RonnieAdventure #0713- Oklahoma Route 66, Part I

Edmond (population 94,428), Oklahoma, is located on the northern edge of Oklahoma City and is the 5th-most populous city in the state. In 1887, the town was established as a water and coal refueling site for the Santa Fe Railroad because it is the highest point in Oklahoma County. The site was selected because trains could accelerate more easily on the downhill grades when leaving the station in either direction.  

There are several attractions and a memorial along or near Route 66 as it passes through Edmond.

The Blue Hippo was once located in front of a Chinese food restaurant, and the high school kids would steal it each year for their homecoming. Apparently, that is no longer a tradition.

On August 20, 1986, Edmond was the location of a workplace shooting when a deranged postman killed 14 people and wounded six others, then committed suicide. This was only one of a series of postal employee murder-suicides, which inspired the slang term "going postal." There is now a memorial to the victims in front of the Edmond downtown post office. 

In 2015, Dave McGary's 10-ton, 18-foot-tall sculpture, Chief Touch the Clouds, was relocated from Houston's Astrodome to the University of Central Oklahoma's entrance. It is much more colorful than shown in the picture.

The Edmond planning commission did not want to allow a 163-foot-tall cross to be constructed at the MetroChurch because they considered it to be an advertising billboard. However, the cross was built, and the MetroChurch is now part of the Life Church Campus.

Located at Braum's Ice Cream factory is a 44-foot-high milk bottle that is really their water tower in disguise. 

Deep Fork Lake (Arcadia Lake), located on the east side of Edmond, is a popular recreation area. The lake was formed in 1987 when the Corps of Engineers constructed a dam across the Deep Fork River. When full, the lake has a surface area of 3,820 acres and 26 miles of shoreline. 

Pops 66 store is easily recognized by the 66-foot-tall 4-ton neon soda bottle structure. The store features a gas station, restaurant, and convenience store, as well as over 700 varieties of soda, sparkling water, and other bottled refreshments, all arranged by beverage color. Although the soda bottle was originally constructed with neon tubes, it is now lit by LEDs that provide a light show at night. Unfortunately, I was there during the daytime and missed the light show. 

On one wall was a picture of Cyrus Avery, "The Father of Route 66." Avery created Route 66 while serving on the federal board that established the Federal Highway System. 

Web Picture - Photographer Unknown

The Round Barn in Arcadia was built in 1898 by a local farmer for hay and grain storage, but its excellent acoustics on the upper level, with smooth hardwood flooring, quickly made it a community gathering place for barn dances and events. It remains a popular place for special events, dances, weddings, and community gatherings. 

While most "round barns" are actually polygonal, this barn is actually round. It is 60 feet in diameter and 43 feet tall, constructed with native bur oak boards. The boards were soaked while green and bent into curves for walls and roof rafters. In 1992, contractor Luke Robison and the "Over-the-Hill-Gang" Completely restored the barn.

In front of the barn is an early horse-drawn road grader.

A short distance from Arcadia, the State of Oklahoma has preserved a unique stretch of the original Route 66. This is where the roadbed with concrete edges (Federal Aid Project 137-F) joins Federal Aid Project 137-G).

How many people remember how they celebrated their 66th birthday? In 2008, Paul McCartney and his future bride Nancy Shevell decided to "Get Their Kicks on Route 66!" They stopped at this location on their trip.

OK County 66 is a roadside attraction that was closed on the day I visited the property, but many of the outdoor exhibits were visible from the road. 

There were large arrows sticking out of the ground, a Statue of Liberty, and a large warehouse with a VW Beetle sticking out of the side of the building. There was even a UFO Parking Area for the Unstable Fishermen's Organization.

Tourist literature states that inside the warehouse, there is a diner that seats between 50 and 100 people, a drive-in movie screen that fills one wall, and another VW Beetle. The restroom is an indoor wooden outhouse.

RonnieAdventure #0712 - Chickasha to Norman, Oklahoma

When Tim Elliot wanted to build a 40-foot-tall Lady Leg Lamp statue on a 10-foot-tall pedestal in his small town of Chickasha, Oklahoma (population 16,231), people in the community began to wonder if Tim was feeling well.

Tim had seen a Lady Leg Lamp in the 1983 classic movie "A Christmas Story" and was certain that if the community built a large Leg Lamp as a tourist attraction, people would come to their community just to see the lamp. It turned out that Elliot was right. People now come from around the world to see the famous Lady Leg Lamp statue in Chickasha, Oklahoma. 

I did not see the lamp after dark, but I understand it is quite spectacular at night.

Web Picture by Johnny Trammell

Located just across the street is the Chickasha Train Depot, along with several other historical buildings and train cars. There is a nice mural painted on the side of one building.

Pauls Valley (Population 5,992) is home to one of the most unusual, and probably one of the world's largest, museums of toy action figures. With over 25,000 action figures, the museum is listed as one of Time Magazine's "Top 50 Most Authentic American Experiences." The museum fills a complete building that had once been a grocery store. 

When I stopped for a visit, the owner was at the front desk, and we had a great visit. Although I'm too old to have played with or collected action figures, this was an interesting stop. 

Just down the street was the Pauls Valley Santa Fe Depot Museum. The museum was closed, but an old locomotive was on display. 

Purcell (population 6,651) is known for two things: the "Quarterhorse Capital of the World" and the site of the September 30, 1893, Inter-Territory Statehood Convention, where the territories formulated and sent to Congress a resolution seeking admission to the Union as one state. On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state to enter the Union. A Convention monument has been placed on the courthouse lawn. Near the Convention monument, a time capsule was buried on the courthouse lawn on August 15, 2012, to be opened on August 15, 2037.

 

Noble (population 6,985) is known as the Rose Rock Capital of the World. The area's high concentration of barium sulfate in the soil is believed to be the highest in the world, causing the formation of rose rocks. I entered the museum's address into my GPS, but the directions led me to Smokin' Joe's BBQ Rib Ranch Restaurant. I did not find the museum, but I did notice lettering on the town's water tower that confirmed Noble was the "Rose Rock Capital of the World."

Norman (population 128,026) is the third-most populous city in Oklahoma and home of the University of Oklahoma "Sooners" football team. There are many famous people from Norman, but probably the best known is actor James Garner, who starred in the television series Maverick and The Rockford Files. Tourist literature said there was a 10-foot-tall statue of Garner in a downtown plaza, but once again, my GPS took me to the wrong location. I found a 10-foot-tall statue of an Indian warrior, but no Garner. Fortunately, I remembered reading that the statue was next to the railroad depot museum, so my GPS led me to the depot and the statue of Garner.