Buz Murdock: They make a pretty good map for cars don’t they? But what do they make for guys like me who turn left instead of right?
George Maharis as Buz and Martin Milner as Tod in a scene from the 1960s’ TV series, Route 66, I don’t think I missed an episode back then when my wanderlust life was still only a dream. — Wikipedia photo
Tod Stiles: We have to know we’re lost before we can find ourselves Buz. That sort of map you make up as you go along.
– Dialog from the 1960-64 TV series “Route 66
Driving Down Memory Lane
After days of plotting and replotting my route west, which is part of the fun of travel, I finally decided to follow Route 66 from Amarillo, Texas to Flagstaff, Arizona. Not much of the old Mother Highway remains, but the bits and pieces of it that do have been glamorized.
The chicken that sits in front of a Mexican restaurant in Vega. I found it the most interesting thing in this tiny remnant of a town. — Photo by Pat Bean
Trying to stay on as much of the original Route 66 as possible kept me off Interstate 40, which supplanted 66, at least some of the time. Often it was just driving the frontage road, but since I hate freeways and roaring semis, I enjoyed the slower pace.
Where the route across Texas’ Panhandle got interesting were the little towns 66 took me though, like Vega and Adrian. A few businesses during the route’s heydays still survived but there were many more dilapidated ruins of those that hadn’t.
I stopped in Vega just long enough to photograph a wooden chicken in front of a Mexican restaurant. But in Adrian, I stayed long enough to have lunch at the Midpoint Cafe.
In continuous operation since 1928, the cafe gets its name from its geological location, that being the midpoint of Route 66 between Chicago and Los Angeles. According to a sign in front of the restaurant, it was 1,139 miles to either city.
The Midpoint Sign directly across the street from the Midpoint Cafe, which offered an excellent lunch break for me. — Photo by Pat Bean
My reward for stopping in Adrian was a piece of the restaurant’s signature ugly crust chocolate pie. It came topped with ice cream. Thankfully my RV has a freezer, because it was enough for two desserts – and I wasn’t about to leave a bite of its scrumptiousness behind.
I ate the second piece the next morning for breakfast. I simply scraped off the remaining ice cream, plopped the leftover pie in the microwave oven for half a minute, then put the ice cream back on top.
Come journey with me tomorrow and I’ll take you through the ghost town of Glenrio.
Bean’s Pat: Another Header http://anotherheader.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/page-arizona/ Page, Arizona. This blog is a good example of how you need to get off the beaten path to really see what’s out there. Antelope Canyon, is especially a fantastic experience no one should miss. It easily makes my unending list of favorite places.
I can remember heading out on Route 66 with my parents when parts of the rosd were still 2-lane and construction was everywhere, trying to keep ahead of the growing tourist industry. Motels that looked like teepees, a stop in Jackrabbit, AZ for a bumper sticker and a canvas water bag to hang in front of the radiator. Many fond memories and most likely what put travel in my blood. The smell of fresh tar and deisel trucks.
Me, too. I was 14 the first time I got out of Texas, and my uncle drove at brand new oldsmobile that he got up to 100 mph on a straight, still uncrowded, stretch of that old highway.
I am so jealous of you now. Route 66 is so high on my list of things to do. We drove route one from Miami to Key West about 10 years ago, another road trip I had always wanted to do. Haven’t been back to the States since. When I do it will be Route 66.
Jim
I’ve probably hit most of the highlights of Route 66 in Oklahoma and Missouri in my travels when visiting various cities, but this is the first time I’m actually following the route. what’s left of it, and only from Amarillo to Flagstaff. There’s really not much to see of it except where the cities have preserved a bit. So I do hope you get to do it soon. Meanwhile, thanks for following my journey down memory lane. I actually was on it in its heydays. That’s because I’m an old broad.
We loved the section of 66 we rode on about 10 years ago on our way to Vegas. But I missed this restaurant. Sure would like a piece of that pie!! I also missed the old Route 66 TV show as we didn’t have television when I was a kid. Mother wouldn’t allow one in the house. Probably wouldn’t have made much difference as the reception in the hills of Vermont was durn awful!
I was 14 before we got a TV. But I’m an old broad so was in my 20s when the series was on.
And thanks to this post, this song will stick in my head … and that’s good!
Glad for the company aFrank. It’s been in my head for several days now.
I like your idea of breakfast. Nice 🙂
I like cold pizza for breakfast, too. Or any dinner leftovers. Thank for commenting Ella
You may be a long lost relative of my clan. I love cold next morning pizza, and we all love any type of leftovers inc. Chinese food, on toast for brekkie 🙂
I think we probably have lots of other relatives, too.