Wagons Ho! A New Rt. 66 Road Trip to Viva & the Round Up Adventure!

Loved your trip last year and will be following this one. I hope you post a few pics of Kingman Az. on this trip. I plan on moving there next month & always love seeing pics of the area.

 

The trips are as much fun if not more then the shows...I can't wait to get back not the road.

 

Monday morning of the trip found us all rested and ready to make waves for Vegas. While the rest of the crew was finishing packing before checking out of the motel, I went out to wipe the cars down real quick. I wasn't ready for what greeted me - just about every bug in the Texas Panhandle was splattered on our grills!





Our first stop on the Route was McLean, TX. Before we did anything else, we headed first to the restored Phillips 66 station on the west side of town. We had visited this station on our trip last year but we had another wagon to add to the photo this time.





I kinda liked this shot too.





Across the street I spotted this Falcon wagon.





I had spotted the front sheet metal on the east side of town and went back to check it out.





Later Stevan and I went of the prowl for good photo ops. We found a few!

















I noticed as I was leaving McLean that my temp guage was showing I was beginning to overheat but that once I got the car moving it cooled back down. Hmmm, concern! When we slowed down for Alanreed, TX., it started getting hot again. It was alright when it had some air blowing through it but immediately started heating up at idle. When we pulled over to check out this old Kiser Texaco station, I popped the hood to find that my electric fan wasn't on. We traced to problem to the relay. With no way of replacing the relay there, we just bypassed it by wiring it direct. Problem solved. No more overheating. Then it was back to why we came here - to check out the station again!








I was digging that the inside of the station was as cool as the outside!





After leaving Alanreed, we made a quick stop in Groom, TX. I remember posting a pic of this water tower on our last trip but I couldn't resist another for this trip. And, no, it's not about to fall. It was built that way!





Since we had the highway to ourselves, I whipped out beside Stevan to snap this pic. As luck would have it, a car hauler on I-40 behind him happened to passed by, giving Stevan the perfect backdrop. Route 66 is the south service road on this section of highway.





Now it was Barbara's turn to take my picture on Route 66!

 

By now we all were feeling hunger pains and decided to shoot for Amarillo and grab something to eat at the Big Texan.



You can't go to the Big Texan and not order steak! And don't rag on me for not attempting that free 72 ounce one if eaten in an hour!



After getting our fill of good ol' red meat, we headed on west and whipped around to check out the Cadillac Ranch again. It's always cool. You can see the tailfins sticking up between the two wagons.



We got up close and personal with them.







I looked for the "THEM" that Stevan had painted on them last year knowing that it would have been covered up. I was right. It's long gone. This shot shows the layers of paint that are covering them.

 

While leaving the Big Texan earlier, we had met Bev & Doug who were headed to Viva also. After the folks at Viva had rejected Doug's early pickup project as not being traditional enough, Doug decided to hurry and finish his '62 Chevy that he'd been working on. So close was he to getting it ready that he didn't have enough time to make any shake down runs, thus the trailer.



After putting the Cadillacs in our rearview mirror, we put the hammer down for the next stop on Route 66 - Vega, TX. We had stopped here on our last trip but everything West of Amarillo on Route 66 was all new to Barbara. We didn't want her to miss anything.



Another cool inside the station view.



We remembered that on our last trip that they were restoring the old Roadrunner Cafe. You might remember that we took some pics during the restoration. Well, here's what it looks like today.





After leaving Vega, we set our sights on the next town on Route 66, Adrian, TX. Another visit to the Bent Door Cafe needed to be made!









Stevan had to relive those days when a coke could be had from these machines.



Another one of the scattered signs put up by the Ant Farm, known for their most famous work, the Cadillac Ranch.



The Mid-Point Cafe in Adrian was closed, so we were cheated out of having a piece of homemade pie, but we still had to shoot the wagons in front of the midway sign across the street from the cafe.







Here's Anne & I proudly standing halfway between Chicago and Los Angeles.



I remembered from last year when I posted pics of the "graffitti" pickup parked in front of the gas station next to the Mid-Point Cafe, someone on the HAMB asked if I took any shots of the grill as they had signed the grill. This year I made it a point to shoot some grill shots. To whoever asked about that, I hope you find where you signed it!







Just an idea of how many times this truck has been signed!

 

looks like good times. keep on wagon

 

Cool trip. I hope to travel RT66 from Chicago to LA one day, it is on my "bucket list"!

 

We didn't take the time to stop in Glenrio, TX., when we got word that TiredIronGRB was broke down in Tucumcari, N.M., with radiator problems in his Mercury. He was staying at the Blue Swallow Motel there.



Here George and Stevan are discussing what the options are to try to fix the radiator tomorrow.



After getting a game plan together to see what can be done about the radiator the next day over dinner that night, we called it a night while the cars sat quitely under a blanket of neon.



Before turning back the covers for a good night's rest, I checked on the cars one last time through my motel room door.

 

The next morning, Day 3 of the trip, while we were waiting for someone that the owner of the motel contacted that might know of a radiator that Tired Iron was needing, I roamed around and took a few pics around the motel. Here is Kevin, the motel owner's '54 Pontiac parked out in front of the motel.





Kevin, the motel owner, and Barbara are seen here discussing Kevin's vintage regrigerator that he keeps in the lobby to keep sodas cool.



Kevin can fix you up with some Route 66 sodas!




And, of course, I just HAD to sneak in some more pics of the wagons!





After a while, with hope in sight of getting Tired Iron's Merc back on the road, he insisted that we go on. He thought that he wouldn't be too far behind us. We went ahead and checked out of the motel and began another day of the trip.





Tired Iron's Mercury looked even better in the daylight! I love this car!





After leaving the motel, I spotted this mural up the street. This pretty much says it all about our trip!

 

After a quick dash to the K-Mart in town, we stopped in to see Mike at the Teepee Curios to pick up that latest Route 66 memento.



Then, from there, it was on to the Route 66 memorial on the west side of town.









A stop for breakfast at the Route 66 Cafe in Santa Rosa, N.M. yeilded a good hearty Tex Mex breakfast.



By the time that we go to Albuquerque, it had snowed. Luckily, we missed the actual event but not by much!







After hooking up with a friend who was in town of business at the Owl Cafe in Albuquerque, we made a tour down Central Ave. before getting back on the road and headed west. When we got to the Mesita exit off I-40 (Note: Route 66 lay underneath I-40 up to this point.) we took what I consider to be one of the prettiest stretches of Route 66. On the section of the mother road sits this landmark , the Owl Rock.





Further on Route 66, we pulled in front of the station known as Budville, N.M.



As you can tell, by the time this picture was taken of the '60 in front of this old Whiting Bros. sign west of San Fidel, N.M., it was getting dark.



Because we had already made plans to stay at the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, N.M., we got on I-40 and bypassed from Grants to Gallup, expecting to catch that part of Route 66 on the return trip. After all, we want Barbara to see it too! Once we got to Gallup, we checked in to the El Rancho Hotell and put an end to Day 3 of our adventure!

 

There seems to be a problem with the pictures. Hope you can repost at some time.

 

Bummer, the pix are gone. Love that route, have stayed at the Blue Swallow a few times. Sounds like a blast. Rock on! ~sololobo~

 

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas! Don't be that guy.

J/k. We're still going and having a ball.
Pics will get fixed........eventually.

 

We're still alive! We just got in to Wellington for Flat Top Bob's shindig. Looks like it'll be later in the week before I can catch up with my posting. Either the motel we have stayed at doesn't offer wifi or it's down. And, because of that, I can't renew my Photobucket account with new credit card info. Bare with me. We're having a blast!

 

You tease............LOL

 

Thanks for the update I was wondering about ya.

 

Stay tuned, I assure you Larry's pictures will be well worth the wait. He was only with us about two minutes during the car show, I'm betting most of the shots will be Pinup related.

 

I was hoping to get caught up on my posts about the trip today but I'm still waiting for Photobucket to get off their butt and renew my account. What's the use of posting links to pictures that you can't see?! This wasn't at all like I'd planned it! Stay tuned!

 

We are ready for your updates now

 

Larry good talking with you at the motel this morning. Hope yall dodged the rain with your wiperless cars on the way home. I know you will update us when you can.

 

Just spent the better part of my evening reading your last road trip. It was amazing! I eagerly await this years travel documentation. Thanks for sharing!

 

We made it fine, very little rain.
Did get a bit hot in the gridlock of Fort Worth.
thanks to Jason and Keisha from Tulsa for checking on us.

.....2 weeks on the road, I'm glad to be home.

 

Awesome guys, keep it going
Thanks for the ride
cheers Bryan

 

Great thread guys. Lovin it. Keep them pics coming, please.

 

HOLY CRAP! I saw you guys in Williams AZ.!

You pulled in and parked right next to me on the street, in front of the Route 66 store / cafe. I was in the rental car 2012 white Dodge Charger.

I saw the wagons and thought, how cool, taking a road trip.

I was out there with the family on vacation, and we were leaving from the Grand Canyon visit, heading to Holbrook to stay at the Wigwam Motel.

crazy small world.....

 

I had to go look thru my vacation photos....isn't that your wagon behind me?

 

That's it.

 

Before checking out of the Doris Day room at the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, N.M. . . .



. . . . . I went down to the lobby to snap a few more pictures of the place. It seems that the El Rancho is just on big photo op!















I later ventured over into the gift shop. Thought this display was interesting.



It seems Stevan had beat me downstairs and had already homesteaded the best seat in the place!



All that's missing is a good book and a huge stogie!



After packing all of our luggage back to the car, it was time to leave 'em the keys and check out.



Just as we were about to leave, we learned that George (TiredIronGRB), and his wife Tammy, were not far from Gallup, so we decided to wait up for them so that we could all run together. After high fiving George on getting his radiator woes behing him, we were ready once again to make tracks for Viva.









It wasn't long before we crossed into Arizona.

 

Our first stop once crossing into Arizona was the iconic Wigwam Motel in Holbrook. We all had to pull up to a unit for a photo op!









Then it was off to do a little exploring of the place since it hadn't opened yet for the day. Of course, that meant snapping a few more pictures.







I'm thinking Stevan's intentions here aren't honorable!



Our next stop on Route 66 was in Joseph City, AZ., where another visit to Ella's Frontier was in order.











I guess Ella knew she wouldn't be needing these anymore.



I played around with a little "window framing".

 

After leaving Joseph City, we made tracks for the Jackrabbit Trading Post. There's an unwritten law that says a stop here is always a must!





Once you step inside the Jackrabbit Tradding Post, you'll be greeted by all kinds of souvenirs.





A visit to the Jackrabbit's "mini" museum yielded even more photo ops.







One of the souvenirs that Stevan aquired was a Jackrabbit plate for the front of the '59.



This might have been a typical scene from back in the heyday of Route 66!