Road Trippin' in the Midwest

My mom has been hunkering down in her house due to COVID-19 and she decided it was time to venture out as safely as she could.  The kids have Fall Break here in Enid, OK, so we decided to take a road trip to Lincoln, Nebraska where we would meet her at the Amtrak station.  I love the app Roadtrippers and it helped me plan places to stop from Enid to Lincoln.  Here is what we discovered:

The Keeper of the Plains in Wichita, Kansas. This is a where the Little Arkansas and Arkansas rivers meet and adjacent to the Mid-American All-Indian Center.

Lindsborg, a Swedish settlement town in Kansas. All over town there are beautiful hand painted Dala horses

Hemslojd means handicraft and this where all sorts of Swedish crafts are made and sold

Handicrafter hard at work

Largest covered porch swing in the world in Hebron, Nebraska

Lee's Legendary Marbles in York, Nebraska.  Who knew this was needed?  But look at all those marbles!

 After picking up my mom (yay, Grandma time!), the next leg of our Roadtrippin' was from Lincoln, NE to Joplin, MO.

Sunken Garden in Lincoln, Nebraska

Look who we found!  So fun to have Grandma with us.

Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska

Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph, MO. This seemed like a fitting place to come in October. The Museum is on the list of 100 Strangest places to see in the US. 

All of these items were swallowed by one women who had Pica.  Look at the shock on Bear's face!

An examination chair.  To me it was more like a torture devise.  Good thing we have advanced since this was used.

We stayed the night in Joplin, MO, right on the border of Oklahoma.  The next leg of our trip took us on Route 66 from Joplin to Tulsa, OK.  I use the Travel OK app to plan my Route 66 stops and learn about their historical background.  We love to stop at sites that give us a taste of an older, quieter time, and see how the US was shaped into Americana.

Route 66 Mural in Joplin, MO

Standing on three states- Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri

KuKu Burger- once a chain, now this this the only restaurant standing from the 1960's.  Yummy burgers!

Darryl Starbird's National Rod and Custom Car Hall of Fame.  This museum was packed with over 50 custom automobiles.  We each picked our favorite- Pants cannot go wrong with Purple!

Totem Pole Park.  Lots of oddities to see along the route.  This is the largest Concrete totem pole in the world.  Because, why not?

JM Davis Arms and Historical Museum.  This is the largest privately owned arms museum and the picture above is a recreation of JM Davis's famous hotel.  He had guns hung on every wall you could see and guns in every drawer.

JM Davis even asked to be laid to rest with his guns.  His tomb is displayed in the museum.

Claremore, OK is the home of the famous Will Rogers.  We were intrigued by his life and legacy in comedy, film, and politics.

Will Rogers is also interred in his museum.  "Oklahoma's favorite son."

The Blue Whale of Catoosa.  Again, why not?  This huge whale sits on a small pond and was once used as a water attraction with slides and diving pads.

Golden Driller in Tulsa, OK.  One of the tallest freestanding statues in the world, it weighs 43,500 lbs.  It was erected in 1953 for the International Petroleum Exposition.

We stayed the night in Tulsa so that we could see some sights in town and then we made our way down Route 66 toward Enid, OK.

Buck Atom's Curios in Tulsa, OK

Bear was really exited to see the Curtis brother's home in Tulsa, OK from the movie, The Outsiders.  The Outsiders book was written about Tulsa by a native Tulsan.  Bear's plan for Halloween is to be a Greaser from the book.  

We tried to eat at as many famous Route 66 restaurants as we could.  We found great burgers, home cooking, cozy atmosphere, and authentic local flavors.  The restaurant pictured here is Ollie's Station Restaurant and the owner of the restaurant inspired the character of "The Sheriff" in the movie Cars.

The Gathering Place in Tulsa was a highlight of the day.  It is a huge riverfront park spanning 66.5 acres.  There were themed playgrounds, green space, animal wetlands, restaurants, ponds.  

Bristol Historical Train Station Depot

Davenport Mural.  We enjoy the murals that can be found on brick walls all throughout Route 66.  They can be a great glimpse back into history of a different time.