Traveling With Ethyl

Just took a short trip from Tulsa Oklahoma to Galena Kansas. The Food Market in Riverton Kansas has great sandwiches for a reasonable price and a gift shop. Had a chance to visit the museum in Galena Kansas. Fun little place to visit. It’s free and small gift shop. Gearhead Curios in Galena Kansas has a new Giant. Aaron is so fun to talk to. Lots a Route 66 gifts and a bathroom you can’t miss seeing. Fully operational but nothing you have seen before or will see again. Gift shops and Diners open along the way.

2024 route66 Day 2

Tucumcari New Mexico to Gallup New Mexico. Stops in Santa Rosa , clines Corners, Moriarty , Grants, Continental Divide and finally Gallup for the night.

Route 66, Weatherford, Oklahoma.

Had the opportunity this past week to visit another stretch of Route 66. Weatherford, Oklahoma. This is also the home of General Thomas P. Stafford, Astronaut. The weather was great. A bit windy at times and now I understand what the “The Dust Bowl” of the 1930s might have been like.

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Weatherford. Nice hotel. The staff was very nice and easy to deal with. The Hot/Cold Breakfast Buffet is back and was being maintained by Kim. Very charming and personable lady. She really went out of her way to make our stay pleasant. During Covid restrictions, the hotels cut back to just a brown bag breakfast, so I’m happy that the hot/cold buffet is back. Hope it continues.

One morning we did visit Jerry’s Restaurant which is just across the street from the Fairfield Inn. This is an old style Diner restaurant reminiscent of the old Route 66 style. The service was excellent. Generous portions of food for a low/reasonable price. The servers were friendly and very efficient. Definitely the quickest service I’ve experienced. While we were eating, we had a surprise visit from Willie Nelson. OK, it was “Almost Willie”. I even got a couple of pictures.

Next stop was the Heartland of America Museum. This is a fairly new museum. Laid out with easy access. Lots to look at. There is a Military section along with many booths showcasing various periods of time in history. An old telephone booth, an old telephone switchboard. A Barber shop/Hair salon. Thank goodness for modern technology. The perms of yesterday must have been brutal to endure. Several old cars on display and the museum is currently restoring a military helicopter to add to their display. Outside is a Diner that Elvis Presley frequented and even signed their book. There’s an old one room schoolhouse. Step inside and you can imagine the chatter of the little folks talking and throwing paper airplanes while the teacher is writing the lesson on the chalkboard. The ladies who volunteered at the museum were so knowledgeable about the museum and displays.

There is a museum created to commemorate General Stafford. It is near the airport. Unfortunately we did not have time to tour inside, however I’m told that there are lots of aircraft and artifacts including a “moon rock” inside to see.

Just down the road, right off I-40 exit , there is Lucille’s Roadhouse. Two sections to be seated. One will take you back intime to the Diner age of Route 66. The other section has a bar and just as nice for eating. The service is great. The food is good and anyone looking for a clean restroom, you can find one here.

20 miles down the road to the east is Hinton, Oklahoma. A couple casinos there with lots of penny machines. Twenty miles to the west is Clinton, Oklahoma with more museums and casino.

Weatherford has the small town charm while hosting Southwestern Oklahoma State University and a few other large employers. The people were friendly and very accommodating. We had a really nice visit in Weatherford.