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Thursday May 18, 2023
"And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty..."
Joplin, Missouri to Edmond (Oklahoma City), Oklahoma.
Today was a day of surprises starting with the abundance of Cars movie detritus
just across the border in Galena, KS. Route 66 cuts through the southeast corner
of Kansas with just 13 miles of highway.
At the "Kan-O-Tex" gas station was the inspiration for the Mater tow truck, a
replica Mater and replica "Red" (the fire truck).
Great Route 66 signage in Galena including a building ghost sign. Kansas does it
up right.
Surprise! Just around the corner from the Kan-O-Tex (not mentioned in my guide
book) is Luigi's Pit Stop featuring other main characters in Cars including
Luigi, Lightning McQueen and Sheriff.
At Sixth and Main is a nicely-done Texaco station with not just a Hudson Hornet
(Doc - Paul Newman), but a Bob's Big Boy on the
lot!
The former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad ("Katy") depot in Galena features a
Whitcomb "critter" switch engine, an ex-Frisco caboose #1705 (blt. 4/1973 &
painted as BN), as well as a genuine
lawn jockey!
Still in Kansas near Baxter Springs is the fabulous "Rainbow
Curve Bridge" just outside town. Constructed in 1923 (pre-Route 66) over
Brush Creek, it is the only remaining Marsh Arch bridge on Route 66. The road
HAS been known to flood.
Finally into
Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweeping down the plain). Due to a minor
navigational error, we wound up riding along a section of 9 foot wide (and
curbed) section of original OK Rte 66 pavement. I guess autos weren't quite so
wide back then. The impressive marker explains all about it.
Sixty-nine, Dude!
Probably the weirdest attraction we saw today was the great blue whale of
Catoosa. The nearby sign explains. Also notice the 959 miles to rabbit sign.
We'll be passing through Jackrabbit, AZ next week!
Tulsa has a nice, cantilevered sign welcoming 66 travelers, and downtown is Buck
Atom (space cowboy) to greet us at Bucks Curio Shop on 66. I notice B.A. has
acquired a more appropriate farmer's straw hat atop his space helmet.
From Tulsa, we got on the tollway ($5) and punched for OK City. Just north of
downtown was my Holy Grail reached only an hour before the museum closed.
Former Great Northern caboose X-21 is seen at the
Oklahoma Railway Museum. Built
in GN's Saint Cloud shops in June 1958, it was repainted Cascade Green and
renumbered to BN 10381 and donated to the museum. O.R.M. has since added a
Katy-style logo to emulate MKT's "John Deere" green and yellow scheme. These
were the first all steel cabeese on the GN and the slant cupola is a distinctive
feature of my favorite type of caboose.
 
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