Event Coverage Road to Rumble! D/FW to RRR on Rt. 66 Road Trip!

Update. When leaving Carthage, MO. yesterday and with the wagon running rough again, I called Ryno here on the HAMB who had called the night before offereding his assistance. It was time to take him up on it. Seems, as luck would have it, he was in Carthage at the time at the Wal-Mart so it was easy to hook up with him. I followed him back to Joplin to his shop where we could maybe figure out what was going on. In the mean time, Ryno had called his friend Mike, who was the "Ford man" in his circle of friends, to meet us at his shop. Within minutes after we got to Ryno's shop, Mike, and his friend Ralph showed up. I think Ralph was there just for moral support. Mike pointed out a couple of things that needed attention but that they wouldn't really affect how I claimed that the car was running. We then jumped in the car for a test drive. Wouldn't you know it but the wagon cleaned up her act for Mike. I asked him if he could drive me to Indy since the wagon ran good for him but not for me! You could tell the thought appealed to him but he had to decline. Mike considered maybe the problem was too low of gas pressure to the carb with the new fuel pump, so Ryno threw a spare fuel pressure guage on it with the instructions to check the pressure the next time the wagon started acting up. After that was done, thank yous were exchanged and I was once again back on Route 66.
Not too long after leaving Ryno's place, it started started running rough again. This time it felt like I had a plug not firing. When I got back to Carthage I whipped in a Napa store and bought a cheap set of plug wires just to see if that made a difference. It didn't really. So, I trudged on, still playing on the Route, with the plan that once I got to Springfield, MO. I'd just find me a shop and let them do a diag on it. And that's where I stand now. They still have the wagon. Last report is they found two fouled out plugs but the parts store sent the wrong set of plug wires. Once those are on, then we'll see where I stand. But, unfortunitely, at this point, it looks like I am going to have to scratch my plans to make the Rumble. I was hoping to have been there on Thursday and here the main show is Saturday and I'm still a good day away without a car. But, on the bright side, I was able to spend the night at the Rail Haven Motel last night which is a historical Route 66 icon in itself. So, it's all good. I'm not down in the dumps yet! Besides, this down time has allowed me to upload pics of the trip that I took on day two. Actually, I can claim that each day of the trip has introduced me to a new angel whether it be Phillip in Tulsa who volunteered to meet me at the motel late at night to drop the gas tank to look for trash, to Marvin the wrecker driver in Galena who went out of his way to get me and the wagon to a motel, to Mitch who I met at Auto Zone in Joplin who came and picked up the stranded wagon & me and helped to determine it was the fuel pump going bad, to Ryno & Mike yesterday to tried to firgure out what the problem was in order to make things smoother for me, to Curtis at Daytona's Automotive here in Springfield who offered to lock up the wagon in his shop so they could start on it first thing this morning and then ran me down the street to the motel, baggage and all. Talk about feeling blessed, I do!

 

Believe it or not, I just got back from seeing your wagon in the shop and admiring it. I didn't know it was from h.a.m.b. until I got back home and saw your post. It looks great. Curtis iis a good guy who should do right by you. I enjoy your postings of your road trips. Good luck and hope you get back on the road soon!

 

I was watching for you at the Rumble today. Hoping to see you pull in.

 

Y-block? Man, I've walked a mile in your shoes Same deal with my 60. Two sets later(and 3 trips to the parts store)---all too short-- I ended up asking for a set of wires for a 500 Caddy.
Hope you got back on the road. I really enjoy your pics and prose

 

Update. Well, the shop called and said the wagon was ready this afternoon. They put in a new set of plugs and a set of Accel wires along with a new vaccuum advance which Mike @ Ryno's shop had already determined that it needed. But, when I got in the wagon after paying for the  work to drive off, I could tell that it still wasn't running right. It still wouldn't idle under load. The mechanic who worked on the wagon confirmed that the timing was dead on, so after attempting to set the idle up and not having any luck, he went to drive it back into one of the bays of the shop. Now get this. While pulling the wagon from the front of the shop back around to the rear of the shop to check the idle issue, a rod started knocking! Yep! must have spun a bearing or something. The real problem finally revealed itself! I know it wasn't knocking when we were out front trying to set the idle up but it dang sure was when he drove it to the back of the shop. We decided that best solution was to order a long block 351W which, due to this being Friday afternoon, it will be Monday before they can have one delivered. By the time head work was done to salvage the engine that I have, I'd be better off just getting a long block. Which means I get to spend a few more days in Springfield. Beats being stranded out in the middle of BFE or somewhere along Route 66 away from anything! Hate missing the Rumble though. I hope someone will post their pix of the event because I sure won't have any of my own!

 

damn,that sucks.sorry to hear your misfortune.....f'n cars

 

After leaving the motel in Tulsa Tuesday morning, one of the first things that I saw on the Route was the Rose Bowl. It's good to see it still standing after a fire just a few years ago.



Then, just a little further east of Tulsa is Catoosa with it's famous Blue Whale. It was built in the early seventies with the intention of Route 66 travelers and locals takingo dive from in the pond. It closed later due to insurance restrictions and the fact that backyard pools had become so common.



Everything was recently restored back to it's original glamor including these nautical picnic tables.



A shot of the upper deck inside the whale. Swimming isn't allowed in the pond anymore but catch & release fishing is.



This plaque on the same property as the Blue Whale marks the Old mail Route. Here, I'll let you read for yourself!



Just a little east of the Blue Whale are these twin bridges crossing the Verdigris River.



While cruising through Claremore, I spotted this '40 Ford sedan.

 

While the current alignment bypasses Foyil, Ok., the original portland cement alignment took travelers into this little community. A statue in the park honors resident Andy Payne, who in 1928, won the Bunion Derby, a transcontinental foot race from L.A. to N.Y.C. Andy covered the 3421.5 mile journey in 588 hours (84 days), 40 minutes & 13 seconds at an average 5.8 m.p.h. to win the $25,000 prize money which he used to pay off the family farm.



Of the 199 runners who started the race, 3/4 of them dropped out.



In a curve of Route 66 in Chelsea, Ok sits the old Chelsea Motel.





This old sign once lured in many a traveler off the Route who were looking for a place to call it a night. Ironically, it still lures in travelers off the Route who are only looking to take a picture.



Apparently "showers" appealed to travelers back in the day. Later to be replaced by such draws as phones, t.v.s and pools.



The bright glow of the sign's now broken tubes is lost to the past, much like a lot of the history of the Mother Road.



In my previous trips on Route 66, I somehow overlooked the old Pryor Creek bridge which marks the original alignment through Chelsea. Built in 1926 to handle Route 66 traffic from when the highway was first commissioned until 1932 when it was bypassed, the Pryor Creek bridge is the only surviving example in the entire state of this type of bridge construction.



It's 19' width undoubtly played a role in it being bypassed in 1932 by a newer alignment. The original 1932 pony truss bridge on the current alignment still carries traffic over Pryor Creek.



I spotted this old ghost sign in White Oak, OK. on what was obviously an old gas station as it still had an old concrete pump island out front.



Also in town was this lineup of vintage iron for sell.

 

Love to see adventure stories especially on the way to car events.

Your wagon looks great.

Thank you for postng.

 

Entering Vinita, OK. I saw an old station with these two shoebox Fords parked under the awning along with some not HAMB friendly iron. Couldn't let a good photo op pass me by!







The windows of the station and the building next door offered some good shots as well.







Always on the lookout for old theaters, in downtown Vinita sat the still in use Center Theater.





About this time I was really getting hungry so I stopped in and ate at the Clantons Cafe in town.





Where I had some of the best grilled pork chops I've ever eaten!

 

In between Vinita and Afton, OK. is what is known as Dead Man's Curve. (Do you hear Jan & Dean singing right about now?) Seriously, that's what the locals called it. Back in the day here was a 90 degree curve in the road and a lot of motorist missed the curve. Also in the intersection there used to be a rest area with concrete tables. Nothing remains of the rest area now. And the curve has long ago been rounded off, eliminating the old 90 degree curve. This old gas station now sits in the newer curve.



Having once supplied motorist with whatever it took to get up the road, the old shelves now sit empty.



Entering Afton, Ok. I came upon this old camper made from what appeared to be the front half of an old Cadallic hearse.



One the west side of town sits the old Avon Motel.



Only three units remain.





While once the rest haven for weary travelers of the Route, now only old tires and vines bring out the "No Vacancy" sign.

 

Ah, Afton Station! One of my favorite stops along the Route. Originally built in the thirties as a DX station, it has since been restored by David & Laurel Kane to house David's collection of vintage Packards and Laurel's post card collection.







Ironically, the first car on display in Afton Station is a DeSoto.



While the showroom doesn't just house Packards, there's plenty to see!



Uh, a Packard sign next to a Ford?!



I was diggin' this roadster pickup though.



But the Packards were there!









The older Packards are housed in a new building in back.















The most unique vehicle on display is this old 1917 Packard motorhome!

 

Here's the sign describing the Packard motorhome.



There was more to see than cars at Afton Station like this collection of old oil cans.



And this cool miniature gas station of Laurel's.



This sign on display in Afton Station's front window tells it like it is!

 

Across the street from Afton Station is the old Palmer Hotel.



Due to the highway being bypassed through Afton, no one has any need to check in at the Palmer today.



The hotel's lonely sidewalk out front now mirrors the harshness of progress.

 

Just east of the Afton station on the north side of the road is the old Rest Haven Motel. Apparently the sign got the wrong end of the deal in an accident.



Like most of the older motels, it's been converted to cheap housing, which is usually the final leg of a motel's demise.



One of the most unique sections of Route 66 lay in between Afton & Miami, OK. (If you want to sound like someone not from around these parts, then pronounce Miami like the city in Florida. The locals pronounce it "My-am-ah".) Known as the "Sidewalk Highway", this section of Route 66 is only nine feet wide.



Due to a lack of funds to pave a full highway from Afton to Miami, the state was faced with only two solutions; only pave it half way to Miami or only pave half of it all the way to Miami. They chose the latter. This section as long ago been bypassed.



When you encountered another car on this section, you scooted off the pavement onto the gravel until they passed and then got back on the pavement! Those Okies were ingenious, weren't they!

 

On the east end of Afton sits this old bridge. It is unique in that it has provisions for foot traffic on both sides of the bridge. The problem there is that there is no sidewalk on either side of the bridge or would there have been much reason for that volume of pedestrians. But, they allowed for it during construction anyway. The only other bridge like it is up the road in Vinita.



Just east of the Afton station on the north side of the road is the old Rest Haven Motel. Apparently the sign got the wrong end of the deal in an accident.



Like most of the older motels anymore, they've been converted to cheap housing which is usually the final leg of their demise.



One of the most unique sections of Route 66 lay in between Afton & Miami, OK. (If you want to sound like someone not from around these parts, then pronounce Miami like the city in Florida. The locals pronounce it "My-am-ah".) Known as the "Sidewalk Highway", this section of Route 66 is only nine feet wide.



Due to a lack of funds to pave a full highway from Afton to Miami, the state was faced with only two solutions; only pave it half way to Miami or only pave half of it all the way to Miami. They chose the latter.



When you encountered another car on this section, you scooted off the pavement onto the gravel until they passed and then got back on the pavement! Those Okies were ingenious, weren't they!

 

Great thread! Sorry the problem was the motor, but at least you found the problem. Car looks great.

 

I am taking a ton of pics for your brother........wish you could have made it is a freakin blast........ Even the strollers are bad ass here

 

Toptin,
I feel for YA !! Years from now you can say you had an authentic trip on 66. Just think of it as having to face the same hardships the original travelers faced.
Something to tell the grandkids. Good luck and thanks for the experiance.

 

All the bad luck sucks.....but cool idea and pictures!!!!

 

While still enjoying day two of the trip, when I dropped over the overpass on the outskirts of Miami, OK. I saw this "field of dreams".





Now here's a cab idea!



There are two alingments coming in to Miami from the west. By coming in on the old "Sidewalk Highway" section in the early days of the Route, motorist encountered this old station.



While I didn't get to tour the Coleman Theater on this trip, I can attest that it's beautiful inside.

 

After traveling through Miami and North Miami, there's Commerce, OK., home of Mickey Mantle. By taking the old alignment through town, one is greeted by this old gas station.





Check out these old Wayne ramps!





Would have this been the scene in the days of Grandpa?









I want this canned ham trailer!

 

Man, really hate that you had some mechanical woes but really appreciate your attitude under adversity. Just making lemonade eh? Alot of us Indy guys were looking for you at the Rumble today until word got around about the car. Good luck and safe travel to you on the turn around and thanks for all the great pics and stories.

 

Across from the restored station in Commerce, is the Dairy King drive in. The owner and her husband (Sorry but I forgot to ask her for her name.) bought the place nearly forty years ago.



The Dairy King (not to be confused with Dairy Queen!) was originally built in the early twenties as a gas station. Here the chief, cook & bottle washer holds a picture of the place when it was a station.



The gas pump island from the old station can be seen in the parking lot of this shot.



I was fortunate enough to catch them open and treated myself to a vanilla shake. Her son is responsible for the red & white checker theme.



While there, local customer Bill Freeman came in for his usual ice cream in a cup. His routine is to eat half of it and then share the other half with his rescued Lab named Bogart.



In Quapaw, OK. I assume the gearheads eat at Hemi's Cafe.



Next stop? Kansas!

 

This old station used to service Route 66 travelers in Baxter Springs, KS. Originally built in 1930 by the Independent Oil & Gas Company, it was bought out by Phillips 66 that same year. It was modified into the L-shapped building in the forties.





It now houses the visitors center.



After missing my turn and in the process of correcting my mistake, I happened across this wagon parked in front of the owners shop. The owner was busy and didn't stop to talk but did offered that it had the standard cookie cutter Chevy 350.





When I later got headed back in the right direction, I came across where an old DX station sat. It's funny that all that remains now is the sign and the slab.

 

A few miles north of Baxter Springs is the Rainbow Arch bridge.



It was originally built in 1923 and is the only remaining marsh arch bridge left like this on the Route.



Oh, come on! You knew the wagon was gonna sneak in here somehow!



Aproaching the bridge, the pavement is branded with the Route 66 shield.



Though bypassed with a newer bridge just to the east, you can still drive over this old piece of Route 66 history! (Click on picture to play video.)

 

Thankyou so much for the excellent photographic history etc of the world famous Route 66. I too am sorry for your engine problems but admire your attitude of just getting on with it. I have appreciated your ongoing threads of your travels and look forward to following more.

 

I am uploading 227 pics from the show today for you I will pm you a link in the am

 

Riverton, KS. is known as the home of the Eisler's Bros. store.





This Route 66 icon was recently bought by Scott Nelson who has run the store for years for the Eisler's. It's now known as Nelson's Old Riverton Store. A separate room houses their Route 66 souvenirs.





Think of this store as more of a general store filled with lots of relics.





You can even buy your own pink flamingos!



Or just admire theirs!

 

Heading east from Riverton, the next stop on Route 66 was Galena, KS.





Entering Galena, the first thing of interest is this old Katy depot that has been moved to this site and is now used as a museum.



The Galena Mining & Historical Museum is dedicated to the mining history in the area.





On a side street in the downtown area, I spotted this old bus which I thought was cool.