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
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
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!
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
After an eerily quiet night in the French Quarter last Wednesday, we went back the next day, this time to do more walking, exploring, and enjoying. I'm glad we did -- although it was still relatively quiet, it was a lot better than walking around unfamiliar streets in the dark. The trolley from our hotel … Continue reading Jackson Square and Bourbon Street
Thanks to Samantha's encouragement and patience, I awoke on Wednesday with an eagerness to (finally) explore. I wanted to wait for her to see the French Quarter, so I started by hopping back in the car and checking out a few sights that I'd marked around the area. The first place I went to see … Continue reading Exploring Cajun Country
We rose early on Monday the 29th and headed east to The Big Easy. Before leaving Lafayette, though, Sam and I had breakfast at an amazing little place called Edie's Express. It's not hyperbole when I say they served the best biscuits I've ever had in my life. If you ever find yourself anywhere NEAR … Continue reading Entering the Crescent City
Rhys' Pieces 