Day Nineteen

6,773 miles, and we're drawing to a close on new states. We've learned that there are more Dollar Stores than churches in this country--and there are a lot of churches! Dollar Saver, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar to name a few, and we've even seen them across the street from one another. People love their dollar stores. Other than a couple of rude drivers and one apathetic attraction worker, we've run into very nice people on our journey. We've also run into a lot of trains! (Well, not run into, but seen and been held up by them!) As I expected, the first part of our trip was more about adventure, and since New Mexico, has been mostly about sightseeing. The doing was more exciting, but the seeing is fun, too. We've passed through 21 states so far, including a very short trip through Kansas today. Not bad!

After an antique store detour in Claremore, OK, we reached The JM Davis Arms & Historical Museum. John Monroe Davis got his first gun at seven as a bribe to get him to take his medicine. He went on to amass the world's largest private firearms collection, along with steins, Indian artifacts, musical instruments, saddles and other unique items. Even Peter was a bit overwhelmed.

After the museum, we decided to check out another out-of-the-way place that Peter saw while we were at the antique store. Another collection, it turns out, this time a large collection of authentic log homes and artifacts--one of the biggest outdoor antique museums in the US, called Har-Ber Village on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Harvey and Bernice Jones combined their names to name the village and how it came to be is a story for another day. Who knew antiques weren't only in existence for me to buy? Not one of these was for sale, which is a good thing, because while there was plenty that didn't tempt me, there was plenty more that did! Again, it was an awful lot to take in--over 100 buildings--so we used up the camera battery and called it good!

Our next mission was to find some lunch and a cold beer--not as easy as it might seem on the backroads of Oklahoma. We knew we had only a few miles to cover in Kansas and thought it would be good to eat there, but the best we did was a Bud and a Coors draft at The Hideaway Shack on Rt. 66. Peanuts, but no food. We then stopped at, but did not go into, the famous (to 66 travelers) Hogs and Hotrods Saloon on the state line. In the end, we ate at a Billy Simms BBQ, the closest we've come to fast food since we left.

Before leaving Kansas, we ran into a truck that claims to be the inspiration for Mater in Cars. I can't deny the resemblance!

We also passed through Joplin, MO, today, where more than 100 people were killed and hundreds more injured last May in a tornado. We heard it's been rebuilt quickly, but there were signs of the destruction, including relief tents and this building.

Tonight, the famous Wagon Wheel Hotel. Billed as the oldest continuously operating tourist court on Rt. 66, it's been talked up to us since Tehachapi. We'll see if it lives up to it's reputation!

As for our Blue Highways mission, we figure we've done pretty well, with about 70-80 percent of our time on backroads like the ones we followed today. Definitely the right way to go.