Route 66 – part 3: Oklahoma

Sunday, 22.Oktober 2023

„Road Closed“ and „Is this the bridge?!“

Claremore, Oklahoma – Hinton, Oklahoma (957 Miles/ 1531 km)

• Breakfast in the hotel – plastic dishes and instant coffee – topped only by the TV, which constantly shows a “Christian” channel where the wildest conspiracy theories are “discussed”.

• On a positive note, you can make your own waffles (easy-to-use waffle irons seem to be standard hotel equipment here) – unfortunately, the waffle iron is old and the waffles keep sticking to it. Therefore, I have to summon up all my patience to scrape the waffle off the iron with a plastic fork – to top it all off, a member of staff watches me do it (thanks) and then comments: “Yes, I know, that’s because it’s very old and not working so well anymore” – no kidding.
• There’s one single apple, the only thing that looks remotely healthy in the whole room (apart from the water perhaps, but that requires a detective’s instinct to find), which I of course grab immediately, whereupon Matthäus tries to cut the apple with the plastic knife for about 5 minutes before we give up and decide to eat it later in our room where we also keep our pocket knife.
• I look longingly into the distance and then say, “Mmmh, I miss daddy breakfast (my Dad is known for the super tasty breakfast he always prepares) – ah now that I think about it; Dad should open a breakfast place on Route 66.”
• We collect all the laundry from everywhere in the room and bathroom (“Oh, look, there’s the sock’s friend!”) and therefore take a bit more time for packing.
• Then it’s off towards Tulsa, where our Coleman Theater Guide has already warned us about the crazy traffic – and not without good reason – people change lanes wildly and the whole thing reminds me a bit of the driving experience in Boulder – crazy indeed: It feels a bit like driving on the Tangente in Vienna..

• Tulsa lies in the heart of the “Bible Belt” and is accordingly dotted with churches, all of which are very well attended today on Sunday (we can tell because almost all the parking spaces in front of the churches are occupied).
• We even saw in a documentary that Tulsa has one of the few Christian universities where, for example, Sunday services are compulsory and the entire curriculum is Christian; after all, its original motto was: “Faith, Wisdom, Service: For Christ, For State”.

• We reach Tulsa through the really American and really ugly looking suburbs (not very diplomatic, but it is what it is), where gas stations alternate with industry alternate with (a bit sketchy looking) neighborhoods.
• And I’ve almost written off Tulsa as “I think we can just drive through..” when we reach downtown and I am even more convinced of that statement: It really reminds me of Vienna – there are one-way streets everywhere and all the driving is a pain in the ass (as the guide from the theater warned us, he was right, listen to him!), even (or especially) on Sunday mornings the streets are quite crowded.
• So we only stop briefly at the Woody Guthrie Center described in our guide, take a photo (and cross the road to do so) and then speed on towards Oklahoma City.

• The 110-mile stretch between Tulsa and Oklahoma City is the longest uninterrupted stretch of Route 66.

• Some of these sections are now private property and we keep coming across signs saying “Road Closed” or “Private Property” – and as the gun laws in Oklahoma seem to be very relaxed (we saw a sign in Walmart saying “Do not carry firearms openly” – reassuring), we don’t necessarily want to risk entering private property with our fat, white SUV.
• However, the sections that we drive are a real experience and sometimes even lead us on dirt roads – great, I like!

• One of the highlights next to the road is a concrete sculpture of a blue whale, the last remnants of a water park that used to be here – nostalgia, nostalgia.

• Of course, we make the obligatory stop, put on shorts as it got much warmer – after all, we’ve been driving southwest for several days – and go to see the whale, where you can still see old water slides into the lake.

• After passing a few towns (some of which we’re not quite sure whether they’re a town or a ghost town?!) (“Continue on Old Highway 66”), we reach the suburbs of Oklahoma, which remind us of the suburbs of Tulsa and don’t give us a good first impression of the city.
• The occasional glimpse of Oklahoma’s skyline (4 skyscrapers) is quite nice, but overall – as is so often the case – we’re not always sure: are we even in the city yet or is it still countryside?

• Next to a road is an abandoned golf course, a sad sight with an almost horror movie-looking “Private Property” sign.
• There is road work on our road (the original Route 66, of course), nothing to worry about at first, it happens here – as in Europe – all the time, but then suddenly there is another sign saying “Road Closed”.
• At least the problem can be solved by taking a small detour through a quiet neighborhood (when I remark: “Do you think it’s nice that we’re just driving through the neighborhood?”, Matthäus says: “Before I take a detour of a mile, I’ll drive through the neighborhood – really now.” – fair enough)
• We soon reach Lincoln Boulevard, which leads directly to the Oklahoma Capitol (“the Champs Elysee of Oklahoma, so to speak”, I say to Matthäus), which is quite impressive – this Capitol is, appropriately enough, the only capitol in the USA that is surrounded by intact oil wells.

• We continue on to the artistic Paseo district, where we stop off at Cleevers restaurant, which – as described – serves good, local dishes.

• When I google it, I get a short shock, because the first Google question that is often asked is “What is the dress code of the restaurant? “. I look down at myself – wearing jogging trousers, a really not fancy T-Shirt rounded off with running shoes… Fortunately, the restaurant turns out to be very American and there is virtually no dress code, except that you should please wear a shirt and shoes (that you always have to write THAT – I notice, by the way, that nowhere does it say anything about pants…).

• Despite the lack of dress code, it is more of an upscale restaurant, there are even real cloth napkins and the food is simply delicious, njam!
• Matthäus and I order an appetizer and then share a main course.
• Fun fact: When the waiter comes with the two plates, I see the portions and send him away before Matthäus looks at me with raised eyebrows and says: “That was our meal, Marie”, whereupon I (apologetically) call the waiter back (and entertain the neighboring table in the process – you’re welcome).
• We can’t believe it until we get the bill – the portions are so huge that we’re convinced we’ve made a mistake and both ordered the same main course by mistake – it turns out we didn’t, it was only ONE main course.
• Nevertheless, we end up having to ask for a doggy bag, we simply cannot finish the huge portion.
• We decide to go for a digestive walk, which we desperately need, and explore the area – although it turns out to be only a short walk before we end up drinking coffee in the Picasso Café.

• The district is really full of galleries, works of art and small stores selling books, paintings and other things.
• The café is nicely nestled between all of these and also has places outside where we can sit in the sun.
• We’re both a bit tense and don’t have as nice a coffee conversation as usual, which leads to me taking off at some point and literally walking around the block.
• We pay, go back to the car and continue our journey, reconciled and in the beautiful evening light along Route 66.

• We soon reach El Reno, a suburb of Oklahoma City (I think, or maybe it has a right to exist as an independent city like Gerasdorf), in any case it is known for Sid’s Diner, which looks very nice but also very closed.

• What follows is a lot of “middle of nowhere”, where we also partly drive along a dirt road. Some parts of that road are even older than Route 66 – it is quite an experience.

• We almost can’t believe our eyes when we someone else driving the road – an agricultural vehicle, but still – by now the sun has already set and although the moon is shining quite brightly, it is already rather dark.
• A little later, we reach the former Toll Bridge, which is very unspectacular.
• And yet a little later we reach a proper road again – only to find out after a few hundred meters that it is closed (“Road Closed”): We wonder why. But we soon get to the bottom of the mystery:

• Shortly afterwards, we see some huge bricks lying on the side of the road: “Look, that used to be the bridge,” I say to Matthäus and indeed:
• Those huge bricks are parts of what used to be the Pony Bridge: Matthäus later reads up on it: “They’ve actually taken it apart and are now building a new roadway on it and then they’re putting the arches back on (but only for decoration, not as load-bearing elements).
• We have to take a huge detour and cross the interstate (not nice) to reach our hotel and the next section of Route 66.
• Tonight we spend the night in the unassuming town(?!) of Hinton, which is mainly home to casinos (it’s also conveniently located directly on the interstate), in a motel with the very creative name ‘Hinton Inn’.

• We get there and it looks very closed – so I pop in and am greeted by a huge sign at reception “Only ring, if you want a room”, so I bravely ring the bell. A disgruntled guy appears, who explains the countless comments on Google saying “totally rude staff” and asks me what I want.
• As if I dared to ring the bell for anything other than a room… He asks me what make of car we drive and what it looks like (“white” is my standard answer, which seems to be enough for him – ha, the guy who comes in after me starts a long explanation about what EXACT car he has, only to be snapped at by the hotelier “Which color?”).
• When we have managed to exchange the room number and credit card, he simply says “Good Night” – no “Have a nice evening”, “enjoy your stay” or other bullshit – whereupon I reply “Good Night” and am happy that I was able to book a hotel room with so few words and wasn’t labeled as totally rude or SUCH a typical European tourist.

• We move into our cozy and quaintly furnished room (the whole motel is reminiscent of an antique store, fitting the theme of our trip).

Monday, 23.Oktober

The Big Texan und What the hack is the Panhandle?!

Hinton, Oklahoma – Amarillo, Texas (1190 Miles/ 1900 km)

• We start our day with Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park – not to be confused with Red Rock Canyon Park, Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon State Park in California or Red Rock Canyon in Colorado (Red Rock Canyons everywhere!), which is very close to Hinton and not necessarily worth a detour.

• The former state park is now privately owned, since Oklahoma no longer has any money for state parks.
• At least it lives up to its name, as steep red rock faces rise up on both sides of the canyon and with the trees glowing in all kinds of autumnal colors.
• We decide to stretch our legs a little and take a short “hike” through the park, initially trying unsuccessfully to find our way using the map we were given at the entrance, and ending up using Komoot.

• The loop is quite nice and leads up to the rim, from where you can catch some beautiful views of the surrounding forests.
• Back to the car and on to Clinton, where one can find one of the countless Route 66 museums, which, unlike the others, is apparently not a random collection of old objects, photos or anything else that people associate with Route 66, but is nicely laid out and provides a good overview of the road and its history over time (you can find out more here).

• We actually spend quite a lot of time in the museum and are delighted with the really good presentation of the history of the road. Its history goes back to the 1920s when cars and driving became popular and new roads were urgently needed.
• In the store I find a nice little booklet, which is a replica of a book published in 1946 about the route and which gives insights into the history of Route 66 and its course, as well as into what places looked like back then.
• We continue on to the ghost town of Foss and Elk City, where we make a short stop to refuel and discuss the planned sailing trip for next year with Johannes and co.

• Elk City has everything: we find a post box and a drive-in ATM where we withdraw money.
• We continue to Texola, a ghost town – although we’re not quite sure where the line is drawn, Foss was also officially a ghost town and there were still some people living there – of course there were also some apparently uninhabited buildings in between, but we’ve seen that several times on the way now.

• The whole atmosphere here, close to the Texan border, somehow feels very strange: There is a certain uneasiness or restlessness that fills you, with the lack of people and at the same time small signs of residents living here – mainly through the modern-looking cars parked in front of some of the houses. Some are in such a state of decay that it makes us wonder: Can anyone really still live in there?

• We pass places with names like Shamrock and Lela before reaching Alanreed, where the so-called Jericho Gap starts: A once notorious section of Route 66, which was already a dirt road back then and caused quiet a number of cars to get stuck.
• Today, the dirt road is disappointingly well maintained and it’s not raining, which is why we pass it without any problems in our four-wheel drive SUV

• We continue to Groom, whose distinguishing feature is a leaning water tower and the largest cross in the western hemisphere (we wonder where there is a larger one in the eastern hemisphere?) – wow!

• Shortly after Groom we make a little detour to the Slug Bug Farm, where, a bit like the famous Cadillac Ranch, some small bugs are buried in the ground and sprayed with graffiti by passing Route 66 adventurers – a cult stop
• or rather I should write: “were” buried, because when we get there, the bugs are dug up and the whole place looks more like a car graveyard than anything else

• Later we read that the Slug Bug Farm has just been closed down and that there are ideas to move it to a new location, but that the whole thing is still a work in progress
• What follows is a landscape of fields, steppe-like landscape and bizarre signs until we reach Amarillo, where the famous “The Big Texan Steak Ranch”, a restaurant with a motel next to it, is located.

• Unfortunately, we can’t get a room in the motel, but we treat ourselves to a steak (which we once again share between the two of us) in the restaurant.
• The restaurant is famous for its 72oz (approx. 2kg) steak, which, if you eat it with a few side dishes in under an hour, you get on the house – if you fail, you have to pay the 72 dollars yourself.

• To “entertain” the other guests, you sit on a table that stands on a kind of podium.
• Our drinking cups inform us that, according to legend (or a fictitious story), the challenge came about when six cowboys stopped here, ordered steak after steak and the one who could eat the most ended up eating 2 kg of steak and a few side dishes.

• Few people are up to the challenge, but some have mastered it: In 1963, a professional wrestler simply wolfed down 2 of the steaks within an hour; the oldest person to ever complete the challenge is a 69-year-old grandma and the record for the fastest eating of the steak is until today held by a housewife named Molly, affectionately known as “Memorial Day Molly”, who in 2014 wolfed down the steak in 4 minutes 58 seconds, only to eat a second helping in 9 minutes and 59 seconds.
• I say: “Wow, that can’t be healthy, 4kg of steak in 10 minutes – I don’t even think it’s healthy to eat 2kg of steak in an hour.” Matthäus: “That’s just the way it is with sports; if you take them to extremes, they’re no longer healthy.”
• Nobody tries the Insane Eating Challenge while we’re there, but no stress – you can watch the whole thing online (?!?!)
• Off we go to the motel where we have found a place to stay, appropriately called the “Route 66 Inn”, run by a very friendly Indian – good night!