Today I made my way to Chandler, Oklahoma and decided to spend some time exploring Route 66 while I was in the area. A lot of times, I will head out with one specific thing in mind to see, and then play the rest by ear. I have a deep affinity for old gas stations and old gas pumps, so when I caught sight of a beautiful old gas station in Chandler on an Instagram page I follow (@ruralroadsphotography) I knew I had to see it for myself. It was every bit as great as I had hoped, and it was just the first of a few old gas stations I would see today!
After a great lunch at Boomerang Diner (Monday is half-price burger day!) I did a little more exploring around Chandler, and then decided to start driving The Mother Road for a bit. Much to my surprise, I came across two more old gas stations on the drive! The first was in Wellston. It was newly renovated, with new, but retro-looking pumps. It also had the added bonus of great murals painted on the building.
Next, I made my way to Davenport, Oklahoma, where I was shocked to find yet another old gas station. There are times I go months without running across one of these coveted stations, so to find three in one day was just so unexpected. I was thrilled!
I decided to drive on into Stroud. I’ve shot around Stroud before, but it’s always fun to come back. I was hoping to find a site I had read about online, the famous Route 66 “shoe tree”, but I read online that it had fallen down in 2010, so that was a bust. Fortunately, one spot that is never a bust is the Rock Cafe, a Route 66 staple. Here you’ll find a cute little cafe if you are looking for a lunch stop, but you will also find lots of cast members from the Route 66-themed Disney movie Cars!
I’d love to say that the day ended on that happy note, but unfortunately it ended with my car on the back of a wrecker. I started smelling rubber on the turnpike and realized it might be me, so I pulled off the road and sure enough, it was. Something had been rubbing on my tire and it was slowly shredding. Fortunately I was able to realize it before I had a blowout, but the 90-minute wait for AAA was not my favorite way to end the day. Still, it could’ve been so much worse, so I was lucky! I won’t be back on the road until my car is out of the shop (It wasn’t just the tire unfortunately) so I hope to see you on the road soon!
The Oklahoma Explorer 