Route 66 Day 13 Oct 21, 2019
Finally tied things up with Joplin and hit the road. I did make one stop on the way out of town, the Joplin History and Mineral Museum which is right on the state line. Unfortunately, it was closed on Mondays, so I took some shots of the outside and hit the road.
Kansas was right around the corner. Route 66 only covers a tiny corner of Kansas (13 miles) and I was able to do it all by mid afternoon. Met two interesting people in Kansas. The first one was at the Galena Mining & Historical Museum. She was very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about the museum. The museum isn't that large and not that busy and I was able to ask a million questions about the things in the museum and the history of the town. It was very fun. The second was a gentleman at a Baxter Springs Visitor Center. He was more socially awkward that I am, but also very enthusiastic about his topic of expertise and ask me a bunch of questions and then started handing me dozens of brochures and giving me advice. "Get gas in Needles, CA, its the last place in California it will be reasonable." In Kingsman, AZ eat at the bar, but pee in the gift shop." Honestly, some of the best practical advice I've had from anyone and I wish I was able to take notes, but he talked very fast and I remembered as much as I as I could.
After I exited Kansas, I was able to make some progress in Oklahoma. After a few hours of taking photos of old motels, historic bridges and landmarks, I started looking for a place to sleep. Options were limited as many of the Walmarts in the area aren't 24 hours or are listed on the No Park List (no overnight parking). I was in Chelsea OK when I ran out of sunlight and I had an option of going 20 backwards to a rest area or 20 hours forward to a Walmart. I ended up going forward and spent a nice comfy night in Claremore, OK.
Kansas was right around the corner. Route 66 only covers a tiny corner of Kansas (13 miles) and I was able to do it all by mid afternoon. Met two interesting people in Kansas. The first one was at the Galena Mining & Historical Museum. She was very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about the museum. The museum isn't that large and not that busy and I was able to ask a million questions about the things in the museum and the history of the town. It was very fun. The second was a gentleman at a Baxter Springs Visitor Center. He was more socially awkward that I am, but also very enthusiastic about his topic of expertise and ask me a bunch of questions and then started handing me dozens of brochures and giving me advice. "Get gas in Needles, CA, its the last place in California it will be reasonable." In Kingsman, AZ eat at the bar, but pee in the gift shop." Honestly, some of the best practical advice I've had from anyone and I wish I was able to take notes, but he talked very fast and I remembered as much as I as I could.
After I exited Kansas, I was able to make some progress in Oklahoma. After a few hours of taking photos of old motels, historic bridges and landmarks, I started looking for a place to sleep. Options were limited as many of the Walmarts in the area aren't 24 hours or are listed on the No Park List (no overnight parking). I was in Chelsea OK when I ran out of sunlight and I had an option of going 20 backwards to a rest area or 20 hours forward to a Walmart. I ended up going forward and spent a nice comfy night in Claremore, OK.
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