as we leave ft.smith in our rear view mirror heading west muskogee ok rises in our windshield and the big 5 Civilized tribes of the Cherokee and their annual labor day pow wow excitement rose. we had heard that 60,000 people attend this event. woo who some real photo ops. it was an easy trip only a few hours drive. it always amazes me how the land changes from state to state.
muskogee isn’t much even though the merle haggard song ‘okie from muskogee‘ has been around for years it hasn’t made the town any bigger or brighter. but what we ran into was a scheduling conflict with the dance. the only daytime dance performed was the Gourd dance. i had a chance to talk with the dancers before hand and found it interesting, it’s a sacred warrior dance danced by veterans or their relatives. one fellow was dancing for his grandfather.
gourd dancer
another dancer
full regalia
while it seems a private dance not danced for themselves but for others who have gone before them it’s not very demonstrative or pictorial, but nice to see.
girl with her doll
mary was taking photos along with us, corey and i, and was asked if she was an official photographer because this is a sacred dance. we had asked the officials but they didn’t have an objections to us taking photos and everybody else was snapping away with their pads and phones so she sat down and stopped. too bad because she has a good eye. oh well
that evening we didn’t go back to the dancing because we were disappointed with the vendors, more like a garage sale than native crafts. ugh looking at the map we decided to explore Rt 66.
RT 66 Historic marker
getting there from muskogee isn’t a direct drive but we hooked up at POPS it’s really lit up at night see link.
Pops Rt 66
Seatz soda
Pops soda
miles of soda
we bought a few bottles of soda and drove on to have a roadside sandwiches. We were just outside Arcadia ok so we ventured on. our next stop the round barn was cute, we bought some refrigerator magnets. mary had done some research so we had ideas and printouts of what to look for, isn’t the internet great? but there were things to discover along the way. old gas station ruins
gas station ruins
and the first Philips 66 gas station being restored
Restored Phillips gas station
Saint Cloud hotel not being restored.
St. Cloud Hotel
but another motel along the way we could have stayed at the Lincoln Motel as there are a fews active motels along Rt 66.
Lincoln Motel
Lincoln motel bungalows
so much to see just driving along with some guidance
Heartland cars
Standard oil sign
but what’s a highway without it’s people? We pulled into a closed gated driveway that was John Hargrove’s museum and workshop
Buried pink Volkswagen, John Hargrove
here he is in his workshop rebuilding this old ford truck
John Hargrove, Rt 66
Tim man and gas pump, Rt 66 , John Hargrove
here is a three wheeler car that john made from scratch,
Hargrove three wheeled car
hargrove three wheeled car
he and i talked about cars his life while mary wandered around the place discovering. hunger pains were setting in so time to find something to eat. moving down Rt 66 we came across
Lucilles restaurant
this is the old one fixed up by a new owner but right down the road is a new one
New Lucille’s interior
lunch was ok then we hit the road west following the sun. next attraction was Britten leaning water tower
Britten leaning water tower
hey didn’t we come to Cadillac ranch yet? funny you should ask, here we are
Cadillac Ranch
heading west we had to make a U turn as cadillac is on the south side of Rt 40 heading east at exit 66 off Rt 40 east. mary entering the gate
cadillac ranch
Mary at Cadillac ranch
i am here behind the camera, you can’t see me now but if you look closely maybe my shadow will appear.
car detail
car detail
portrait
spray can trash
because of these spray cans there, the cars are forever changing colors and messages as layer upon layers are sprayed across their surfaces. it’s an evolving sculpture, now if only texas politics evolved forward instead of backwards the world might be a better place to live in. texas would.
some fun
all this traveling has made me hungry and a bit tired, this has been a full day even writing this post has taken awhile. so see you when ever
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