I left the motel at 6:00 A.M to drive the 28 miles to Elk City for breakfast. And the photo ops just kept on coming. After breakfast, I drove 18 miles to play the Sayre Golf Course and bring the Oklahoma slice of the trip to a close. After the round, I set out on the 136 mile trip to Amarillo, TX to play the Amarillo Country Club. As I neared the course, the skies darkened and I was in a thunderstorm as I entered the gate and golfers were being pulled off the course. After a brief delay, play continued and I successfully completed the 30th round of the trip. On the 32 mile drive to the motel, I made a stop at the much ballyhooed Cadillac Ranch.
Miniature Golf Anyone? I wasn't two minutes down the road this morning when I saw a golf course that wasn't on my list. No problem though; it was a miniature golf course in Clinton, OK.
I planned to drive a little this morning before I ate breakfast in Elk City, OK. The morning was clear and the sky blue. The first town I passed through was Canute and I was drawn to a sign at the Cotton Boll Motel, shut down long ago.
As I drove into Elk City, I saw a huge oil rig and as it turns out, when built in the 1960's, it was the biggest oil rig in the world. The rig was shipped to Elk City from Oklahoma City where it was being stored. It was rebuilt in Elk City on a vacant lot. The rig is seventeen stories high and sits next to the Andarko Basin Museum of Natural History.
I planned to drive a little this morning before I ate breakfast in Elk City, OK. The morning was clear and the sky blue. The first town I passed through was Canute and I was drawn to a sign at the Cotton Boll Motel, shut down long ago.
As I drove into Elk City, I saw a huge oil rig and as it turns out, when built in the 1960's, it was the biggest oil rig in the world. The rig was shipped to Elk City from Oklahoma City where it was being stored. It was rebuilt in Elk City on a vacant lot. The rig is seventeen stories high and sits next to the Andarko Basin Museum of Natural History.
 The Cotton Boll Motel - Long Gone |  This Was Once the Tallest Oil Rig in the World |
Breakfast was at the Home Cooking Cafe. Just about as soon as I sat down, Max, a local in his sixties started chit-chatting with me about the economy, local politics and national politics. We were both capably waited on by our server Janice.
Upon leaving, I still had an 18 mile drive to Sayre, OK for my last round in Oklahoma. On the way out of Elk City, I spotted a huge Route 66 sign outside the National Route 66 Museum.
Sayre is quite a town! It is the hometown of Roger Miller (of King of the Road fame) and Sheb Wooley (of Purple People Eater fame). Both have highways named for them west of town. On the east end of town, I spotted the Western Motel sign. I'm sure it looks great when the neon is lit at night.
Sayre is quite a town! It is the hometown of Roger Miller (of King of the Road fame) and Sheb Wooley (of Purple People Eater fame). Both have highways named for them west of town. On the east end of town, I spotted the Western Motel sign. I'm sure it looks great when the neon is lit at night.
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I arrived at the course around 8:30 and was the first person there. By 8:45, three other golfers had arrived and told me they'd be opening the shop by 9:15 or so. We chatted about my car and my Route 66 trip. They told me the grounds crew could get me a cart as soon as the gate was unlocked.
I met Brad Spitzer who seems to be quite a jack of all trades for the city. Because the current course manager is down with a bad back, he has taken it upon himself to oversee the maintenance of the course and dutifully mows the greens every day not to mention dealing with insects and fungi that comes with the territory.
Brad is also the Co-Publisher and General Manager of the local newspaper, The Record-Democrat. He could not have been nicer to me! He gave me his personal golf cart, explained the nuances of the course, stopped and visited with me as my round proceeded and even took my picture.
He told me about the signature hole, number five, where you can see the Sayre Courthouse in the background. The Sayre Courthouse gained notoriety when it was briefly shown in the old movie, "The Grapes of Wrath."
I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the brief time I spent on the golf course and especially the hospitality shown to me by Brad.
No logo balls were to be found at Sayre Golf Course so the trip count now stands at twenty for twenty-nine.
I met Brad Spitzer who seems to be quite a jack of all trades for the city. Because the current course manager is down with a bad back, he has taken it upon himself to oversee the maintenance of the course and dutifully mows the greens every day not to mention dealing with insects and fungi that comes with the territory.
Brad is also the Co-Publisher and General Manager of the local newspaper, The Record-Democrat. He could not have been nicer to me! He gave me his personal golf cart, explained the nuances of the course, stopped and visited with me as my round proceeded and even took my picture.
He told me about the signature hole, number five, where you can see the Sayre Courthouse in the background. The Sayre Courthouse gained notoriety when it was briefly shown in the old movie, "The Grapes of Wrath."
I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the brief time I spent on the golf course and especially the hospitality shown to me by Brad.
No logo balls were to be found at Sayre Golf Course so the trip count now stands at twenty for twenty-nine.
 Brad Spitzer, Course Superintendent and Local Newspaper Publisher |  Sayre Hole 5 - Courthouse In the Distance |
I left the Sayre Golf Course to begin the 136 mile drive to Amarillo where I would be playing the Amarillo Country Club.
After driving 22 miles and passing through the towns of Hext, Erick and Texola, I was at the Texas border. I was about to begin a less exciting piece of the trip.
Route 66 through Texas is two lanes most of the way and nearly every section of the road is a frontage road right next to I-40, either on the north side or the south side. You'll be driving 60 mph on Route 66 right next to vehicles on I-40 that are going 75 mph. Every now and then, you'll pass under or over I-40 to the other side. Periodically, you'll slow down through a town, some very tiny.
One of the towns I passed through was Shamrock. There is a recently restored U-Drop Inn/Conoco Gas Station on the main corner. A piece of history. Directly to the east of this beautiful restoration in the same parking lot is a Tesla Charging Station. I love the irony--old meets new.
After driving 22 miles and passing through the towns of Hext, Erick and Texola, I was at the Texas border. I was about to begin a less exciting piece of the trip.
Route 66 through Texas is two lanes most of the way and nearly every section of the road is a frontage road right next to I-40, either on the north side or the south side. You'll be driving 60 mph on Route 66 right next to vehicles on I-40 that are going 75 mph. Every now and then, you'll pass under or over I-40 to the other side. Periodically, you'll slow down through a town, some very tiny.
One of the towns I passed through was Shamrock. There is a recently restored U-Drop Inn/Conoco Gas Station on the main corner. A piece of history. Directly to the east of this beautiful restoration in the same parking lot is a Tesla Charging Station. I love the irony--old meets new.
 U-Drop Inn/Conoco Gas Station |  Tesla Charging Station |
As I neared Amarillo for a 2:00 tee time, I noticed the skies darkening to the west. "Here we go again," I thought. Sure enough, when I was about 5 miles from the course, the skies opened up. I drove through rain until I reached the course and it was just drizzling.
All the golfers had been pulled off the course because of the lightning threat. I hung around until the all clear signal was given and was allowed to tee off on the back nine and play the front nine as my second nine.
What a great course! I mentioned the greens at the Clinton Riverside Golf Course in yesterday's post as being the best on the trip. The Amarillo greens are among the best I've ever putted, stimping at about 13 and as smooth as a pool table. I loved putting those greens! The course is a good test but certainly not a killer. Except for a few water hazards and the out of bounds markers, there wasn't much trouble.
I scored a logo ball and the end of the day tally stands at twenty-one for thirty.
I thanked Head Professional Dell Wood for hosting me and I set out on the 32 mile trip to Vega, TX where I would be eating dinner and checking into a hotel.
But just outside Amarillo and just south of Route 66 is the Cadillac Ranch. It's not really a ranch but a sculpture about 1000 feet off the road in a farm field that was funded by a local eccentric millionaire. There are 10 Cadillacs representing the evolution of the tailfins of the Cadillac from the 1949 to the 1963 model buried nose first in the ground at an angle mimicking the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The place was packed with people, most of them armed with cans of spray paint even though the ground was muddy from the recent rain. Grafitti is encouraged.
All the golfers had been pulled off the course because of the lightning threat. I hung around until the all clear signal was given and was allowed to tee off on the back nine and play the front nine as my second nine.
What a great course! I mentioned the greens at the Clinton Riverside Golf Course in yesterday's post as being the best on the trip. The Amarillo greens are among the best I've ever putted, stimping at about 13 and as smooth as a pool table. I loved putting those greens! The course is a good test but certainly not a killer. Except for a few water hazards and the out of bounds markers, there wasn't much trouble.
I scored a logo ball and the end of the day tally stands at twenty-one for thirty.
I thanked Head Professional Dell Wood for hosting me and I set out on the 32 mile trip to Vega, TX where I would be eating dinner and checking into a hotel.
But just outside Amarillo and just south of Route 66 is the Cadillac Ranch. It's not really a ranch but a sculpture about 1000 feet off the road in a farm field that was funded by a local eccentric millionaire. There are 10 Cadillacs representing the evolution of the tailfins of the Cadillac from the 1949 to the 1963 model buried nose first in the ground at an angle mimicking the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The place was packed with people, most of them armed with cans of spray paint even though the ground was muddy from the recent rain. Grafitti is encouraged.
The Cadillac Ranch Just West of Amarillo, TX
I was looking forward to eating dinner at the Boot Hill Saloon & Grill in Vega, TX but when I got there, it appeared to be out of business or undergoing a remodeling.
Disappointed, I checked into the Bonanza Motel right next door and settled for fast food.
As I was checking in, a man walked across the parking lot and asked me if I remembered three motorcyclists I had passed on Route 66 yesterday. I mentioned this in yesterday's post. They recognized my car. There are two friendly men and a woman from Holland who have 38 days to make their way across Route 66 by motorcycle. Amazing.
Tomorrow is a heavy travel day. Just 14 miles from here is the official midpoint in miles of Route 66. In all, I'll move another 330 miles down the Mother Road and play two nine hole courses, one in Santa Rosa, NM and the other in Santa Fe, NM before making my way to Albuquerque where I'll spend the night.
Disappointed, I checked into the Bonanza Motel right next door and settled for fast food.
As I was checking in, a man walked across the parking lot and asked me if I remembered three motorcyclists I had passed on Route 66 yesterday. I mentioned this in yesterday's post. They recognized my car. There are two friendly men and a woman from Holland who have 38 days to make their way across Route 66 by motorcycle. Amazing.
Tomorrow is a heavy travel day. Just 14 miles from here is the official midpoint in miles of Route 66. In all, I'll move another 330 miles down the Mother Road and play two nine hole courses, one in Santa Rosa, NM and the other in Santa Fe, NM before making my way to Albuquerque where I'll spend the night.
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