Our first amazing thing we saw was Annie's hair yesterday morning. LOL! She fell asleep with wet hair and the towel on her head. I never thought her hair could be that BIG...
As we were driving, getting our kicks on Route 66 if you will, we really did see some cool things.
The first thing we came across was in Galena, Kansas.
Shane had to turn around, I did not see Mater at first. After Galena, we went a little west of Riverton, Kansas, to what is called the Rainbow Bridge. No, it is not colored like a Rainbow. I am guessing it is called Rainbow because of the arch in the bridge; usually covered in graffiti the bridge was recently repainted white.
Constructed in 1923, it is the only remaining Marsh Arch Bridge on Route 66. A Marsh Arch Bridge is named after James Barney Marsh. Marsh was an engineer and bridge designer who graduated from Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts in Ames, IA. Marsh is known for reinforced concrete arch bridges, which he holds a patent for.
Just so you get the awesomeness of this, Marsh lived from 1856 to 1936 and his "Rainbow" bridges were built in the 1910s, 1920s, and the 1930s all over the United States, but this is the last remaining Rainbow Bridge on Route 66. Marsh is buried in Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa.
Kansas has the least amount of Route 66; with a short 13.2 miles of Route 66 passing through Kansas.
On to Oklahoma. We lived in Oklahoma for a year (our first try at moving to another state. We were on our way to Arizona and broke down in Blackwell, Oklahoma ... *shivers*). It was not our favorite place to live and I refuse to stay overnight in the state ever again.
It does, however, have some really cool sites to see on Route 66. If you ever get the chance to travel on Route 66 through Oklahoma, you should do it.
Our first stop in Oklahoma was in Miami. Located in Miami, OK, is an old theatre called the Coleman. The Coleman opened in 1929, just 6 months before the beginning of the Great Depression. Will Rogers, the Three Stooges, and Sally Rand were among some of the performers who preformed at the Coleman.
With so many sites to see on Route 66, I really had to decide which ones I wanted to see the most. There was no way in hell I was sleeping in Oklahoma.
One of the MUST SEE items on 66 is the Totem Pole Park in Foyil. This is off the Route a little ways, but well worth the effort considering that the Totems were built around 1948. (The 90-foot Totem bears this date.)
Ed Galloway lived from 1880 to 1962 and was the artist who constructed this amazing work of art.
Galloway started constructing this in 1937 and finished in 1948. There is no deep meaning for this other than as Galloway said "I did it to have something to do." He thought it would be a good thing for young people, particularly the Boy Scouts, to visit.
Galloway was self-taught. He never had any training.
For a little scale, that is Annie at the base of the big totem pole.
Enter: Cheesy Pictures ...
The Rock was also featured on the hit T.V. show, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
Rock Cafe on Diner, Drive-Ins, and Dives ...
I could post all kinds of pictures on the Rock, but you truly have to come and see for yourself. Dawn is an amazing woman (with a lot of spunk) who rebuilt the restaurant after a fire totally destroyed it.
Article about the fire
Shane was almost on the receiving end of Dawn's spunkiness. She thought Shane said "about time" when she asked if he wanted a refill (our drinks were never empty). While she was refilling his soda, she said she thought she must have misunderstood. So she asked him. She said "you seem like a nice guy, and I thought I heard you say "about time" when I asked if you needed a refill ..." I don't think I have ever laughed so hard, the look on Shane's face when she said that was priceless.
Dawn said that she must have misunderstood, because when she talked to him before he was very nice and she did not think that such a nice guy could say "about time," when it was clear that it was getting really busy. (The restaurant quickly filled after we arrived with two large parties that filled almost all of the other available tables.) She also said that she had to stop herself and think for a minute because she was about to rip him a new one. She did figure out that Shane actually said "If you have time" before she let loose though!! LOL!!!
One thing that I really liked (Shane too) was that it felt like home and everyone there was part of your family. There were two girls running around filling drinks and bringing food out, but Dawn sat you and took your order then she went back to cook it.
After leaving the Rock we wound our way down Route 66 to our next location, which needs to be revisited again if we ever drive back.
POPS
Again, Cameron and Annie are at the base of this 66-foot tall bottle. Just so you know, this place is FREAKING AWESOME!!!!
They have people (Soda Gurus) to help you find out which soda you may be interested in. I think they have something like 500 different sodas to choose from. And yes, they even have just Coke or Diet Coke, but why drink those when you can have ...
Yes, it says Leninade and it says "Get Hammered and Sickled," "Join The Party," and so much more...
You could also try ...
Yes, those are actual labels for actual sodas. The walls are covered in sodas, they are sectioned by color (red, orange, etc...), type (adult: Rat Bastard is an adult non-alcoholic beverage), and country. It was amazing and another must stop.
Well, I think that is all for now. I am going to see if I can stir this group up (it is 7 a.m. already) and get us on the road. We are going to spend two days in Amarillo, which is good because it is raining right now and I don't think the spray paint will stick if we tag any cars at Cadillac Ranch.
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