Day 18 - Three States in One Day

 

Today we were lazy and had breakfast at the hotel. Note to self - ALWAYS try to find a coffee shop or make your own. We found the Route 66 signs almost right away. Some days this is not so easy. The guidebooks described lots of small towns, but we had little temptation to stop, not even at the cookie-cutter museum. However, there was one highlight that simply captures the imagination. In Catoosa we had to stop and see the Blue Whale. Yup, that is right, just on the eastern edge of Oklahoma. It was a husband's gift to his wife, who loved whale trinkets. He must have been a civil engineer.

Some thoughts about Route 66. When you stay at hotels that are described as Rte 66 venues, you begin to meet people doing the same trip. We have yet to meet anyone going the 'wrong' way - that is, from L.A. to Chicago. Some of them just get on the road closest to their home, and most of the trips have been planned by men. They want to stop at car museums, and they love all the old paraphernalia you see in the small-town museums. We compared notes one evening with a couple from South Carolina and I had to laugh when the wife said to her husband, 'You can't remember the name of that gas station?' As though we had only passed one or two on the way. 

A little more on weather - driving down the west coast we dealt with temperature changes due to elevation and the marine layer. We got into the desert, and we had hot temperatures during the day, but cold clear nights. Arizona and New Mexico had winds that could knock you off your feet and the humidity at 10%. By the time we reached Oklahoma, we began to think of the possibility of tornados. Having a drink before dinner in Oklahoma City, we met up with a young woman who seemed a nervous Nellie. She told us that there were tornado warnings for that night and so rather than drive 30 minutes to her home east of the city, she booked into the hotel. She ordered a glass of wine, and it was gone in about three sips. She told us she was 'stressed'. We then listened to a conversation among the locals about what to do when you were driving, and a tornado hit. Lots of disagreement there, but fun to listen to. We have had a few thunderclaps and some rain, and we are beginning to feel humidity. As I write this in Springfield, we just had a downpour and a clap of thunder that made us both jump. 

We drove along more quiet roads and drove through three states today. We left Oklahoma, had a quick jaunt through the southeast corner of Kansas before getting into Missouri.  We made it to Springfield in the late afternoon. We know little about the area and just discovered that Springfield's nickname is 'Queen City of the Ozarks'.  Steak dinner in a nice restaurant downtown (Flame), a glass of wine and we were grateful for an early evening.

Today's mileage: 204.6 miles.

License plate count - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arizona Navajo Nation, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Caddo Nation, Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma Chocktaw Nation, Oklahoma Osage Nation, Oklahoma Peoria Nation, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. And from Mexico - Ciudad de Mexico, Sonora.

I am not familiar with a lot of the writers from Missouri, although we all know the most famous one, Mark Twain. This time I found a book that celebrates artists from Missouri. American Art Colony: The Art and Artists of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, 1930-1940. This is one of those lovely books with gorgeous illustrations. A collectible copy is only $2,470, so I suggest a trip to the library if you want to take a gander.

Although we spent some time with Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, we have already featured their songs in the blog. So tonight, we are going to go back in time to a favorite to honor the Catoosa Whale. Burl Ives - The Whale - YouTube.