the quirkier the better
Route 66 was established as one of the original numbered US highways in 1926, but was decommissioned in 1985. By then the interstate system had been completed, and Route 66 was essentially subsumed into I-40, I-55 and I-44, with remnants remaining that followed state roads. For most of our journey we stayed on the interstates, only occasionally pulling off to see some of the sights and services that have persevered due to The Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act of 1999. But there was one section of that we followed for expedient reasons. From Oklahoma City to the border of Missouri, the state of Oklahoma has made Interstate 44 a toll road. Nowadays, you cannot pay cash tolls as you go. All over the nation toll roads are billed to transponders. Not having a transponder in my car that corresponds to this particular toll road, I seized the opportunity to follow a section of Route 66 for most of the day. Rather than describe just one sight, I thought I’d focus on the whole experience of that leg of the trip.
This particular day was one of the rainiest. We drove by a beautiful round, red barn that was free to tour in the little town of Arcadia, but Campbell wasn’t all that interested. On we drove. A portion of the old road was closed. Signs pointed out a detour, but my Waze suggested another route. The next bit of our journey is up for dispute. We ended up on a rutted and pot-holed country road for about two miles. My husband swears that it was a dirt road. I was driving and it felt like pavement, but the rain was washing so much red mud across the road, that it looked like a dirt road. We’ll never know which of our recollections is correct, because I’m not going back there again, even if I could find it!
Either way, it was an adventure, and we were quite relieved to hook up with pavement again, heading for the town of Stroud and lunch at the Rock Café. When John Lassiter was researching Route 66 for the 2006 Pixar movie “Cars”, he hired a Route 66 aficionado from Tulsa to show him some of the sights along this portion of the Mother Road. Lassiter fell in love with Stroud and its people, and used some of the human “characters” of the town in his motorized personifications. Later Guy Fieri visited the Rock Café, and spent four days filming the cooks making a few of their signature dishes. The manager spent 20 minutes at our table answering all our questions about these experiences and others.
A little further down the road was the Blue Whale of Catoosa, one of the quirkier offerings along Route 66. In the early 70s, Hugh Davis built the whale as a surprise anniversary gift for his wife who collected whale figurines. Soon the pond around it was opened as a swimming hole for the locals. By 1988 the Davises weren’t able to manage the attraction anymore, and the Blue Whale fell into disrepair. But members of the local community aided by employees of the Hampton Inn launched a fund-raising effort and volunteers began managing the site as a picnic area and fishing hole.
This seems to be a theme along Route 66: an individual gets an idea, the more crazy and hare-brained the better. The community takes a shine to it and takes the idea into its heart giving it a chance to grow. National government partners with the local participants to give support with an act of Congress. And then, just like the Field of Dreams, if you build it, they will come. And on a rainy Thursday in June, that’s exactly what Dave and Campbell and I did.
Love, Liz
