7 Days
3 States
3,860 miles
21 Restaurants
7 Ice cream shops
5 Bakeries
4 Donut shops
1 Cider mill
1 Candy factory
17 Sonics making the grand total 66 Sonics in 15 states with 76 menu items enjoyed
Favorite Sites
City Market- Kansas City, Missouri
*just dig these long standing local marketplaces
Union Station- Kansas City, Missouri
*classic train station architecture in a massive edifice
Guthrie, OK
*Victorian downtown done in red brick
Will Rogers Birthplace
Will Rogers Memorial Museum
*in the same part of Oklahoma these two sites are fitting bookends (he is buried at the Memorial) to one of the great satirists of the 20th century
Bricktown in Oklahoma City
*great development in an old warehouse district
Talihina Scenic Byway
Gene Autry Museum- Gene Autry, Oklahoma
*in the middle of nowhere an unique stop
Fort Sill Military Base
*our military rules!
Oklahoma Route 66 Museum- Clinton, Oklahoma
*a nice retrospective of The Mother Road
United Supermarket- Elk City, Oklahoma
*retro, because it is that old. In pristine condition I expected to see the Brady Bunch shopping
Mid-America Air Museum- Liberal, Kansas
*a respective collection that they are obviously proud of
Scenery
*I was surprised how scenic most of Oklahoma and southern Kansas is. While not the majestic beauty of mountain ranges or mesmerization of the ocean front the rolling hills with vivid green had a pleasant attraction to them.
Sombering
Oklahoma City Memorial
*hallowed ground with respectively done symbolic designs that evoke emotions
Greenburg, Kansas
*the town leveled by a tornado in May
Favorite Food
Banana Pecan Frozen Yogurt: Braun’s- Miami, Oklahoma
*tropically sweet and frozenly refreshing
Black Raspberry Frozen Custard: Jared’s Frozen Custard- Bartlesville, Oklahoma
*custard in Oklahoma! Smooth, creamy texture; fresh and bright flavor
Grilled Shrimp Salad: Rock Café- Stroud, OK
*with more shrimp than mixed greens they did the grilling right with a touch of garlic at a classic on the original Route 66.
Mahi Mahi: Riverview Café- Medicine Park, Oklahoma
*culinary alignment 1) tiny, well off the beaten path town 2) town is nestled on rolling slopes on both sides of a large creek 3) on a deck overlooking said creek 4) with the adjectives fish should have- flaky, moist, sweet, just a sublte hint of seasoning
Hamburger: The Meers Store and Restaurant- Meers, Oklahoma
*the ‘town’ is here because of this 1901 stagecoach stop and now boasts one other business. The burger is justifiably voted best in Oklahoma.
Chicken Sandwich: Mr. Burger- Hooker, Oklahoma
*one of two restaurants in this panhandle town a lot of places that destroy chicken could learn from them. And it was $3.25.
Pancake: Silver Spur Café- Woodward, Oklahoma
*almost didn’t go to this place since I thought it was a grungy local gas station. Pancake was actually greasy, an element undoubtedly inherited from all the other foodstuff on the griddle
Macaroon Cookie: Panaderia Troncosa- El Reno, Oklahoma
*Crispy on the outside, soft and fibrous on the inside; a touch of lemon.
Favorite Food Stops
Arthur Bryant’s- Kansas City, Missouri
*one of the all time great barbeque stops, in a rough around the edges neighborhood, behind the counter you can see the decades old smoker hard at work
Stigler Café- Stigler, Oklahoma
*they don’t get much more down home than this place
Rock Café- Stroud, OK
*see above
Robert’s Grill- El Reno, Oklahoma
*14 stools, opened 1926…’nuff said
Brint’s Diner- Witchita, Kansas
*classic diner tucked behind a car parts store and bakery outlet
La Michoacana- Liberal, Kansas
*it took someone to translate but I was rewarded with a refreshing fruit bar on a 104 degree day
Favorite Signs
Outside remote Hinton, Oklahoma
*Hitchhikers Could Be Escaped Inmates
On Fort Sill Military Reservation
*Howitzer Crossing