It was freezing cold in St. Louis as we pulled away at 5am to set off for a long day of driving. Holly the Basset Hound was squeezed into a small space on the back seat, next to some large cooking pots, a duvet and a plastic set of drawers. Having taken back ownership of her only a few days before, this was the last thing she’d had in mind when she pictured quality time with the two of us.
We were going to be driving from St. Louis, Missouri, to Pheonix, Arizona over three days; a trip which could be done in two, but we wanted to make the most of our time and feel free to stop at some typical Route 66 road trip roadside attractions. Plus, we figured the already panting Basset wouldn’t appreciate such long days in the car. As it turned out, she didn’t appreciate shorter days in the car, either.
The reason most of our (few) remaining belongings were in the back of the car was because we were going to spend some quality time in Scott’s sister’s house and brave out the winter in Arizona, something most people long to do due to its dry and sunny days. Having only a limited time in the States, we wanted to enjoy as much of the country, and the weather, as we could.
Little did we know that a Polar Vortex was soon to engulf the Midwest and leave us thankful that we left when we did.
The first day was spent enjoying the scenery of Oklahoma (I’m joking – Oklahoma is flat and barren along the sides of the highway) and hitting up some Route 66 attractions, including the Arcadia Round Barn and the world’s largest soda bottle.
The Round Barn has been standing since the early 19th Century, whereas the soda bottle has only been standing for around 7 years, but they both provide some photo-worthy entertainment. Pops, the gas station-cum-diner where the soda bottle is located also boasts over 400 different varieties of soda for sale, so we joined the masses and gawped at the large glass bottle selection, picking ourselves up a cola for the ride.
Despite no longer being able to drive fully along Route 66, there is still ample opportunity to pull off the highway and drive along large sections of it, if only to see some of the dilapidated businesses and hotels, as well as the retro cool signs. Lucille’s Gas Station in Oklahoma is no longer in business, but we weren’t the only ones who pulled up alongside it to take some photos as the sun was going down.
It is one of only two remaining two-story porch-style gas stations in the state and was operated by the Mother of the Mother Road, Lucille Hamons, who was well-known for her friendly help to Route 66 drivers. The place seems tinged with sadness somehow these days, now that the motorists are no longer filling up their tanks and the buildings around it have been pretty much razed to the ground. Definitely a telling sign of the toll that the faster, more modern highways with their multitude of comfort stops have taken.
After spending a less-than-comfortable night at a Motel 6 in Amarillo, Texas after we crossed the border, we got up early and bleary-eyed to head to the Cadillac Ranch, an art installation composed of a collection of half-buried Cadillac car bodies.
The cars have been spray-painted by tourists over the years, with the odd can still rattling around on the floor for newbies to add to the collection. See if you can spot the Basset Hound in one of these photos, who, it would happen, would end up seeing as many of the Route 66 attractions as we did over the coming days.
Other USA Posts:
Chile, Corners and Colorado: Route 66 Road Trip (Part 2)
USA: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Las Vegas: The Start of My Round-The-World Trip
Attending a Wedding At The Plaza, New York City
Sorry you had to do your trip so quickly! There is so much to see on Oklahoma Route 66 that many people set aside several days just to do our state. But I’m very glad that you had a fun time along the road. Next time, I hope you’ll stop at my place, an antique car museum on Route 66 in Afton, OK. We would love to meet and greet you! (PS — Nice photos!)
This is SO cool, I love the Cadillacs! So jealous of you doing this! xx
Some great photos and a wonderful read. I have not been to Pops yet, but I can tell you, Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Los Angeles is THE place for old sodas in the US. (The Pops people even came to visit before opening to see how it should be done.) And John Nese’s family has owned Galco’s for decades. It’s near the original western terminus in Los Angeles (and not far from my home, either!).
I’m looking forward to the next couple of days of your drive. I love living vicariously like this through others!
Thanks for the tip Scott! I have yet to make it to LA (and fully complete my Route 66 route) but when I do I’ll try and hit it up for sure 🙂
Have always wanted to drive down Route 66 to see these sorts of attractions. Sounds like you’re having a good time (minus the motel)!
I am, thank you! 🙂
Hi Julia! your trip looked amazing. I am currently planning a route 66 trip too, living in phx also i am trying to find a route that best works… what route did you take and how long did it take you?
Hi Lex! Our route/timing was a little screwy as we were moving from one side of the country to the other and wanted to do it fairly quickly. Therefore we didn’t do the full route, instead we drove from St. Louis to Flagstaff (the full route runs from Chicago to LA) and spread it out over four days, stopping at as many of the sights as possible. Then, 3 months later, we rode back along a similar route, stopping at any places we’d missed the first time round. If you only wanted to drive part of the route, you could easily do the LA to Flagstaff section from Phoenix, but timing really depends on how many stops you want to make and how much free time you have available to drive and take it all in. Apparently a “full” Route 66 drive, taking in as much as you can, will usually take around 2-3 weeks. Hope you have fun!