Not Discouraged

Ok, I'm over it. Yesterday's discouragement has melted in the heat and I'm back to being encouraged and happy today. It wasn't terribly busy at Afton Station today , but it was satisfying. "Busy" isn't always called for. I did a quick total of visitors for July, and we beat last July by over 50 visits. So, what am I complaining about? It's not about counting bodies coming in the door anyway. It's about giving those people big doses of good old Route 66 hospitality and helping them navigate the Mother Road. The bonus comes when I get to meet lots of new, cool people. The extra bonus is when they buy something or leave a donation to help out with the utilities. :-)

Today's 8 visitors came from Nowata OK, Livonia MI, Miami OK, Sainte-Agathe-les-Monts, Quebec Canada, and St. Louis, MO. The Nowata folks were driving this very cool '68 Plymouth. I love those gigantic, long '60s cars -- the kind with hoods so long you can barely see to front of the car.

On the other hand, here's our visitor from Quebec. He has an entirely different philosophy.

This is his THIRD Smart Car! His first two were deisel (only available in Canada), but this one is a gas model. The deisel models got about 100 mpg, but this one only gets about 90, he said!

Late in the day, our friend Jane Dippel from St. Louis came calling. It's always such a joy when she stops by on one of her long single-handed Route 66 trips out west. This time, Jane is meeting up with various family members out in Winslow, AZ and will be giving them one of her very own expert tours of Route 66 out there.

This photo is from May. I forgot to snap a pic of her this time.

So, that was our day at Afton Station. By "our", I mean Ron M. and me. He was helping out again today, and I've really come to depend on his help so very much. I don't give him enough credit, so here's some right now!

________________

Thought for the Day: It's fascinating to work across the street from a hoarder. Just sayin'.

Discouraged :-(

I try not to voice my disappointments about Afton Station on this blog. I try to keep it upbeat, and I'm lucky because nearly every day at the Station gives me that upbeat feeling. Today was somewhat of a downer, although it started out to be very, very nice.

Ron M. was with me today, and shortly after we arrived, so did Tattoo Man, sporting his latest tatton on his stomach.
Next came the guest of honor of the day, Kathy Anderson from Edmond, OK. We'd planned to meet today so that she could give me a large supply of t-shirts to sell here at the Station. It's always great to see Kathy, and although I've resisted selling tees, I couldn't resist taking over a couple of her designs, in both tees and sweatshirts. I now have them in all sizes and three colors, and they're on a special sale at only $10 per shirt and $22 per sweatshirt. (The second photo shows the back of the shirt.)


While we were sorting the shirts, Robin and Phil dropped by and Phil brought his cast with him. It was replaced a couple of days ago, so he finished painting the Route 66 map on it and presented it to Afton Station. It now hangs on the wall here!

After that, the day went somewhat downhill. It's uncompromisingly hot, and that's stalling out tourism around here. . . a lot. We only had 6 visitors today. Nobody bought a thing. That, coupled with the $390 electric bill (for air conditioning these three big showrooms) which I received yesterday, has really bummed me out. I don't blame tourists for not wanting to get out of their cars in 105-degree weather, but seeing all of them slow down, snap photos, and move on can't help but discourage me. In reality, we've had more visitors this month than we had last July, but most of them came at the start of the month. Right now, it's slim pickins'.

Our brave and friendly visitors today came from Bella Vista, AR and Collinsville and Grove, OK.

Tomorrow is another day, and I feel sure I'll revive. Stop by tomorrow and I'll prove it.

Drive By Shootings

It must be the heat that has caused so many cars to do "drive by shootings" at Afton Station today. Who wants to get out of the car when it's 113 degrees outside (that's what my car thermometer showed anyway). So, many cars slowed down for photos but didn't come in. Even so, 17 folks braved the torrid temperatures and did come in. They were all happy travelers, and we didn't need to revive anyone.

Since I got home late this afternoon and I have lots to do, this will be an abbreviated post. Phil was nice enough to come and sit with me all day, and even with his leg in a cast, he managed to act as the guide to the two car showrooms. Betty came late in the day and helped out, too.

Guests came from: Springfield MO, Columbus KS, Siloam Springs AR, Grove OK, Sand Springs OK, Alborg Denmark, Skiatook OK, Barody MI, Oley PA, and Luxembourg!

The Faces of Determination

I guess it's determination that motivates these long-distance runners. I can't even imagine it, since I'm so far removed from any such accomplishments. I was in awe for most of the morning as the runners arrived at Afton Station one by one, each runner with a small retinue of support crew members in cars. By the time they'd arrived in Afton, they had run about half of their trek between Los Angeles and New York City. There were 14 of them left on Day 38 of 70. They will go 3200 miles before they finish. Today was a medium length day, only 40.8 miles. From Big Cabin, OK to Miami, OK, with Afton Station a waypoint. We had cold drinks and energy bars for the runners and their crew.

I found it interesting, and perhaps enlightening, that none of the runners were from the USA. They came from Japan, France, Germany, England, and several other countries that I seem to have forgotten in all the excitement. Are Americans just too lazy? Hmm... something to ponder. All of the participants were incredibly friendly and interesting. Some spoke a little English, some none. What an ordeal, to run across an unfamiliar country in blazing heat and only a moderate ability to communicate.

I believe they appreciated our little stop, because they ate, drank, bought a good number of small souvenirs, and left several gifts for us. Ron M., Tattoo Man, Marly, Betty,and Jon Edwards were there to help. A few Afton citizens came to watch. It was quite a morning.

Here are some of the faces of determination:

Peter Bartel from Germany and his oversized push scooter. This is NOT a bicycle and has no seat or gears. He pushes with his foot. It isn't exactly running, but he can be forgiven. He's SEVENTY years old!
Two Italians. One a runner and one a photographer. His photos of the race can be seen atJeep ® People A challenging project

French women. Laure, the head of the race committee, is on the right.

Part of the Japanese contingent.

Today was also the day we celebrated Ron M.'s birthday, which was actually yesterday. The party was a bit disjointed, what with all the chaos of the morning, but we did manage to consume a few colorful cupcakes and sing him a most awful version of "Happy Birthday".

Betty W. and some Afton friends.

Rain!

I don't think we got much here in Tulsa, but I went through two very big rainstorms on the way home from Afton, and they were accompanied by some very strong winds and lightning. It felt so good to watch the car thermometer plunge from 108 to 89 in a matter of minutes. The aroma of the rain on the fields and the sound of rain banging against my windshield were such welcome sensations. Rain!

Today was the reverse of yesterday at Afton Station. We had a busy morning and a slow afternoon. Again, Robin and Phil were with me. We have such a good time together during the times when there are no visitors. Several times we laughed until we were in tears. Nice people!

Our 18 visitors came from Paola KS, Springfield MO, Fair Grove MO, Nixa MO, Broken Arrow OK, and Salamanca, Spain. Here, the young woman from Spain examined the painting on Phil's cast. That cast has become a show stopper at Afton Station!This must have been Corvette Day at Afton Station. We had a total of four 'Vettes pull into the Station today!

When I arrived home just now, this was in my email box. A gentleman named Bob Davis visited the Station last month and happened to show me some of his wonderful art. He said he'd send me a painting of the Station, and . . . he did! Isn't it great?! I love his style!

Best Cast Ever

My volunteer, Phil, arrived to Afton Station today with the best cast ever! Since there's not much he can do while recovering from major Achilles tendon surgery, he painted Route 66 on his cast! He identifies himself as someone "with too much time on (his) hands", whereas I identify him as a great artist! I wish you could see the detail on this painting, which was done under obviously difficult conditions. When he finally gets it cut off, I want to hang it in my showroom!

Fortunately, Robin and Phil came and kept me company this morning, because we didn't have any visitors until noon. After that, however, things livened up a lot. This beautiful '49 Hudson Super 6 was driven by a family returning from the Hudson meet in Oklahoma City. Eleven members of the Kansas State Troopers arrived on motorcycles. Traveling on bikes must be near torture in this weather, but they seemed cheerful and as if they were having a good time.

Another honeymoon couple! This time, they're from Spain. I've become very good at spotting honeymooners the minute they walk in the door. Once again, I knew immediately. As with all newlywed visitors, they were very cute and radiated happiness.

Our other visitors today came from Erie KS, Phoenix AZ, and Spring TX. Marly was still there when I left, and I saw some more visitors drive in as I was leaving, so I'll probably have more to add tomorrow.

You can't get rid of me that easily. . .

Since I'm apparently going to be home all day, with stenchy odors coming from the cellar and my car blocked in by two trucks from the restoration company that is mucking out my flooded basement, I thought I'd post a few photos I've had for a while. I'm not sure if I've ever posted them here before, but if I did, it was a long time ago.

I obtained these quite a few years ago, back in my eBay-buying days. I haven't dabbled in eBay for a while, not for lack of interest but instead for lack of time. Anyway, I thought these were real gems. They were taken in 1955 at Buffalo Ranch in Afton. They are of the Indian dancers who were employed there to entertain the travelers. In the first one, the large billboard you see in the background is now in my possession. It's double-sided. I have one side on display at Afton Station and the other I've loaned to the Route 66 Museum at Route 66 Harley-Davidson in Tulsa.

The non-Native American in this second photo could be the gentleman who did a trained buffalo show at Buffalo Ranch, or perhaps he's just a tourist. I crave more tourist snapshots from the old days at Buffalo Ranch, and so does Betty W., who'd like to write a book about her 41 years at the drive-in there, but we haven't had much luck. If anyone has any they'd like to share, we'd be pleased to know about it.

A Splash of Irony

The whole state of Oklahoma has just been declared a disaster area because of the heat and drought, and I have a basement full of water! That's what I call irony. Without going into boring detail, a pipe broke yesterday and proceeded to flood my basement. The water has already been drained out, but today the restoration people are coming to set up fans and remove some soaked boxes of books. The flood also killed my water heater, so plumbers are installing a new one this morning.

All this is just to explain why I won't be at Afton Station today. Marly has agreed to take over for me, so we will be open for the usual hours. I'll be back on Saturday.

I am not stressed about all of this. I am not stressed about all of this. I am not stressed. . .

"Window Observations" or "Who Uses Route 66 Now"

As I have mentioned, I had very few visitors yesterday, thus I had some window gazing time. Every now and then, I enjoy this. I remember back when only a handful of people knew about Afton Station and I'd go days at a time with nary a visitor. On those days, I'd count tractor trailer trucks, and sometimes I'd even write down which direction they were heading and what company they represented. That's crazy talk, you're probably saying. Ok, maybe. But when I was a kid I'd sit on my front steps and count cars and list their make, model, and color. That was when it was easy, even for a 8 year old girl, to identify all the cars in existence. Not any more, of course. So, I have a long history of staring at passing vehicles.

Yesterday, I watched the passing parade for a while and came up with these utterly unscientific, observations:

An average of 70 tractor trailer trucks pass per daylight hour.

5 to 10 of them are Wide Loads.

Lots of those are carrying wind turbine blades.

Lots of trailer house halves. . .their destiny to become double wides.

More pickup trucks than cars. . . lots more!

Pickup trucks overloaded with "stuff".

Large, brand new John Deere farm equipment.

Pickups pulling travel trailers.

Pickups pulling boats.

RVs covered with mud, fresh from off-roading.

Massive motor homes.

Horse trailers, chicken trucks, cattle heading to market.

Clunkers and junkers.

Balers and trailers.

(Hey, I'm a poet!)

Motorcycles of every description.

Occasional bikes and hikers.

Delivery vans.

A very occasional horse.

2011 Dust Bowl

This may be Oklahoma, but the corn definitely isn't as high as an elephant's eye this summer. It about as high as the eye of a newborn calf, and it's getting brown and dying on the stalk. The soybeans don't seem to be doing much better. This incredible drought and hot spell is taking its toll. The cows are huddling in the shade whenever possible. We see these particular ones gathered in the shade under two billboards, fighting for space, every day when we're heading home from Afton Station. Other cows are wading in quickly-evaporating farm ponds to get a little relief. Even the horses seem unhappy. I expect to see Tom Joad and his family heading west any minute!

The weather is also taking its toll on travelers, I think. It's hard to believe that I only had three (count 'em, THREE) visitors to Afton Station all day today, in the middle of July!

This morning's first visitors were this very distinguished preacher from St. Louis, MO and his daughter who is just one year out of college. They chose Route 66 for their path from Texas to St. Louis and they stayed at the Station for quite some time while we chatted, mostly about trains. Preacher Wyatt is a great fan of train travel and he told me about his recent trip on the Texas Eagle, one of the few luxury passenger trains left in America. Now I really want to take a ride on it myself!

The rest of the day was totally devoid of visitors (except for a quick drop-in by Robin and Phil) until late afternoon when a gentleman wandered in and didn't stay long because he was on his way to the new auction house next door.

But all is not bad news by any means! I joined a newly-formed Facebook page called "Afton, OK Group" and found myself among a talkative group of Afton old-timers who are concerned about Afton's shabby appearance of late. Over the course of just a couple of days, we've made plans for an "Afton Route 66 Clean-Up Day", to be held on Sat., Sept. 3. Cleaning up 1st Street (Route 66) will be the first priority, although other property owners will be urged to spruce up their own parts of town. A very enthusiastic and energetic lady named Rhonda has taken the reins of the committee. A gentleman named Ted and I are the other two committee members. Although I've never met these two in person, we've communicated enough to plan a full day for the 3rd, including free food at Afton Station all day for those who participate, a band concert in the park at the end of the day, and a list of local groups who have already been contacted (thanks to dynamo Rhonda) to help out on the day. The town needs far more than just a one-day cleaning, but with luck, the pebble we toss in the water will send ripples all across town. I hope some of my Route 66 friends will come out to help beautify a small, previously neglected piece of Route 66 too.

My new hat!

This couple from Brisbane, Australia gave me a really nice hat which (although you can't see it in the picture) bears an Aussie flag. As you can see, I look hideous in hats. Nevertheless, it was a really great gift, and they were very lovely people. And taking a photo of me in a hat didn't cause the camera to explode, for once.

A family from Olten, Switzerland was very interested in the car museum. The little boy got the chance to sit in the DeSoto and he was quite thrilled. I think his dad was, too.

The three little girls in this family from Commerce, Texas were fascinated and excited about the squashed penny machine. I'm afraid Mom was completely devoid of small change once the girls got hold of her billfold! While the girls crowded around the penny machine, Dad was in the car showroom examining the collection.

We had our first visitors from Dubai, United Arab Emirates! Mom, Dad, and little girl are in the States for a vacation. They are Americans who have had the good fortune to experience years of foreign living courtesy of the dad, whose job has required them to live in a number of exotic places.

A couple from Roanoke, Indiana was on the way to the national Hudson convention, which is being held in Oklahoma City this week. They were pulling an enclosed trailer holding a '36 Hudson which I'm sure is an amazing specimen.

Frequent visitor P.J. from Miami, OK stopped in with his wife. Other visitors, 24 in all, came from Grove OK, Paola KS, and Bartlesville, OK.

This Afton cleanup may be catching on. When Ron M. and I arrived in town this morning, we observed someone cleaning the weeds out of the curbside just down the street. Maybe Tattoo's efforts have started something. I'm still lobbying for a town-wide cleanup day in the fall. Keep fingers crossed.

Special Day

Before I say anything else, I want to give a special nod to my volunteer Ron "Tattoo Man" Jones. We've looked out the window of theStation for weeks now watching the weeds grow along the side of the road across the street in front of the old Palmer Hotel. In previous years they were cut, but this year they've gotten out of hand. Tattoo took it upon himself to buy a flat bladed spade and, in this terrible heat, dig them out. He attempted to finish the job today, but the heat was just too much for him. We at Afton Station are concerned about the appearance of the town and want to do our part to beautify it. We hope the town will follow suit. In the meantime, we'll continue to make sure that Afton Station and the surrounding land will look as good as possible. Thanks so much, Tattoo!!

It was a special day today because our friend Joe Meeks rode up to Afton with Ron M. and me and spent the day with us. We had a busy day, so I think we managed to keep him entertained.

Our visitors today numbered 34, and they came from the following places: Joplin MO, Apenzell Switzerland, McMinville OR, Wichita KS, Tuscon AZ, St. Joe AR, and Broken Arrow, Adair, Norman, Grove, Miami, Watts, Valliant, and Tulsa, OK. Although it was too hot for man or beast, all those intrepid folks, some on motorcycles, came to visit. Several of them were prompted by the article in the AAA magazine. Others were participating in a local motorcycle poker run (we weren't an "official" stop, but they stopped nonetheless), and one couple from Tulsa gave me a marvelous DVD they made which tells the story of the history of Tulsa in song and images.

This family from Grove, OK came to celebrate the son's birthday. He's the second from left. He likes old cars, so they felt that Afton Station would be a nice treat for him.

Bunion Derby 2011... maybe?

Some time ago I was contacted by one of the organizers of a footrace which will run across America from coast to coast, including Route 66, this summer to commemorate and re-create the legendary Great American Footrace, also known as the Bunion Derby. The original race was run in 1928 to publicize the opening of Route 66. It started in California and ended in New York.

Although over 200 runners entered the earlier race, many of them the best runners in the world, the competition was won by a 20-year-old man named Andy Payne from Foyil, OK, which is right up the road from Afton.

When I was contacted earlier this year, I was asked to have Afton Station open in the early morning of Tuesday, July 26 for a quick stopover by the runners, who will have left from Vinita earlier that morning. I'm very excited about this, however I haven't heard a word from the organizers since then. I've tried to contact them, to no avail. When I find out if this is still a viable plan, I'll announce it here so that if anyone would like to venture over to Afton around 7 a.m. on that day, you could be there to cheer the runners on. Meanwhile, check out the above photo, supplied by Joe Sonderman, of the original Bunion Derby as it passed through El Reno, OK. Look at the crowds it drew! It would be nice if we had at least a few spectators around to root for the modern runners. Running across America is, after all, a major feat!

Calmness Reigns

No photos. Very few visitors. So, my job is easy tonight. Here's the rundown. . .

**Seven visitors. A party of four men from Perth, Australia, Huntington Beach CA, and Austin TX. A couple of brothers and brothers-in-law and young son of one of the men. What a great group of guys, all thoroughly enjoying a 3-week Route 66 jaunt.

**A mother and daughter, the mother from Sand Springs, OK and visiting daughter from Ashville, NC. They were out for the day to find out what magical places lie on Route 66. I do hope they found Afton Station to be magical enough!

**A local gentleman looking to sell a 1948 Harley Davidson for $300. Sounds like a deal to me! I sent him to Tulsa to speak to the folks at Route 66 Harley, since he'd already talked to the motorcycle museum in Miami.

Tattoo Man and Ron M. were with me today, and Betty stopped in toward the end of the day. I was actually kind of happy to have some quiet time. I'll be gathering strength for what I feel will be a very busy weekend to come.

Three... Three... THREE Days in One!

I've been quite busy since Monday, so I'll resort to summarization. My friend Judy left today after three days with me. It was great! On Monday afternoon I took her up to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve to observe the gigantic bison herd there. We only saw one small herd, but when they are on the road and gathering around the car, they are awfully impressive. Here's one that wandered out in front of our car as we were leaving the preserve. She was followed by about 50 others. The Tallgrass is my favorite place on earth. I love the vastness and emptyness of it. The car you see in this photo is one of only about 5 we saw the whole day.On Tuesday, Judy came to Afton with me. Ron M. was with us, too. It was a moderately slow day, but because visitors were well-spaced, Judy had a chance to meet and talk to many of them. Our friend and frequent visitor Jon Edwards from Tahlequah OK stopped in and spent part of the morning with us. Other visitors came from Belleville IL, Herlen Denmark, Oklahoma City OK, Jay OK, and Bern Switzerland.

These three Danish men (father, son, and cousin) were handsome and pleasant. They also spoke excellent English and were practicing it by spending 6 weeks in America and on Route 66.

We were also charmed by the carefree attitude of these two. The retired teacher and her husband are embodying the definition of "wanderlust". With no timetable and absolutely great senses of humor, they really cheered our day.
This morning, I drove Judy to Stroud, OK to meet up with her brother and cousin at the Rock Cafe. From there, Judy continued on with them to OKC while I drove home, but not before we partook of some of the Rock's excellent cuisine (I highly recommend the meatloaf!), and chatted with Dawn, the owner, for a while. Dawn was the inspiration for the character "Sally" in the first Cars movie. From left: Marilyn (Judy's cousin), Dawn (in back), Judy, and her brother Loy, in front of the Lightning McQueen cutout at the Rock.

I have a lot of catching up to do today, so I'm off to do it!

Partial Day at Afton Station

Although I left Afton early to pick up my friend Judy at the Tulsa airport, the morning hours when Ron M. and I were at the Station were loaded with nice visitors and some surprises as well. My friend Emily from Tulsa surprised us by bringing her parents who are visiting from Herrin, IL. I've met them before but they'd never been to Afton Station. It's always nice to see them.
My photographer friend Michael Scruggs from Miami stopped in and I requested he take a few photos of the new motor coach. He did, but I haven't had time to look at them yet. I'm sure they're excellent, however.

This little boy and his family visited from Bonne Terre, MO. He was one of the most active and curious children we've ever hosted, and I was completely taken by his enthusiasm. Everything he looked at elicited a shriek of excitement. I like that!
Here's a cute couple from Essex, England. More enthusiasm for Route 66!
Other visitors came from Fairdealing MO, Detroit TX, Miami OK, Orlando FL, and Tulsa. Reuben and Colleen stopped by, too. This time they didn't bring corn -- they brought some priceless old photos of Buffalo Ranch. When I get a free moment I'll scan them and put them on the blog. As I said earlier, I won't be having much time in the next few days to devote to the blog, but we'll catch up later. Robin and Phil will take over the Station for me today (Monday). I'm hoping that, thanks to them, I'll be able to stay open 7 days a week during the busy summer season. So, if you're in the area, come ahead! Cheers!

I won't lie to ya'

Today wore me out! However, it was the best kind of wearing out! Why? An abundance of visitors at Afton Station! Yippee! I got home late, so this will be another somewhat abbreviated post. I know you understand.

At various point in the day, I had the help of Ron M., Tattoo Man, Betty, Phil, and Robin. Nevertheless, the recent busy days at the Station, coupled with getting ready for a houseguest who arrives tomorrow, as well as the cold I've been fighting has taken a bit of a toll. I just need a good night's sleep, I guess.

We had 47 visitors today. Yes, 47! They came from San Antonio TX, Phoenix AZ, Kilgore TX, Pittsburgh PA, Fairfield OH, Fayetteville AR, Christchurch New Zealand, Discovery Bay CA, Natto TX, Chicago IL, and the following towns in Oklahoma: Grove, Vertigris, Morris, Claremore, Afton, Owasso, Purcell, Duncan, Cushing, Broken Arrow, Midwest City, and Oklahoma City. A good sized percentage of the visitors found us through the article about Afton Station in this month's AAA Magazine.

We had more honeymooners visit today, too. Here's the very sweet couple from Pittsburgh, PA who were married less than two weeks ago. It makes me smile when I see newlyweds choose Route 66 for their wedding trips. Super kudos to Marly, who took it upon himself to solve the problem of getting from one showroom to the other without breaking a leg or turning an ankle. He bought pavers and implanted them in rocks and sand. He even put drainage tunnels below the walkway to prevent water flowing toward either showroom. He worked quite late on Thursday to get it done -- and in the oppressive heat, too. Thank you, Marly, so much!

I may be away from the blog for a few days. My dear friend Judy from Orlando, FL is coming to spend a few days with me. I'll bet she thought she was getting away from the heat in Florida. Wrong! My car thermometer read 110 degrees as I drove home this afternoon. We'll have to find some cool activities while she's here. Afton Station will remain open, of course, so come on over.