Route 66: Day Three

The kicks keep coming on Route 66! And the kicks keep getting more and more unique and adventurous.

Today started off just before 10am when we backtracked a few miles to take a look at the Round Barn in Arcadia, OK. According to Butch "the Barn Man," this is the only round barn along Rt. 66.

But then getting out of Oklahoma City was a pain in the ass. After driving in what seemed like circles, we decided to get on I-44 and then I-40 for a good hour until Clinton, OK, a location for the next roadside attraction. This time it was a giant Indian at a car dealership. While there, we refueled and ate outside at the local Sonic. The wind was so strong that our lunch almost blew away. But finally, back on the road.

The highlight of today was in Erick, OK where we met Annabelle and Harley at the Sandhills Curiousity Shop. They self-proclaim themselves as the redneck capital of the world; a pompous title if I must say. They also claim to be "mediocre music makers," as they serenaded us with a couple of songs during our stay. No more than we walked into the door, they gave us a big warm welcome with a hug; and Harley with his long ZZ Top beard even kissed us on the cheek. What the hell did we just get ourselves into?

Not only playing a couple of songs for us on their acoustic guitars, they also told us many stories along Rt 66 and how they got started doing... well... whatever they're doing. Of the stories was how they worked with the producers of the movie, Cars. They used their building as a model for one of the buildings in the movie. They were even invited to California for the premier of the movie, but declined the invitation. And then the topic of kids came up and we claimed our daughter was Trixie. Guess what? They too have a yellow lab, Dolly. So we had to meet Dolly while we were there.

So Harley locked up the store just in case someone might want to stop in and we walked towards the back to their house. It was there we ran into two French Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders who were riding Rt 66. They were taking a moment for a picture when Harley and Annabelle invited them to their house as well. Only one of them, "Peter from France" would venture into the house; we think the other rider was too scared.

It wasn't long until I smelled the distinctive odor of marijuana; Harley had one going right in front of us. Dolly was too nervous to really meet us as she was cautious of guests. We went back to the store, took a few pictures, tipped them for their hospitality and we were on our way. In all, we spent a solid 2 hours with them.

The last part of today's travels brought us to see the tilted water tower in Britten, TX, the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere in Groom, TX and the Bug Farm in Conway, TX. We finally stopped for the night in Armarillo, TX. Tomorrow we stop to see Cadillac Ranch, the midway point and off to New Mexico!!

Stats:
Miles Travelled, Today: 316
Miles Travelled, Total:1,084
Today's Travel Time: 10.5 hrs
Today's Average Speed: 30.095 mph
Today's Fuel Mileage: 27.9 mpg
Turnaround Times: numerous - lost count
Today's Encounter with Wildlife: 1 (a snake in western Oklahoma; possibly a roadrunner too, but it was too far to see clearly)
Number of Pawn Shops: 9