Irons in the Fire

When I was working the Oklahoma Route 66 Association booth at Route 66 Road Fest a few weeks ago, a friend came up to me and said they missed my travel updates. At first I was confused, because I feel like I post about my travels all the time – but then I realized that it’s been a while since I’ve posted any kind of in-depth travelogue. My last update was from California in April! Life has been very busy…here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to lately.

I celebrated my 43rd birthday on April 7th, which was also the day our new Oklahoma Route 66 Trip Guide arrived. That evening, I received a message from a pair of Italian travelers that were using the Mother Road Passport, which has my contact information in it as a local expert. Sam and I met them at Cyrus Avery Plaza and talked about his legacy. It was a delightful day!

I had the pleasure of leading a Tulsa-area Route 66 tour for the Great American Pony Drive, a group of Mustang enthusiasts from around the world. I was particularly proud to show them the new Association office, which we opened in March. We still haven’t hired a new Director to staff it yet, but we’re getting close.

One of the biggest neon signs from Tulsa’s Route 66 history was rebuilt, and I had a backstage pass to watch the work! The former Saratoga Motor Hotel near 11th and Mingo has been converted into a faith-based recovery center and rebuilding the sign was part of that project. They are finalizing the power run for it now, so I haven’t seen it lit in-place yet, but it’s an incredible sight already.

I met up with my friend and filmmaker John Paget in El Reno for Burger Day. He’s starting work on a new Route 66 documentary as something of a sequel to his 1994 film Route 66: An American Odyssey. I can’t wait to see his final product!

Samantha Brown and her Places to Love travel show came to Tulsa and they asked me to meet up with them and talk a little history. It’s exciting to see people rally around Route 66 in advance of the Centennial. It feels a little like a snowball rolling downhill right now; I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when it’s actually 2026.

The Bridgeport Pony Bridge reopened in western Oklahoma! The project was the product of YEARS of discussions about how to rehab the historic bridge. What started as a plan to demolish or bypass the bridge ended up with a compromise: the historic trusses were attached to a new, slightly wider deck and preserve the historic aesthetic. I consider it a tremendous success! ODOT even built a turnout so people can safely stop and admire the 1930s-era crossing. Over 300 classic cars showed up to participate in the first cruise over the new bridge!

Dean Walker in Kansas received a Lifetime Achievement Award, which I was honored to present. It was also nice to just get together with my roadie friends in Galena. It’s rare these days that I get a chance to just hang out with my friends – and it was a pretty perfect evening.

Route 66 Germany came through – twice! Meeting up with tour groups is one of my favorite “responsibilities” as President of the Association. Everyone is always so excited and they all bring a different perspective to the trip. There’s also nothing like the sound of a rumbling pack of motorcycles approaching.

Samantha and I set up for the first Mother Road Rally in Tulsa’s Market District. That evening, I drove up to the Hi-Way Cafe in Vinita for their monthly Steak Night – and bumped into my counterpart with the Jefferson Highway Association, Roger Bell!

I acquired a TERRIFIC lost restaurant artifact: a Golden Drumstick roadside sign! This one has two locations listed: the one everyone remembers from 11th and Yale and a lesser-known spot on Peoria, which was only open for a few years in the mid-1950s. I can’t believe it’s in such good shape!

Boy, this post is already long and so much else has happened! We drove down to Ada to see my brother and his family. We spent a day at my cousin’s house and I got to see my Uncle Jody. I went to the State Capitol for the unveiling of the state’s Route 66 Centennial branding. While I was there, I met up with former Association President Mike Hickey and learned about his tenure from the 2000s. I gave two talks about Route 66 history in Oklahoma City and one talk at the Western Writers of America Conference.

We had a GREAT time at AAA’s Route 66 Road Fest, which also included a pre-party that Samantha and I put together at the Association HQ. Stella Atom was unveiled in Tulsa and I said a few words about roadside attractions and Mary Beth Babcock’s impact on the community. I spoke to local news outlets about Tulsa obtaining the trademark of Capital of Route 66. A guidebook I contributed to was released: the WILDSAM Field Guide to Route 66!

Finally, I’m about to experience a big shift in my personal life. Some people don’t know that I hold down a regular day job in addition to all of my Route 66 responsibilities. For the past 14 years, I’ve worked at U.S. Cellular in Tulsa in a variety of capacities. Well, a little over a month ago it was announced that T-Mobile is in the process of buying out USCC’s business. My department is pretty small with very slim chances of absorption once that process goes through, so that’s been a little stressful. However, it’s led to something remarkable – which I’ll tell you all about when the time is right.