On the last weekend of April, I headed west to attend a few events as the Tulsa County Representative for the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. I had to be in Clinton on Saturday and Weatherford on Sunday, so I figured I'd stay overnight and do a little exploring. As luck would have it, my friend … Continue reading A Western Oklahoma Ramble
It's been a busy week on Route 66 in Tulsa and the surrounding area. I love a good road trip to someplace new, but there's a lot to be said for helping others enjoy the city and stretch of highway I am most familiar with. Tulsa has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to … Continue reading Preservation & Payne
It's not a shocking statement to say I spent a little time on Route 66 this weekend. What made this trip much different, though, is the fact that the time I spent cruising the Mother Road wasn't behind the wheel of my Mustang. I spent Saturday walking a stretch of Oklahoma 66 with approximately 50 … Continue reading A Teachable Moment
You can't control inspiration. You can seek it studiously, you can create circumstances that foster it, you can dig through tedium until you find it...but, after all is said and done, it'll come when it pleases. Convenience has nothing to do with it. On Wednesday, the bulb of inspiration clicked on in my brain and … Continue reading Making Time
I hadn't taken a Route 66 specific road trip in quite a while. Sure, I followed a Military Vehicle Convoy in September...but that wasn't really about the road itself. I did spend some time on Mother Road with Michael Wallis in June; but, that wasn't directly specific to 66 either. I was having withdrawals! I … Continue reading Back to the Route
As much as I like to take a road trip to a new location, it's also nice when the scenery comes to ME. I took the day off today not so I could turn miles on an Oklahoma back-road or experience roadside nirvana in an old diner; I took the day off so I could … Continue reading A Veteran Affair
When I have a road trip planned, it's easier to wake up early. Granted, I don't usually leave at 5:00 AM, but on Sunday that is what I did. I was attending a quarterly Oklahoma Route 66 Association meeting in Weatherford that afternoon and wanted to spend the morning exploring southwestern Oklahoma. Since that was … Continue reading Comanche Territory & Frontier Towns
I celebrated Independence Day near the banks of the Arkansas River in Tulsa. My perch was an exterior stairwell on the sixth floor of the Sophian Plaza, about a mile away from the city's largest nighttime fireworks display. Lately I've felt that I haven't had enough time in my days; it was nice to slow … Continue reading A Model Ford
This is the final entry in my series about my time with Michael Wallis on the Midwest leg of his book tour for, "The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny". If you've missed any previous installment, here they are: Springfield MO & KC Kansas City KC to Columbia … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – Home Again
(other installments of this series here) Tuesday, the final full day of my journey with Michael Wallis. We got off to an early start since we had a drive to Illinois first thing. Before we even left St Louis, though, Michael had a live interview with the Sam Madonia morning radio show in Springfield. The … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – The Best Land Under Heaven
Rhys' Pieces 