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12/27/2020 I hope everyone had a peaceful Christmas!
12/2/2020 Oklahoma
Though Rt. 66 has some amazing history, the road was challenging, especially in Oklahoma. There was a big shortage of signage. Highway 44 replaced Rt. 66 as a major highway and though 66 runs along H44, it goes back and forth on either side of the highway regularly. There is no straight road here, and it gets pretty rough at times.
Attention RV’ers – Historic Route 66 is a rough road. Cars and vans do much better on it. This drive is not for everyone, and anything over 20 ft. might find Route 66 difficult or impossible to maneuver. My stuff was bouncing all over the place! Even my sleeping bag fell off my bed.
It wouldn’t be fair to not mention the BLUE WHALE, a giant sculpture of a whale with a cute baseball hat that just over a small pond in Catoosa. This used to be a cool picnic and swimming area, but I think the owner has limited its use to just wandering around. Or maybe the weather kept people away. Thanks for the restroom facilities!

There were a number of kitschy roadside attractions, and I tried my best to capture the famous ones and a neon sign or two. You will also notice a newer (2007) addition, Pop’s in Arcadia, OK. It’s a combo gas station and diner with an awesome 40 ft. LED bottle that is lighted at night and displays a colorful show at night. VERY COOL! The diner features over 700 varieties of soda pop for those sugar lovers. The window display is colorful and the food was decent. Definitely a must stop for anyone in the area. Check out my Instagram page for the video of Pop’s.
The highlight of Oklahoma was visiting my friend, Mary, whom I worked with in Yellowstone. It was great spending time with her and she took me to some awesome spots, and we enjoyed a Christmas tree lighting festival in her town. I really enjoyed the small town vibe and everyone knew each other. I stayed at Lake Arcadia Central St. Park for a couple of nights, which sat on a small lake and was really pretty. It rained a lot so I didn’t do much hiking. Nice campground in the city. I spent a night at my friend’s too and just plugged into the van.

Entering Oklahoma City in the evening, it was easy to spot the famous Meadow Gold sign that is one of the best examples of vintage neon lighting in the city. Watch the neighborhood, it’s very dicey at night. You will probably notice that most of Route 66 in the cities is dicey at night. So sad to see our historic places in risky areas.
Oklahoma City– Bedfords Camera Store 3110 N. May St. They saved me from trying to find the spare camera battery that I still can’t find. I also got a third opinion about the light issue with the sensor. The technician inspected my camera and sensor and complimented me on the spotless interior. :). My sensor looked perfect, but he suggested that the discoloration might be due to “dead pixels” on the sensor. Sometimes, long exposures can heat up the sensor to where it will spit out weird images. If I shut the camera off to let the sensor cool down it might solve the problem. I’ll run another test when I can. Otherwise, it’s time for a new camera body. The cost to repair the sensor may not be worth it.
Other attractions included the Round Barn, Golden Driller and Waylan’s Hamburger Ku-Ku sign. The hamburger drive in is still open. I also visited the State Capitol, which was under renovation. But I did get to see the rotunda, very cool!
ONWARD!