Whew! I've put some miles behind me today! And the weather wasn't the best, either. It rained for nearly the entire day. It was mainly a drizzle, but there were three serious downpours I drove through. It brought traffic on I-40 down to 45 mph each time.
I didn't take too many pictures today. The darkness of the day and the wet roads made it risky to drive with one hand while taking pictures with the other. Water drops on the windshield and windows play havoc with the autofocus, too.
Before leaving Amarillo I stopped at a Target to pick up some extra things: Peanut M&M's, batteries, a new CD, some Red Bull, a washcloth and a small ice chest. I wasn't taking any chances of falling asleep at the wheel. The washcloth soaked in ice water is a trick Dad taught me to keep you awake. If you start to get drowsy, just wipe it across your face and neck and you're awake in no time. I've never had Red Bull. Frankly, it doesn't taste or work that good. I think I'll stick with Mountain Dew for my caffeine fix.
Just west of Groom, TX on I-40 is a giant cross. It is billed as 'the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere and a spiritual experience you will never forget.' I'm not so sure that a giant cross on the side of the highway really counts as a spiritual experience, but I guess I'll remember that there's a huge cross near Groom, Texas for the rest of my life. I guess if you were looking for a sign and were driving through Groom it could be called a spiritual experience. But who am I to question what God can use to get people's attention. If He can use a talking donkey or a bush that burns but isn't consumed, He can use a gigantic cross. Now that I think about it, I'm sure it has helped someone. And that alone is reason enough to have it. It would make a unique testimony.
"I met Christ last summer at a 'Shane and Shane' concert a friend's church had. What about you?"
"Me? I was driving through Texas about two years ago and saw this huge cross on the side of the road outside of Groom. It kinda spoke to me so I stopped at the church nearby and asked about it."
It would definitely be an interesting testimony.
Oh, yeah. There is a leaning water tower to the east of Groom, too. The picture's fuzzy because of that water and autofocus problem I told you about. And because I was in a hurry, trying to take the picture before I passed the tower.
In Elk City I stopped at the National Route 66 Museum for a quick look-see. The museum is a walk through the history of Route 66 and the states the old road runs through.
The museum was pretty neat, and they have a piece of the original road there, too.
After the museum I hit the road again. Oklahoma has a couple of interesting towns if you're a country music or sports fan. Yukon is Garth Brooks' home and Henryetta is Troy Aikman's home. I had lunch at a Taco Bueno off Garth Brooks Boulevard in Yukon. Sorry, no lunch with Garth, just lunch by the street named after him. I wonder if having a street named after you changes your outlook on life.
After lunch I hit the road again and bid farewell to Route 66 as I passed through Oklahoma City. The old road turns north and runs through Tulsa before connecting through Kansas, Missouri and the Mother Road's starting point in Chicago, Illinois.
That's right, I was driving it 'backward.' Nostalgically, the road was traveled east to west by those looking for a better life in the Great Depression or looking for entertainment or escape. You only went back east if you were a trucker carrying a load, you couldn't find what you were looking for, or the law had given up on finding you or you were being chased back in that direction. The latter usually applied to gangsters. And all documentation on Route 66 goes from Chicago to LA, the way it is driven in nearly every story. The most famous of which has to be John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath.
After Oklahoma City I made a hard drive for Memphis, stopping in Arkansas only for gas and to use the bathroom. What a hard drive that was! I've put three states behind me today, and tomorrow I look to do the same with Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.
Miles since rental: 2448.2