A Visit to the “Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum”

Earlier this month I visited the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa. You can’t miss it, it is right on Route 66 and has this gigantic gasoline pump outside.

Ironically the museum has connections for charging electric cars in their parking lot.

And then when you walk up to the entrance you pass these front ends of various cars on your way. Do you know what they are? I don’t, but I do know that there is a geocache nearby that I found a few months ago. The really good stuff though is inside the building.

They have a “Special Built” Maserati. Very swoopy. It is not very high. I imagine it can go really fast.

Pure function on the interior though. Not too much luxury but have you seen so many drink cup holders? (I am not sure that is what they are.)

1958 BMW Isetta

Then a little 1958 BMW Isletta. I think it is kind of cute.

Here’s a 1967 Amphicar, made to travel on the road and in the water. Made in Germany not many were made. I remember the 60’s when I was in grade school. We were lied to, by now all cars should be amphicars and not and fly as well. What happened to the future of the Jetsons.

Here’s the propellers underneath the car. I watched a couple of videos about the car. One of them said that the problem is that the Amphicar combined the worst properties of a car with the worst properties of a boat.

I don’t see anybody wearing a lifejacket. I don’t think it would do very well in any sort of waves.

1958 Messerschmitt

Here is a 1958 Messerschmitt. I don’t know what the model is. The guy at the museum said that Messerschmitt was forbidden to build aircraft for a while after WWII so to keep things going, they built cars.

1947 MG

A 1947 MG. There is nothing like British Sports Cars in my opinion. Yes they were not very reliable and expensive to operate and maintain but they are beautiful.

1955 Jaguar XK 140-MC

This car is owned by a friend of mine and is on loan to the museum (as most of the cars seem to be.) It is a 1955 Jaguar XK 140-MC. Talk about smooth beautiful lines this is it. I always loved Jaguars. Not the modern ones though. They are now expensive Fords in my opinion.

And they have lots of other cars and car memorabilia. Check their web site for more info. I think they are open Tuesday through Sunday. Cheap to get in, $6.50.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday. Check it out.

Sunny Shadows and Mother’s Day 2021

Shadows

I was at mil’s house visiting earlier this week in the afternoon and noticed the late afternoon sun coming in through her blinds was causing interesting patterns on her table and flower pot. Along with flowers and greenery in the background. You can see here to know how to get the perfect assortment of flowers as a gift for someone you love.

https://flic.kr/p/2kWSyoG

Son and I went on a walk at a local park. I liked our shadow selfies down below.

Redbud Shadows

A little bit later we passed by some shadows from some redbud trees. The redbuds have a brief spectacular show for a few weeks in March and April and then they kind of retreat into the background.

Here are some of the flowers that my wife purchased for her Mother’s Day. She loves gardening and happily bought some for our yard and for her mother’s garden as well.

https://flic.kr/p/2kXBpP8

We had a pretty good Mother’s Day Meal at my mother-in-law’s place. Here are the two honorees. Both of them are great mothers.

Here was my contribution. I love smoking chicken. I would rather eat smoked chicken than eat steak. Heather purchased the sides (since we didn’t want her cooking on Mother’s Day) and we had a nice meal together.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Skywatch Friday – Spring is Having a Little Trouble Springing

We are having a very wet and cool Spring here in Tulsa. We get soaked with rain for a day or two and then the sun comes out and all the mosquitoes celebrate!

I like the cloudy skies because they make for more interesting photographs. I like the sunny days because they are fun for walking or riding my bike.

I go outside with the dogs every morning to keep them from barking and bothering the neighbors. Sometimes though when I let them out and their are rabbits and squirrels in the yard the dogs are going to bark, and bark a lot!! And then if there are other dogs in the neighborhood barking, then our dogs are going to do what I call “Update their Barkbook Status”

Sometimes one can get pretty decent skywatch photos from your own home. I got this last week when I was out retrieving the paper. I think papers are a thing of the past. Used to be almost everybody had a paper on our street, now I think we are the only one.

Lafortune Stadium Baseball

Son and I went walking around Tulsa’s Lafortune Park and I noticed that some kids were playing baseball at Lafortune Stadium. I think it was what used to be called Pony League. I think they have a different name for them now. I love baseball, at any level, from peewee t-ball up to the major leagues. Tulsa has a AA Los Angeles affiliated team, the Tulsa Drillers. They didn’t play last year, I’m hoping to catch a few games this year if it seems safe to do so.

This is another Route 66 site. The Rhett Mansion in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. The former home of an oilfield gazillionaire back in 1911. It is now a wedding venue and from what I can tell on their web page and it has been very nicely restored and furnished. I love when historical buildings are repurposed into profitable enterprises. Not every building is suitable to be a museum.

Teepee Drive In

The thing about Route 66 is that is more like a threaded stream of roads. The original road was called the Osage Trail. They didn’t build the Trail from scratch, they pieced together a bunch of existing roads and called them that. And since the start the various states would replace sections of Route 66 with new, wider, more modern roads and the old “alignments” as they are called reverted to being just local county roads. On one of these forgotten alignments sits the Teepee Drive in Theater on the outskirts of Sapulpa. It closed in 1990 and has sat there ever since. Apparently somebody wants to reopen it. So we’ll see what happens.

I know that I am on a little bit of Route 66 thing right now. Two things, first there are a lot of geocaches on it now in the Tulsa area especially the new Adventure Lab geocaches and I turned 66 last month so I am on a “66 on 66” type thing right now.

I wish everybody a great week! I am linking with Skywatch Friday, come check it out.

Our World – Rock Creek Bridge on Route 66

Rock Creek Bridge 3 HDR

Rock Creek Bridge is a single lane steel truss type structure located on an original section of Route 66 in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa. It was built in 1924 when the road was called the Osage Trail. It is not in bad shape for being almost a hundred years old even though it is now rated for no more than four tons. The modern Route 66 is off to the south a couple hundred feet or so more and has a more modern concrete bridge.

This bridge was part of ten Route 66 locations featured in a new type of Geocaching called Adventure Labs. They don’t require you to find actual containers or other physical objects. It’s a lot of fun if you don’t feel like disturbing snakes, getting spider bit, or explaining yourself to the local authorities. Read the link to find out more.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

Skywatch Friday – Route 66 Rising

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A few nights ago we had the Full Pink Moon on a clear evening. I love taking moon photographs.

Howard Park west Tulsa

This is Howard Park in Tulsa. A funky little park, bounded on the west by a Freeway and to the north and south by decrepit commercial properties and to the east, right across Route 66, a refinery. There are no houses anywhere close with children to play in its playground but you know I like the park. You can see the refinery storage tanks on the left side of the photo.

Speaking of Route 66, this is the “Route 66 Rising” in east Tulsa, where Route 66 enters the city. It is in the middle of a traffic circle so to get a decent photo you have to park on private property and cross a busy street but you know, it’s my bloggers duty to do so. I don’t think one person in a hundred in Tulsa know about it.

I’m linking to Skywatch Friday. Come join the fun!!

Our World – Oklahoma Land Run Memorial

Land Run

April 22 last week was the 132nd anniversary of the 1889 Land Run in Oklahoma when a guestimated 50,000 settlers seeking free land rushed into the area in central Oklahoma from all directions. It was a mess.

Land Run

You ever hear of the Oklahoma Sooners? Those were the people who sneaked into the territory ahead of time. Anyway, one had to find a plat of land and then run to the nearest land office and file your claim.

Reedited

This monument is in Oklahoma City. I photographed several years ago and lately re-edited the photos. I understand that the monument has been added to.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

Scanning Away

So I have been scanning old photos again. I have a photo scanner that makes the front end go lots faster than trying to do with a flat bed scanner.

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I made friends with the three women in background. Don’t remember their names any longer!

When I was a sophomore in high school in Albuquerque I went on a two week trip to Mexico City. It was a big adventure. Several busloads of my fellow students rode busses to El Paso where we switched over to Mexican busses and then rode pretty much non-stop all the way to Mexico City.

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Monument at Chapultapec Park in remembrance of the Ninos Heroes who died defending their country against the United States invasion during the Mexican American War. I respect anybody who dies for their country.

That was back before the drug dealers ran things and we went all over town, riding the subways and busses and didn’t give a thought in the world to our safety. Being a parent now though I realize why the teachers and chaperones were in a bad mood the whole time.

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One of the Pyramics at the Aztec site at Teotihuacan

Got to see a lot!!

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And I found this photo of my mother from the late 70’s. She was a lot younger then than what I am now!! She’s been gone a number of years. I miss her every day.

I hadn’t gone through this particular album in probably over a decade. I scanned the photos I wanted and threw the rest away including the album. Part of our continuing decluttering process. I got them all tagged up on the cloud if I ever need them. I love looking at old photos.

ShadowShot Sunday – Route 66 Shadows

On the west side of Tulsa there is a Route 66 Gateway over the road which makes for an interesting shadow.

West Tulsa Route 66 Gateway

The other side has shadows too.

Right next to it is this stylized gear and pinion installed by an artist with a Tulsa theme.

Note the oil derrick and pumpjack. The scissor tailed flycatcher is the state bird of Oklahoma.

I’m linking with the Magical Mystery Teacher’s Shadow Shot Sunday 2.