Route 66 Museum - Clinton, Oklahoma

Next day we went to the new Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. It is done very well, quite interesting. A nice place for learning the history of the road. We went to lunch at Pop Hicks, you get lots of food for your money. And it wasn’t bad either. Then we took the freeway to El Reno. We couldn’t believe that they had changed the name of the Phillips Court to Budget Inn. We’ve been on the entire stretch from here to Texola, but it has been several years ago, we wanted to refresh our memories. One stretch we had not done was the route through Calumet and Geary. What a nice stretch. We also took the unpaved section down to the old Key swinging toll bridge. This is a beautiful section, you really get a feel for the old times, and how the travelers must have felt going west. It would have been great if the old bridge was still there, but we have vivid imaginations. It was great to travel over the “38 pony” bridge. It’s a great bridge. We followed the road back to Hydro and then jumped on the freeway to camp.

Next journey took us from Clinton to Texola on the old road. This is also a nice stretch. Luckily, we have time on our side and don’t have to hurry; we can take our time and search out all the great little things along here. The old roadhouse that sits in the “Y” on the south edge of Clinton has been painted and is now a used auto dealer. It looked pretty good. The old abandoned farmhouse west of here has been fenced off and the old car removed since our last trip. In Canute we had never checked out the old Holy Family Cemetery, pretty interesting. Old cemeteries always are. Elk City is much the same as it was our last trip. There was one big change happening as we went through town. They are currently in the process of building the National Route 66 Museum. It was hard to tell exactly what it would be when finished. It looked like a replica of an old western town, hut it also looked as if it would be nothing but shops. Hopefully, it will be finished and open the next time we are through here.

On into Sayre. It was a bustling city the last time we were here; we couldn’t get very close to the courthouse. Today there was hardly any traffic at all. We returned to explore the old sections that once crossed the Red River. Then it was Erick, on the verge of becoming a ghost town. The 100th Meridian museum was closed as it was Monday. There wasn’t much action here. On to Texola, the already declared ghost town. We love traveling the old 4-lane sections. We drove on the abandoned north lanes as much as was possible, you run into stretches where the trees have overtaken the lanes. Not much left in town. The old jail still sits begging for occupants. Back to the freeway, and home.

On to McLean, and a new base camp, the Windmill Rv Park. Whenever possible we try to camp in a park that is either on or near to some alignment of Route 66. We had arrived early in the day so we rushed over to the museum, unfortunately, it was closed. So we decided to head off to Shamrock. There are so many old buildings here, you want desperately for them to come alive, tell the stories that surely they hold. There isn’t much between here and McLean, but it is a nice slow ride. We also followed the old route through town, including an old abandoned section. We had supper at the Red River Steakhouse. A great old building. You get plenty of food for your money, good food.

Next day was to be full of adventure; we were following the dirt “66” from McLean to Groom. We were going to try and survive the dreaded Jericho Gap. We are using Jerry McClanahan’s article in the spring ‘94 issue of Route 66 Magazine. Leaving McLean the road is well packed, and actually rather smooth. You can see the road for miles, it’s wonderful. At Alanreed we were forced to get back on the interstate, but not until we had checked out the site of the old Regal Reptile Ranch, the cages are still there. Luckily, the snakes are long gone. We were able to follow the road a bit further. This short section took us past Delbert and Ruth Trew’s ranch and out to Rockledge Station, a train switching station.

Another short jaunt on the freeway and we were on our way to Jericho. This section really gives you a feel for what the old road was like, unpaved. The road follows all the contours of the land, up, down and around. The town of Jericho no longer exists, but there is evidence that it did at one time. Signs of an old motor court and a house and another building are here. Now came the true adventure, the gap itself. We arrived at what looked like a lake that had recently overflown its banks. We were unable to pass, and we know what they mean by black muck. Forced to go around, we didn’t want to risk getting stuck. After a short detour we ended up in Groom. We had survived!

Abandoned motel - Jericho, Texas

Next morning we arrived at the Devils Rope and Route 66 museum. We got there just in the nick of time, it was cold and foggy, they were going to close. Lucky for us, the lady that was there let us in. It’s a great museum. We hadn’t been there for quite a few years and there were some nice changes. We appreciate the time that was given to us. She closed after we left. Due to incoming storms we decided to make a run for Amarillo and wait them out. We made camp at the Overnite RV Park. The first park with a separate phone for the computer. Nice. Good park except for being in the flight path of the airport, as is the KOA. Turned out to be a good idea. Snow and cold temperatures were a good reason to do the laundry and lay low; Interstate 40 was even closed from Amarillo to Tucurncari.


Morning came, and with it, the sun. We set our sights on Groom. A nice town with lots of old time flavor to it. There are so many old buildings. As there are in Conway. Great photo opportunities. We then travelled all the road through Amarillo. For such a big city, there are plenty of old motels and stores. And “antique row” is great. We continued east through Bushland and onto Vega. A nice town worth exploring. We looked a little; we will be back so we won’t do much now. We stopped at the new home of the Cadillac Ranch. It looks the same except for the plaque stating that you are looking at it and that it was designed by the Ant Farm. A nice touch. It was too muddy to walk out to the cars. Back to town and supper at the Big Texan. Last time we tried to eat here there was an hour and a half wait. Needless to say, we didn’t. This time we got right in. Neither of us was up to the challenge of the free 72 ouncer. You definitely get your money’s worth here. If anyone goes home hungry, it’s their own fault. We took food home. It was really good.

The Big Texan Restaurant - Amarillo, Texas

We decided that we had put off going to Palo Duro Canyon one too many times, the time was now. This is a beautiful canyon, not as grand as the Grand Canyon, but awesome in its own way. There was plenty of wildlife to be seen. We saw at least a dozen roadrunners. There flocks of about 15 wild turkeys, one flock actually begged for food at the gift shop. We also saw mule deer. It was quite peaceful there. We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed the mild weather. Definitely worth the trip.