Elk City, OK
Clinton, OK
Hydro, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Most of our route today on I40 follows the famous Route 66, America's Main Street, or at least the Oklahoma section. Route 66 goes from Chicago to Los Angeles, traversing Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. However, we have already crossed Rt. 66 a few times already in New Mexico and Texas.
The popularity of Rt. 66 created some of our least favorite things today like parking meters, highway patrol, and hitchhikers. Parking meters were needed to create a reason for turnover outside of businesses due to limited parking spaces. Highway patrol were needed because of people speeding and a significant increase in automobile related fatalities every year on Rt. 66. Hitchhikers were actually
military men trying to get home to see their families before being shipped off to war. With fuel rationing, this was the only way for them to see their families.
However, Rt. 66 created helped to spread some of our favorite things too like soda fountains, mom and pop diners, and drive in theaters, teardrop trailers, and station wagons used for family road trips, and my favorite, the '57 Chevy with the big tail fins.
Sadly Rt. 66 came to an end when it was realized that America needed 4 lane highways with no stop signs. There are many parts of Rt. 66 which are unmaintained with weeds growing out of the road and pieces of the road breaking away due to Mother Nature reclaiming it.
We stopped at one of the giant Rt. 66 signs in Elk City, OK to get a picture and continued to Clinton, OK to see the largest Route 66 museum. The ladies running the museum were very friendly and loved to talk. Stop in for a visit, the museum is nicely done.
Our next stop was in Hydro, OK, where we had to take a picture of the famous Lucille's gas station. It is one of only two upper-story, out-thrust porch style stations still left in Oklahoma. The station was named after Lucille Hamons who was known as the Mother of the Mother Road due to her friendliness.
On a more serious note, we stopped in Oklahoma City at the bombing site of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in April 19, 1995 to pay our respects. 168 people, including children, lost their lives that day of the truck bombing between 9:01 AM to 9:03 AM. The truck was parked on 5th street when it exploded. Today, there is a reflection pool where 5th street used to be. You can also parts of the foundation from the federal building that were badly damaged, a lone tree that survived known as the survivor tree, where the children's daycare was, and a field of symbolic bronze and stone chairs representing each person that died according to what floor they were on. The smaller chairs represented the children. B and I both left there with a heavy heart and a tear in our eye. The memorial is very powerful.
When you cross into Arkansas, there seems to be a distinct change in scenery. Suddenly, there are lots of trees and bodies of water. It's really quite beautiful. The area is referred to as the Ozarks.
We finally called it a night at the one and only campsite for Hot Springs NP, dreaming of hot spring baths we were going to get tomorrow.
