Cats, Kids and Crafts: Route 66

Historic Route 66, from Illinois to California, still exists through most of the State of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has America's longest stretch of Route 66 - more than 400 miles with lots of nostalgic attractions to see along the way. The Round Barn in Arcadia, Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, The Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Lucille's in Weatherford, the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City and many many more historic sites to visit.

I remember taking a trip to California on Route 66, before the interstate bypassed the historic route. I drive on parts of it today and shutter to think how narrow the two lanes seem now, how fast we were flying down the road with no seat belts! We packed stuff in the floorboard between the front and back seats to make one big back seat for sleeping. It was quite a family adventure.

My husband remembers traveling the old road on his family vacation, also to California, in a 1959 Chevrolet station wagon with a mattress laid out in the back. They had the tail gate window rolled down and he stuck his feet out that back window and went to sleep. When he woke up he realized that he had sunburned the bottoms of his feet.

When the Disney-Pixar movie Cars came out of course we got it for our grandson, but even though he loved it, I discovered it was really like a piece of my childhood. All the sites featured in the animated movie were such real Route 66 memories. If you have not seen this movie I recommend watching it and more than once to catch all the little details.

This is a short photo trip on Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Sayre, Oklahoma where you can still drive on the real concrete parts of The Mother Road.

Elk City, OK Flamingo Inn

Part of the Windmill Display at the National Historic Route 66 Museum in Elk City, OK

Pop Hicks Restaurant in Clinton, OK burned down to the floor. This is a section of the remaining floor and one of the Pop Hicks Restaurant menus. This floor is quite a work of art!