Route 66: Day Eight
Passing the seven day point felt amazing. Being on a road trip sometimes feels like being in a marathon. At the beginning it's super exciting and you have a bunch of energy and so many miles and the journey to look forward to and then you have a final destination that you know will also be an exciting moment. But the journey can be tiring. The landscape can blur together. And it seems like you might have been running or driving your whole life.
Just for complete clarification, I have never ran a marathon. But I can pretend I know what it might feel like ;)
Day eight {projected*} itinerary:
Oklahoma City National Memorial {Oklahoma City, OK}
Pops Soda {Arcadia, OK}
Arcadia Round Barn {Arcadia, OK}
The Blue Whale {Catoosa, OK}
Totem Pole Park {Foyil, OK}
Clanton's Cafe (calf fries) {Vinita, OK}
Coleman Theater {Miami, OK}
Old Riverton Store {Riverton, KS}
arrive in Kansas City, MO
*we did not go to Coleman Theater because it was closed by the time we got to that point.
Approximate mileage: 375
Approximate driving time: 6.3 hours
Approximate expenses: $63.54
Gas: $29.54 @ $2.149/gallon, 10.022g
Food: $30
Misc: $4 Turner Turnpike
See below for map, trip details and photos...
We had driven through to Oklahoma City the night before. It was the longest driving day. And I was so ready to crash in the hotel room.
The next morning we woke up and decided to splurge on room service (always pricey). Breakfast in bed and a relaxed morning just sounded like the best.
I had heard this memorial was powerful. And it was. As you enter the East Gate, 9:01 is displayed above you. And you enter into this peaceful environment with a reflecting pool, chairs on one side to identify those that were killed in the bombing that occurred April 19th, 1995 in that exact spot. As you move through the space, you see at the other side the West Gate with 9:03 marked above it. I love this description of what the two gates represent:
"The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19 and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment we were changed forever, and the hope that came from the horror in the moments and days after the bombing."
This memorial is impactful to me because although I was four when this tragic event occurred, it symbolizes to me a lot of other relatable tragedies. The idea that life can change in a minute is so true. And I love that the city and community came together to commemorate those lost in this incident, in a spirit of hope and faith that this won't happen again. Despite the tragedy, it was really an uplifting and peaceful place.
If you want any kind of soda, come here.
Krystal got six different kinds of root beer to try (we discovered that any root beer made with black licorice is not our fave), and I opted for something a little more experimental. It was between pimple juice and ranch dressing so I chose ranch.
The first sip wasn't so bad. I don't think I mixed it that well. Then the next sip — after it was more thoroughly mixed — came through and I felt like I was drinking a less thick concoction of ranch dressing. It was awful. Unless you really love ranch dressing. Even then.
Award for the most well-rounded barn goes to... Arcadia Round Barn!
It's just off the road and just down the road from Pops Soda. It doesn't cost anything to go in and check it out and it looks out onto a farm/field on the other side of the street.
It is unique in the way it's built, and I stood in the barn looking up at the ceiling trying to figure out how they made it happen until Krystal came up and I saw her looking out the barn window and realized woah, this is an awesome shot which led to a ten minute "photo shoot" of me telling Krystal to tilt her head a little more this way or that... #lifeofmyfriends #freephotographerincluded
The whale was actually a surprising delight of the day. It's what I would imagine it would be like if you found an abandoned theme park. This happy little whale in Oklahoma, once providing joy to a bunch of little kids, on their own sort of version of a beach, playing in the now-yucky water filled with little turtles.
There was also an old snake pit nearby too.
After the Blue Whale, we stopped at the gas station. That's when I realized how bad the bug splatter on my car was. I mean, you can check it out in the snap video above. It was awful. There were dead bugs everywhere — some with their body fully intact. Not something I anticipated. I guess driving through this area and at this time of the year maybe, and especially at night, really attracts those things. On the windshield itself was a bunch of splatter as well. I came up with a new driving motto: when you get bug splatter on your window, just try to focus on the road. Which really could be a metaphor for life. When things aren't clear, try to focus on the consistent part...? No. Wait. I know there's something here. I'll ponder it. Also, FYI: the car wash we got at the gas station did not help.
Totem Pole Park was one of our last visits before all the light left us. I loved the totem poles and the way they were painted. It was a quick stop-through though and we didn't feel like spending too much time there.
Not pictured: after Totem Pole Park is Clanton's Cafe where we tried "calf fries". It sounded interesting, and something special to that area, so we went. And we tried them. Turns out...a more appropriate name might be calf balls. Not just because of their shape if you know what I mean. Luckily, I did not know that information until I was already in Tennessee and my stomach could not completely throw it back up.
Part of the reason we didn't spend too long at the park was because we wanted to make sure to get to the Old Riverton Store in Kansas (on the way to Kansas City, MO) because from some resources I had, I had thought they had some of the best milkshakes. As we discovered first-hand by actually making it before they closed... they do not sell milkshakes. At all. It's really just more of a convenience store. To save anybody from disappointed expectations: I repeat, they DO NOT have milkshakes.
We still craved milkshakes, but we were in no kind of nearby city to get any quality ones. By the time we reached Kansas City, MO — a little detour to spend some time with my friend Whitney — it was pretty late and we were at that level of tired again to just crash and go to sleep. I was so excited to have a whole day to spend there the next day!