On The Road - Day 6 - Branson to Tulsa

Friday 11^th May

Departed Branson  just after 9am. We took some photos on the way out.  There is so much devastation from the tornado that hit that town in February this year (I think??)  

Eventually we get back onto 66 and first photo stop is Halltown at the Whitehall Mercantile - an antique shope, where we chat to the lady who advises the building was built in early 1900’s.  Loads of good stuff, wish we still lived here I would have the car loaded.  She insisted we go look upstairs - oh!!  Very steep narrow stairs with a skinny metal hand rail.  It was really interesting, although dusty and probably untouched for years it was organised in an orderly manner.  The ceilings upstairs were very high, the ceiling timbers in excellent condition, however the old walls were collapsing - I wonder how long they will last.

Gay Parita  at Paris Springs – Gary Turner the owner and collector of many great items .  First a bottle of cherry pop each but we must save one to make a 'spider' when we get some icecream down the road - an aussie thing!  Then photo shots with the Route 66 Flag and us outside his beautiful building. 

Then a tour of the old workshops complete with magnificent Model A Ford (Or was it a T?) with Bonnie and Clyde lifelike models and more photos. 









We met his mate "Earl" the lifelike mechanic with the chattering teeth and more photos. 

Gary took us through the Route 66 book – pointing out must sees along the road and drew us a map to Red Oak 11 with very specific instructions. 

Past the Crap Duster ( a flying manure spreader by sculpter Lowell Davis and onto Red Oak 11





Red Oak 11 is a new town being rebuilt  from local buildings and some other that have been purchased elsewhere and restored.  We met the owner Larry Ficklesmith (??) who gave us a lot of background into many of the buildings. Oldest gas station on Route 66 1916 completely restored – they used to ship the whole building/unit as a kit.  Gas pumped up into the glass top and then hose just siphoned to the cars.

The school was from beside his family farm dated before 1888, recently found newsparper showing classes of 1865. Well we didnt take a photo of that did we!

The lock up cell was where they held the drunks overnight – its now the child care centre.









There were so many fun things to look at so I am just going to post some photos.

 

I really have to HAVE one of these!!

The Plumbers nightmare another sculpture by Lowell Davis

 

 Carthage was lunchtime at the Pancake Hut. Here we found a mechanical Chicago Band Box. We asked the server if she could play it for us but she said it didnt play any longer. 

The old Boots Motel world famous for its architecture and neon.

 

Finally crossed the Kansas state line at 3.30pm  at Galena Kansas  4 Women on the Route restored gas station and Tow Tater the inspiration for Mater from Cars. 

 

The Marsh Curve Bridge over Brush Creek in Riverton was a beautiful sight.  It is a concrete arch bridge formerly referred to as Graffiti Bridge or Rainbow Bridge.  It was professionally cleaned of graffiti and restored by the Kansas Historic Route 66 Association.




There are only 13 miles of Route 66 in Kansa and soon we are over the Oklahoma State line and in American Indian territory.  The first town is Quawpaw - what  a great name (I dont know what it means - google?) 1000's of acres of that short breed golden wheat sway in the light breeze (yes I am sure its that  Monsanto stuff!) over the flat prairie lands.  There are signs of mining from the past - lead, zince and cadium.

Oklahoma has more Route 66 to see than any other state and it was dedicated in 1953 as the Will Rogers Highway. (Will died in a plane crash in 1935).


Cute sign in Miami Ok. - Waylans Ku Ku Hamburger restaurant based around a cuckoo clock theme.

Beautiful Coleman theatre in Miami also.

















The town of Commerce was the hometown of Mickey Mantle!

Chelsea Ok. 1926 Prior Creek Bridge, a steel truss bridge.  Was replaced with a pony truss bridge.

Catoosa - we have made it on time and only just! Its starting to rain too.  We have been pushing to get to see the Twin Bridges and the Blue Whale.

Railway bridge over the McClellan-Kerr River Navigation system - a 445 mile waterway connecting the Gulf of Mexico to Port Catoosa - the largest inland seaport in US.


Twin Bridges over the Verdigri River now the Bird Creek. One of the bridges has recently been dismantled - I dont know which one it is.





Before we know there it is - the Blue Whale.  80 feet long, Zeta gave this as a 34th wedding anniversary gift to her husband Hugh S Davis.  It too 3020 man hours to construct at a cost less than $3,000.  It resides in a swimming park and seemed to be a very satisfying fishing spot also.

A very long day with no accommodation booked so we set the GPS to work to find the closest Hampton Inn.  First one fully booked, so retrace our footsteps closer to Tulsa - its getting late and we settle for the Holiday Inn Express.  Check in quickly and tell GPS to get us to Ollies restaurant an old icon on Route 66.  Its almost closing time, they let us in, we are pretty much alone except for the trains scuttling around the ceiling on three separate gauge tracks.  Back to the motel and sleep!