Oklahoma City
Old Route 66 on the way to Oklahoma City
Craving some good espresso, Aidan and I did a bit of browsing and discovered Coffee Slingers in Oklahoma City had a pretty good online reputation, therefore making this our first stop when we arrived.
Coffee!
So that Aidan and I still have things to talk about even though we spend 24/7 together we do things such as critique places we visit. Coffee Slingers went something like this….
They were only running a Bolivian/Rawandan Blend, and although it was great to have espresso again it was the most sweet tasting espresso I have ever had. I would almost say you could describe it as sticky. (Is that the right word coffee gurus? I think I need to attend some cupping events to expand my knowledge and repertoire to better critique my coffee encounters!). Aidan and I were also slightly unsettled by the décor and use of space in the café. A good café needs cohesiveness. It needs ambiance. It needs functionality. After a rather detailed discussion about how we would change it, Aidan and I headed out with a strange sweetness lingering in our mouths to find an art museum.
We arrived at the doors and looked in amazement at the huge glass sculpture that hung down three or four stories, and then got all excited for the rest of the museum. That is until we read the sign on the door that said “Mondays – Closed”. Not happy!! We seem to keep striking out with places been closed on Mondays. While we were on Vancouver Island we desperately needed to get some internet access so we could call Tasweigia in relation to renting out our house and time was of the essence. Could we find one shop, café or library that was open? No. All closed on Mondays. Not happy with this closed on Mondays trend North America!!
Moving on from my rant, and from the closed Museum, Aidan and I headed to Bricktown – a reasonably newly renovated neighbourhood of cafes, bars and restaurants all located on a mile long stretch of canal. After some wandering and a spot of lunch we decided to hit the road and cover some miles, as the day was overcast and slightly cooler than previous days.
Bridge crossing over to Bricktown
There are some really great stretches of the old road in this area and it is really enjoyable to drive along, past rolling paddocks, old farmhouses with rocking chairs out the front and the typical farmer with blue overalls and white tee shirt mowing his lawn. It sounds clichéd because of all the movies that portray these types of scenes, but the great thing is that the movies are reflecting real life in middle America. I am loving this experience!
This one's for Kelly
Buzz trying not to break the old bridge
Elk City & Clinton
We knew that it was going to be a really hot day so we decided we deserved a break from driving and set up camp next to Elk City Lake. It was so nice to have a break from travelling for a whole day and we went for a couple of swims in the lake. The water actually wasn’t that cold, so not as refreshing as it could have been but it was a ton of fun all the same!
A much needed refreshment
Clinton was the next town on our route and we spent most of the day hanging out in a local park under the shady trees, reading and mucking around while we waited for it to cool down so we could drive. We did however also visit a Route 66 museum, which was actually quite informative and definitely gave us a new respect for how definitive Route 66 is in America’s history.
Jen stuck in an old school phone booth
Once the temperature had dropped slightly we jumped in the car for a couple of hours towards Oklahoma City, stopping off in El Reno for a quick bite to eat at Johnnie’s Grill, a Route 66 institution and great handmade burgers with tons of onion that tasted like we were at an Aussie bbq. Ahh bliss.
Texas – “How y’all doin’?”
“How y’all doin’?” That was the catch cry of nearly every Texan we met. We only skimmed along the top of Texas to stay true to the Route 66 path, but I would love to spend more time there as it is absolutely classic Midwestern America and has some rather interesting and diverse characters!
Our first stop in Texas was at a small town called Adrian aka “Midway Point”. We’ve made it halfway along Route 66! 1139 miles down, 1139 miles to go. We celebrated at the aptly named “Midpoint Café” with some chocolate pie but had to scoff it down as we had crossed a state line and it was now an hour later so the café was closing. Darn it!
We followed the mother road towards Amarillo, stopping just short at Cadillac Ranch to check out the Cadillacs sticking up out of the earth. It’s on private property but you can wander in and have a snoop at any time. The Cadillacs are also a popular spot for some graffiti work; there were probably eight or so people tagging just while we were there (yes, it is allowed). They are also used on occasion as backdrops for music videos, fashion shoots and the like. Have a squiz at some pics…
The Cadallics as they once were
The Cadillacs today
In Amarillo we spent the day on the Route 66 strip checking out the numerous and surprisingly huge antique stores while trying to keep out of the glaring 45 degree sun. I’m actually starting to acclimatise to the hot weather, but I’m not quite that acclimatised just yet! After a milkshake that paled in comparison to “the most awesome milkshake in the world”© (see Albuquerque post) – it really is very hard not to compare – we headed off to Elk City, Oklahoma.
The leaning water tower
Santa Rosa & Beyond
We have been trying to drive only in the early mornings and evenings as the temperatures are soaring where we are travelling at the moment. It is averaging 37 degrees, which in Buzz is more like 43 degrees in the middle of the day. It’s still hot in the evenings, but a bit more bearable!
This driving schedule meant that we arrived in Santa Rosa around sunset and we headed straight for a lake we had spotted on the map. It was SO refreshing to go wading in the lake after another sweltering day. It’s the small things in life hey?!
The next morning we headed on out along old Route 66 again, stopping along the way for some photo montaging action….
Albuquerque & Santa Fe
We rolled into Albuquerque (try spelling that without looking it up!) after a long and hot day of driving and spent the evening trying to cool down at a local park which for some reason didn’t have public washrooms or drinking fountains. It’s the middle of the desert people!! We found out later that there is a bit of a water crisis in New Mexico. Whatever the reason, we were thirsty and had to make do with a whisky instead. It’s a hard life we lead I know.
I’m going to diverge here to fill you in on an amazing food experience, or should I say, drink experience. While in Albuquerque we visited the aptly named Route 66 Diner and having done a little research, we knew that they were reported to have some pretty amazing shakes. What an understatement! It was the most awesome milkshake in the world. I am not kidding. I am spoiled forever for all other milkshakes. Nothing will ever compare to the richness, the creaminess, and the absolute awesomeness of this milkshake. I want to go back to Albuquerque just to have another. They also had awesome food. We shared a “Pile Up” which was a huge plate full of baked potatoes, bacon, cheese and eggs. Clogged arteries much?! Anyway, divergence over.
Diner complete with hopscotch
The next morning we awoke bright and early to another sweltering day and went for a wander through Old Town. Aidan and I have found a new obsession. Art. There is so much amazing art in New Mexico! Unfortunately our budget doesn’t stretch for new frivolous obsessions. We did however have some discussions with a couple of gallery owners about shipping two particular pieces that we fell absolutely in love with to Vancouver once the money starts flowing in again…its an investment ok?!!
After we went to pretty much every art gallery in Albuquerque; and trust me there are a lot of art galleries in Albuquerque; we headed towards Santa Fe with a stop in Madrid (pronounced MAD–RID) for some more culture. Madrid is a small town full of unique galleries, antique shops and one pub. We visited every shop. Including the pub 
Inside the Madrid pub
We arrived in Santa Fe as the sun was setting after our day of cultural endeavours and hopped on our bikes for a ride into Old Town (most cities seem to have an ‘Old Town’ neighbourhood which if you haven’t worked it out, is an area of original buildings and will generally now be full of restaurants, bars and our current favourite, galleries). We topped off the end to a great day with a bottle of red in a cute little alleyway bar that had lights twinkling all around. Perfect summer evening.
The streets of Santa Fe
Enjoying a wine at the Milagio
The next morning saw us back at Old Town ready to face another day of wandering through galleries. It’s a tough life I know. Santa Fe has one of the largest art cultures in the US, and this became quickly apparent as the more corners we turned the more galleries rose before us. Everything we saw was by far and away out of our price range, regardless of our job status, but we still loved discussing other people’s creative exploits and where we would hang them - In the apartment we don’t have - Bought with the money we don’t have. Oh well, its fun to dream!
Adobe buildings line the streets
Aidan got to see some of his photography heroes, including Cartier-Bresson, Annie Leibovitz, Elliot Erwitt, and Ansel Adams, which was pretty special. We tired long before the galleries ran out but we really enjoyed Santa Fe and would love to visit it again (with a cool $100,000 to spare – might then be able to get two or three pieces!).