2023 EB Day 12 - Three States in One… day

It started in Oklahoma, breakfast in Stroud at Rubies...

..and then out onto a  (insert American accent here) real nice piece of the road to chase down the miles.

Depew is isolated, even a little derelict but still a place people call home.

We've dodged tortoise and armadillos since driving across Oklahoma... and now snakes.

An old dirt alignment took us off the black top...

before swinging through Sapulpa...

...and on to the Blue Whale at Catoosa.

Yes, that's a whale of a slippery dip but kids won't be sliding into that green water anytime soon!

Sone of the day's two lane 66 doubles with the historic section.

In Chelsea we see a two story house ordered from the Sears catalogue in 1912 for less than $2,000 including delivery from Chicago by train!

The Chelsea Motel will likely have plenty of vacancies these days but once was the place to stay on the road trip west.

Pony Truss bridges also feature, the Pryor still able to be crossed and set eloquently amongst the trees.

Another artist today, this one travelling for 59 miles to meet our group in Vinitia.

Ron Jones has made his life on and about the road... and he proudly showed his audience all the highlights of their trip so far, scattered over various parts of his body.

Rest Haven Motel in Afton is another that's seen better days...

but tracking down one of the earliest single lane, concrete bordered alignments was special.

Lunch in Miami prepared us for Dean 'crazy legs' down the road in Baxter Springs.

This is the man who inspired the 'carts' producers to have Tow Mater drive backwards.

Kansas might only have 8 miles of the 2400 but it packs a punch.

There's one of only three remaining Rainbow bridges that carried the main road traffic in the day and now is set aside for photo ops.

In Galena, Doc's Hudson sits quietly outside a garage...

and around the corner at Cars on the Road we find Melba.

She's come in and opened up especially to tell us about Tow Tator, the boom truck that inspired Tow Mator in the movie

Luigi is also nearby...

Ok then, it's a pretend corvette we're standing beside in Joplin, Missouri but it's a great illustration of how far we've come to this point!

Boots Court in Carthage makes the day.

Under new ownership, we are privileged to be staying in one of the rooms Clark Gable slept in back in the 1940s.

This motel is a beacon of the old road by night and a shining example of what can be accomplished through careful renovations.

There's also the R66 Drive In where we catch a flick and are reunited with owner Nathan and Alvin from the Jasper Sheriffs Dept. Another successful day concluded.