Oklahoma - 2015

Last year I celebrated my birthday by flying to Oklahoma, renting a Camaro, and driving part of Route 66.  It was a truly fabulous way to enjoy a birthday!

Even though I did not blog this trip, I thought I would share some of the pictures and adventures today.

Galena, Kansas

So, how could I start a jaunt on 66 and ignore the 13 miles of the Route in Kansas?  I could not.  I had to start where my friend Tow Tater *wink* lives - Galena!

Cars on the Route is a favorite stop.  I love catching up with my friend Tow Tater who is the inspiration for Mater in the movie Cars.  I only took a few pictures before moving on since Melba was busy talking to newbs on the Mother Road.

It was a quiet Sunday morning in Galena, so I did not stop at many places.  Of course, the park on the Route is always open.

One thing I immediately learned is that Camaros do not have good visibility!  The towns have made easy parking by putting diagonal spaces along the street.  In a Camaro, I could not see anything to back out.  This is definitely something to think about if you are going to rent a car to drive the route.  For the remainder of the time, I would head to the next cross street and park along the curb.

Even though the Galena Historical Museum was not open, There were some great things to see outside.

Riverton, Kansas

The Old Riverton Store was my next stop.  I knew I could purchase some Route 66 souvenirs there, and it was open.  The store opened in 1925. It's a small market that has a popular deli.

Baxter Springs, Kansas

The Rainbow Bridge is an old bridge over Brush Creek just past Riverton. The bridge is a single-span concrete Marsh arch bridge and is the sole surviving bridge of this type on the entire length of Route 66.

The Visitors Center is an old gas station in Baxter, Springs.  It was going through restoration when I made the big trip across the entire Route.  So, it was great to see the results.  It was nicely restored and is decorated with memorabilia.

I also made a new friend at the center, Dean "Crazy Legs" Walker.  He's known for being able to twist his feet backwards and walk in reverse which was the inspiration for Mater in Cars to drive backwards.  We had a nice visit talking about the Route.