1997 Return to the Road 3

Day 6: 15 Sept.: Tulsa, OK to Clinton, OK

Another sunny day in paradise! After many people downed much coffee, we headed out for Stroud, OK. Here again we saw portions of the old Route 66.

Upon arrival, we were treated to a smoked pig, at the Rock Cafe, another Route 66 landmark! We ate very well on this trip. You may not be able to see it in the photo, but the chef's t-shirt reads "Road Kill."

The town also hosted a "Poker Walk" for us. We got to see this small town, as we walked the entire 3 block length of the town on the walk. The photo is of Stroud's Main Street.

After leaving Stroud, we stopped for a "Hat Pin Opp" at the Round Barn.

Hat pins became a quest on this trip. At every stop, the first people out of the cars would make a beeline for the souvenir stand and the hat pins for that stop. Gayle became the real expert. She even acquired a motorcycle policeman's pin, a USN Seabees pin and a USN Seabees Combat Training badge!

Further on, we stopped for the photo opp at a section of the original, 18 foot wide, concrete Route 66. It is unused, but still exists.

We arrived late in the afternoon at the Route 66 museum in Clinton. And ate more barbeque. Also good. The museum is still growing. The executive director, John Hill, has some nice plans for growing the exhibits. It has creative and informative exhibits and is well worth the stop. While at the Museum, the City gave Dick Almond, Corvette Product Manager, the key to the City of Clinton.

The Best Western across from the museum welcomed us on their marquee: "Welcome Dick Almond Sleep Where Elvis Slept" (Dick is the Corvette Product Manager and was on most of the trip) We spent the night around the pool, swapping tall tales and drinking beer.

Day 7: 16 Sept.: Clinton, OK to Amarillo, TX

Clinton decided to send us off with full stomachs by hosting a pancake breakfast on their main street. We drove from the motel to downtown and parked. Once again, the purple shirts reparked all the cars for us.

The pancakes and ham were excellent.

Our first stop was Elk City, OK. This had to be the BEST food we had. They had the chef from the hospital cook for us. He made fajitas and all the trimmings. They were EXCELLENT. He is a gourmet cook and runs the hospital food service. Evidently, business lunch at the hospital is a bid deal in Elk City. With Steve cooking, I can see why.

We had a tour of their Route 66 museum which is currently under construction. We did see one home that functions as their historic museum. The interpretations are nicely done.

As we left Elk City, we had our only accident. Two Corvettes hit each other as we were leaving the parking lot. No one was hurt in this accident. The airbags did not deploy. The Corvettes were removed from the caravan, and other "seating arrangements" were made. I understand that one of them has been returned to the Milford Proving Grounds.

The media types made no effort to capture the event or its aftermath on film. I gained a new respect for the media people, especially as we discussed it that night.

Along the road, many of the famous landmarks still stand, but are closed. This is the case with the U Drop In cafeteria and gas station in Shamrock, Texas. Though we couldn't fill our stomachs or our gas tanks, we did stop long enough for everyone to pose for a group photo. It includes the red shirts, purple shirts, drivers, and staff.

We arrived in Amarillo under police escort. I can get used to this treatment.

They blocked off a downtown street for a big street party and Corvette Show. This was probably the best arranged party we had. Pictured is Chuck, an NCRS judge, checking one of the Corvette show entries for originality.

We had Chicken Fried Steak at the J&M restaurant, which closed its doors to all but us. As a Northerner, I do like Chicken Fried Steak, but it is hard to find in Chicago!

After leaving the street party, we went to the local dealership for a private party. He opened the showroom for as many cars as would fit. It was a real kick to drive into an auto showroom as the point of interest!

Despite the accident, Chevy was able to locate 2 more cars, so Mike asked if we wanted to stay on the tour. What other answer could I make: YES YES YES!

Day 8: 17 Sept.: Amarillo, TX to Albuquerque, NM

Well, we picked up more "rookies" today, and said good-bye to some people who became good friends and headed for Tucumcari.

We arrived early and had to wait for some of the town dignitaries. As you can see from the photo, it was a beautiful day and place to be stuck waiting.

We spent the late morning in Tucumcari, NM, Convention Center.

Coming from Chicago, I have been jaundiced to the idea of what is BIG. McCormick Place(s), Sears Tower, etc.

Tucumcari appears to be a small town on the route, yet built a Business and Convention Center. Not on the McCormick Place Standard, but certainly enough to attract smaller venues.

After a fajita lunch, we heard a lecture by a local paleontologist about the dinosaur exhibit and museum they are building. After the lecture, we piled into a bus to see their dinosaur skeleton. They have one done and are working on another.

What really attracted our attention was the Farrier School being held in the same building. Us big city types don't get to see horses getting manicured regularly. We eagerly crowded around the student workshops to watch.

The students were VERY polite, with lots of "Yes, Sirs" and Yes, Ma'ams". The "hat pin" of this visit became a horse shoe nail.

After Tucumcari, we drove to the Devil's Rope Museum. Amazing that a museum to barbed wire not only exits, but can survive on old route 66! Here we learned how barbed wire was made and saw the incredible varieties created over the years!

Pictured is our lineup as we got "ready to roll" out of Albuquerque.

Our next stop was Tillery Chevrolet in Moriarty, NM, a "suburb" of Albuquerque. What a turn out! We had the high school band playing for us, the cheerleaders cheering us on and kids with HUGE eyes ogling the cars.

One of the most fun things of this whole tour was playing ambassador for the Corvette. Twenty Corvettes at once might be more than some of the towns see in a year! Some of the dealers we stopped at barely sell any Corvettes! But what a crowd at Tillery.

I really enjoyed the look of joy in the little kids' faces when I told them they could REALLY sit in the Corvette. Some had to make sure they had their picture taken in each color! What great fun!

After eating, we had a police escort to Albuquerque, NM. After arriving in Albuquerque, we received the Presidential Motorcade Treatment. I can REALLY get used to this!

The Police Escort included at least four (4) motorcycles and four (4) squad cars. When we entered the expressway, the held up ALL traffic for us, zipped ahead and blocked the expressway on ramps. On surface traffic, they blocked ALL intersections for us with cars or motorcycles until we reached the Garclunos Chile Packing Company (a restaurant and bar) for our evening repast. Generally, they treated us like royalty.

After checking into our hotel, we relaxed through the evening. Pictured are Jerry and Mr. Corndog, enjoying a drink at Albuquerque's Garclunos Chile Packing Co.

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Copyright 1997 Barbara Spear