While I'm thinking about it, I need to back up a few days and write something so I won't forget it.
The Zuni bake a traditional bread in a dome-shaped mud or clay oven. I saw many of these around their pueblo. They build a fire in it, let it get hot, sweep the fire out, put the bread in, and close it up.
Last night, before checking into the motel, I drove through downtown Miami. They've converted Main Street into a snaking two lane road, with new trees and parking spaces on one side or the other. It looked nice.
Just north of town I saw a nice neon sign for a restaurant. It said
Waylan's
HAMBURGERS
The Ku-Ku
There was a bird wearing a chef's hat on the top, and what I determined, after a bit of study, must be a cuckoo clock.
This morning I got a better look at the building in daylight, and it had a cuckoo clock on the front with the same bird sticking out.
Just north of Miami I visited Commerce, Oklahoma, hometown of Mickey Mantle. The town has shown their love of the Commerce Comet in a unique way: 66 is Mickey Mantle Boulevard through town.
Although Kansas had only a tiny piece of Route 66, they provide the best markers for it I've seen. They've even got the shields painted on the asphalt in places.
I've visited many small museums over the past few years, but the Galena Museum in Galena, Kansas, may be my favorite.
The museum is in a relocated railroad depot with a large additional room added to the back. I was greeted at the door by the caretaker. I wrote down his name, but I can't find it. His last name was Miller.
Mr. Miller welcomed me to the museum and asked if I'd like him to show me around. He walked me around the museum, pointing out and describing things as we came to them. Sometimes he forgot a word, and sometimes he showed me something twice, but it didn't matter.
The museum is like many of the small private ones I've seen: it is just a lot of stuff people have collected. It seemed as if everyone in town had collected something and donated it.
The museum had a razor blade sharpener, a cigarette lighter collection, several kerosene-powered appliances (including a refrigerator), two old television cameras, several paintings, a hearse, antique dentistry tools, and lots more. One of my favorite pieces was a turn of the century price fixing letter signed by all the barbers in town.
Galena was a big mining town (it was named after a kind of lead, which in turn got its name from a town in Illinois), so one entire room is dedicated to ore, mining tools, and models of mining facilities. The ore along one wall was labeled. Along the other wall it wasn't, since nobody was sure what they were. There were also many other rocks on display, including geodes and fools gold.
In the large back room, along with most of the other things, were many group photographs. There were class photos from many years ago, some with matching fifty year reunion photos. The best pictures were those of groups from before the turn of the century. These were very wide panoramic pictures made by a camera that slowly panned from one side of the group to the other. In several of them one or more smartasses had run from one side to the other, so they appeared on both ends of the group.
When I asked Mr. Miller's name, explaining that I was taking notes so I could write about this later, he misunderstood. I picked up several postcards and asked him for the total. He said that if I was going to put the museum in my book, then I could have the cards for free. I decided not to try to explain, but I did insist on paying.
I had been listening to Car Talk on the radio again, and Whad'Ya Know started. It was being broadcast live from Tulsa.
There was a Ko Ko Motel in Joplin. Was this a trend?
The town immediately after Joplin was Duquesne. This was at least the second town with this name I'd seen in the past week. The other was one of the missing ghost towns.
When I got to U.S. 71 I met a segment of 66 that I'd already driven. This conveniently let me detour south to the Precious Moments Chapel.
I'd taken enough pictures of this amazing place on my previous visit, so I left my camera in the car and took a notepad and pen.
Our guide this time was an adult male, not a teenaged female like the first time, and he was polished and professional. His rising, falling, and lingering delivery reminded me a lot of a television preacher, although the moment of prayer was missing from the end of this tour.
I took lots of notes and will ramble on about the place some other time.
After the chapel I hopped on I-44 to Springfield. The Branson billboards started here (although they could have already been on the interstate where I'd skipped it). I also saw several Ozark hillbilly-styled gift shops, like Ozarkland and Ozark Village.
To pass Springfield I briefly left the interstate. Along the way I passed a pen containing llamas and saw several grazing zebras.
About ten minutes south of Springfield is Lambert's Cafe, Home of the Throwed Rolls. I picked up a bunch of Branson brochures to read over lunch. Upon seeing them, the woman next to me in line started telling me about how wonderful all the shows were, in detail. Finally I was rescued by the host, who seated her.
According to the Silver Dollar City brochure, Shirley Jones was appearing there today. It was about 2:30 when I discovered this, and her last show of the day was at 3:00. I decided against it, although Ihad been thinking about her as I drove through Oklahoma.
This Lambert's is a branch of the one in Sikeston. Bring cash or check, but don't bring your American Express Card, or any card for that matter, since they don't take plastic. The seating areas are huge, and the walls are completely covered with old signs.
Entrees all run about $10 to $15 and come with your choice of two or three vegetables. In addition, staff members are walking around offering hot rolls (thrown from wherever the roll boy happens to be), sliced potatoes, fried okra, macaroni and tomatoes, black eyed peas, and molasses for the rolls. They don't throw the other items, they just dump them in your huge skillet or on a paper towel.
From Lambert's I drove back to Springfield, then left the expressway at 66. Before long I passed Exotic Animal Paradise. This looks huge and healthy and is visible from I-44. I wonder how long it has been there. The road past paradise was thick with weathered empty billboard frames.
Then the road swept away from the interstate and off on its own.
Many private residences through this stretch have Route 66 shields on display. Most seemed to be similar commemorative shields, but I saw at least one that looked real. Some were mounted on posts, some were hanging from mailboxes, some werenailed to trees, and some were on the sides of houses. I don't know if they did this independently, each buying the signs, or if it was organized by the states Route 66 Association.
There were several great old motels in Lebanon, especially on the east side. A mile or so east of Lebanon I passed the remains of the Satellite Cafe, now a private residence. What made me stop was a rocket/flag pole by the street, completely rusted, with lettering on the side barely visible as different shades of rust.
There were people in the yard when I pulled up, and they stopped to stair at me. I got out and explained that I was trying to make out what was written on the missile. The daughter (I guess) told me it said "SPACE". I took a few pictures, then briefly discussed with the mother that it looked as if her prickly pear would be blooming soon.
A few miles east of the Satellite Cafe I ran out of road and had to backtrack to the previous interchange, where I got on I-44. I stayed on it for a while, then got off in time to backtrack west just a little to visit John's Modern Cabins.
John's Modern Cabins have been abandoned for a while. There are two white "modern" ones, along with about four log cabins. The windows have been broken and the contents thrown around, but some still have beds, chairs, and refrigerators in them.
My legs got scratched up a little hiking around the cabins. I went in a couple, but carefully, since the floors didn't look too sturdy, and I didn't want to startle any animals that may be living there. I flushed out two birds, but that was it.
The University of Missouri, Rolla Campus, has a half-scale Stonehenge replica right off 66. The adjacent parking lot is permit only, but two spaces are labeled "Stonehenge Parking Only" for visitors. There are plaques describing the construction and function of this Stonehenge and a chart showing sunrise and sunset times. The lighting was bad, behind, low, and to the side, but I took pictures, anyway.
In Bourbon I left 66 and got back on I-44, since this was the southwestern end of my trip last summer. I passed Meramec Caverns and realized I was about 360 miles from home.
West of St. Louis I again left the interstate for 66, even though I'd already driven this part. I spotted the apartment complex that replaced the Famous Route 66 Landmark Coral Courts Motel.
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Stand is one of the most famous of the Famous etc. It was about 7:45 when I arrived, and the parking lot was packed, and dozens of people were standing around in front of the windows. In spite of this, I had no problem walking right up and placing my dinner order (a large concrete). Frozen custard is a lot like soft serve ice cream.
I had intended to stop in East St. Louis, Illinois, for the night, but there was no room at the inn. Instead I called ahead for reservations and pushed ahead to Springfield.
The Cozy Dog Restaurant (a Cozy Dog is a corn dog) will be closed today, but I will still drive past it. I am about 200 miles from home now. I may or may not drive 66 to Bloomington-Normal, since I've driven this stretch several times. I should be home by early afternoon, no matter which way I go.