Men made Route 66, but...

The Mother Road is nothing more than asphalt and concrete, it is a different breed of men and women that make Route 66 and today I had the chance to meet some of them. Our day started out in Baxter Springs, KS. Since we skipped Galena last night we backtracked to this small town whose most famous resident is a tow truck; but not just any tow truck! This tow truck is the famous Tow Mater er, that is Tow Tater from the movie Cars.  Tow Tater sits at 4 Women on the Route, a neat little curiosity shop and cafe ran by (yep, you guessed it) 4 women. We did not get to meet any of them today, but Robbie was there to share with us how the place got started and how Pixar chose their tow truck for Mater.



After Galena we drove across the state line into Oklahoma. It was in Afton at the Afton Station that we got to meet Laurel. A fantastic woman who runs (along with her now ex-husband) a gift shop and museum filled with old Packards. We had a great time talking about The Route, life, and adventure. Laurel has a blog at

http://aftonstationblog-laurel.blogspot.com/ and she posted a picture of Mike and me and talks about our meeting. How cool is that?!

Getting back on the road, we headed towards Catoosa and The Blue Whale. Hugh Davis made this replica of a blue whale (not to scale) for his wife Zelta for their 34th anniversary - candy and flowers pale by comparison. The whale sits in a pond that in days-gone-by was the local swimming hole. While there we were lucky enough to get to meet Hugh's son, Blaine. Blaine told us stories about his kids getting to enjoy the whale and how Hugh, Zelta, and the Davis family thinks it is important to share this Mother Road icon with the rest of the world...Blaine, I totally agree with you!

After a photo op with the whale, we were back on the road again. Next stop, Stroud and the Rock Cafe. The owner of the Rock Cafe, Dawn Welch, was the inspiration for Sally in the movie Cars. Alas, Dawn was not there tonight, but we got a chance to talk to her really friendly staff (despite the fact we showed up 10 minutes before closing). We found out that Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives had been a Dawn's place. The food was good and the conversation and atmosphere was great.

Starting to tire out for the day, we headed to Chandler and the Lincoln Motel. After check in we decided that there was enough daylight left to explore. We headed out of town to see the Meramac ad on a barn and then back into town for a visit with Jerry McClannahan (artist and author of E66 Guide for Travelers - our bible while on this trip). Jerry was not in his studio, but a quick call to his cell (uh huh, he posts this in his book along with his home number so you can call him!). We had a great conversation with him about his art and The Mother Road. I bought one of his prints which he autographed for me. This is going in my dining room when I get home.

The day ended with Coke floats at the Boomerang Diner. Tomorrow we will battle the traffic of Oklahoma City while relishing the relics of Route 66. We have no idea where we will end up as the day ends, but we know it will be an adventure as is everyday on The Mother Road!