Saturday, October 8, 2011

Today and Yesterday

Today was so busy at Afton Station that the time went as fast as the wind. From the very beginning, talking to a local gentleman who is as disturbed as we are by the heaping of gravel all over the historic Sidewalk Highway to an always welcome visit from friend Kathy Anderson (who brought more shirts and some nifty ball caps for us to sell), the day was varied and productive.
First in the door this morning was this couple from Shorewood, WI. . .
. . . followed by this family from Devon, England with two adorable little boys. They're traveling all of Route 66 in a rented motor home, which makes it easier when there are two kids of napping age to contend with. The children were beautifully behaved.Rick Thompson and Richard Fox from Cimarron Photography and Design in Oklahoma City came to take photos of the Station and to interview me for their upcoming DVD about Route 66. They stayed a long time, much to our pleasure. These are delightful men and I look forward to seeing their DVD. Meanwhile, examples of their creativity can be seen here. http://www.cimarronphoto.com/.


The rest of today's 22 visitors hailed from Festus MO, Pittsburgh PA, Buffalo NY, Caledonia MI, and Portland OR.




On the way home, Ron M. and I stopped at the Blue Whale to pick up some brochures. We talked to "Mr. Blue Whale" Blaine Davis for a few minutes, and all of a sudden the day was over. Where did the time go?
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A quick note and some photos of last night, when Ron M. and I attended Michael Wallis's birthday party in the garden of his home in the Sophian Plaza. I wouldn't ordinarily report on a private party, but since so many of you know Michael, either personally or by reputation, I thought you might like to see the pics. The theme was Michael's turning 66, a big milestone for "Mr. Route 66". A good time was had by all. It was also fun to catch up with Pat and Larry Wofford, formerly of Route 66 Harley Davidson, and truly enjoyed the balmy night, good food, and great company.

2 comments:

Susan Yates said...

Some questions about the gravel on the Sidewalk/Ribbon/Scotch Highway--Should we all call or e-mail ODOT? Is it a state thing or a county thing? Did they cover the entire length? Has this been done before and if so, did it damage the pavement? Is the Ok Route 66 Association or Michael's Route 66 Alliance on the case? What do you recommend we do?

Laurel said...

Susan,
Many good questions! The gravel has been dumped on the entire Afton section (approx. 4 miles) of the Ribbon Road. I've heard from the two people who live on that segment and they say it's done every few years and will wear off rather quickly. My problem is that they've dumped it not just in the center, but over the curbs on most of it. As you know, the curbs are what makes the road special, important, and photogenic to travelers and historians. I can live with most of that, except that when we were about to erect the monument, I was with the County Commissioner and his crew when we plotted the exact spot where we wanted it to go. The monument is at a small (perhaps 500 ft.) stretch of the Ribbon Road on the opposite side of the longer part of the road. I stood there and told them that, above all, NOT to cover that stretch of the road or alter it in any way. They agreed. And then, weeks later,they dumped A LOT of gravel over the whole thing! Was I talking to myself? What the heck! And since there is still work to be done by the county, I don't want to rock any boats by complaining. Plus, I'm not sure they can remove the gravel without using front loaders and tearing up the original pavement. It's definitely a county thing, and I guess I should just "man up" (ha ha!) and call the Commissioner, but I'm quite afraid to do that. The OK Route 66 Association which sponsored the monument seems to be leaving this to me, so I'd better do it. Sigh. . .