Molly and I left Tucson on Monday 5/12 and headed out Interstate 10 toward Las Cruces, NM. The weather was warm but windy. The wind picked up as we got into New Mexico, but it was mostly from the southwest, so not too bad. There weren't any attractions to pull us away from I-10. I was planning to stop at the Leasburg State Park for the night. After we got there the wind was blowing so hard we would have had to live in a rocking boat. We drove on east through some mountains and tried to visit the White Sands Missile Base Museum, but it had closed at 3:30. We went on to Alamogordo and I got a photo of the sun setting over the white sands. The first atomic bomb in history was detonated at the Alamogordo Test Range on July 16, 1945. The site of the explosion is located on property owned by the present-day White Sands Missile Range. We ate dinner and spent the night in a truck stop parking lot just off the freeway.
The next morning we ate breakfast and headed out route 70 toward Roswell. We drove through more mountains into the Mescalero Indian Reservation. The road is labeled "Billy The Kid Scenic Highway". I wanted to see, Roswell, the famous town where all of the controversy occurred with the alien spacecraft crash. You can hear the "1947 RADIO BROADCAST OF "UFO CRASH NEAR ROSWELL".
Well the town is now rated as an "All American City" with a couple of over five story buildings. The downtown businesses are varied as in many cities, except there are many alien-related stores selling posters, T-shirts, cards, signs and novelties. I avoided these. I was thinking about visiting the International UFO Museum, but I visited the website and chose to miss it. So we drove on through some nice mountains, with wind, and caught up with Route 66 in Santa Rosa. One of my goals on this trip was to actually drive on some of the parts of the old Route 66 highway that still exists. (Any of you remember the TV series "Route 66"?) We looked around at the mostly defunct cafes and stores that were once (in the 50's to 70's) very well visited. We drove through the practically "ghost town" of Cuervo. No Tequilla visible. Then turned off and ended up at the Conchas Lake State Park, located 30 miles northwest of Tucumcari. Molly got a quick swim in the lake, and then we went back to our site for the night. Still there was wind so we got gently rocked to sleep.
On wednesday, we awoke to rain drops tapping the roof of the motorhome. we ate breakfast then headed out. After driving through Tucumcari admiring the old motels and restaurants still standing from the US 66 days, we headed east on I-40 into the Texas panhandle. The rain got worse the farther eas we went, so this limited or stopping to view the sights. I had pulled off to look at the famous "Cadillac Ranch", but we were in a real downpour, so we continued on through Amarillo and only drove the Historic 66 road when the rain wasn't too bad. It finally let up as we approached Oklahoma.
We stopped at the National Route 66 Museum Complex, which includes the National Transportation Museum, in Elk City, OK. Guess what? We had changed time zones and got there just as they were closing. After I reviewed the brochure I decided to move on down the road since it didn't look that appealing. We stopped in Clinton, OK at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. This was nearing closing and I asked the attendant inside if she knew of any RV parks nearby. Nothing within 30 miles. She suggested that I just camp out in the parking lot for the night and come into the museum when they open in the morning. We did! Again it rained on us during the night, but we awoke to a sunny and basically cloud free morning.
After breakfast and a nice walk around the area, I left Molly in the motorhome and went into the museum. It was very well appointed and contained a bunch of neat treasures from the Route 66 eras, 1930-1979. I watched the 30 minute movie that covers the history of the road plus a great photo journey along it's length from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA. If you ever have the chance to travel along I-40 through Oklahoma, be sure to go into Clinton and this museum. It is well worth the 45 minute rest stop.
We continued our drive east on I-40 to Tulsa and then switched to I-44 and then over to Route 66. We traveled through many small towns and saw parts of the old concrete Route 66 pavement. This highway has better pavement than most of I-40 and 44. It was a comfortable ride which led us to Vinita and over to Grand Lake O Cherokees. We found a great RV park with nice ammenities and very reasonable prices.
Below are a few photos of some of the sites we enjoyed on our trip through this part of our great country.
It's really COOL!
Friday morning we ate breakfast, broke camp and casually drove around the area and ended at the National Rod & Custom Car Hall Of Fame. Darryl Starbird, the creator of this museum is a famous custom car builder who started his legacy in 1954 when the art of customizing was still brand new. I remember seeing a number of his creations at car shows as well in most of the popular car magazines. He envisioned a permanent Hall of Fame to enshrine the names, pictures and accomplishments of the men who set the benchmark in Hot Rod & Custom Car design, styling and construction. After years of planning he bought 80 acres at Grand Lake and set up this nonprofit facility. The exhibits were great with loads of old rod and custom cars, most designed and built by Darryl plus many from some of the old masters. I remember seeing several of these cars when I was younger and attending car shows. If you are a car nut, like me, this is a must see.
From here we headed northeast to again connect with 66. We first had to go through the town of Miami, (my-am-a) as the locals say, on to the town of Commerce, where Mickey Mantle was born. Then into the town of Picher, which had the recent tornado hit which took out about a third of this small town that appeared to be mostly 'out-of-business'. I was shocked by the devastation, and amazed by the surrounding sand dunes right next to the town. Some were over 9 stories high.
After I did a little research on the web I found this: The town of Picher, Okla., is nestled among huge lead-laced piles of rock. Its population has dwindled to a fraction of its former size as people gradually move away from the Tar Creek Superfund site left from years of lead and zinc mining. It seems that these dunes were the tailings of the lead mining which stopped some 30+ years ago. The town folks tried to keep the town alive, but it was a lost cause, as the mining was the primary source of income.
For decades, before Picher became a town, miners carved miles of tunnels under its land, and the bounty of lead ore they recovered made bullets for both world wars. Today, Tar Creek runs orange with acidic water that flooded the mines. Cave-ins and sinkholes threaten; a mine collapse in 1967 took nine homes. Bleak, gray mountains of lead-contaminated chat, or mine tailings, loom around town. Some rise 100 feet and look like sand dunes. In the 1990s, a study found elevated blood lead levels in Tar Creek-area children, and teachers began noticing years ago that students were learning more slowly and couldn't focus. The federal government has stepped in with a plan to relocate residents, a buyout program that could cost $60 million. The Superfund project will take over 15 years to clean up and with the recent tornado it is likely that this little town is doomed. Most residents will take the approximately $60,00 for their homes and move away, but there are a few hold-outs who don't want to leave. SAD!
We then crossed into Kansas and into the town of Baxter Springs. If you are an avid watcher of the Food Channel show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" you may have seen the episode last year that featured Cafe On The Route, located here in the town. Well I just had to stop and have lunch (actually I planned it this way). The cafe has been open for 10 years, as of May 17 and located in the old Crowell Bank building, where legend has it that Jesse James and Cole Younger once robbed. The place is has a very eclectic style, but the menu is what is noteworthy. I ordered the BBQ plate which consisted of 3 BBQ ribs, a substantial slice of beef brisket, green beans with onion and herbs and their famous "fried potato salad". The side choices consisted of 5 potato types, plus green salad or fruit. The meal was excellent and only $6.50. I got there right as the lunch rush was ending and Amy, one of the owners was the only person on the floor. Tables needed to be bussed and overall it was messy. The dinner menu is extensive and contains such items as pork cordon bleu, several fresh fish items plus frog legs, salmon stuffed with apples, bacon and chives with a mandarin orange glaze, plus many more selections. I would come back for dinner anytime.
Bruce and Molly
More Indy travel news continues on the Indy Part 2 page.
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