Cyclewhitney: 2024 Route 66 East

Bristow OK

Good morning Oklahoma City!

We had breakfast in the Holiday Inn Express, and luckily Conner whipped up a batch of PacTour Oatmeal, which was great since the hot food was not served until after we left! The route took us on NW36th street east which had relatively light traffic, but was constant rollers. Unfortunately, since we were in the city, there was a stop sign or traffic light at the bottom of each one. We must have hit all the lights for the first 10 miles. The photo above was a display at the National Guard Armory that was on the route and I pulled off to get a photo.

Residential rollers

Finally the road became residential and then rural. Still lots of rollers, but at least we didn’t have to stop at the bottom of each one.

North Canadian River

The rollers gave way to flat lands and we crossed the North Canadian River. We saw the same river yesterday on the Pony Bridge.

Beautiful farmhouse

What is a Kickapoo?

Nice rollers

The route turned north and the crosswind that had been with us all morning became a wonderful tailwind. Add some rollers and it was quite an enjoyable run to the second SAG of the day just outside the town of Wellston.

Main Street Wellston

Wellston War Memorial

Wellston was a small town and had a nice war memorial park, and a great restored service station. The inscription on the memorial: All gave some, some gave all!

Strength of two men!

Shortly after rolling out of the hotel, I noticed my power meter giving me double the normal reading. The sensor must have leaked water during yesterday’s heavy rains. I have used Stages Power meters (left crank sensor) for years, and this would be my second time with a water problem. The other one died on a ride in Colorado in heavy rain on a fast descent. Apparently they only make these for people with enough sense to come out of the rain! I stopped and tried to reset it, but no luck.

Chandler OK

I love this old Coca-Cola ad on an old (closed) hotel, ‘Delicious, refreshing, and relieves fatigue.’ I’ll bet it is from the days when the formula included some extract of coca leaves that had trace amounts of cocaine!

1930 Phillips 66 Type “B”

This 1930’s service station was on the cue sheet, I was a bit disappointed that the pumps had been removed. But the sign said this one was typical of the Type-B cottage-style that was build by Phillips Pertoleum from 1927 to 1938.

Route 66 Shield just outside the Chandler Route 66 Museum

I actually rolled off the front of the group and was the first to arrive at the Museum. Lon had called ahead and the lovely manager said, ‘welcome, you must be one of the bikers!’ She showed me in and I spent about 30 minutes wandering around.

This was a painting of the Type-B cottage style Phillips 66 station, with the pumps installed!

Of course, the first exhibit room had a great Schwinn Cruiser Tandem on display with an even better Route 66 saddle plate. I asked the museum manager if they had one in the gift shop, unfortunately no.

Pony Bridge

The museum had a number of video exhibits, where you would sit, press a button and watch a video on a screen overhead. Here is yours truly sitting in the seats from an old Mustang, watching the video titled ‘Route 66 Through the Windshield of a Mustang.’ The video included a number of sights we had already seen, the Pony Bridge across the North Canadian River was one of them!

Dry Creek

The sign said Dry Creek so I slowed to check it out. With all the recent heavy rains, even dry creek was flowing.

We are definitively in the ‘Oil Patch.’ Lots of working wells and huge lots filled with oil service equipment. This lot contained dozens of mobile drill rigs.

Lunch was to be on our own and there were lots of options in Stroud OK. The recommended one was the Rock Cafe. The cue sheet said the owner inspired the Disney Movie Cars. I popped in to check it out.

I was there before the lunch rush!

Sally Carrera

I asked the waitress about the Cars movie connection, and she gave me the download. The film writers went on a tour of Route 66 to get ideas for the movie. From their website:

John Lasseter and a research crew from Pixar Animation Studios visited the Rock Café in 2001 and upon meeting owner, Dawn Welch began developing the character Sally Carrera for the movie Cars with multiple visits from 2001 to 2005. The café features items left by the crew and gifts received from her time working with Pixar and Disney.

Dawn Welch was not the voice used in the movie, but a number of her stories were included in the movie, including one about staying in a motel that had a fire during her stay.

Old Betsy

The menu featured a piece about ‘Betsy, the Indestructible Grill.’ The grill has been in constant use for 80+ years and has seared over 5 million burgers, chicken fried steaks, and other blue plate specials. It actually survived a devastating fire in 2008 that left her and only the four rock walls standing! I peeked into the kitchen on the way out, it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in 80 years!

Great mailbox in Stroud OK

Potential dead-end?

The cue sheet said there were a number of ‘dead segments’ on the 10 mile run into todays finish town of Bristow OK. I was way ahead of schedule so I decided to check a couple of them out! Here are a couple of short clips exploring the one in the above photo.

Checking out the beginning of the loop

Successfully rejoining the new highway

Dead-end

These dead sections are often on private land, and/or dead-end. Basically the old Route 66 alignment had many twists and turns to accommodate the topography and existing roads in the early 20’s. When more modern roads were built, they ‘straightened’ the Route. Some old sections are under the newer pavement, others are left dead. Some loop back to the newer route, most end in dead ends.The second one I checked out went about a mile before hitting a dead-end. I scrambled back to the main highway through the grass on the right.

The Old 66 Loop into Depew did not dead end and provided a one-mile tour of Depew and a ride on the original 1926 pavement, that rejoined the new highway.

Tractor Display in Depew

Today’s finish town

I rolled into the motel and went into my normal post-ride routine. We are about a mile away from downtown, and Conner drove the van in shuttle service to a Mexican restaurant. I missed the first van but caught the second one with Craig (Alabama), Doug and Kathy.

The Mexican place was very good. Kathy noticed the Steve Burrito on the menu. I missed it, but felt compelled to order it, and was glad I did. After dinner we took a short stroll around the town. We happened upon this Ford Farlane 500, intact but in need of restoration. My family owned one (I think it was white with a red stripe) when I was in grade or pre-school. I still have a scar on my index finger from that time it got stuck in the grill! Yes, I tried, a 65 year of finger does not fit, thank goodness!