restaurant and gathered that someone was attempting to eat the 72oz steak. We did not stay to see how long it took him or if he finished it as he had only just started and this was around 9.30pm by then.

We returned to our room to find that my swimsuit had been stolen from the balcony where it had been hung to dry, the towel was still there, but after a long look around, no swimsuit. Good job I had packed my spare one or we would have to have gone back to the Wal-Mart were Ken & Bev had shopped until they dropped that night.



TRAVELLED TODAY 200 MILES

Saturday 2nd September 2000

OKLAHOMA – AMARILLO, TEXAS


At 8.30 we met Ken and Bev and went to find somewhere for breakfast, temp already in the 80’s, after a walk and drive around we could not find anywhere suitable so ended up back at the hotel.

After breakfast we visited the Route 66 museum that was just opposite our hotel, great place, we walked around with small personal stereo’s listening to the story of the route narrated by Michael Wallis, an expert on the route who is also the author of the book ‘The Mother Road’ that Ken has bought and is getting the people mentioned in it to sign when we come across them.

By 11.00 am that day we were back on the route and on our way to our final destination of the day the Big Texan Hotel, Amarillo Texas. We went thru very small town Elk City, outside temp was 100°. We stopped to have a look and photograph some of the original Route 66 and when on road again passed a dead skunk in road. Drove thru town called Eric, temp outside at 12.31, was 102°, it seemed a little old and run down so decided not to stop for lunch but carry on.

At 1.05 we crossed from Oklahoma to Texas our 5th State of the trip so far. Texas is very oldie, worldy. America. We lunched at Westerns Diner in small town Shammrock and after lunch visited the Barbed Wire Museum in McLean, very interesting, did not know there were so many different types of Barbed Wire. We carried along the route and to our amazement saw a field of Cotton growing by the side of the road, we pulled over and went in the field to get a closer look and take some pictures, never seen anything like that before. Photographed the old Phillips 66 petrol station, so named as it was especially sold along the old Route 66

Passed thru a small town call Groom and saw the leaning Water tower, about the only thing to see in this town not even any people. Arrived at our 2 night stop in Amarillo, The Big Texan Motel, excellent venue all done out like a Western Town and the front of the motel rooms looked like an old western street. We checked in and found our rooms, Ken tripped up the stairs. The walls of the rooms were all wood covered, it looked fantastic, lovely and cool as still very hot outside. The hotel outdoor pool was in the shape of Texas so we took a long well earned dip, very refreshing as it was still 90°. After our swim we returned to our rooms and Rob tripped up the stairs.

After showing and changing we went to the Big Texan restaurant, where you can have a 72oz beef steak, free, it you can eat the whole thing in one sitting, in an hour and ensure it stays down. Some have done it as the list on the bar shows, date, time, name and age of each person and how long it took them; some have even done it more than once. Made our way to the bar at last for a long cool pint of Bud while we waited for Becky Ransom, another of the Internet friends that Ken made while researching this trip, she is the Human Resource manager for the hotel. She came straight over to us as we looked like tourists, hanging around the bar; apparently the Texan’s don’t do that.

Becky was a lovely lady, great personality and very bubbly. We all went into dinner and boy what a room, it was done out like an old western Saloon with wooden floors and a big old wooden spiral staircase in the corner and huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was live music coming from a group of wandering musicians. We ordered our food and while waiting the wandering minstrels came over and gave us a rendition of some old English folk songs (or so they called and thought they were). We all joined in singing “England Swings”, “Home, Home on the Range” and “The Yellow rose of Texas” which Bev sang the whole way thru. The food was fantastic; we had Rattle Snake, Buffalo Balls, Roast Rabbit and Texas Caviar (Black Eyed Peas) for our starter and another pint of beer each.

The steaks arrived with all the trimmings: we ate well and drank a couple of bottles of wine while chatting to Becky, but we could not manage a dessert, they were enormous, a large pile of strawberries and cream on a biscuit base. We took a quick look around the gift shop and paid a visit to see George the shops pet: a rattle snake, Becky woke him by blowing on his back, he moved a little and so did we and then he went back to sleep. Finally made our way back to our rooms, collecting Ken & Bev’s laundry on the way and I fell up the stairs, but I had the worst injury so far, I broke my fingernail.



TRAVELLED TODAY 185 MILES

Friday 1st September 2000

OKLAHOMA


Woke early after very hot and restless night, Bev had not been very well in the night, so Ken, Rob and I went to find breakfast on our own. We found a McDonalds at the local Wal-Mart, fine we thought, can’t beat a McD’s breakfast. Oh how wrong we were, the service was terrible even though there was three people serving and we were the only customers and the worst McDonalds food we have ever eaten.

After leaving the hotel and travelling for a few miles along the route we stopped at the Hillbillies Bed & Breakfast in Arcadia. All wood buildings just like in the westerns, went to have a look in a couple of the rooms, they were fantastic, very authentic, four poster beds and even coffee making facilities. We all wished we had stayed there as they even had a spa bath and the host and hostess were extremely friendly.

Our next stop was The Round Barn, an enormous painted Red round barn, it even matched the colour of the soil and inside the barn on the lower floor was another small museum and shop, all to do with Route 66. On the upper floor of the barn was an enormous function room, with long curved benches around the wall and it was written that because of the shape of the barn you could even hear what a person was saying on the other side of the room even when whispering.

When we reached Oklahoma City we visited the Cowboy Hall of Fame, it was a cross between a museum and art gallery. Part of it was set out just like an old western town with smells and sounds of the bars, doctors’ surgery and school, when you walked into the church the wedding march started up. There was hay all over the floor and horses naying every now and then, very interesting couple of hours spent in there, some fantastic works of art; we went into a small gallery that had some oil paintings of the old film and television cowboy hero’s. We decided that we must be getting old as we knew quite a lot of the names of the cowboys. Shame Bev was feeling so rough; she sat in the lobby on some comfy chairs as she did not feel good enough to walk around.

When we left the museum and went back outside, the heat hit you, the temperature was 109º, still only the middle of the day and we had not noticed it as we had been in the air con of the museum. We drove o n and stopped at a small town called Bethany for lunch at a diner called City Bites, sort of a themed sandwich shop, great food, even had fun loo’s two very large, two way mirrors lined the walls and it made it very spooky to be able to see out while trying to pee. After lunch we carried on along the route, but found to our disappointment that the signposting was not very good and we had missed the Route 66 Trading Post and Big 8 Motel, two very famous landmarks of the Route 66 trail.


However, the highlight of the day was upon us when we came to Lucille’s, a gas station come café, famous with Route 66 travellers with a reputation they preceded her. She was a legend of the route, she served cold drinks, old stories and chatted with passers by for many years and was as Ken found out while mailing her regularly on the internet, the fountain of knowledge where Route 66 was concerned, a well-respected lady by everyone who travelled the route. Sadly Lucille died on 16th August 2000 about 10 days before we left for our trip, so we felt very humbled when we arrived at the site of her old gas station and on the fence outside her house was all the flowers that had been taken to her funeral, they had been bought back to her house and placed outside for Route 66 lovers to see. I think there was a little tear in each of our eyes. A plaque on the door said that she is buried in Hydro, just outside Clinton, but unfortunately we did not have time to take a detour.

TRAVELLED TODAY 165.2 MILES