Route 66 - Catoosa and Tulsa

A few weeks ago we took a family road trip out west to Colorado. And coincidentally, we timed it with the 100th anniversary of the founding of one of the most notable road trip routes in the country. Route 66 was officially commissioned in 1926, and we were able to make a few stops along the Mother Road during our travels.

On our first day we left Little Rock in the afternoon and drove into Oklahoma. We arrived in the small town of Catoosa, and paid a visit to the iconic Blue Whale.



The Blue Whale of Catoosa was built in the 1972 by Hugh Davis, and was originally intended to just be a private swimming area for his grandkids. It was designed to look like a whale because his wife loved whales, and it featured water slides and diving platforms. A few years later, the whale was opened up for use by locals and Route 66 travelers.



After Hugh and his wife passed away, the whale fell into disrepair. But a few years back the town of Catoosa bought the property and fixed things up, and even opened a new visitor center this year.



There was a steady stream of people there when we visited. There were lots of kids fishing in the lake, along with a diverse crowd of people stopping by to take pictures (lots of people making Route 66 pilgrimages this summer for the 100th anniversary, I'm guessing). I joined the crowd and took a good number of pictures as well.



We spent the night at a hotel nearby, and the next morning drove through Tulsa and made another stop along Route 66 at Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios.



Located in an old 1950s gas station, the shop is known for the 21 foot-tall statue of the space cowboy Buck Atom (I liked how his cowboy hat sits on top of his space helmet).



And nearby you can also find Stella Atom:



And then we got back in the car and headed north, leaving Route 66 and Oklahoma and driving into the flat lands of Kansas.

Milky Way

Recently I headed back out to the Delta with Deepak to try to get some pictures of the Milky Way. It turned out kinda like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The first place we went to had a good foreground subject, but there was too much light pollution to see the Milky Way. The second place we went to was dark enough to see the Milky Way, but the foreground was too overgrown. But the third place was just right.

We went by a set of silos which were surrounded by cropland. The conditions were great for taking pictures - it wasn't too hot, and there was a nice breeze that seemed to keep some of the mosquitoes away. We didn't even need to do any light painting on the silos, they were illuminated by the distant glow of the city lights from Little Rock. We stayed out there for awhile taking pictures as a loud chorus of bugs and frogs sang out across the darkness.

A Few More Stops

After spending the day driving through the Delta, it was finally time to turn around and start heading back home. But along the way I made a few more stops. Like at this one spot near Clarendon, which had some little silos and water tanks and other assorted farm things lying around.



Off in the distance, a few storm clouds were starting to build over the horizon.



Then I drove by the old Idlewild schoolhouse, which was built in 1921.



And then I drove through the little town of DeVall's Bluff, and had to stop at the old St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church. The church was built in 1912, but was abandoned in 1986 after the church's last parishioner passed away.







I made one last stop - at this old farmhouse that seems to have been abandoned for awhile.



Although it looks like someone is nice enough to be cutting the grass around the house, the building itself has continued to slowly deteriorate and crumble away.







And one last shot, taken before I got back in the car and finally drove home:

Clarendon

There is one easy way to tell how important a town was in the past - just look to see how impressive its courthouse is. And one of the most impressive courthouses in Arkansas is the Monroe County Courthouse in Clarendon. It was built in 1911, back when the Delta was the major economic center of Arkansas.



But times have changed, and the Delta has faced a steady decline. And that, unfortunately, is reflected by the buildings around the old courthouse. Almost all of them are empty and abandoned, and a few of them are crumbling away in the heat and humidity.



Clarendon is an old and historic town. French settlers moved into the area that would become Clarendon in 1799, building cabins near the spot where the Cache River flows into the White. The town grew in the 1820s when the Military Road (which was built to connect Little Rock and Memphis) was built through Clarendon. In 1828 a ferry crossing was established, along with the first post office. The town was officially incorporated in 1859, just in time for it to be an important location during the Civil War. The White River was a significant transportation artery during the war, and there were several fights and skirmishes that took place around the town. The fighting ultimately resulted in most of the town being burned in 1864, destroying most the buildings in the city.

It's an interesting place to drive through, with lots of things to stop and point the camera at. The old rail bridge (built in 1935) is still in use.



And the old train station, which was built in 1912. It hasn't been used in decades, and was covered by overgrown weeds and brush. I got this shot from the back of the station, with an old rusted Goodyear (or Goody?) sign.



Besides the courthouse, one of the most prominent buildings in Clarendon is the old Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It was built in 1869, and was one of the first churches to be rebuilt after the town was burned during the Civil War.



The building was used as a church until the 1920s, when it then became a Masonic Lodge. It was used for meetings and as a community meeting center and as a library.



The old church was nearly torn down in the 1960s, but the building was saved and was donated to the Boy Scouts.



Not sure if the Scouts are still looking after the building. All the histories of the building that I could find ended with that note, which happened many decades ago. Not sure who owns the building now or who is out there keeping an eye on it.

Back To The Delta

It had been a few months since I'd driven out to the Delta, so I grabbed the camera and headed back east. I drove through Scott, and then through the little town of Keo. There are a bunch of old gins and other assorted farm buildings scattered through the center of town. I'm not sure how many are still in use, but one did have this old tractor parked outside.



And that same tractor, reflected in a large rain puddle.



Nearby was an old building, which had a bunch of pipes being stored along its side. It looks like that pipe had been there for awhile, probably stuck there and then never used (kinda like that box of old power cables that everyone has stuck in the back of a closet). The only one who has been using that pipe lately appears to be some birds, who have been using it for target practice.



And then I drove through England (the town, not the country), where I always have to stop and get pictures of this old abandoned house:



And then I pulled over again for this old building:



Heading east, you start heading towards the town of Stuttgart. This is an area that is filled with rice fields, and soon you drive by this old building. The paint has faded with age, but you can just barely read "Why Buy Japanese? THEY WON'T BUY OUR RICE." I think this is referring to a time (many decades ago) when Japan did not allow any imports of foreign rice, much to the chagrin of Arkansas rice farmers. I took a picture and then drove off in my car (I hope whoever painted that sign didn't see me, since my car is a Japanese brand).



In Stuttgart, I drove by this old building that was surrounded by a sea of yellow wildflowers.



And then heading further east, I stopped at this field (of soybeans, I think):



And in a nearby building was this old truck, which seems like it's been parked here for awhile (it doesn't look like it was made in Japan).