#cactusinn

#cactusinn #route66 #texas (at McLean, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo6uecvBo55/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1eboarr7rprpo

McLean, Texas to Fort Smith, Arkansas, 370 miles on I40 with a few stops along the way. We left Texas, drove through Oklahoma and on in to Arkansas. Last night's lodging, The Cactus Inn, was a perfect motel stop, our co-residents all hit the road before us but we were on the road by 9:30. A Phillips gas station was pristinely restored in McLean and yes, they pump .19 cents per gallon. We stopped at Canute, Oklahoma, traveling some of the original R66 cement (that is groupie speak) and then on to the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma for a history lesson. Did you know that parking meters were invented by two professors at the University of Oklahoma? Pesky pesky. The museum houses a collection of R66 artifacts mostly donated by individuals who have dedicated their lives to maintaining the importance of the route. We stopped at Johnnie's Grill in El Reno for a fried onion burger, the local cuisine and then on to Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City National Memorial is extremely impactful, with 168 chairs on a green lawn, one for each individual killed in the 1995 Oklahoma bombing. Do visit the museum if you go to the memorial - it is intense and powerful. The memorial itself is peaceful. It seems to ground the city, sitting right in the middle with easy open access to everyone. The city had a lovely feel to it, with lots of ongoing gentrification. We walked through the Plaza district, stopping in on the dna galleries which sold and displayed local artists work and wares. Most of the other shops were closed on Monday but it looked like a fun part of town. We bid adue to our time on R66 at Oklahoma City as we are heading further east, while R66 heads north towards Chicago. Oklahoma is another vast and open state, seeing it one understands what is meant by the heartland of the country. Oklahoma's telephone area code is "405", three numbers coveted rather than cursed by its residents. We crossed through to Arkansas late in the day, headed for Ozark but got only as far as Fort Smith. We ate Vietnamese cuisine at the Green Papaya and then checked in to the Courtyard by Marriott for two clean beds and a good shower. As for the vietnamese food in Fort Smith, Arkansas, we learned from the clerk who checked us in that there is a large vietnamese community here in Fort Smith including his family and while he considers his mother the best cook, the Green Papaya passes muster. Until tomorrow...