U.S. Route 66 was established in 1926 and is considered the shortest, fastest, and most scenic all-weather route, connecting Chicago, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. Called the “Mother Road” by John Steinbeck in his novel The Grapes of WrathRoute 66 was used by migrants fleeing the Dust Bowl in the 1930s in search of a better life in the West. During World War II, the route facilitated the movement of troops and equipment. And during the postwar economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s, Route 66 became an integral part of the Great American Road Trip.
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My home state of Oklahoma boasts some 400 miles of historic highway—the most of any of the eight states that Route 66 traverses. The Mother Road played a central role in my budding love affair with riding. In 1977, at age 14, I rode a Kawasaki 100cc 2-stroke along one of the most scenic stretches of Route 66 in the state—the 100 miles between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The 200-mile round trip was my first long-distance motorcycle trip. It took me all day and cost about $2 in gas, and my long-suffering parents had no idea what I was doing.
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Forty-six years after that formative adventure, I was back on the road, only this time I took the time to enjoy the roadside attractions and small-town charm that make Route 66 such an iconic part of America. Once again, I felt at home on the Mother Road.
Not far from my house, I hop on Route 66 at its junction with Interstate 35 in Edmond. I head east through wooded terrain and past the vast Arcadia Lake before stopping at the Arcadia Round Barn. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was built in 1898 by a local farmer who thought its circular design would make it tornado-proof. Science may not support that belief, but the Round Barn has stood in the middle of Tornado Alley for 126 years. It is now a museum, gift shop and live music venue.
Continuing east, the countryside along this stretch of road is a mix of forests, farmland and pastureland. Although no longer the transcontinental artery it once was, Route 66 remains vital to the communities it passes through. The roads are mostly in excellent condition, and there are occasional curves wide enough to cause you to lose your tire mid-swing.
In Wellston, I stopped at The Butcher BBQ Stand, one of the best barbecue restaurants around. The award-winning flavors were developed over eight years on the competitive barbecue circuit, including more than 400 first-place finishes. One of my riding buddies calls this barbecue “meat candy,” and he’s not wrong. Thirty minutes before The Butcher opened, there was a line out the door.
Just a few miles down the road in Warwick is the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum, originally a Route 66 service station named after its owner in the 1920s. The building was purchased by Jerry Reis in 2007 and he opened the museum in 2010. Not only is it a great place to see a range of vintage motorcycles, but it also has some great Route 66 memorabilia.
I then headed east-northeast to the town of Chandler, where roadside attractions include the Route 66 Information Center and the Route 66 Bowl, a bowling alley with dozens of authentic vintage oil company signs lining the parking lot.
Fourteen miles further on, we stopped for lunch in Stroud at the Rock Cafe, another Route 66 institution. Opened in 1939, it was named after the local sandstone used in its construction, and over the years it has been a reliable stop for long-haul truckers, a high school pub, and even a makeshift Greyhound bus stop for soldiers deployed during World War II. Pixar executives stopped by the cafe while developing the hit film Car and based on owner Dawn Welch’s character “Sally Carrera.” The burger I had there was amazing – and it was cooked on “Betsy,” the original 1939 grill.
The final stop on my Mother Road reunion tour was Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66 in Tulsa to see “Muffler Man” Buck Atom, the Space Cowboy. A handful of authentic Muffler Men—giant statues used by businesses for eye-catching advertising—remain. Buck Atom was created using a mold from a salvaged Muffler Man cowboy from the 1960s. Rechristened in 2019, Buck stands 20 feet tall and now wields a silver rocket instead of a tailpipe. He guards a gift shop at the site of an old Route 66 gas station in downtown Tulsa. The new, classic Muffler Man fits right in with Mother Road.
As daylight faded, I hopped on the interstate to make time for my return home to Oklahoma City – the interstate that marked the end of Route 66’s prominence in Oklahoma, bypassing many of the communities connected by the Mother Road. It was a quicker ride home, but a much less enjoyable one. As on my first freeway adventure in 1977, I felt more at home on the Mother Road.
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Route 66 Motorcycle Riding Resources
Tim DeGiusti lives and works in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tim got back into motorcycling in 2012 after a long break, and has since ridden all over Oklahoma and 38 other states (and counting).
