Alternate title: "There and Back Again: A Route 66 tale by Rhys Martin". After a week of driving Route 66, I spent the majority of Sunday taking the concrete super-slab that is I-40 all the way back to California. I was on the road for twelve hours total, which included two breakfasts, some time on the … Continue reading The Beginning is the End
After six days on the road, I'd seen a lot of fantastic things. I also had a lot of conversations with folks. I love to drive, and Route 66 is a passion of mine, so it's a fulfilling and enjoyable experience all around. That being said, it was nice to stay in the same place for … Continue reading Holbrook Day
Sleep was fitful on Thursday night. I kept waking up, walking over to my phone to check the time (no outlet next to the bed) only to see it had been an hour, maybe an hour and a half, since I'd last performed the same ritual. Finally, at 4:55 AM (five minutes before my alarm) … Continue reading The Route 66 Relics Tour
Waking up with the sun isn’t that difficult when you have a full day of exploration planned. What IS difficult, for me anyway, is ensuring that I balance my time adequately between wants and needs. As I wrote about a few days ago, I can sometimes get carried away and take way more time than … Continue reading A Dash of Enchantment
I was startled awake Tuesday morning by a strange sound. As I stirred from a deep sleep, my brain tried to assign a source to this sound. At first, it sounded like the crackling of wood burning...which was slightly alarming. Then, I thought it was someone knocking on the bedroom door. As the last bit of fog … Continue reading Eastward Ho!
I get antsy before a big trip. What if I have a lousy time? What if I don't get any good pictures? What if I don't get to meet any new people? As with several areas in my life, I tend to go to worst-case-scenario in my brain before anything actually happens. One of the things … Continue reading The End is the Beginning
My rotating weekend schedule gave me Thursday off. Having a weekday off has its pros and cons. It sucks to not be able to spend time with my friends and family, and often the events I want to attend occur on the weekend. But, it does afford me the opportunity to hop in the car … Continue reading To the Chickasaw Capitol
Saturday was a special day! Not only did I get to take a drive, not only did Samantha join me, but I was able to start introducing her to some of my Route 66 family! Over the last six months, I've met dozens of people from all over the world that have become 'Friends for Life' … Continue reading Sharing my Route 66 World
Most of my road trips lately have been solo journeys. My days off don't align perfectly with Samantha's currently, so I have been without a co-pilot during my jaunts down Route 66 or my exploration of forgotten bridges in the rural Oklahoma countryside. Sunday, however, was a different story. We both had the day off and spent … Continue reading Home of the Cherokee
I still consider myself the 'shy kid'. Although I recognize that I've grown a lot in the last few years and my worldly experiences have broken me of many habits, I still have the same tendencies when I am with a group of people for the first time. My little demon of insecurity tells me … Continue reading Friends for Life
Rhys' Pieces 