Some weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a message letting me know that historian and author Michael Wallis, arguably most known for his 1990 book about Route 66, would be speaking in Oklahoma City on July 30th. That book is widely recognized as a major contributor to the current revitalization of the Mother Road. … Continue reading Meeting a Legend
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
Wednesday morning, my alarm went off at 5:30 AM. Now, some of you may think I'm completely bonkers for setting an alarm when I'm on vacation. Heck, with my new work schedule, I don't set an alarm on a regular basis at all anymore. However, I had two good reasons. One: since I ran out … Continue reading Through Old Arizona
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!
On May 16th, I was halfway between Tulsa and Oklahoma City when the Mustang had a massive coolant system failure. After several hours of unproductive roadside assistance, I was towed back to Tulsa and out of commission for nearly a week thanks to a busted water pump and thermostat housing. Couple that event with the … Continue reading War Eagle & Crystal Bridges
Father's Day has been an ordeal for the last few years of my life. Back in January of 2011, my father died suddenly and unexpectedly. I wrote about it extensively on this blog and curled up in a hole for a while, consumed by my grief. I look back on that time as a strange … Continue reading Legends Never Die
I love spending time in Guthrie. The first time I visited Oklahoma's original capital city, I came down with several friends to camp out at Cottonwood Flats to experience the Gentlemen of the Road outdoor music festival. About 35,000 people descended on a town of 10,000 for Alabama Shakes, Mumford and Sons, and a ton … Continue reading Queen of the Prairie
My original plan for this weekend was to venture north to the Tallgrass Prairie with a few friends for a cleanup project, but that didn't pan out for me due to a high chance of rain and a cold that was trying to gain strength. Still, I had already taken Saturday off of work and found … Continue reading Change of Plan
Today didn't feel like anything special when I woke up. It was just another morning. But, it was also the dawn of my thirty-fourth birthday. I awoke before sunrise, as I seem to be wired to do lately, and started getting dressed. I've noticed that I get melancholy if I lounge around the house, so I headed out the … Continue reading Thirty Four
December and January were super busy months for me. Work was hectic, I had two shows for my photography, and the normal holiday bustle. I saw an old friend this evening I hadn't seen in a while and it turns out she had a belated Christmas gift for me. Normally, I don't make a big … Continue reading Classics Never Die
Rhys' Pieces 