These photos were taken in 2009 during our Route 66 Adventure to Oklahoma.
This Halloween, we had about 15 kids came by. It was a comfortable night. I don't remember all the costumes, just a few like Batman, a princess, a flying monkey, three vampires, a nurse and a ladybug. The little kids were cute and no big kids that did not really dressed up, just making the round in baggy clothes to get the candies. 
Cabin fever finally got to me and I could not wait for Spring and Summer to arrive. I have been planning road trips in May when we will start driving the Lincoln Highway in Illinois and in September for a niece's wedding in Aspen, Colorado.
These photos were from our Westward Route 66 adventure in July 2010. For 9 days, we drove 4,437 miles from St. Louis to Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and reached the End of the Trail at Santa Monica Pier in California.
In September, we plan to drive the Lincoln Highway from Missouri to Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California. Visit http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ to read about the first road across the United States of America. The Lincoln Highway is known as "The Main Street Across America". 
I asked my husband whether we would take the T-bird or the Mustang for the trip in September. He said we should take the Mustang as it is more comfortable for long distance driving. I commented that if we really wanted to be comfortable, we should take "Luc". CP looked at me as if I just said something really insulting! "It is not a cool car", he said! 
Oh, I am so ready to be on the road again!
Last weekend we made our 3rd trip to Oklahoma City. We missed a few attractions (downtown Tulsa, Totem Pole Park, etc.) the first time in October 2009. During our westward trip in July this year, we were trying to get to California so we kept on driving and on the returned trip we were so tired after driving more than 4,000 miles, we again could not make time to see the Golden Driller in downtown Tulsa.
This time, our trip started on Friday, October 15th, driving to Springfield, Missouri after we both got off work. We spent the night at a budget motel. The room was clean and comfortable, just what we needed for an overnight accommodation.
We got on the road around 7:00 a.m. and took I-44 into Galena, Kansas. This time we made time to stop by the famous Eisler Bros. Grocery and Deli in Riverton. Of course, CP has to take a few more photos of the T-bird at the Rainbow Bridge in Baxter Springs. We were hungry and decided that it would be a good time for lunch at Café on the Route.
We followed Route 66 into Oklahoma but did not make many stops since we already visited most of the attractions from Quapaw to Chelsea. Benjamin was really happy when we finally arrived at the Totem Pole Park in Foyil. (Photos will be in future posts.)
Sadly, the Admiral Twin Drive In Theatre was burned down to the ground early this month. There was a fundraising event that day but it did not look promising that it would be re-built.
At around 3:30 p.m., we finally drove into downtown Tulsa. We found the Golden Driller, a 76-foot tall sculpture tribune to Tulsa’s oil heritage at 21st Street west of Yale. (Photos in future posts).
We continued on to Red Fork where we stopped for dinner at Ollies’ Station Restaurant. I missed my nephew JL terribly when I saw inside the restaurant all decorated with collection of model trains that were moving around the dining room on tiny tracks suspended from the ceiling. Model trains are displayed on glass shelves around the restaurant. From Ollies’ website, “Ten running trains, from G-scale to Z-scale, run the length of the dining room and through scale model cities and towns. Our walls and shelves abound with railroad memorabilia.” (Hey Qaptain Qwerty, it would be a great road trip next April after the marathon?)
After Red Fork, we got lost for about an hour on a dark 2-lane country road trying to find the giant soda bottle in Arcadia. Just like a typical man, CP would not stop to ask for direction or let me read the EZ 66 guide. Only after I threatened to throw a bucket of yellow paint on his T-bird when we get home, CP agreed to turn around. I took many photos of the 66 foot tall pop bottle illuminated in beautiful colors.
We spent Saturday night in Bricktown, Oklahoma City. The next day, we attended Sunday Mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral in downtown Oklahoma City. The Cathedral is located across the street from the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum honoring the victims of the 1995 bombing.
A trip to Oklahoma City would not be completed without getting a few banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) from Banh Mi Ba Le at the famous Giant Milk Bottle on Classen. Later, we stopped in Chandler, sat down at a park in front of the courthouse, enjoyed delicious banh mi. It was one of the most wonderful moments of the road trip.
Continued on Route 66, we were glad to find that Seeba Station has been beautifully renovated and is now open as Motorcycles Museum. After a stop at the classic Steaks n’ Shake in Springfield, Missouri, we drove all the way to St. Louis and got home around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday night.
Long time no see, so here is Benjamin again saying “Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay”!
We did it! We drove 4,437 miles from St. Louis, crossed the state lines into Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and on Tuesday, June 29th reached the End of the Trail in Santa Monica, California and then back to St. Louis on Saturday, July 3rd. Our 2010 Route 66 week-long Adventure began on Thursday, June 24th. Since we already covered all of Route 66 in Missouri, Kansas and part of Oklahoma last October, we took I-44 all the way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
I finally sorted thru 2,000+ photos in 5 memory cards from 3 cameras, two Sony Cybershots and a Canon Powershot. Whenever the battery ran out on one camera, I just took out the next camera and continued shooting - the wonder of digital cameras!
June 24th, we left work early and were on the road at 4:15 p.m., stopped at a diner in St. Robert, Missouri and then spent the night in Joplin, Missouri.
The next day, Friday, June 25th was the beginning of a jam-packed week-long schedule. After a full complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we were on the road around 7:05 a.m. It did not take us long to cross into Oklahoma. After paying $4.00 toll at Will Rogers Turnpike and another $4.00 at Turner Turnpike, we stopped for a lunch break at Banh Mi Ba Le in Oklahoma City. This little triangular building with the giant milk bottle on top (above photo) was originally a small grocery, now home to Saigon Baguette, a French-Vietnamese bakery serving Banh Mi, hearty sandwiches that taste just the way I used to eat in Viet Nam. We got Banh Mi Ga (chicken) for my husband and Banh Mi Gio Cha (pork) satisfied my hunger and brought back wonderful childhood memory.
We took turn driving and also regular breaks at rest areas or truck stops, filled up the gas tank and re-stocked the cooler with cold water bottles and snacks. We spent about an hour at the National Route 66 Museum (above photo) in Elk City, Oklahoma. We crossed into Texas, the Lone Star State, at 3:45 p.m. and decided to stay on I-44 until we got to Groom. It was one of my must-stop because I wanted to visit the 190 feet giant cross (below photo) and the outdoor sculptures of Stations of the Cross. From Groom, we drove on Route 66 into Amarillo.
It was about 6:15 p.m. when we got to Amarillo, just in time for a nice steak dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch (below photo). We did not attempt to take on the challenge of finishing up the 72-ounce steak in one hour!
We felt a kind of accomplishment when we reached Midpoint Café in Adrian (above photo) and saw the slogan, “When You’re Here, You’re Halfway There”. The café was closed since it already passed 8:00 p.m., therefore we did not get a chance to enjoy its famous “ugly crust” pies!
Twenty minutes later, we crossed into New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. A sign advising travelers that we have entered Mountain Time. We gained extra daytime by turning our watch back one hour but we started to get tired being on the road the last 13+ hours. We spent the second night of the trip in Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Saturday, June 26th, we were on the road at 8:00 a.m. and then breakfast at the Silver Moon Café in Santa Rosa. At this point, it was a bit confusing with so many options of pre-1937 route and various loops, we spent more time than planned around Los Lunas, then encountered traffic jam and road construction around Albuquerque. It was time for lunch when we finally arrived in Grants. Later, we made time for pie and coffee at the historic El Rancho Hotel in Gallup (below photo).
These photos were taken during our "walk" down memory lane along Route 66 in Oklahoma. Part of the Old 66 was no longer drivable as captured below with the T-bird at the "end of the road". Bottom photo shows the giant 66-foot-tall soda bottle and a modern convenience store including full service grill, soda fountain & gas station. Lining along the wall of this steel-beam structure are a collection of more than 12,000 soda pop bottles with hundreds of different flavors. Would you like to guess what this place called? Answer - POPS, what else?
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
"On the east end of the Memorial stand the only remaining walls from the Murrah Building. These walls remind us of those who survived the terrorist attack, many with serious injuries. Today, more than 600 names are inscribed on salvaged pieces of granite from the Murrah Building lobby." www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org
"The Gates of Time - These monumental twin gates frame the moment of destruction - 9:02 a.m. - and mark the formal entrance to the Memorial. The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, 1995, 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 following the bombing." www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.
"We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity." Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org 
And Jesus Wept.
These photos were taken in 2009 during our Route 66 Adventure to Oklahoma.
