Tues. Aug. 16 – Day 7 – Clinton OK to Joplin MO

Monday night we stayed at the Ramada Inn in Clinton and what a dump.  Jerilyn gave the desk clerk a piece of her mind when she checked out which was received with a blank stair and the excuse that they are too busy in the summer time to work on the rooms.  Forget about working on the rooms.  The whole place should be bulldozed.

We passed on a chance to try their restaurant and headed down the road toward the Route 66 Soda Fountain in Hydro OK, about an hour away.  Arriving in Hydro we find it to be long gone and no recommendation from the locals on an alternative in town so down the road we go again looking for something interesting.  Billboards made the Cheyenne Restaurant just west of Oklahoma City look  pretty good so we pulled in for a late breakfast and weren’t disappointed.

In Oklahoma City we visited the bombing memorial which was beautifully done and very moving.  Then it was off to Tulsa and the Apple Store to see if the 12 year old geniuses could save Anne’s pictures from her crashed hard drive.  Turned out we got a middle aged house wife who knew her stuff and saved the day.

By the time we left Tulsa it was late afternoon so we jumped on the interstate for an hour or so until it was time to rejoin Route 66 where it cuts through the corner of Kansas just so we could say we’d been there.

We hit Joplin and went directly to Crabby’s Fish House and had some awesome fish served up by Dave the most incredible waiter in all of Missouri by his own admission.  We came from both coasts (did I mention that Anne lives in Ipswich MA) to Joplin MO to get some of the best fish we’ve ever had.  Go figure.

Driving out of Joplin we turned into the area devastated by the tornado a few months ago.  Our waiter Dave had told us how his parents house was turned sideways by the storm and that all of the houses across the street for blocks were gone.  It was fairly dark when we drove into the area and afterward  we agreed it was good it was dark.  On both sides of the road all we could see were grotesque looking parts of trees still standing here and there.  We passed a Home Depot that was operating out of a tent.  We wouldn’t have wanted to see it in the light of day.

We then drove a few minutes north of Joplin to Carthage, found our lodging for the night, the Grand Avenue B&B, a beautifully restored Queen Anne Victorian and settled in for the night.  It’s been a poignant day.

The reflecting pool at the memorial in Oklahoma City.

Each chair represents one of the 164 people killed. There are nine rows of chairs representing the nine floors of the building. You might remember that there was a day care center on the second floor so many of the chairs in the second row are child sized.

Part of the chain link fense that was installed right after the bombing. It immediately became a focal point for remembering the victims and was left in place after the memorial was completed and is still actively used.

The old Round Barn in Arcadia OK has intrigued travelers for 100 years.

The inside of the Round Barn looks like a giant basket. There's no center support.

Route 66 is 12 miles long in Kansas and we did the whole thing.

And then Missouri.

Outside of Crabby's Fish House in Joplin after dinner. That's our waiter Dave "The most incredible waiter in all of Missouri".