I woke to my alarm at 7:00 this morning. The bed was feeling far too good after yesterday’s events so I stayed in it for a while longer. I was up before 7:30 and on the road before 9:00. The sky is spotless, which is a welcoming sight. Yesterday was terrible in multiple ways, but there’s at least two positives I can give to it. First and foremost, I survived it, and second, it wasn’t hot for most of it. I head for the interstate to fast track it out of the city.
As I near the edge of the city my first highway nuisance arrives. The highway begins to shrink and the left lane is coming to an end so I merge into the lane next to me. The person behind me apparently didn’t like that and was immediately on my tail. Close enough that I couldn’t see their headlights in my mirrors. I waved them of and got nothing, as expected. I thought of a post I had seen just a day ago. It was advice on how to deal with tailgaters from retired lawman. When you have a tailgater, don’t brake check them, certainly never on a motorcycle. What you do is clean your windshield, constantly, until they finally back off. Well I don’t have a way to clean my windshield, but I do have a water bottle and it does have water in it. So, I flipped the cap open, snatched it out of my beverage holster, threw my hand up and gave the bottle a good squeeze. I watched in my mirror as the water splattered on their windshield, a direct hit. They immediately backed of to a healthy distance. So apparently it works, next time you have a tailgater, don’t tap the brakes, just clean your windshield until they back off.
The edge of town brings me to a Waffle House, something I’ve actually been looking for. I pull off and have breakfast for the first time this trip. Waffle house is a specialty for me now days and if I can find one sometime in the morning I’ll make the stop. I know I’ve put this in previous posts, but Dad and I were on a trip (I forget which right now) and we stop for gas on our way out of town one morning. Next door is a Waffle House so we decide to get a quick breakfast. Next morning, we’re leaving the hotel. Next door is a waffle house so we decide to get a quick breakfast. We hit a third one the next day, just because. Plus it’s Waffle House, 8:00am or 3:00am, it’s good.
My first stop today is in El Reno. The Route 66 sign here is the same as most but has an old train caboose behind it. There’s also an Oklahoma shaped welded piece full of locks. I never understood the whole lock thing but, whatever. I also noticed I to a photo from the wrong side so Oklahoma is backwards. There is one cool thing I did notice about the 66 sign and it’s something I’ve never seen before at a photo opportunity. There’s universal phone mount installed in front of it, you can see it in the photo. It makes perfect sense to have one, now everyone can get the perfect phot whether they’re alone or with others. I meet two older gentlemen here and we chat briefly. They’re also running the Route and are also headed to the place I am next so we head out together.
The next stop is also in El Reno and is actually within sight standing at the Route 66 sign. The Filling Station is a restored 1930’s Texaco station. There’s a mural painted on the wall outside. Inside is a small gift shop, a 1963 Corvette and a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. They also have a world map that you can place I pin in from where you are from. There are hundreds of them. Some of them are placed in the most unlikely places. Some few are from Greenland, a couple are from Madagascar and there’s even one from the Azores. It’s really amazing to see how many people from outside the USA have come to the states just for Route 66. I talk with the the gentlemen I just met a bit more before bid each other goodbye. Maybe I’ll see the down the road.
Down the road I go. The next few towns don’t offer much that I care to stop for. Weatherford has the Stafford Air & Space Museum which I was tempted to stop at but ultimately skipped. They also have Major Tom. Major Tom, or the Route 66 Spaceman, is a relatively new feature along Route 66. He was first unveiled in August 2025 as a celebration of the centennial. In the park area he is located at, a local bank is offering free hot dogs and iced tea for 9/11. I love any food or drink that’s free but I’m passing on this.
Clinton, Oklahoma offers a few stops, but my only interest is the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. There’s a $10 entry fee but it’s worth it. The museum has eight sections, each a different decade of history for the road. There’s an old pull behind road grader in one section, a 1930’s freight truck in the next. In the the 1950’s section is diner replica complete with red and white booths, chrome barstools with red, padded seats and of course a jukebox. In the next section is the backend of a 1960’s Rambler station wagon. The gift shop has a ton of Cars related merchandise. I’m tempted to pick up a couple of items I see to bring home but I know there’s a better spot for that down the road. As I head out two Road Glides pull into the parking lot. They’re both the same dull billiard gray color and both bikes are identical which tells me they’re rentals. I don’t talk to the riders, but I’ll see them again.
Again, there’s nothing in the next few towns that make me want to stop. It’s lunch time now and I’m in Elk City. I head over to the Boomtown Grill. It’s a small place in a shopping center but they have cold beer. I’m still feeling breakfast so I just get an order of wings. The bartender, Trish, is fairly talkative, which is not a problem for me. At one point she sneezes as she walks over and tells me she’s allergic to dog dander, there’s no dog in the joint. Turn out she owns a dog because her kids love dogs and it’s teaching them responsibility. I’m perplexed hearing this but maybe one of you mothers out there understands.
The land out here is mostly all pasture and grasslands, most of it yellow. The day has grown hot but not quite as hot as it was the past few days. Surprisingly it was hotter in Chicago than it is in Oklahoma today, not but much though. My next stop is in Erick at Sam’s Town. I pass the gray Road Glides as I approach and as I park at Sam’s Town they pass me. I was lead to believe Sam’s Town was some kind of art installation but all I find is, well, not that. The front is full of all kinds of weird stuff, I can’t even find words for it. The yard out back has nothing that looks like art in it, not even bad art. There is a coffee area with closed sign on it so maybe this is just a gathering area and the art is in some other section. There’s no one here so I hop back on the bike and continue on.
Route 66 is extremely rough in a lot of places. It’s rough for a car, even more so for a bike. The color of the road masks dips and rises. Maintaining the speed limit is hard to do as hitting these is a massive jolt to not only me, but to Laurelin too. At some points the grass is growing in from the side of the road, almost to the center line sometimes. It’s really rough out here. The Texas state line brings no relief. Even the fresh “paved” sections are rough and hide sudden dips. From Oklahoma, Shamrock is the first town you reach along the I-40 corridor. I pass the Route 66 Inn and make a quick u-turn to grab a photo. It’s been closed for sometime from the looks of it. Tumble weeds litter the parking lot and old air conditioner units sit in the lobby.
Just down the street is the Conoco Tower Station, known as the U-Drop Inn and diner. It was built in 1936 and is now a gift shop and still a small diner. The ceiling inside is all tin painted to match the walls. Just like the filling station back in El Reno, they also have a pin map. Three of them actually. One of the United States, one for mostly Europe and another for the world. There’s more Cars stuff here too. Particularly a model of Ramone’s body shop which looks a lot like the building I’m in. As it happens, this exact building was the inspiration for Ramone’s body shop in the the movie Cars. Somewhere along the road I passed the gray Road Glides and they catch up to me as I’m leaving. I speak to one of them briefly. They’re German and he does not speak much English. I am able to confirm that they are on rented Harley’s and that they do own their own Harley’s back home in Germany. They’re also headed for Amarillo so maybe I’ll catch up with them tomorrow.
Leaving out of Shamrock the wind begins to pick up. It’s almost completely flat in this area and I’m getting pushed around a good bit. The road is only two lanes and has no shoulder to speak of. A few good gusts nearly run me off the road entirely. By the time I reach McLean I’m ready for a short break. I’m parched and need some water. I decide to take I-40 for the last 60 miles into Amarillo. I’ve been riding the center line so that I have some extra room to compensate when the wind pushes me. That’s not really safe on blind hills or corners. I’ve got to ride through wind turbine fields soon which means I will absolutely hit some good wind gusts. The interstate provides me a large shoulder and plenty of room to maneuver. I get pushed around a great deal just getting into Amarillo so I know I made the right decision.
Camp is at the Amarillo KOA. I’ve been here at least once. I think I came here a second time but opted to go to a hotel instead due to a bad storm coming in. It’s a bit outside the city and right by an airport which isn’t really bad after 10:00pm. I was also offered an upgrade to a cabin while I was starting to setup camp but I declined. It was only in the 90’s at the time which is better than I’ve been in so far, and I really want to use my new tent.
I decide to head to the Georgia Street Taphouse for dinner. Leaving out I discover a colony of prairie dogs in a dirt field just next door to the camp. There’s a good dozen of them and they all dive into their holes as I approach. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prairie dog in person before so it’s a site that brings a smile to my face. The Georgia Street Taphouse is a happening place on Friday night. They are pretty packed and have live music out on the patio which I don’t realize until after I’ve set at the bar. I decide on the Philly wrap which is Philly meat, queso, lettuce and cheese. It’s quiet tasty. And the beers are only $1.50 during happy hour.
I do have to make a quick stop at Walmart on my way back to camp. I’m in dire need of a shave and all of my disposable razors are broken. I also seem to have lost one of my sandals. I also have my cooking gear with me and have yet to use it so I pick up some eggs for breakfast in the morning.
While writing tonight I heard a howl, a couple really. Sounded like it was from the same animal. I’m fairly certain it was a dog here in the camp but with the prairie dogs so close, I thought it might be coyote. If it was a coyote I don’t think they will be a problem, but I’ve got my added security present, just in case.
Tomorrow I will be in New Mexico and will shave an hour off my day. The really exciting stuff is coming. New Mexico and Arizona are the two states I’ve been waiting to cross through on this trip. I hit the halfway point tomorrow too. I’m getting to a point that jumping on the interstate won’t really be an option so hopefully the road won’t be too unforgiving.
