Adventure on the Mother Road

I awoke this morning to news of a 7.7 earthquake off the West Coast. Just now on The Weather Channel the weather forecaster advised residents along the East Coast to prepare for what could be the "biggest storm of your lifetime."   I just finished a meal covered with potent green chilies in Albuquerque, N.M. at an authentic Mexican restaurant so some gastrointestinal turbulence could be in the forecast for me.

Accompanied by our Australian relatives, Joe and Terry, we left town headed west along old Route 66 on Saturday morning. The first thing we saw as we turned west on I-44 was a string of utility trucks headed east to deal with the predicted damage when Hurricane Sandy and a potent winter storm combine to sock the east coast with what some are calling "Frankenstorm" due to its proximity to Halloween.

In Joplin, I detoured along 20th street to show Joe & Terry the slow growth along the path of the monster tornado that devastated the area on May 22, 2011. Much of what was once the heart of Joplin can still pass for pastureland. After showing them Fred & Red's, the iconic Joplin restaurant that is now closed, we headed south to 3347 1/2 Oakridge Drive. It was there on April 13, 1933 that Bonnie & Clyde and Clyde's brother and sister-in-law, Buck and Blanche Barrow, were involved in a shootout with Joplin area law enforcement personnel. Two of the officers involved were killed,  The outlaws escaped. To view pictures, then and now, of the second floor apartment where the shootout took place, go to:

http://texashideout.tripod.com/joplinapartment.html

Three things happened when we crossed the Oklahoma State line:   the speed limit increased, the gas price decreased and there was an $8 toll to navigate to Oklahoma City.

West of Vinita we stopped for lunch at "The Glass House", a McDonald's that spans all four lanes of Will Rogers Turnpike. There you can watch 18-wheelers passing just below your feet as you pause your journey to grab a fast food meal. Though once billed as the "World's Largest McDonald's", a sign in the parking lot now concedes the almost 30,000 square foot restaurant is "The World's Second-Largest McDonald's". The times they are a'changin'. McDonald's in China, Russia, Florida and the London Olympics now vie for the title of "World's Largest." Though its title as largest has been usurped, I think it is safe to say this is the only McDonald's in the world where customers are greeted by a larger-than-life-size statue of Will "I Never Met a Man I Didn't Like" Rogers. Will once suggested restricting the use of highways to cars that were paid for as a way to reduce congestion. Oklahoma chose to charge tolls instead.

It was after lunch that our trip along the general vicinity of historic Route 66 took a more authentic turn. Our GPS went, directionally-speaking, belly up, and we were forced to navigate the old-fashioned way - with our brains. 

We made it. 

But we purchased another GPS in Oklahoma City. 

Thanks to my brother for agreeing to house-sit for us as we journey westward with our Aussie kinfolk. (Note to my brother: I'm sorry you did poorly in your anger management classes but I am proud of the accolades you have since earned in mixed martial arts. Those skills should come handy with our cats.)



We arrive in New Mexico after a long day on the road