This morning, I did the Route 66 tour and hit thrift stores, following breakfast at the Classen Grill, which was recommended by not one or two, but THREE people. It was good, but not the religious experience I expected. Busboys were cute though…
“Oklahoma City is mighty pretty…you’ll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico”…
I’ve moved into the real nitty gritty of Route 66 now. This is a really great part of the trip. I’m no longer worried about the itinerary or the nightlife or what time zone I’m in (except for tonight, when I missed “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill”). It’s now all about exploring a part of the country I’ve never seen and a road which has as much history as any Civil War battlefield.
On the way into Amarillo, I hit most of the old 66 loops in Oklahoma and Texas. I avoided a parade in Yukon and saw Garth Brooks Boulevard (this was more amusing than thrilling). I had lunch at Pop Hick’s, an institution in Clinton OK, and talked with a very friendly waitress who was most proud of the 66 tourists who stop in. In fact, everyone along the route seems proud of their place in history.
Clinton is also home to the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. I stopped, of course. Good museum. Good gift shop. Minimal free stuff.
Eventually, Oklahoma became Texas, and before long I was in Shamrock, home of the U-Drop-Inn, some boarded-up gas stations, and not much else. The interstate pretty much ruined Shamrock. The U-Drop is great though, a late 30’s modern/streamline gas station and restaurant. It’s a major Route 66 landmark and incidentally, it’s vacant and for lease…
With Shamrock covered, I began to contemplate food and sleep.
I DID see Amarillo. In fact, I spent the night there last night. It’s an interesting place, which reminds me a lot of Fresno or even Bakersfield: flat, linear, and just a bit behind the times. It’s a tremendously unpretentious place…depressed even. There are great buildings and cheesy motels to look at. Route 66 (Amarillo Blvd.) is a major thoroughfare which goes on forever. There are bars. I opted against, so as to get an early start this morning.