We drove 1,600 miles last week across America – along the old Route 66 as best we could – or the Mother Road as it is called and we saw some interesting things… but first I have to announce that our site has been contaminated with FAKE NEWS!

Last Sunday we were not in Palm Springs as the bearded correspondent reported, but in fact we were in Indio which is a separate town – near Palm Springs, but not Palm Springs. I make this correction as it was only when we were driving out of town we realised ourselves. Who would have thought FAKE NEWS could affect us too?!

Day 1 – California to Arizona – 289 miles
So, starting from Indio where we had camped after the Joshua Tree, day one dawned incredibly hot. We managed to do our run in the morning, I have no idea how as you could hardly step out of Reg’s cool AC interior without breaking into a sweat or ‘swimmers’ as we like to call it when your hair drips on to your shoulders in a really attractive way.

We had a rota for driving, snacks prepared and drinks lined up. What we should maybe have had was a full tank of petrol… So, we set off into the desert stretch at the bottom of the Joshua Tree. As we were driving along Matt announced that the petrol light was on and he thought there might be a town nearby. Well I looked out of the window and just saw complete wilderness. We had no phone signal and it was baking. We were rather worried until the phone signal came back and learnt that we had 50 miles to the nearest garage with about 50 miles worth of petrol in the tank. We made it thank goodness but it was a bit scary for a while. It just shows how silly little mistakes can put you in difficult situations. We turned the AC off to preserve fuel as we drove along so as well as sweating, rather like a management exercise we both came up with emergency plans. Matt was going to hitch and I was going to cycle to get help. Luckily the garage appeared on the horizon and we were saved. Not the best start!

That night we stayed in Seligman which is in Arizona and is on Route 66. Funnily enough we had been here before on another trip so it was fun to see all the Mother Road memorabilia (or for that read a lot of tat). The Arizona/California stretch of the road is lovely – (maybe we did not appreciate it enough as now we have just driven through the flattest parts in Illinois and Indiana). It has gorgeous hills and climbs for Reg to keep him match fit.

We also that night borrowed a DVD from the site – Jackie – which was excellent we thought.

Day 2 – Arizona into New Mexico – 254 miles
Started the day with a cycle ride from the campsite at Seligman up Route 66 – the quiet part. The actual road was decommissioned in the 1980’s but the I-40 runs basically beside the old road – so it is great to cycle and some states have preserved it very well. Others not so well. One town has utilised part of it as the runway for their municipal airport!

Luckily not so eventful as day one in terms of dramas, but again more amazing scenery. We drove through Albuquerque, but where last time we went up to Santa Fe and had all our adventures in Georgia O’Keeffe land – this time we stayed lower and kept heading east.

We stopped for lunch at the Petrified Forest where we had visited in April. It was weird being back to the same spot having now driven and seen so much. We had a little reminisce and read our diary entries for the Petrified Forest last time around. I can hardly read my own writing now, so in a year or so it will be complete gibberish!

That night we stayed in Gallup, but were too far out of town to cycle or walk into the El Rancho hotel which is the famous thing to see. The last thing we felt like was to drive into town and of course we had lost one hour due to now being on mountain time.

Day 3 – New Mexico – 312 miles
Set off and had a coffee at El Rancho as we were curious to see what the fuss was about. It was a very popular place on Route 66 back in the day and just about every Hollywood star has stayed and left a framed signed photograph which is in the lobby. I saw a few favourites – Doris Day, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and of course people like John Wayne. It was naff but fun.

Back on the road and New Mexico is huge so we spent all day within its borders. As the fifth largest state in terms of land area it has great driving views. Cliffs, burnt red hills, green plains and more climbs for Reg up and down. Very good roads too in the west which we appreciate as it keeps the rattling to a minimum.

That night we stayed in Tucumari which was a rather sad Route 66 town. Very run down – the old neon signs looking a bit tragic but the town is surrounded by farmland so a few birds and lovely trees to keep us happy.

Day 4 – New Mexico – Texas – Oklahoma – 265 miles
Journey all going to plan so far – so we made it to Texas for lunch, through Amarillo. This drive is across the very top or panhandle of Texas. Not the most attractive part at all – huge wind farms – literally as far as you can see and also we passed the smelliest cattle feed lot ever recorded. The smell was still with us 20 miles further down the road!

We pushed on that afternoon and went into Oklahoma. A new state for us both we always try to photograph the sign and record the moment. We also have at this stage I think passed 20,000 miles on the clock. Oklahoma were marked down for not having a fancy sign welcoming us, so will be off our Christmas card list this year!

Our site was beside a lake so despite the appalling humidity we set off for a trek around it. After nearly two hours involving some trespassing, a hurdle over a crash barrier, running beside the interstate we did finally get back to Reg. Not sure Matt is so pleased that I like to do my step target despite us being on the road!

That night we were off to bed and noticed a lot of lightening on the horizon and felt a bit sorry for a man in a tent on a motorcycle in case it might rain. Two hours later we were woken up by the worst storm I have ever seen. The thunder was directly overhead, the rain torrential and it even had winds gusting up to 50mph! No idea what happened to the man in the tent – but hope he is alive somewhere.

The storm went on and on. Matt described it as a male storm. Just when the rain started to slow down to a dribble it then started up again! At 2.30am and after we had discovered a leak in Reg on my side of the bed we were getting quite fed up with it. I think that night we possibly had about two hours sleep – but it was a spectacle.

Day 5 – Oklahoma City – 107 miles
We planned to spend Friday night in OKC as they say, so had time today to have a proper lunch which we did in a town called El Reno. Loads of Route 66 places to eat and stopover, but we chose Sid’s Diner as advised by our Moons guidebook.

It was burgers, fries and shakes. Hearty portions and we sat at the counter. Proper Americana and the experience stayed with me all afternoon as my insides struggled to digest the onion burger – but it was a treat of sorts. We also saw two wind turbine blades loaded on the longest truck/trailer vehicles you have ever seen being driven through the town. Not sure that was a good idea for the drivers, but we felt a bit cocky about our prowess with Reg as we set off to OKC.

We arrived at our site which had been completely destroyed by a tornado in 2011. At this campsite as well as showing you where the showers are they pointed out four underground bunkers in case it happens again! America has serious weather and it makes us nervous.

We went into the city and visited the Oklahoma state museum which I thought was excellent and then the capitol building. By this time, we are very hot and bothered so we went into the Brickworks part of town which is the trendy bit with all the breweries.
We went and checked four of the bars and can confirm that they did indeed sell beer.

One had live music – a blues band who were keen to tell us that they had once played at Dingwall’s. Another bar had some baseball on which we got a bit into as the Yankees defeated the Red Sox at the very end of the game. It was really quite exciting as we have to practice the rules all the time. It is a little more interactive than it sounds!

Day 6 – Oklahoma City – Bartlesville – 155 miles
Oh dear the day of a hangover and jobs to do. The rain had caught us up and it was torrential. Never mind the dust bowl – Oklahoma had the worst rain we have seen in months. We did washing and shopping and made our way to Bartlesville which is in northern Oklahoma. A detour as we wanted to see Price Tower, which we did on Sunday. We missed out Tulsa as the weather was so bad.

Bartlesville had been suggested as the best small town in Oklahoma, but please don’t be fooled into thinking you need to go. It was incredibly quiet on Saturday night and despite walking all over it between dusk and 10pm we officially could not find any atmosphere! We retired back to Reg with our lingering hangovers and watched a DVD instead.

Day 7 – Oklahoma – Kansas – Missouri – 243 miles
Price Tower is a Frank Lloyd Wright building. In fact, it is his only ‘skyscraper’ and he built it for the Price family who owned an oil pipeline business in Bartlesville as well as doing their country estate which is not open to the public. Bartlesville apart from being a bit dull is a serious oil town. Frank Phillips found oil there in the 1910’s and made a fortune becoming Phillips 66, who have now merged with Conoco.

At Price Tower, we had a guided tour and it was excellent as these things are. We paused to really look at the concrete, the windows, the ‘tangle of angles’ as the building is affectionately known. It is very impressive in design terms but a complete white elephant to live, work or occupy. The Price family have given it back to the people as I think the upkeep is so high, and it has a boutique hotel operating on some of the floors – which would be an interesting place to stay one time. The Tower was a complete nightmare in terms of what it was meant to be at the time which was a mixed-use HQ for the Price family. The flats were too expensive for tenants – with only three having ever been occupied. It was great to see though and a welcome distraction from the road.

After the tour and late in the afternoon we took a little detour ourselves off the Interstate and up to Kansas – just so we could see it. No sign of the ‘Wizard of Oz’ but it looked just like that. Huge corn fields and small towns.

We drove into Missouri and were hit with more terrible weather but camped up the night in a place called Waynesville. I have no idea who that is in honour of…? Rooney or Sleep – take your pick.

So, we covered the miles, saw some great things and survived a desert, a thunderstorm and torrential rains. Matt will update you as to how this week is going in due course…

A x

PS we could also have compiled a soundtrack this week:
Aside from Route 66 itself we suggest the following:
Albuquerque – Prefab Sprout
Amarillo – Tony Christie
Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa – Gene Pitney
Oklahoma – Howard Keel (?)
Lebanon – The Human League (small town in Oklahoma)
But we never made it to Wichita… too far north!