Day 10 June 7

 We slept in late today and then drove to Aunt Jenny’s. I visited Aunt Gladys and her daughter (and mayor of Camden) Nancy Jane. The old dirt road up the hill has been paved and Nancy has obviously worked hard on the farm. She raises sheep and Boston terrier dogs. We visited, had lunch and also spent time with my cousin Joe (who looks a lot like my dad) and his wife, Sharon.

We got some pics of Nancy feeding a baby goat. Soooo cute…

We drove back to Aunt Jenny’s, sat on the porch and talked some more until a sudden thunder and lightening storm drove us indoors (and cooled things down a lot).

(to be continued)

Day 9 June 6

Greetings to All,

It is nice to be back writing the blog. Because of the lack of internet access, as well as time, I’ll do my best to briefly reconstruct a few tidbits from Monday, June 6 through Thursday June 9, today as I write this.

Monday:

We managed to get our usual early morning start from Lexington, Ky. and were quite excited to know that we would get to West Virginia that afternoon. We had crossed the beautiful Ohio River (I could tell you the long saga of my ancestor, Jenny Wiley, who also crossed the Ohio River and under unusual circumstances –but that’s for another time). Later that day we crossed the Kanawha River and arrived in Charleston, W.Va. After saying goodbye to the interstate, we completed our journey “home” on the small byways of West Virginia, stopping for lunch in local diner near Craigsville with great home style cooking and complete with a cast of friendly local residents.

While in the diner, this elderly man sat in the booth next to us and started a conversation. He was 93 years old, and his wife of 68 years had died the year before. He seemed lonely but lit up when he told us about his WWII and his part in the fighting at the Battle of the Bulge. As we left the restaurant, we learned he was the uncle of a woman we knew years ago from Camden-on-Gauley (my hometown).

When we got to Camden, I decided to walk down the 2 blocks and take pictures of places I remembered. Unfortunately, time has not been good to Camden and most buildings have either been torn down or should be torn down. The sidewalk is crumbling and the town itself seemed almost deserted.

My cousin, Nancy, who lives up the hill from Camden, is the mayor and my mom and I noticed a sign reading “Mayor’s Office.” The door was open, so I went in and saw a young man sitting at a desk. Being funny (I thought) I asked him where that crummy no-good mayor, Nancy Jane Lanham, was hiding. He said that she was up at the farm and would be back in a few minutes. I then asked him if he was her assistant, and he replied that no, he was the state auditor inspecting the books of the town. Of course I explained that we were cousins and I was only joking. I think he believed me as he turned back to examining the city accounts.

Passing the spot where my old elementary school once stood was really sad. The school building had originally been built as a hotel and was beautiful. It had a grand staircase and housed grades one through eight. It was torn down years ago and the hill it sat on is now overrun with weeds.

Leaving Camden, we drove through Cowen, where my mom had once lived and attended high school. A few miles later we arrived at Aunt Jenny’s farm, which I have always considered one of the most beautiful places I could imagine. I had the privilege of spending summers here as I grew up and even visited yearly after I moved to California. Besides the old farmhouse, barn and other farm buildings, my cousin David and his wife Judy have built a large and beautiful home on the property.

When we arrived, cousin Brenda, Aunt Jenny’s oldest daughter came out to meet our car. It was wonderful to see her and Aunt Jenny, and later, David and Judy. The afternoon and evening were spent on the front porch with much laughter and stories of the past.

Richard and I stayed for the next 2 nights in the nearby town of Webster Springs, the county seat. While driving there, we stopped at a frozen custard stand located on dead man’s curve above the town.  In my opinion it’s the best in the world…even better than the same treat we found in Louisville a few days earlier (really).

(to be continued)

Day 8 June 5

Greetings to All (perhaps for several days)

We slept in until 7:00 had a quick cup of coffee and left Springfield, Missouri behind. Believe it or not, a wonderful thing happened in Springfield. As we were looking for a motel, I spotted a Frozen Custard drive in. Needless to say, we all enjoyed a cone. I still think I could make a fortune in Alameda selling this great dessert. For those of you to whom I have not detailed how great this treat is, let me say that it's nothing like a Foster's soft serve cone.  Rather, it is a smooth, cold and thick combination of the best vanilla ice cream you have ever had and the delectable and rich custard filling of a fresh danish or eclair!

We drove quite a bit through the lush rolling green hills of the Ozarks and then on across the Mississippi River into St. Louis near the famous Gateway arch, leaving old Route 66 behind as it headed north towards its end point in Chicago.  We'll have to save that part of the highway for another journey.

A few hours later we crossed the Ohio River into Louisville, Kentucky and drove on to Lexington, where we are at the present. The road was smooth and little traffic (Sunday) and the countryside was a picture of one perfect Kentucky horse farm after another. We finished the day with dinner at a great local steakhouse (yum).

For those of you following this blog (and I hope it is not just my kids), we may not have internet connections for the next couple of days. We will be in Upper Glades at Aunt Jenny's farm.

Till we meet again,
Linda, Richard and Ella Ruth

Day 7 June 4

Blog post backup

As we meet again,
We left Shamrock, Texas around 7 a.m. on our way towards Oklahoma City. In this part of the country Route 66 is poorly marked except in a few towns.  Disconnected parts often run along the Interstate serving as access roads to ranches and farms that would otherwise be cut off without access since Interstate on and off ramps are few and far between.  You can spot old sections made of the original concrete rather than the blacktop used in more recent roads.

 We stopped in Oklahoma, City around 9:30 at the Oklahoma City Memorial, a very moving and incredible monument to those who died in the terrorist bombing of the Murrow Federal Building. The area was somber and quiet this Saturday morning and we saw fences with gifts left to memorialize the victims. Across the street was a large statue of Jesus facing away from the tragedy weeping with the biblical inscription, "Jesus Wept." Inside, there are 168 chair-like monuments representing those who were killed. The chairs are in the same configuration as the building was before the bombing. You can also see marks on other parts of the building that did not collapse and are now incorporated into the memorial. In front of the chairs is a reflecting pool going the length of the street where the truck was parked. Still an unbelivable and sad event.

We drove on past Tulsa and then through Joplin, Missouri. As we drove, there was a sign telling volunteers where to exit the interstate. A couple of miles further we saw some of the results of the tornado that had touched ground near the Interstate and then crossed it spreading destruction. Another sad sight for today.

Tonight we rest in Springfield, Missouri and all around us the rolling countryside is green, beautiful and covered with trees.

Keep smiling until then,
Linda, Richard, and Ella Ruth

Day 6 June 3

Hello and Happy Trails to you all

We left Albuquerque early this morning. It was still very smokey, but an easy and pretty drive over the mountains. We pulled up at a rest stop to check out what looked to be a buffalo (yes, a bison) standing in the back of a pickup truck. It turned out to be a life size replica--the kind you might see in front of an old trading post or saloon.We talked to the owner who had just picked it up east of Bakersfield (he had inherited it from a deceased friend). As it turned out, he was a retired fire fighter from San Diego and was taking the buffalo to his home in Nashville. On top of that, in the rest room we talked to another Californian, a woman from Ontario, Ca who was moving to Norfolk , Va.

We contined east on I-40 with the country turning from rugged desert to rolling prarie.  We followed old Route 66 into Amarillo trying to find one of the old classic diners or restaurants that the guides claim still exist--got lost and were unsuccessful but we did see most of the old 66 through the city, but I couldn't find the motel we stayed in a couple of times when I was a kid...most of the old buildings seemed to have been torn down or boarded up.

We stopped fairly early (lost an hour) and got a room in Shamrock, Texas. This town has seen better days, but is charming with a lot of route 66 memorabilia. The Pixar animated movie "Cars" had a spot at a classic old service station in Shamrock (see pix below). We visited the local historical museum which was fantastic (the town is an old Texas ranching and railroad center) and learned a lot about the area.

We hit the road for Oklahoma tomorrow.

Till we meet again,
Linda, Richard and Ella Ruth

Day 5 June 2

Hello All,
A very tired group says hi...we left early (6 a.m.) from Kingman, Az and made good time on I-40 along the old Route 66. Unfortunately, when I (Linda) was driving, due to very poor signage, we ended up on Business I-40 at rush hour in Flagstaff. Once we got back on track, we made is toWilliams and Winslow on and off 66.  The old highway through this area is ok in places--generally in the towns but often disappears from neglect or closure in rough terrain. 

We had a wonderful breakfast at the La Posada Hotel in Winslow. This place is an amazing little peice of the old southwest that has been brought back to life and was featured in Sunset Magazine as a must-see. We strolled through the public rooms, gift shop and grounds. The place was a Harvey House during the depression era and was considered the best hotel in the southwest during that era.  It didn't suvive the decline of passenger railroads but the hotel, restaurant and grounds have now been restored to their original glory.

We stopped at the visitors' center at the New Mexico border. The red rock formations and cliffs were magnificent  and the weather was perfect. We continued our drive and had planned to stay at Grants, but it was very smoky due to forest fires, so we drove on to Albuquerque for the night. We had to reset our watches and lost an hour and are about ready to hit the sack (although it is only 7).

Kristina is on her way to my house. Hope the cat isn't too mad...

More tomorrow from Texas.

See you,
Linda, Richard, and Ella Ruth.

Day 4 June 1

Hello All,

We left Encinitas about 5:40 and had an uneventful drive over the mts to the desert. When it was Linda's turn to drive, we drove to a massive tie-up between Barstow and Needles. We were a couple of minutes behind a truck which overturned on the highway. Eventually, two helicopters arrived, one from the highway patrol and the other was a medical evac team. After working on the driver, they  flew him out. It was unclear whether he was the only one hurt. Some folks said that there was another person who had landed across the highway. At any rate, we were stuck for over 2 hours. On a positive note, the temp was perfect (71) with a slight breeze and we were able to talk to several truckers. I think one of them (which we named Grizzley Adams) had a crush on mom. He kept following her around talking about his bees.

When we were able to hit the road again, we stopped for lunch in Needles. Took lots of pics and then drove on to Kingman. We got off the interstate and traveled a few miles into Kingman on 66. An absolutely gorgeous drive over hills lined with rocky crags which looked like a scene out of a wild west movie. This place is very into route 66. We visited the Route 66 Association museum, gift store, and a beautiful steam engine, where we found the answer to our first scavenger hunt question in our touring book.

We then went to a grocery store and picked up meals for dinner. We're taking it easy the rest of the day.

Toodles Again,

Linda, Richard, and Ella Ruth