2024 Route 66 East - Day 1

 Shamrock Texas

Sunrise in Amarillo

We rolled out of the Big Texan Motel at 0645 and headed east into a beautiful sunrise. It started out a bit chilly, at 59F, and calm. 

We are in wind country

Happily these turbines just started to turn as the sun came up and we had a tailwind that built to about 10 mph for most of the morning!

Grain silos in Conway TX

Cool, flat, and with a tailwind, what could be better!

Leaning water tower outside Groom TX

Yours truly leaving the 50 mile SAG stop

Jericho Gap 

The only snag of the day was the heavy overnight thunderstorms that rattled the Big Texan Motel at about 0300 this morning. Heavy rains had turned the Jericho Gap gravel road into a mud bath! So instead of 9 miles of gravel, we used the paved option; the I-40 Frontage Road.

Jericho Gap section of I-40 Frontage Road

I-40 generally follows the Route 66 alignment, so many sections of the frontage road are on original Route 66 alignments. This gravel section is part of the Jericho Gap and now part of the I-40 Frontage Road.

Cross-Country Hikers

We met these two folks from the UK. They are hiking (all their gear is in the stroller) from LA to NYC! We had noticed bike trailer tracks on the gravel section and when we caught them they shared their story. They camped on forest land in CA and AZ, and in TX they simply go to a farmhouse and ask permission to camp. No one has turned them down! We wished them good luck and continued on our way.

Historic Route 66 Service Station

Main Street, McLean TX

Devils Rope/Route 66 Museum McLean TX

We had a nice lunch at the Red River Steakhouse in Clinton TX, before heading to the Devils Rope and Route 66 museum just a few miles down the road.

Barb wire display

There are thousands of barb wire samples on display with a great history of the evolution of the ‘Devils Rope.’ Many folks collect samples, and those that are especially rare are ones where a patent was issued, but only a small amount of wire was produced. 

Diner Display

This diner display was mostly period items. Even the waitress uniform was original. It was donated to the museum by a local resident who wore it in her younger days!

This display, shows the Route 66 alignment through the Texas Panhandle, and the I-40 uses much of the alignment.

Chip seal to 1930’s concrete

We rode a lot of the I-40 frontage road. Some sections were the original concrete from the 1930’s! It was much smoother (generally) than the more modern chip seal. 

U Drop Inn

We rolled into Shamrock TX about 3 pm. The motel is right across from the U Drop Inn. This restored service station, cafe, and motel is now a visitor center and museum. Note the line of Tesla Superchargers behind the antique wrecker truck!

Shamrock murals along Main Street

St. Patrick Church is 1.2 miles from the motel, so after getting cleaned up, I headed out on foot to attend the 6 pm vigil mass. Along the way there were some great murals on the old buildings. 

It was practically a private Mass with only 6 participants. The Homily was great and a nice way to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi.

After Mass I needed to get back to the motel for a 7:30 map presentation and Route 66 video about route alignments in Texas and Oklahoma. I spotted this restored service station that originally opened in 1929.

It said Mexican Food on an old store front on Main Street. I poked my head in and at the back of a huge hall was a Mexican counter service restaurant. The rest of the hall was filled with deflated bounce houses. While I was waiting for my delicious steak street tacos, they started the pump and inflated one of them, much to the delight of a family with a couple of small children!

I rushed back to the motel and found the meeting room for the informative map and video brief that will be helpful tomorrow and explained a great deal about the Jericho Gap alignment we saw a portion of today.

What a great Day 1 on Route 66!

Day 2