Friday, December 17, 2010

Get Your Kicks: Our Christmas Route 66 Trip, Day 3

We drove from Miami through Tulsa and Oklahoma City and on to Amarillo, Texas, before ending the drive in Tucumcari, New Mexico. We got our first taste of warmer weather! We started the day by driving back through Miami.  
The Coleman by day

Roadside eats. Check out the classic cars! 

Note the Ku Ku Bird

Route 66 is OK.

We then went on to see the world’s largest concrete totem pole, the blue whale of Catoosa, a Cherokee trading post with buffalo, and the National Route 66 Museum
World's largest concrete totem pole

Detail with the boy

Thar she blows! 

Mom and son at the Cherokee trading post

Dad and son outside the buffalo pen

Outside the National Route 66 Museum



Daylight was fading as we drove on from Oklahoma into Texas. In Shamrock, we stopped by the Conoco tower station and U-Drop-Inn Cafe, then we went to the Phillips 66 Station in McLean. Things seemed both really quiet and quite run down in the small towns, a sharp contrast to the bustle of both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.




It was dark by the time we got to Amarillo, home to many, many neon lit steakhouses, all full to brimming on a Friday night. We had hoped to see the Cadillac Ranch, but we were too late. We wanted to see this:
(Thanks Route 66, The Mother Road blog)

Or something stylish, like this shot Shad took:
(Check out this and other photos at Shad Hopkins Photography.)

But we got this:

What we did see were feedlots (poor cattle!), chilly weather, bits of snow, a giant cross, and deep dark without even the stars to light the night. We got into Tucumcari and drove down the main drag, but the lights were out except for a few Christmas lights. Most of the motels were closed. 

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