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How Route 66 Brought Us Together
Our story actually began because of the Mother Road. Years before we met, both of us had independently fallen in love with the history, nostalgia, and adventure of Route 66. Through the Route 66 community and a mutual friend, our paths eventually crossed, leading to a first date on the Mother Road in Illinois. That shared passion ultimately brought us together and led to our 2002 honeymoon along the very highway that started it all. Pat’s Route 66 Journey In the early 1990s, Pat was living in Indianapolis, Indiana when he came across an article about Route 66 in the Indianapolis Star. The story sparked his fascination with the…
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June 13-21, 2020: South Dakota
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I’ve Been Everywhere…well, not yet, but working on it!
Of course, I haven’t been everywhere, and it would be impossible to literally go everywhere in your lifetime. But let’s narrow “everywhere” down to those places listed in the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” I love that song, and it’s fun to play on road trips! “I’ve Been Everywhere” was originally written by Geoff Mack about Australian towns, and was later adapted by him for release in North America, by changing the locations to those in the United States and Canada, with some exceptions in Central and South America (Tocopilla, Chile; Costa Rica; Argentina; Barranquilla and Padilla, Colombia; Salvador and Diamantina, Brazil). As I listened to the song this…
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A Trip to Tulip Trestle
Indiana is full of many hidden treasure from the shores of Lake Michigan to the banks of the Ohio River. One of them is a little known train trestle in southern Indiana, southwest of Bloomington in Greene County. But “little” is the last word that should describe the Greene County Viaduct, affectionately known as “Tulip Trestle”. I first heard about Tulip Trestle some 15 years ago when a car club I was in made a trip to view the 2295 foot long structure. Tulip Trestle was completed in 1906 at a cost of $246,000, or over $6 million in today’s dollars. It was built by the New York Bridge Company using mainly…
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January 17, 2016: Jingle Rails Exhibit at Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
Various photos taken at the Jingle Rails Exhibit in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jingle Rails is a display of various locations, primarily of the West, but also a few local, including downtown Indianapolis and the Indiana State Fair. New this year is a tribute to the Las Vegas Strip. Others include national parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, etc. Exhibits are made of natural materials, such as twigs, moss, and nuts. [FAGP id=2891]
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October 9-11, 2015: Prophetstown State Park
Knowing October is going to be a busy month, we decided to head out for a RVing weekend. We weren’t sure which park we wanted to go to, so Pat had the Indiana State Parks website open to their reservations page, showing all available campsites, periodically refreshing it. Two sites came up that were not previously available, so they were probably reserved and canceled. Both sites were at Prophetstown State Park in Battle Ground, near West Lafayette. The park is primarily on flat prairie land, which is being restored and landscaped to include native prairie plantings. It has a very different feel than the parks in southern Indiana, which have…
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Route 66 with Our Grandson – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Joplin, Missouri: September 18, 2015
On the morning of September 18, it was time to leave Twin Fountains RV Resort in Oklahoma City. I really can’t say enough good things about this place. The grounds were beautiful, the facilities were excellent, and the staff were wonderful. It’s definitely the kind of campground you remember and want to return to. We look forward to heading back there sooner rather than later. After packing up, we continued east along Route 66. Visiting Jerry McClanahan in Chandler Our first stop was in Chandler, Oklahoma at the gallery of Jerry McClanahan. Jerry is a well-known Route 66 author, artist, and historian who has spent years documenting the many alignments…
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Route 66 with Our Grandson – Amarillo, Texas to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: September 17, 2015
We left the Oasis RV Park in Amarillo this morning to begin the return leg of our journey home. As we were packing up, Jameson wanted to spend a little more time enjoying the playground at the campground. While he played, the truck doors had been left open while we loaded gear. Unfortunately, that turned out to be an invitation for a swarm of Texas flies to move into the cab. When Jameson climbed back into the truck, he was immediately surrounded by buzzing intruders and quickly became very upset, loudly declaring: “I hate Texas flies!” We opened the windows and spent a few minutes shooing them out until the…
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Route 66 with Our Grandson – Amarillo to Tucumcari: September 16, 2015
After finishing our visit at the Jack Sisemore RV Museum, we headed west from Amarillo along historic Route 66 toward Tucumcari, New Mexico. Our first stop was the Midpoint Café in Adrian, Texas, where we enjoyed a simple Route 66 lunch of burgers and fries. Adrian is home to the Midpoint of Route 66, marking the exact halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles. Of course, we had to stop for photos at the famous Midpoint of Route 66 sign. Next door we visited the Sunflower Station, owned by Fran Houser, who previously owned the Midpoint Café for many years. It was a nice stop to browse souvenirs and chat…
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Route 66 with Our Grandson – Jack Sisemore RV Museum (Amarillo, Texas): September 16, 2015
We started our day in Amarillo with a visit to the Jack Sisemore RV Museum, and it turned out to be a fantastic stop. One of the highlights was seeing the famous Gornicke bus from the Robin Williams and Jeff Daniels movie RV. Anyone who has seen the film will instantly recognize it. The bus itself is a 1948 Flxible, and it was fun sitting behind the steering wheel just like Jeff Daniels did while driving it in the movie. The museum has an impressive collection of vintage RVs and camping memorabilia. Among the trailers on display were a 1941 Westcraft, 1936 Alma, 1955 Airstream, 1953 Fleetwood, 1975 Itasca, 1976…