A Passed-Up Pig Out Palace, and Kicks on Route 66

February 20th – Conway, AR to Elk City, OK

Dad stuck his head in my bedroom at around 7:20 a.m. on Thursday morning. I had worked on the blog until 1:30 a.m., falling asleep around 2 a.m. A groggy 'good morning,' at best.






Janet uttered a fair few dramatic sobs through the early morning, while Abe commented that the bags looked a lot less appealing exiting the house. I made sure to toss the frisbee for Mahwin, and gave the Senegal Parrot, Cuddles, some time on my shoulder to nibble on cashews.

The car packed, the emotional good-byes made, Abe and Janet stood by as we belted into the Camry and pulled out. It was surreal.

While our last day's drive to Huntsville had been accomplished primarily under a torrential downpour, the drive back west started and stayed under brilliant sunshine. We had agreed on a more leisurely approach to our post-Huntsville drives, so we stopped at the same Conway hotel that we had stayed at nine nights earlier. We also had our evening meal at the same McAlister's Deli, and were served by Robert, the same courteous young man.

Good night, all.

This morning (Friday, the 20th) dawned crisp and clear, with the temperatures just under the freezing mark. While Dad and I woke early enough, we sauntered our way through the first hour or more and, by sometime after 8, were finally back on I40. I hadn't made my usual espresso hit, so I was fairly hazy until I found a Starbucks in Russellville, AR. A poor substitute these days, I must say. Sometime later, we needed to make a pitstop and bumped into Huckleberry's Pig Out Palace just outside Henryetta, OK. Happily, it was not a fit with our schedule, and so we pulled back out onto the interstate.

Everything else was a little hum-drum until, just as we were about to pass Elk City, I spotted a sign for the National Route 66 Museum. Mom & Dad immediately expressed interest in stopping, despite the fact that is was around 3:30 p.m. and we were still two hours from our anticipated destination, Amarillo, TX. We had just over an hour to do a too-quick survey of the city's shrine to one of the most famous routes in modern times.

And, Allison and Pete, I couldn't convince them to let me remove this pram from their exhibit, so I had to settle for something considerably more mundane and touristy. Sorry.

With the museum closing at 5 p.m., Dad suggested we stay in Elk City. We also were unable to negotiate the purchase of an antique camper trailer in the exhibit, so I suggested the Flamingo Motel back down 3rd Street (as we had once had a motel by the same name in Winnipeg). A young man from the Indian continent, who had purchased the business one year ago, showed us a decent, recently renovated room, and we became his sole customers for the night.

Before and after dinner, the folks and I talked about what was reasonable and doable within the days remaining in the month. While Mom has said that this break in their at-home routine has been wonderful, the overall effort and lack of routine has been tiring for both of my folks. Dad commented, as we were considering our options, that this would likely be his last trip of this kind. This was only one of the moments of pathos we have encountered during this past two weeks. This trip is about making memories precisely because we all recognize that the time for making them is so limited.

After extensive use of maps.google.com, we came up with an acceptable itinerary. Dad retired after a shower, while Mom did her devotional reading and I hammered away on this blog.

And, now, it's time for my retirement. Love to all who are still with us on this journey.