Gettin' My Kicks on Route 66

This past weekend my family made a trip down to Claremore, OK. Our son had a marching band competition in nearby Owasso, OK and since we really only had to help with some of the band stuff, and watch the performance, that left us with a lot of free time.

Long before the movie Cars, I have been fascinated with Route 66 and its attractions. I have a beautiful book called Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis who is the voice of the Sheriff in the movie and an expert on all things Route 66. He also helped the Pixar gang with their research.

Our hotel this weekend was right along Route 66 and that left me longing to go for a drive and see if we could find any of the kitschy Route 66 attractions. After consulting a travel guide and a map, I figured out that we were just a few miles from Catoosa, which is home to the fabled Blue Whale. My husband was up for the adventure, so we hopped into Ol' Blue and headed on down the highway.

Once we reached the little town of Catoosa, I began to watch carefully for any signs, just in case our destination was off the beaten path at all. To my delight, the Whale was right alongside the road, and I shouted gleefully when I first sighted it. I know my husband thought I was nuts, but I was so excited! We pulled into a little roadside park with a ramshackle building and a few concrete tables with whale-themed seats and looked around. The whale was huge! He looked to be fairly well-maintained, except for a few loose boards in the dock on which he rests.

There is no swimming (or swiming, if you read the sign) allowed, but at one time I could imagine this pond as being a very busy place. The whale has slides and a diving platform, as well as a sort of "attic" like room that one can climb up into. He sports a top hat, and a large cane fishing pole with a huge hook on the end keeps him forever in his place. From the smile he wears, it doesn't look like he minds too much.

After seeing the Whale up close, I was reminded of a scene in that old Pee Wee's Big Adventure movie, even though that was a different attraction, it still had that same silly feel about it. The whole experience really made my day, and was one of the highlights of the weekend. I didn't think we would be able to top it, but I was wrong.

Heading back up Route 66, and on through Claremore, we drove to the little town of Foyil which has remnants of the original Route 66 running through it. I got down in the roadway and actually took a few close up shots of the roadbed with its unique curbs. On the outskirts of Foyil is a small park-like setting that contains a dozen or so totem poles, one of which is purported to be the largest in the world! When we talked about going there, I really couldn't comprehend what the big deal was. First of all, why carve a huge totem pole, and second, who would want to see it? I was about to be surprised again.

The World's Largest Totem Pole is a unique piece of art which was carved by a folk artist named Ed Galloway. It is 90 feet tall, has a 54 foot base and you can walk right inside of it. There are carvings all over the outside, and paintings on the inside. Along with the huge totem pole are many other carvings, even a table and chair set with totem designs. On the property is a building which houses the gift shop and museum. This building is a work of art all its own, with carvings inside and out. It also contains dozens of fiddles, which represent the 300 fiddles carved by Mr. Galloway during his lifetime, each made of a different type of wood. There are also chairs, inlay art and photos of the artist and his work.

Although I had my doubts about going to see this, I am very glad we went. It is a must-see stop for anyone traveling on Route 66. The interesting thing is that the place came very close to becoming just a memory like so many other places on the historic Mother Road. At one time, the park was overgrown, and vandals had created havoc on the property. Fortunately, a group of local volunteers knew the treasure in their midst and made the heroic effor to save it for future generations. I, for one, am very glad they did!

We left Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon, and traveled Route 66 up to Vinita before getting back on I-44. Seeing just a small fraction of this bit of Americana left me longing for more. I have dreamed of taking the ultimate trip one day: Chicago to L.A. on what remains of Route 66, photographing living history along the way. It will only be a few short years until we reach empty nest status, and I'm thinking that would be the perfect time to hit the road, and take the highway that's the best.

Maybe I should get a head start on the planning right now!