For decades, the giant Skateland neon sign stood near the corner of 11th and Sheridan in Tulsa. The roller rink there just off Route 66 was a Tulsa mainstay for decades. Ed and Wanda Enlow, who had been teaching skating at the Continental Roller Rink near 11th and Peoria, opened the family skating rink on … Continue reading Saving Skateland’s Neon
It's odd how the days in 2020 seem to stretch on forever, yet at the same time they become a compressed, jumbled mess in my memory. A lot of that is COVID, sure, but part of that is grief and other stresses. The last few months I've done some scattered traveling but all of my … Continue reading Pieces of the Road
Every year for our wedding anniversary, Samantha and I plan to take a trip. Not that I ever need an excuse to hit the road for a few days, but the celebration of our marriage (and our first date) is a great reason to spend a little time away from home. This year, we went … Continue reading The Centennial State
(Part one is available here.) On the morning of Monday, September 30th my mother and I woke and had breakfast at the Globetrotter Lodge in Holbrook, Arizona. Peter Hoeller, the owner, is an excellent host. The small dining room attached to the lobby was full of travelers; each group had a place setting ready for … Continue reading Going West with Mom (Part 2)
For the last several years, I've met up with the Gilligan's Route 66 Tour group as they've come through Tulsa. Gilligan's is operated by Sam Murray, a gent from New Zealand that also owns and operates a 1916 boutique hotel on the south island. As such, Sam's bi-annual tours typically cater to Kiwi travelers. They … Continue reading Gilligan’s Spring Tour (I)
I spent last weekend in Springfield, Missouri in the company of friends. It was the 8th annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival and I had a vendor booth in the Old Glass Place, a historic venue near the iconic Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque. When I attended my first Birthplace festival in 2015, I told … Continue reading 8th Annual Route 66 Birthplace Festival
Last weekend, I took a trip west to the Texas Panhandle. It was finally time for Texas Welcomes the World, the 2018 International Route 66 Festival! It had been a long time since I'd seen many of my roadie friends and I was excited to attend my first "official" International Route 66 Festival. I arrived in … Continue reading Texas Welcomes the World
Early Thursday morning, I took Samantha to the airport so that she could spend a few days with her family back in New York. The house is awful quiet when it's just me, so I made plans for a little Route 66 trip with a friend on Saturday. When those plans fell through, I decided … Continue reading Rock, Chalk, and the Land of Jayhawks
During the research of my Lost Restaurants of Tulsa book, I came across a lot of information for long-time Tulsa restaurants that were still up and running. Since I couldn't sample the food at any of the restaurants I was writing about, I made a commitment to dine at the city's traditional diners that were … Continue reading Hello, Chicken Fry!
I am fortunate in that I get to travel occasionally with my day job. Although I'm not always able to get out and explore, I look for any available opportunity to escape and see a few sights. Although it rained every day I was in Knoxville, Tennessee this week I was able to get in … Continue reading Four Days in The Marble City
Rhys' Pieces 