Day 10 - Phoenix (October 20th)

Very casual and chilled out day today. Woke up and ate Pranthas made by Ashu’s Mom and then left to meet him at his new Dairy Queen location. Wow! What a project. My cousin is working on running his second DQ. This time though he is doing it from scratch. I am very proud.

After looking around, getting a haircut and having lunch I left him to it and returned home. It was nice to relax and chat on the couch with my cousin Puja (who does nightshifts but could not sleep)!

In the evening we headed out for drinks and Maria joined us. The food was a little dodgy but the drinks and company were the main things. After a few drinking games we went home and I (literally) passed out.

Another lovely day, relaxing and catching up with family. What more could you ask for?!

Day 9 - Holbrook to Phoenix (October 19th)

So it was the day of truth. Do I continue along Route 66 to Williams or stop at Flagstaff and drive down to Phoenix. It essentially came down to a right or left turn in the late afternoon of day 10.

After breakfast I was on my way to cover some 250 miles to Williams via Grand Canyon. My first stop was Winslow. I stopped on the corner of Winslow (as the Eagles sung in their 1972 song “Take it Easy”). It was a pretty spot and decorated with lots of Route 66 reminders. I was back to the Americana I knew and wanted. I looked around in the local gift shop and almost brought lots of things for my guest room project – restrained only by the fact that my car trunk and suitcase had no more space!

My next stop was Meteor Crater. It houses the remains of a massive meteor that smashed to earth in the 1930’s. It is about a mile in length and width – truly impressive and a strange calm.

Following a brief stop in Winola, it was onto Flagstaff. Flagstaff is hailed as a very pretty place but I did not see it. Perhaps I did not go up far enough to appreciate it. Perhaps my mind was on making a snap decision on whether to continue to Williams – and then – there it was. A left would take me 140 miles to Phoenix…a right would take me 80 miles up to Grand Canyon.

After springing a little surprise on my cousins, I took the left turn and drove the I-17 straight down to Phoenix. It was such a lovely drive through the mountains – up and down and some breathtaking views. I only stopped at the local outlet mall in Black Canyon City to pick up some presents and arrived home for 19h30.

Puja was at work and it was nice to see Ashu’s parents over from India. After some HOME COOKED INDIAN food we went to check out the first Dairy Queen (my first experience of a blizzard from the store that my cousin owns). It was then onto the local Applebees and finally finishing around 2am with a round of drinks in the garden.

I am happy to be here and have a drink without worrying about driving. It’s my first visit to my cousins’ home and it is lovely! My left turn to Phoenix was based on me wanting to enjoy my last few days whilst in the States. I knew that this would probably mean the end of my Route 66 adventure (until Santa Monica) but it was what I decided. Today’s drive was 186 miles long. That takes the total miles driven to around 2,020 miles!

Day 8 - Santa Fe to Holbrook (October 18th)

I was up early today and hit the road at 09h00 to make the 300 mile journey west to Holbrook, AZ.

I am going to be honest here. I don’t know if it was my lack confidence after yesterday’s events, or the fact that New Mexico did not fill me with joy, or perhaps I was becoming a little disillusioned with the Mother road. I decided to boycott New Mexico, Mexican food, Native American Indians and red brick scenery in parts. There are only so many historical Indian sites I can take (no offense to Indians here. I am well aware of their struggle and all), but I don’t really want to keeping seeing the way they lived, how they cooked etc. Once is enough. Another reason I boycotted the New Mexico part of Route 66 was as it just felt as though I was in Mexico – that’s not why I am here. I am here for AMERICANA and it’s lacking up these parts.

I stayed on the I-40 West for most of the day today. The driving was fantastic, with plenty of climbs and falls – making you feel like you would just fall off the edge of the road – until you saw it again once at the top. Red earth scenery amazed me in parts. I then started getting bored of it all and just wanted a change.

My one stop today (apart from a lunch stop in Gallup and very brief photo stops elsewhere) was the Petrified Forest National Park. It was pretty cool to see trees that have turned into stone through 200 million years of just laying there. There are thousands of examples of it and is truly amazing to see. The Painted Desert was also nice to see. I am wondering whether I should make the effort to go and see the Grand Canyon or not. I mean, it will likely be the same kind of thing I have seen already – right?!

I arrived in Holbrook for around 16h30 (having gained another hour – now -8 hours from UK). It is a nice small town and I am staying in a Wigwam – a great experience for $59. However, I am getting a little frustrated with small towns now. You often have to drive to get dinner, which means you cannot have more than one drink. There are barely any people around. Those that are around are not as friendly as in my first week of travels (well, I was spoilt I guess). I am starting to question the rest of my trip – whether I should stay true to the Mother road, or whether I should take a few days off to just have some fun without having to worry about the drive. I have not lost interest in the road itself, but I guess the stops I was making in the first week were interesting and current (like 1920’s and onwards). The ones I am making now I just cannot relate to.

Today I shunned the Mother road’s Mexican side and traveled 300 miles of mostly interstate to Holbrook. I am now 1,840 miles into my trip.

Click here to see my journey so far. 

Tomorrow I will likely succumb to the Mother’s temptation and travel from Holbrook to Williams. I might then go down to visit my cousins one day earlier tomorrow night – we will see how it goes. Best of all is that I have options. I am looking forward to spending some time with Puja and Ashu though - oh and Maria and Jodie - and of course excited about Chot joining me for the last leg of my trip into Cali.

Signing off for now.

Day 7 - Amarillo to Santa Fe (October 17th)

I was up and away by 09h00 this morning to make the 290 mile trip to Santa Fe. It was going to be one of my longest driving days so I needed to be selective on what to see and what to miss.

My first stop was the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo. There are 10 cars planted face down in soil and people can stop and graffiti on them. I found a half empty can of spray paint and went for glory!

After a brief stop in Vega, I stopped for brunch at the Mid Point Cafe in Adrian. It claims to be the dead centre point in terms of distance between Chicago and Santa Monica. A massive omelette and a few souvenirs later I was off again to drive some 18 miles of dirt road from Glenrio to San Jon.

This drive was fantastic - so quiet with only the nearby cows and bulls to keep me company. I did not see a single person or car for about 30 minutes. I stopped in the road to take lots of pictures and even get some dirty looks from the "locals". In the back of my mind though was the petrol gauge. It was almost empty and I was hoping for a gas station soon. I need to keep the tank full at all times in future - especially as the desert awaits in a few days.

San Jon itself is a battered ghost town with some examples of its former self. Again, shops have been abandoned and motels lay empty and long out of business. Thankfully one gas station was doing business - but it was near the I-40 East exit.

I had heard a lot before the trip about Tucumcari and its famous motels. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed driving through the town and taking some pictures of the various motels. I would not choose to stay there though unless you had been driving for 15 hours and about to collapse. I would recommend checking out the delights of Tucumcari and buying something to support local businesses instead.

Okay, so it had to happen eventually. My perfect trip had to have some downside...right? Well it came! I continued west of Tucumcari to a dead end. Instead of reversing back for 3 miles and getting back on the I-40 West, I saw some dirt tracks ahead and decided to try it - thinking it would get me back on the I-40 West and I would save some 10 minutes. It did not go to plan. As I got deeper and deeper into this dirt road, it started veering right (away from the I-40 West on my left) and getting very close to the railway line. But still, I failed to go with my instinct and continued until the car was beached and stuck in sand. I could not move, it was 85 degrees and there was nothing in sight. Nightmare!!!! I had no choice but to call 911 and wait. An hour later the deputy sheriff arrived, 15 minutes after that the railway police arrived and the recovery arrived some 2 hours after that. Anyways, to cut a long story short I lost 3 hours of driving time and $310 for the recovery - all just to save 10 minutes originally. I have learned my lesson and certainly will not be doing that again.

Every cloud has a silver lining though. I gained one hour unexpectedly as I had entered mountain time.

I was annoyed with myself. It was 17h00 and I still had some 150 miles to Santa Fe. I decided the only way to make it was to drive the I-40 for a lot of the way. I stopped in Santa Rosa and ignored the temptation to stop anywhere else. I sped up the US-84 to take the pre-1937 loop into Santa Fe.

The US-84 drive was great. Perhaps it was just the feeling of being on good road again, or my relief that I was only out of pocket $310 as it could have been a lot worse with trespassing. However, the long straight road, beautiful sky and even seeing wild deer (or was it gazelle) calmed me down.

I did not have a motel tonight so tried at the El Reyy Inn. They had rooms at $100 and I took it. It's clean and basic but I just wanted my bed.

Tomorrow I will travel some 300 miles to Holbrook in Arizona. It will be another long day so am aiming to leave around 08h30. Today's trip to Santa Fe was 290 miles, taking my total miles to 1,540 miles. I am one week into my amazing adventure and I think the best is still to come!

Click here to see my route so far

I am happy to see that so many people are reading my blog. I hope you are finding it interesting and thanks for taking the time.

Day 6 - Oklahoma City to Amarillo (October 16th)

Said my goodbyes to the Taylors after eating a lovely eggs and bacon breakfast (thanks Jennifer). The biscuit and gravy can wait for when you guys come to London.

First stop was the Oklahoma City National Memorial, a tribute to the 168 victims of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing of 1995. It was so peaceful there. They have a chair for each person that lost their life – smaller chairs for the children that died. Bizarre to think that before 9/11 this was the worst act of terrorism on US soil in its history – by an American who was anti-government.

I got lost quite a bit again today. The signposts I had gotten used to in Illinois and Missouri had disappeared – or rather, they had become less frequent. However, again there was some fantastic driving on the Route 66 to be had – and I made sure that I took advantage of it (tons of dirt roads, windy countryside driving etc. around El Reno and Hydro).

My next stop was the Thomas P. Stafford Space Museum in Weatherford ($7 entry). They had some nice bits and pieces from his travels and lots of examples of warplanes and even actual rock from the moon.

Although I am not a massive fan of museums, I did visit three today and glad I did. Two Route 66 ones came on route in Clinton and Elk City. Both great in their own ways (I did prefer the Clinton one though). I did buy a few things there and had an idea to change our guest bedroom into a Route 66 memorabilia room – or rather to show memorabilia from 1950’s and 1960’s USA. Let’s see what Sandy thinks of that.

I was really beginning to lose time. At 15h30 I was still some 170 miles away from Amarillo with so much still to do. I decided that the only way was to drive on the I-40 West for a while to make up some time (I did miss the quietness of Route 66 though).

After brief stops in Sayre and Texola, I entered Texas and stopped in McLean. Real shame that the Devil’s Rope museum was closed. Yes, a real shame. It’s a museum dedicated to barbed wire. You heard me right…barbed wire!

I then sped on the dirt roads, got lost a lot and found a massive cross of Christ and a sight dedicated to Jesus and his life. The woman in the gift-shop asked me if I wanted to write a prayer in their prayer book – I did for my dad and family. People are very religious in these parts. There’s almost a different church every mile, the radio is full of preaching and people truly believe in god. They also have true values (family, how to live life and be a good citizen).

Then to my final stop for the night in Amarillo – The Big Texan Motel ($69). Apparently you can order a 72-ounce steak here, and it’s free if eaten within one hour. Sounds easy? You have to eat all the side dished that come with it as well!

The landscape changed a lot throughout today. We went from hilly meadows to cracked red earth to flat grazing countryside. The smells have also increased, as these cows love to let out some gas. Weather wise, it’s perfect. It was around 80 but then got up to 91 before Texas and then came down to around 75 – blue skies all the way though. Not a cloud in sight. I just loved those rough and red dirt roads though.

Today I traveled about 280 miles. It takes me up to about 1,250 miles so far. Tomorrow I will travel to Santa Fe in New Mexico. I cannot wait for this. I hear that you can see the stars in the sky so bright that you can almost touch them. It will be a long drive so no sleep in tomorrow.

Click here to see my route so far 

One final thing about road etiquette. If you arrive at a 4-way stop junction, the car that got there first goes first and then the second one goes etc. I don’t take any chances though so I just wait and wait and then finally go when I know for sure I have been waiting longest. Oh, just make sure it’s not a 4-way junction where passing cars don’t stop – that’s another ball game entirely.

Day 5 - Claremore to Oklahoma City (October 15th)

Was up at 07h00 this morning to watch the Liverpool vs. Man United match and then made my way to the Will Rogers memorial. It’s a museum dedicated to Claremore’s most famous son – he was an actor, radio broadcaster and all round media guy from the early 20^th century.

Following a brief drive back downtown, I checked out JM Davies’ gun museum – it houses over 50,000 guns – the largest personal collection of guns in the world. I saw some great examples of pro-war posters there also – how the US government (Uncle Sam) tried to get men to inscribe to the army – how they tried to increase productivity locally to make sure that weapons where being made quickly for solders. Also they had some artifacts from Desert Storm and other battles in the Middle East – very interesting stuff!

Another short drive on, I found the giant blue whale at in Catoosa. It used to be part of a great area where families could swim and picnic – not any more though. It just remains as a symbol of its past now.

Oklahoma is the only state where a lot of the old Route 66 still remains intact, so a lot of the early part of today’s driving was on road with other cars!! I did however find a small detour of dirt road across a 1933 iron bridge (thanks mainly to spotting two people on a bike taking some pictures). Following this dirt road and through some really nice bendy countryside road, I found the ghost town of Depew.

It continues to amaze me that towns like this still exist and remain untouched. I was there for 5 minutes and did not see a single person. A lot of the shops were now closed down and empty. It had a real Wild West feeling to it. I got my pictures and drove on out of there.

Food was calling. I read that the Rock Café in Stroud burned down and was potentially going to be rebuilt – well it has been and I stumbled on it by chance. As I sat there alone planning my way to Oklahoma City a very friendly lady invited me to join her and her husband at their table. It turned out that it was the same couple that I had seen on the bridge earlier. We had lunch together, spoke about all kinds of stuff and they let me try some of Oklahoma’s specialties (all fried of-course). So, did you know that fried okra is a must around these parts? I also tasted fried tomato and chicken steak – which I always thought would be made of chicken but is made of the cheapest part of cows, grinded and then cooked to make it a little less tough. It tasted…hmm, okay…I tried it at least! They were both so friendly though and paid for my lunch – I look forward to returning the favor when they come to Europe in a few years.

My next stop was Arcadia where I stopped to see the Round Barn built back in 1898 and Pops. Pops houses some 500 different types of soda – truly amazing and a kids’ heaven. As I had drunk two root beers at lunch I decided to pass on more sugar juice. I did pick up a couple of t-shirts for the young Taylor boys though – and one for myself of course.

Final stop for the night was at the Taylor’s in Oklahoma City (Mid West City). I met Jennifer first in 1999 when I was studying in Trier, Germany. Eleven years later I am knocking on her front door asking for a room. It was great to also meet Trent and the young boys Tristan and Logan. I wished at that moment that my boys were also close by. In the evening we went to a German restaurant for dinner and then had some wine on the deck in the garden later on.

All in all it was a really fun day. It was one of the shortest driving days (only about 170 miles) so I was able to stop at places a little longer and take my time. Thus far I have met some great people and today was no different. It’s safe to say that I am about 970 miles into my Route 66 adventure and loving every minute of it.

Tomorrow will be a fairly long 250 mile drive to Amarillo, TX. Click here to see my route so far.

Day 4 - Springfield to Claremore (October 14th)

Had a little sleep in this morning and after breakfast at the hotel I went to check out Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. It’s clear to me that folk love hunting around these parts and you can easily spend an arm and leg for the pleasure. The store is amazing – full of knifes, guns, hunting gear and houses some really nice water features.

The gun culture in the US amazes me. I was speaking with one local who said he carries a small gun around all the time just in case some shit goes down. “You guys cannot do shit if someone breaks into your property – if someone tries to break into mine – they getting’ shot”! It’s true – honest people in the UK have minimal rights.

I was getting lost a lot today. I finally found Paris Springs and a lovely gas station replica. An old guy called Gary built it and named it after his wife.

I then got lost again looking for Carthage. Finally found it and this is another “Back to the Future” type town – perhaps the best example yet. The locals did look at me as I took pictures of their courthouse and square (I have not shaved for a week so perhaps they thought I was casing it)! 

Onto Carterville, I was keen to stop and check out a local’s 30-year collection of all things Superman. Unfortunately it would only open from 16h30 and I did not want to wait 3 hours so zoomed through Webb City and Joplin into Galena, KS.

If anyone wants to see the effect that the decommissioning of Route 66 has had on locals and businesses, look no further than the short 13-mile Route 66 road through Kansas. So many closed down stores, run down buildings. This part of the state was so busy and commercial in the early and mid 20^th century. Baxter Springs is a lovely small town but bears a lot of scars.

I was entering my third state of the day – Oklahoma. It’s true that you just don’t know when you leave Kansas (I missed the “you are leaving Kansas sign” so zoomed back to get a picture…).

Route 66 then took me through the quaint towns of Quapaw, Commerce, Miami, Vinita and Chelsea (I got lost and did not find Afton) and then onto Claremore. I will stay here tonight at the Claremore Motor Inn. Can you believe that it is run by a Patel (common surname of people that come from the West of India). He told me that of the 8 motels in Claremore 5 are run by Patels. Again, it’s a nice clean place and cost $65.

As I mentioned before, I got lost quite a bit today but it wasn’t too bad as I was going through some dirt roads through some amazing countryside. You see a real community feel at each town you stop in. People know each other, the kids have close relationships with their parents and grandparents – it’s a real family feel and they are so proud of people from their towns that do good (military, sports and even beauty pageant winners).

I estimate I drove around 220 miles today – so about 750 miles in total. I have about 2,000 miles to go! The road today went through three states and I am seeing a lot of cattle now. Apparently Oklahoma State has more cattle than people! Tomorrow sees me drive to Oklahoma City, where I will stay with an old friend from when I was studying in Trier, Germany. It’s been 11 years and I am looking forward to seeing her and her family. It’s 150 miles to Oklahoma City from Claremore. Click here to see my journey so far...

Quick mention to all the ladies who are doing Karvachaud (Indian festival where wifes fast for their husbands) – especially Sandy. Also, thinking a lot about my mom and family -  sending them all my strength and will be remembering my dad lots.