Rt. 66- BIG

As we drove Rt. 66 in Texas, it became clearer how the loss of 66 had crippled many of the towns along the way. I think it possible for you to buy a whole town depending. Despite the financial hardship many of the towns are dealing with, there are bright spots. Things are still done in a big way in Texas.

In Groom Texas, my son is helping me show the water tower. It is not the biggest in the world, but it was built on an angle to cause people to stop and ask why, then they would laugh and maybe buy coffee or a piece of pie. They have good pie in Texas, more on that later.

Also in Groom Texas, there is the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere.

In Conway, there is the Bug Ranch.

The businesses on both sides of the VW bugs buried nose first are gone, the bug ranch continues on.

Next on Rt. 66 is Amarillo and yes we were there in the morning.Amarillo is not the heart of Texas, but this is the heart of Amarillo. The old 66 section is showing signs of urban renewel, just not enough yet.

The Big Texan is a classic of Rt.66 which moved down to Rt.40 and is doing well. Restaurant, hotel, poker room, and other ventures all seem to be living up to the Texas lore.

Could this be the boot of Pecos Bill?

Outside of Amarillo are these 10 Cadillacs buried nose down by artist Stanley Marsh 3. The work dedicated to oil excess decades ago, now seems like tombstones to the auto industry now!

Rt. 66- going to TEXAS

In western Oklahoma, as the temperatures broke 100 degrees and the cattle herded into the shade provided by the few trees, we drove into Arcadia OK. The round barn above is a local highlight. It is about fifty feet wide and two stories high. Because it is round, it presented unusual problems in roof construction.

The roof from inside looks like a upside down basket. It did nothing to hold back the heat, so we went down the road to POP's!

Pop's Cafe is two years old and is a welcome site to Rt. 66. The cafe is ultra modern with a 40' soda bottle with straw in front. The food and ice cream were delightful and they feature soda pop from around the world.

Pop's walls are glass with glass shelves and have the soda bottles on display. They resemble a church's stained glass. You could say this was a cathedral to soda pop.

TEXAS

I arrived in Shamrock Texas at dusk after a rain storm. The old Conoco Station shown has an aspect of 66 which I haven't covered prior- neon. As 66 was built, electricity followed and then neon lighting. The road took on a different look as neon was pushed to its limits in attempts to advertise. Most of the signs are gone, but some locations are actually restoring their neon and this station is a great example. Just look at the reflection in the wet roads. This station was also featured in Disney/Pixar's CARS movie.

Rt. 66 is largely a service road for US 40. It is parallel and is sometimes in bad shape. Bad enough to rattle your teeth loose. We drove into McClean Texas and found it falling down. There was an old service station at the beginning of town that was turned into a piece of art. After that, the buildings were falling down. Bricks were actually on the sidewalk and in the street. The houses set back from the old route were ok, but the business was all but gone. There was a barb wire museum and at the end of town, the Red River Steak House. I didn't have a chance to eat there, but it was recommended by all.

A piece of art.