Get your kicks on Route 66!

Well, we have settled in for the night here at the lovely Amarillo KOA. I have some pics to post, but the wireless connection I'm on is not cooperating so I'll try again in the morning before we set out for Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As you gathered from my last post, we began this day at a rest area just outside of Russellville, Arkansas. After breakfast we cruised into Fort Smith, Arkansas...the last outpost of civilization before entering Indian Country! I had never been to the actual "fort" at Fort Smith which is a National Monument. There are only a couple of buildings, but the grounds are spacious and well-kept. The main building which now serves as the visitor's center and museum was a federal courthouse for the Western District of Arkansas prior to the civil war (it was established to keep the peace and enforce justice around the time of the Trail of Tears and the herding of all the native american tribes into Indian Territory, now commonly referred to as Oklahoma). The basement of this building was the jail, and it held anywhere from 30 to 50 prisoners at a time. It was so rank and foul-smelling, the bailiffs in the courtroom above would stuff sawdust and tar into the cracks of the floor to prevent the stench from penetrating the courtroom as much as possible.

Fort Smith was a nice stop...perfect if you're looking to take about an hour or less to stretch your legs. From there we crossed the Arkansas River into Indian Territory. Of course, it was difficult to pretend that we were cowboys in the wild west when you pass official highway road signs declaring Checotah the Home of Carrie Underwood American Idol Winner 2005. There are signs indicating the boundaries of each tribal nation as you leave one and enter the next. I told Holly that nobody back home knew we were going on an "international" vacation!

We bypassed Oklahoma City figuring we'd save it for the trip home so we had something to look forward to. Instead, we forged on to Clinton, OK, home of the Official Oklahoma Route 66 Musuem. Unfortunately, it was closed for the 4th of July. Nevertheless, we peeked in the windows and took the liberty of grilling our dinner right there in their parking lot. We didn't figure anyone would care since noone was home.

After some hamburgers and macaroni & cheese in the parking lot of the Route 66 Museum, it was more I-40/Route 66 and the prairies of western Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas. Somewhere west of Clinton, Oklahoma the good Lord saw fit to stop planting trees. The terrain really flattens out, too. You can see for miles in all directions. Unfortunately, there's nothing to see but rolling grasslands with grazing cattle and the occasional oil derrick.

Day two and I have checked off 15 more license plates for a total of 36 found in a day and a half. Four states down and Oklahoma, by far, has THE worst interstates of the trip. I thought Louisiana and Arkansas had the worst interstates, but Oklahoma takes the cake. It is atrocious in some areas, and there were DOT guys out today patching potholes on the 4th of July. Of course, those potholes were the size of a Toyota Prius!

I'll try to get those pictures posted in the morning. To be continued....