Gypsy Tour 2024 - Route 66
Meet and Greet July 24th Munger Moss Hotel, Lebanon, MO
Day 1 (July 25th) Lebanon MO to OK City
Day 2 (July 26th) Oklahoma City to Tucumcari New Mexico
Day 3 (July 27th) Tucumcari New Mexico to Gallup New Mexico
Day 4 (July 28th) Gallup New Mexico to St George Utah
NOTE: Schedule is subject to change when/as needed
July 24th - Meet and Greet
Munger Moss Hotel 1336 E Route 66, Lebanon, MO 65536
Rates : single- 77.65 double- 83.20
https://mungermoss.com/ (417) 532-3111
DAY One – July 25
Lebanon MO to OK City
KSU 7:15
Springfield - pass through
The Birthplace of Rt 66
Joplin – pass through
The town's name is mentioned in the song Route Sixty-six (Get your kicks...).As in all big towns, Route 66 had several alignments into and through Joplin. Lebanon was an important stop on Route 66, and it provided the road services that tourists sought. In fact, one of the very first motels along the highway was Camp Joy, which opened in 1927 as a tent camp at a rate of $0.50 a night. Later, cottages and a combination gas station / grocery store were added.
Galena Kansas - STOP #1
Cars on Route 66: Kan-O-Tex Service Station, 119 N Main St, Galena, KS 66739
The buildings of Galena helped inspire the fictional community of Route 66, Radiator Springs, also in Cars. You can even visit the truck that inspired the character Tow Mater! They used to serve burgers there.
Miami - Historic Route 66 & Ribbon Road - QUICK STOP/pass throughhttps://www.theroute-66.com/ribbon-road-us66.html#driving
Just outside of Miami is the last section of the original nine-foot-wide “Ribbon Road” which is listed as an Oklahoma National Historic Landmark. Although a part of the Historic Highway, this section predates Route 66, having been built in the early 1920’s. While the 9 ft highway was a part of the original Route 66 that was finished in 1926, this particular road was also part of the original Ozark Trail Highway.
Foyil Oklahoma - STOP #2 21300 OK-28 A, Chelsea, OK 74016
Home of the Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park. A true Rt 66 must see. The Totem Pole Park consists of eleven objects and one building on 14 acres in Rogers County, in northeastern Oklahoma. The park is ten miles north-east of Claremore and is located 3.5 miles east of historic U.S. Route 66 and Foyil. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1999. Wikipedia
Arcadia Oklahoma – POSSIBLE STOP #3
The World Famous Arcadia Round Barn that was constructed in 1898.
360 miles to DESTINATION- Oklahoma City
DAY ONE DESTINATION HOTEL
HOWARD JOHNSON INN
400 S Meridian Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73108
405.896.8493
DAY Two – July 26
Oklahoma City to Tucumcari NM
KSU: 7:15
Quick Stop / Photo Opportunity
40 miles out of OK City we will cross the Historic Bridgeport to Hydro Pony Bridge. The bridge was built in 1934, the bridge is on ODOT'S endangered list. It is 3900 feet long, nearly 3/4 of a mile, and has 38 trusses. A beautiful piece of Oklahoma and Route 66 history.
Old bridges are a special subset of the Route 66 experience. Along the stretches of the
2-lane Route 66 which remain intact, they tend to be quite old though usable and therefore special. This pony bridge is such a bridge. In western Oklahoma, the section of Route 66 from Bridgeport to Hydro is considered distinctive since it marks a change in geography by providing the first glimpse of the western plains. The section also contains the William H. Murray Bridge, also known as the Pony Bridge (due to the truss system it uses). Completed in 1934, the bridge is one of the most distinctive bridges of the road in Oklahoma due to its massive length.
UPDATE: Preservation Update
9 –10:00 Stop #1 - Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK.
2229 Gary Blvd, Clinton Oklahoma
For the ultimate Route 66 experience, visit the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton OK. The museum’s galleries have recently been redesigned to offer visitors a personal journey through the history of the nation’s most revered highway. Encounter the iconic ideas, images and myths of the Mother Road. Learn about the dreams and labor needed to make the road a reality.
Sayre, OK POSSIBLE Quick Stop
You will notice what look like Subway steps on each side of the road. Due to the large amount of traffic, Sayre built an underground walkway for the residents to use to cross Rt66 safely.
11:15 to 11:45
Stop #2 (If Open)
Sandhill Curiosity Shop
144 3rd St, Erick, OK
If it is open we will the Sand Hill Curiosity Shop and you will be welcomed In a way that you will NEVER forget. Erick is also the home of Roger Miller.
Quick Stop – U Drop Inn, Shamrock Texas
The Tower Station was the first commercial business located on the newly designated Route 66 in Shamrock, and is one of the most imposing and architecturally creative buildings along the length of the road.
NOTE: Not much here but the building has been restored and is too freaking cool to pass by.
LUNCH STOP
The Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery
7701 Interstate 40 Access Rd, Amarillo, TX 79118
Big Texan Steak Ranch: Home to the famous 72oz steak challenge. Eat it all with the trimmings and it is FREE!
The world famous Big Texan Steak Ranch. In 1960, R. J. “Bob” Lee opened The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo on Route 66, the “Mother Road. Its distinctive architecture soon became recognized across the Mother Road as a good stopping place for great steaks grilled over an open flame.
Stop #3
Amarillo Texas – Cadillac Ranch
Bring a can of spray paint. Seriously, buy a can in OK City.
115 miles to Tucumcari
DAY TWO DESTINATION HOTEL
BLUE SWALLOW HOTEL 815 E Rte 66 Blvd, Tucumcari, NM 88401 (575) 461-9849
BOOK ROOMS ONLINE AT THEIR WEBSITE https://blueswallowmotel.com/
rates are on their site
DAY TWO OVERFLOW HOTEL
Historic Route 66 Motel 1620 E. Route 66 Blvd. Tucumcari, NM. 88401
Front Desk Hours 3:00pm - 11:00pm (MT)
Telephone: 575-461-1212
E-mail:
MILEAGE (APPROX) total 370
OK City to Clinton 79 miles
Clinton to Erik – 60 miles
Erik to Shamrock – 20 miles
Shamrock to Amarillo – 98 miles
Amarillo to Tucumcari 115 miles
DAY THREE (July 27th)
Tucumcari to Gallup (approx 320 Miles)
Blue Swallow Motel – KSU 7:15
NOTE: Please fuel up the night before and be ready to roll at the departure time.
Day one and two gave us some fantastic sites to visit. Day three will bring you into the American South West. The ride will be less about roadside sites and more about the road and the surrounding scenery. There will be sections where we will be forced onto Rt 40 due to the original road being totally replaced by the highway. Other sections of the original Road are still used as frontage roads.
PART 1: Tucumcari to Santa Rosa (approx 65 miles) 9:15
Santa Rosa's stretch of Route 66 is part of film history. When Steinbeck's epic novel, Grapes of Wrath, was made into a movie, director John Ford used Santa Rosa for the memorable train scene. Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) watches a freight train steam over the Pecos River railroad bridge, into the sunset.
Other Route 66 landmarks still visible today include "billboards" painted on huge roadside boulders. This part of the highway was decommissioned in 1937 and later became part of the Santa Rosa airport runway.
A particularly scenic stretch of Route 66 parallels Interstate 40 and can be accessed from the three exits east of town. See picturesque stone ruins in Cuervo and the ghost service stations of Newkirk and Montoya.
Around 1937, the state of New Mexico straightened Route 66 in an effort to decrease mileage and offer better quality roads to the travelers. The end result was a stretch of road that was more east-west. The original alignment of Route 66 took travelers North West to Santa Fe just west of Santa Rosa.
The difference between the two routes is approximately 70 miles. As we make our way to Albuquerque we will take the post 1937 route. After lunch in Albuquerque we will pick up the second half of the original alignment that goes south of Rt 40 as we move west to Gallup.
Santa Rosa NOTES:
1. Adventurous riders who want to go to Santa Fe are welcomed to make the trip. There is decent signage. Go north on 84. You will eat lunch on your own and meet up with the group at the El Rancho Hotel.
2. The Pecos River in Santa Rosa is where Coronado crossed in 1544 as he was searching for
the Cibola and the Seven Cities of Gold.
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44 Miles south of Santa Rosa is the town of Fort Sumner – The town where Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid.
Part 2: Santa Rosa to Albuquerque – 115 Miles
LUNCH in Albuquerque New Mexico from 12:00 – 1:15 The Rt 66 Diner 1405 Central Avenue NE Albuquerque, NM 87106
Part 3: Albuquerque to Peralta and Los Lunas
approx 65 miles Original (pre-1937 alignment)
Part 4 Correo, Laguna, Valencia, NM to Gallup , Approx 95 miles
Five miles west of Thoreau NM we will cross the continental divide. We will stop for some photo if time allows
DAY THREE DESTINATION HOTEL
The El Rancho Hotel 1000 E. Highway Rt 66 Gallup, NM 87301 505.722.2285
MILEAGE (APPROX) total 320
Tucumcari to Santa Rosa 65 miles
Santa Rosa to Albuqrque 65 miles
Correo, Laguna, Valencia, NM to Gallup 95 miles
Day 4 (JULY 28)
Gallop to St George Utah (Approx 455 Miles)
Day four begins in the El Rancho Parking lot.
KSU - 7:00 AM
We will say GOODBYE to Rt 66 on day four of the Gypsy Tour by heading northward on Rt 491. This will lead us to the Four Corners Monument where you can visit four states at once. After our visit we will then head west towards St George on 160, 89A to 389
Part 1: 95 miles STOP 1 (8 to 8:20 fuel stop and quick break)
Gallup to Shiprock New Mexico
Heading north from Gallup on Rt 491 you will see Shiprock Rock formation off to your west.
Part 2: 34 miles STOP 2 (9:00 to 9:30)
Four Corner National Monument - West on Rt 64
Four Corners Monument 597 New Mexico Teec Nos Pos, AZ 86514
Part 3: (330 miles to hotel)
Hilton Garden Inn St. George (Host Hotel) 1731 South Convention Center Drive Saint George, Utah 84790 USA
NOTE: Gas quality in some of these areas is less than desirable. I have made it a habit to carry a few of the octane/fuel additives.