Route 66 Roadtrip Leg 2: OK to AZ – Ep. 14
Welcome to Episode 14 and the 2nd episode of our Route 66 series. We’re detailing our 2018 cross-continental loop that took us over 9500km and 26 days on the road. If you haven’t listened to episode 13, you’ll want to start there, as we cover the first 3 days of our trip which took 21 hours of drive time and covered 2223 km (1381 miles) from our home in Southwestern Ontario to Elk City Oklahoma.
Day 4
Route 66 Museum – Elk City OK
We woke day 4 excited to visit the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City Oklahoma where we had stayed the night, only to discover that the museum was closed as it was a Sunday. This is completely on us for not checking the posted hours, however we had assumed that weekends during the summer would be high tourist season.
On the plus-side, this museum is an open-air museum with grounds which you can walk around even when closed so we had the benefit of being the only visitors and took our time exploring, and peering in the windows of the exhibits we couldn’t enter. This museum covers Route 66, and the history of farming, ranching and transportation in the area and is well worth a visit.
Conoco U-Drop Inn – Shamrock Texas
Next stop was Shamrock Texas, only 45 minutes from Elk City OK to see the U-Drop-Inn Conoco Station (which was also closed because, Sunday) Again, we were able to walk around, take some cools pics, read some plaques and peer into windows.
If you’re into steak, check out Big Verne’s Steakhouse – it’s famous for steak. We did not stop as it was the morning but the girls STILL have not let us live it down. We’ve put it on the “return trip’ agenda.
Built in 1936 at a cost of $23,000 (that’s roughly $430,000 in 2020 dollars, folks) the U-Drop-Inn is a marvel of art-deco architecture. It was also an absolute must see, as it was recreated brick for brick as Ramone’s paint shop in the Disney Movie Cars…
Cadillac Ranch
Bunch of cars buried in the dirt, our kids broke the law and painted some, we took some pics…I guess that’s all you can say about that, right? WRONG!
Yes Cadillac Ranch is iconic, but if you’re traveling there pulling a trailer – BE WARNED, don’t approach heading west. Overshoot the art installation, take the next exit and approach heading east. The shoulder on that side of the road is much safer (read: wider) for a rig. Still not perfectly safe, but safer.
Midpoint Cafe – Adrian TX
EAT THE PIE – ANY PIE. Their pies are delicious. So delicious that we forgot to take pictures. It wad also an awesome burger, I’m not gonna lie. Travelers be warned they are only open until 2pm so if you’re planning a stop (which you kind of HAVE to do as it’s the exact mid-way point of Route 66 between Chicago and Santa Monica) be sure to do it while they’re open so you can drink in some amazing atmosphere and eat some gorgeous food. Apparently their breakfast is super good as well.
Tucumcari, NM
We only stopped here to see the famous Blue Swallow Motel – but folks – I wish we had stayed here the night. Not only would the neon be lit at night, but Tucumcari is also the site of the New Mexico Route 66 Museum (home of the world’s largest Route 66 photo exhibit) and the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum
Enchanted Trails RV Resort, Albuquerque NM
This RV park is amazing for a stop along the route, and is one we recommend to anyone we talk to. Located along Old Route 66 and in close proximity to the amenities of Albuquerque, the Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post is picturesque, clean and quiet – and home to one of the BEST sunsets we have ever seen. There’s even a grove of vintage trailers in the park that you can rent – so if you’re travelling by car, you can still stay here and get that vintage camping experience.
Day 5
Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post, Lupton AZ
Day 5 took us from Albuquerque to Williams, AZ. We stopped for lunch in Lupton, just across the NM/AZ border and shopped for some finely crafted gifts made by local Navajo artisans at the trading post. Exit the I-40 at exit 359. There is also a State Rest Area right next door which was the perfect place to stop for a leisurely lunch. So leisurely in fast that we had to cut Meteor Crater from the Agenda.
Wigwam Motel, Holbrook AZ
No trip down Route 66 (or for any Discerning Disney fan) would be complete without a stop at the wigwam motel, the inspiration for Sally’s “Cozy Cone Motel” in the Cars Movie. As luck would have it we approached one of the incorrectly named (and thus very tone-deaf) “wigwams” (they are actually teepees) as a cleaner was coming out of the room. Our kids were trying to peer past her so she opened the door wider and invited us to have a look. They are cute as a button and VERY original inside. Dated but clean, this motel still accepts weary travelers for the night. There is even a set of public restrooms beside the main building which are not in service, but if you peer through the window you can see a snapshot in time. We lucked out this day with the clouds as well because they made the perfect backdrops for our pictures of this neat piece of roadside America.
‘Standin’ on the Corner’ – Winslow, AZ
“Standin’ on a corner in Winslow Arizona, such a fine sight to see….”
This song is the only reason we came to Winslow, and man was it so much more than we expected. Easy to navigate and find parking in the RV, really cool downtown shops and the tiniest little chapel dedicated to America’s Veterans Winslow is a place where you could easily spend a few days exploring. It is eve home to La Posada – a beautiful, turn of the LAST century hotel on the rail line and it is STUNNING. Unfortunately, we didn’t even learn of its existence until watching Youtube long after we were home. Winslow was kind of a spur of the moment stop so I didn’t have a ton of time to research. We plan on returning one day.
Williams, AZ
Can you beleive we saw all that in a day-and-a-half? we told you this leg would get interesting. Honestly, it stirs up the wanderlust in me to return once again and see how things have changed over the last two years. The end of Day 5 had us rolling into Williams to stay at the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel which also contains an RV park.
This place was so fun. We gorged ourselves on a great buffet dinner, enjoyed a wild-west style comedy show and on Day 6, we boarded the train from the platform which was about 100 feet from our trailer to take us to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This RV park is not lush or green, but is a great place to park with great amenities and a really fun way to get to the Grand Canyon. It’s also less than a mile from Downtown Williams which has a pumping nightlife and great food on every single corner. You may even encounter gunmen in the street (of the wild-west variety!)
Day 6
The Grand Canyon
You guys and gals – I can’t even – just listen to the podcast to hear what I thought of the Grand Canyon. There aren’t enough written words to describe it (and from an English major – that means something).
What a treat it was, truly.
Day 7
Day 7 took us all the way from Williams to our home base for the next 5 days in Anaheim California. Tune in next week as we tell you about our week in California. It was pretty special. And if you made it this far – thanks for traveling this road with us, it means the world.
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Melina
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