Planning Our Day
As noted in my last post and based on my journal from October 24, 2017, at the Double D RV Park, at Texola, OK, we made plans for our rest day. Our plan was to go back the way we came for 40 miles to Elk City, OK, where we had seen signs for the Route 66 Museum.
With no wi-fi or phone reception at this Park, we needed to stop by the library to use their internet to take care of paying some bills and plan for our next stop.
A Museum for Route 66
Our children do not have the same memories of riding long distances on two-lane highways, like us retired folk. The Interstate Highway System changed travel memories for all of us. Traveling miles and miles without having to stop—what a concept!
When you do take an older, two-lane highway to get to a destination, miles from the Interstate, you can get a sense of the common travel before the Interstate Highway. Every small town along the way had a chance to draw you in for fuel, shopping, and food! The Route 66 Museum was a reflection of that era.
U. S. Highway 66 started in Chicago, IL and ran through MO, KS, OK, TX, NM, AZ, before ending in Santa Monica, CA, covering a total of 2,448 miles. Also known as the Will Rodgers Highway, the Main Street of America, or The Mother Road, it was the primary route west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. It was noted in the John Steinbeck’s classic, The Grapes of Wrath. And, later, it had its own TV series, Route 66, where we heard the song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”.
The Museum reflected some of the sites seen along Route 66, at different points in time. Connected to this Museum were two more areas of interest. The first was some local history, including buildings moved onto this site. The second was the Farm and Ranch Museum, which has a broad array of farm equipment which span nearly a century of progress. I got a greater appreciation of how things used to get done to get food to market versus the way it is done today!
Back to Our Story
Our story is not as exciting as Route 66, except for one thing, our plan to follow the historic route, as much as possible. It was on our Bucket List!
Our stop at the library included booking our next few stops. The next stop was to be in Albuquerque, NM, after a long day of driving. That stop was confirmed. After that, we identified stops in Sun Valley, AZ and Williams, AZ. We planned to visit The Grand Canyon from Williams!
Oh, Look, an Ice Cream Shop!
After the Museum, the library, and lunch, we stopped at Braum’s Ice Cream on the way back to camp.
Back in camp, I worked off my ice cream on required maintenance. I had to replace a torn cover for our tricycles. When we stop long enough to make the effort to unload them worthwhile, we will ride them again.
On to Albuquerque
We managed an early start on Wednesday, October 25, to travel the estimated 385 miles, across the Panhandle of Texas and two-thirds the width of New Mexico to reach Albuquerque.
That was my longest drive in some time. We left at 8:30 a.m. and arrived at the Enchanted Trails RV Park at 5:15 p.m. It was a busy park, next to Camping World, just west of Albuquerque. So, my actual drive was over 400 miles! The Park was at 5,700 feet in elevation. That was 3,400 feet above our starting point. And, at one spot, we measured 7,000 feet at our high point. The upward trend was gradual. I could feel the progress that was why I kept track of the elevation.
As we crossed New Mexico, we saw fewer full-sized trees and more cedars and scrub brush. There were fewer small towns and fewer fuel stops. There were remnants of the past in tourist trap shops with fuel as the draw. We made one such stop in Endee, NM, where we ate at Russell’s Café. I had to take a nap after that!
We felt a need to keep moving. So, we did not unhook that night. Our next stop was only 200 miles away, in Sun Valley, AZ. That sounded like a nice place to rest, at the Sun Valley RV Resort, where we planned to stay for three nights. It is near Holbrook, AZ.
Rest, My Foot!
Once we got to Sun Valley, AZ, we found an old park, but, it filled our needs. We were more comfortable knowing we were paying a discounted price through our Passport America membership!
Our stay was for three nights. Plenty of time for rest. Guess again! Would you be able to rest, knowing you might never be in this area again, with sites like The Painted Desert, The Petrified Forest, and Meteor Crater nearby?
No, we did not rest. We saw the sites and had a great time and took a lot of pictures!
However, I will have to share that story in my next post. Until then, safe travels!