"Weird Magnet"

I once had a friend give me a nickname -- Weird Magnet.   That's all I'm going to say about that, except that when it comes to days like today, I feel that I live up to the moniker.  It was another unique day at Afton Station on beautiful Route 66.   My friend Joe M. from Tulsa rode up with me this morning and stayed all day to observe the circus.  In reality, it wasn't a terribly busy day, but we sure had some interesting guests!  

These two young folks from near Buffalo, New York were our first visitors and they were lovely, perfectly normal folks.  They are taking a full Chicago-to-L.A. trip down the Mother Road, but with only 10 days free, I'm afraid they will have to skip some of the many attractions along the Route.  He said  he's wanted to take this trip for at least 10 years.

 I just realized that we had almost the same number of friends drop in as strangers.   Robin, Phil, Betty, Reuben Tipton, Crazy Legs Walker, and frequent visitor Michael Scruggs all stopped in over the course of the day.  Add Joe M. and me and it comes up equal.  But then, there ARE no strangers at Afton Station!

Crazy Legs came by on his way home from the National Quick Draw Championship weekend in Owasso, OK.  He didn't win, but he was pretty happy with his standings, since he hasn't been doing the sport for very long.  I think he said he placed 5th in the senior division and placed 30-something over all.

Other visitors came from Stuttgart Germany, Bella Vista AR, Poland OH, and Wyandotte and Broken Arrow, OK.

Believe me, Joe wasn't as bored as he looks in this picture.  Being a fine historian, he was just studying some of my Route 66 literature.  We actually spent the bulk of the day laughing! I really enjoyed having him along for the ride.

Good Signs

I'm talking about two signs in particular, and I've been awaiting both for a while.    First, the beautiful small billboard advertising "Afton Station -- 9 Miles" has finally been put up on the fence in front of Marly's mother's house.  The making of the sign was a group effort by Marly, Robin, and me (although all I did was cut the stencils for the lettering).   Marly's mom happens to live exactly at the intersection where the Miami segment of the old Sidewalk Highway alignment meets with the newer stretch which leads into Afton.  A perfect spot to assure that travelers turn in the correct direction to get to  Afton Station!   (Click pic to enlarge.)

 The second exciting sign in my life is also one which I've been awaiting for some time.  Several months ago I bought one of the iconic old neon blue swallows from the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM.   Neither the Mullers (new owners of the motel) nor I wanted the fragile bird to be mailed, so I had to wait for someone to be passing through Tucumcari who would agree to bring it to me.  That job went to Tattoo Man, who picked it up on his way home from a California trip.   It doesn't look like much in the picture, but when it's lit up in bright blue and hung on the wall, it will be an amazing addition to the Station.

One more thing before I tell you about my day. . .  The very creative Robin is at it again.  This time, she decided to decorate a cow skull in a Route 66 theme!   It isn't finished, and this is a terrible photo, but she is decorating the skull with sequins, beads, and other shiny tiny objects.  When finished, it will be almost totally covered.   Very interesting.   I just might buy it from her.  I've seriously always wanted a cow skull for the weird Route 66 room in my house.  

It was an unusual day at Afton Station.   Most of our visitors came in the morning and the afternoon was fairly quiet.   At various times, Robin, Phil, Tattoo Man, and Marly came to help out.  Our biggest onslaught was an early morning visit from Great Plains Modern Mopars.  They and their colorful cars visit annually, but the group was somewhat smaller (7 cars, 14 people) this year because of the slightly threatening weather.  Although the bad weather never materialized, talk of high winds and large hail caused a few dropouts.  Nevertheless, they're a happy group and we enjoyed their brief visit.

Other visitors came from Luzanne Switzerland, Queensland Australia, and Jay and Tulsa, OK.   Here's the Aussie (center) with his American friends from Tulsa. They arrived on motorcycles but had to hurry because his bike had to be returned to the rental agency just a few hours after their Afton Station visit. The Aussie described himself as a "panel beater", a term I'd never heard before.  I found out that it's the Australian nickname for auto body mechanics!

 Finally, here's a sweet little doggie named Teddi who was brought to visit by one of two couples from Tulsa.  What a cutie!

Dale's Gang

All hands were on deck at Afton Station today in preparation for a visit from Dale Butel's very large tour group from Australia.   There were 63 folks on the tour this  year.  This group keeps growing and growing, which I believe is a testimonial to Dale's well-organized tours.   In fact, he told me several months ago that the group would arrive at 12 noon.   When did they arrive?   Exactly 12 noon on the dot!  Amazing!

Actually, the first group came at noon.  Those were the people in cars.   About an hour later, the motorcycle riders arrive.  Dale finds it practical to divide the group now that it's so large.  It makes it easier on the restaurants and other attractions (like Afton Station) which become overwhelmed by the sudden influx of visitors.

As always, the Aussies were wonderful.   They are truly fun folks, and they seem to enjoy their visits to the Station very much.  They bought lots of books and small souvenirs, so that makes them even more appealing.  It was a great way to break through the low sales numbers we've had during the winter.  Although we're not here primarily to make money, a little income sure helps run this place!

David came in earlier in the morning to take out one of the Packards in which he was to be interviewed by Rick and Richard (Cimarron Productions) on their 2nd visit to Afton this week.  Once again, they stayed all day and even helped with crowd control when the Aussies descended upon us. 

This Australian lady tried to steal the Packard, so we had to take the keys away from her.   :-)

 As usual, there was a lot of milling around outside of the Station, checking out the car and the town.   I like the little girl hiding behind the pillar!

When the motorcycle half of the group arrived, they took over the milling around duties.

I loved this woman's hat.  When I took this photo, she was buying one of the Anderson Productions pins to add to her collection.

When the motorcycle group was still visiting, two van loads  French travelers pulled up across the street.  The eight folks from the Bordeaux region of France mingled with the Aussies so it was difficult to know who was from which country until one tried to talk to them.  Other visitors for the day were from Hawthorne FL, Bernice and Grove OK, and Biarritz, France.    Thanks so much to Phil and Marly for helping out all day.  I couldn't have done without them today!

Visit from a South Korean Starlet

It was one of those insanely busy days at Afton Station today, but my morning started out rather calm and pastoral.  I left the house early, so I had a little time to roam some back roads near Vinita, and it was the last moment of calm I enjoyed for the day.  In the morning haze, I came across this pasture full of cows and an abandoned car overgrown with brush.

 Phil beat me to the Station again, but I was there moments after  he had opened up for me.  It sure makes life easier when I have someone to turn on the lights, put out the flags, etc.  Ron M. often does this for me, too, and it's a great help.  I wanted to get a few things done before an expected visit from a South Korean film crew, but those moments weren't available, as the Korean group's arrival practically coincided with mine.

The group is filming a television series about (what else?) Route 66.   The star of the show is an absolutely adorable young ingenue by the name of Greena Park.  We are told that she is perhaps the most famous young female star in S. Korea, and is best known for action films. It's hard to imagine this tiny lady jumping out of cars, sword fighting, etc., but she told me that she is known for doing her own stunts.  To me, she seemed just a sweet, smiling, beautiful lady.

 I can't say enough good things about this crew.   They were polite, efficient, and very very nice.  Phil started up one of the cars so they could film Greena driving it.

Greena wanted a picture with Marly and Phil.  

 By the time the crew left, I felt I had made some new friends.  Greena hugged us all and even shed a few tears when her crew insisted that they had to get moving because they were due in Amarillo this afternoon.

Just moments after the S. Koreans arrived, our friends Rick and Richard from Cimarron Photos in Oklahoma City stopped in and spent the majority of the day with us.   They will be back on Thursday to do some more work on the video they are making of Afton Station, but today's visit was mostly just a social one so, more about that later in the week. David also stopped by and brought several out-of-town friends to show them the Station.   Today's visitors came from St. Cloud MN, Wilmington NC, Escondido CA, Stanton VA, and Tulsa, Adair, and Afton, OK.

Despite the chaos that often ensues when crews are filming at the Station, it never fails to be a a pleasant and
rewarding experience.  In today's case, not only did we meet some great people, but perhaps being featured in the TV series will bring more South Koreans to the Station in the future!

Phil's Photos

When Phil came to Afton Station yesterday  he brought along a pack of old photos he'd taken on previous Route 66 trips. I chose these three which I thought were most interesting.

 On a trip on Arizona 66 between Kingman and Seligman, Phil and his friend stopped to shoot golf balls down the center of the road.  They remained uninterrupted for at least a half  hour, with no other cars in sight.  I wonder if one could do that now???

 Phil photographed his car on the 9-Foot Alignment in Afton many years ago, before the county saw fit to dump gravel over a big portion of it.  The gravel has deteriorated the surface well beyond what you see here.  I, too, remember when the Ribbon Road was clear and the curbs were distinct.

Phil also discovered this marker on an old alignment just north of Vinita.  It says "OKLA   S H C (State Highway Commission) 1926" -- the year Route 66 was born!   This was quite a find!

Whew!

This is Blog Post # 1001, and I'm tired!   I'm not tired of blogging;  I'll never be tired of that.  I'm just a bit weary from our busiest day at Afton Station so far this year.  Thankfully, the visitors came in a very organized, well-spaced way, so we were never overwhelmed.  We had time to chat with each and every oe of them, and there were some very interesting people among the 30 visitors.  Actually, every single one of them was interesting! 

For instance, these two childhood friends are celebrating their 66th birthdays by taking Route 66 on the way to a school reunion.  They're from Seneca, SC and Ft. Wayne, IN.  

This couple arrived in the really neat '23 T-Roadster below.   They traveled to Afton from Broken Arrow, OK and the somewhat disconcerted wife was frozen solid by the time they arrived.   It was a very chilly day today, and I don't think they realized how cold it was until they were on the road.  The vehicle has many decals honoring members of their family who have been involved in auto customization in the past.  The fine lady finally thawed out and left the Station happy. 

 The two trikes in the background belong to a couple of folks who drove up to Afton from Bixby, OK to get their "Oklahoma Passport" photos taken.  As you will recall, the Passport program sends bikers to 20 selected spots within the state of Oklahoma.  When all sites are visited and photographed, the riders become eligible for some nice prizes.  Afton Station is proud to be one of the sites -- in fact, we're the very first site listed in the book, so we are anticipating a good influx of visitors this summer as a result.

A group of eight folks from Granite Bay CA, Australia and New Zealand came in midday.  They had all met on separate Route 66 trips last summer and decided to join up this year for another cruise across the Mother Road.  International relations in action on Route 66!  Here several are attempting to navigate the pressed penny machine.

 Other visitors came from Huber Heights OH, Bartlesville OK, Windson Ontario Canada, Grove OK, Fayetteville AR, Jackson MI, Ketchum OK, and Mt. Vernon, MO.  Ron M. and I had visits from Betty, Phil, and Marly today as well.   Phil and Robin brought some very interesting old Route 66 photos from a previous trip which I hope to have time to post tomorrow.

Another One Bites the Dust

The main event in Afton today was the demolition of yet another historic building in the center of town.   The building in question is the one on the far right in the photo below, taken in the early 1900s when the streets were still dirt.  You can see from the photo that crowds gathered back in those days for happier occasions than the taking down of a building. The building in the middle is Livingston's Dry Goods, which was gone before I ever got to Afton.  

I really hate to see these fine old buildings being destroyed, one by one.  Afton doesn't have many left, and I do a bit of mourning every time I hear the sound of crashing rocks and a huge puff of dust floats down the street.

Here's how the building looked just prior to today's demolition.  The whole back of the structure had already either fallen it in or was helped along by some pre-demo work.  But the front could have been restored.  In this city, the emphasis is always on "get rid of it" rather than "fix it".  I have honest fears that some day the only building left in this once bustling and significant town will be Afton Station, and I feel helpless to do anything about it.  

         Before. . .

          After. . .

So, all day today there was the boom and crash of history being devastated.  It drew quite a crowd, more locals than I've ever seen in one place at one time.  Everyone stood around to watch the activity.  Young boys (not professionals) were hired to do the demo, and I felt it was an accident waiting to happen as they climbed up into the upper story and attached cables, which were then pulled by various trucks, etc.  It was a long, somewhat disorganized effort, but eventually the walls came tumbling down.  Ron M. (who took these photos), Marly, and Phil went to watch while I minded the store.  

Of course, we also greeted a good number of visitors today as well.  The leader of a group from the Netherlands (U.S.A. Motoriders) came in to scout us out as a stop for future group tours.  Also from Europe came a couple from Nottingham, England.   The rest came from Verona MO, Indianapolis IN, Seligman MO, and Chicago IL, as well as several folks from Afton.   There was so much going on in town that at times there were even minor traffic jams, unheard of in little Afton.  People who came to watch the demo parked everywhere.  That might have been a bit of a strain on those passing through on Route 66 trips, so I tend to think we may have had more visitors on a more "normal" day.  But tomorrow is another day. . .

ALSO, I just realized that this is the 1000th post on this blog!   Wow, I'm a wordy creature!

Mr. and Mrs. Daniels et al

Our day at Afton Station began on such a happy note.  A very cute young couple from Lancashire, England, who signed the guest book simply "Mr. and Mrs. Daniels", stopped by as they drove across Route 66, having been married in New York City over the weekend.  We love visits from newlyweds, and these folks were so obviously happy that they cheered up the whole atmosphere at the Station.  They told us about a group called Virgin Holidays, which plans every aspect of U.S. weddings for those living in other countries.  The "package deal" included a choice of venues (they chose Central Park), and all other expenses, and they even arrange for someone to do the marrying.  Therefore, they paid less for this wedding (and subsequent 3-week honeymoon) than they would have paid for a large wedding back home in the U.K.   Awesome!

Toward the end of the day, a group of 8 friends from the Czech Republic pulled up in two cars.  They, too, are traveling across Route 66, all the way.   Here are seven of them.  The eighth was asleep in the car until after the photo was taken.  They  very much enjoyed the pressed penny machine.

 This couple from Toronto, Canada were also quite fond of the pressed penny machine.  The pressed pennies are a rather perfect souvenir, particularly because they're small, portable, and inexpensive.  And we have four different designs -- something for everyone.

Ron M. and Phil were with me today, and Marly came by at the perfect time for us -- although perhaps not so perfect for Marly, since we had to leave, so we left him there to close up the Station!   The remainder of our 17 visitors came from Seattle WA, Overland Park MO, Miami OK, Spavinaw OK, and Minneapolis, MN.

Poor Me!

My job here at Afton Station is such a burden.  All these cute men from Europe keep bothering me when I'm trying to do a crossword puzzle.  I just don't know how I can go on. . .

You don't believe me?   Smart move.   I just love the cute European guys!  Today, I met these two handsome gentlemen from Eindhover, Netherlands who, having just graduated from college, are spending several months traversing the U.S.A., with an emphasis on Route 66.

 These two fine young men from Malleray, Switzerland also dropped by on their way across the Mother Road.  They had to retrace their path by over an hour when one of them realized he'd left his camera at the Station.  I'm so sorry that happened, but I got to see him twice!

And speaking of handsome men, Phil spent the whole day with me and was very helpful as usual.  The remainder of our 12 guests came from Emporia KS, Palm Springs CA, Anaheim CA, Broken Arrow OK, and Spring TX.

Meeting Jameson

Clearly, I'm a wimp.  If not, I wouldn't have stayed up almost all night last night fretting over the possibility of tornadoes.  But, I did -- and a tornado never came, thank goodness.  The weather did hit quite a few Oklahoma towns, but Tulsa was spared.   My wimpy behavior left me tired and a little bit irritable today, nothing that meeting a cute baby wouldn't cure.

That's why this was the perfect day for my good friends Pat and Jennifer Bremer from Speedway, IN to come for a visit to Afton Station.  And, they brought with them their very adorable and well-behaved grandson Jameson, whom I've been dying to meet.  You see, I introduced Jennifer and Pat, and that's what started this whole family thing rolling.    I feel very close to what has happened in the Bremer family since I performed my one-and-only successful attempt at matchmaking.   Pat and Jen were in Arcadia OK for the Round Barn Anniversary celebration and stopped in Afton on their way home to Indiana.

 Pat introduces Jameson to Tripper as Jennifer snaps a commemorative photo. 

 But there were plenty of other goings-on at the Station today.  For example, Tattoo Man was in  his element upon meeting this heavily tattoed visitor from Dassel MN, who came to visit with his wife.  It turns out that the gentleman is a tattoo artist!  Here they are, comparing art.

Our foreign visitors today were from Berlin Germany, West Bramwich England, and Toronto, Canada.  The Canadian guys arrived on some very snappy motorcycles.  The English couple is about to relocate to New York City and wanted to take a month to see this country before settling down in the city.

There were also visitors from Streeter IL, Henderson Harbor NY, and Alabaster, AL.  Not bad for a rather gloomy, post-stormy night.  All were happy to be facing a dry day, and all were taking full Route 66 trips.  And for the first time ever, I think, we had no visitors at all from Oklahoma!

Whether the Weather?

This morning, I thought that the weather might be the centerpiece of today's activity at Afton Station.  The predictions were (and still are) dire, but things haven't started happening yet, and I'm at home now.  With warnings of nasty conditions later tonight, I'm pretty nervous right now.  Will I ever get used to this Oklahoma tornado-prone weather?   Today, however, we had a very good day at Afton Station. 

Some of our visitors included this group of 8 photographers from a Tulsa Photography group.  These are serious photographers from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Kansas.  They swarmed all over the Station with their cameras and I can't wait to see some of their shots. 

We were also visited by Jim and Lynette, a couple with an interesting history.  He is from Anchorage, Alaska and she is from Australia.  Now, however, they have moved to a small farm not far from Afton Station. As newcomers to this area, they plan to raise a few head of cattle and plant a large garden.  

     

 We also had guests from Liberal KS, Peoria OK, Brandon VT, and Kansas City MO.  The couple from Vermont are actually from the French Riviera but have been living in Vermont for several months and are on their way (via Route 66) to their next home in Las Vegas.  Dave Eames from Kansas City is a return visitor who came bearing gifts for the second time.  The last time he visited, he gave me the neat piece of Route 66 metal art which hangs in our front window.  Today he brought me a beautiful home made "thank you" card with a beautiful message inside which mentioned that he enjoys reading my blog.  Within the card was a pretty spectacular vintage Routed 66 postcard.   If you'd like to see Dave's unique body of work, check: www.fossilforge.com.  Thanks, Dave!

There were some strange characters walking about today, including the couple below plus a girl who came in to the Station to ask for a can of pop and when asked where she was from, she said Room 13 (but Area 13 seemed more appropriate, if you get my drift).   Other strange characters were Phil and Robin, who dropped in this morning.  (Just kidding, R and P!)

Just A Day

I've always liked the looks of a Jaguar, and this '69 E Class is no exception.  It was driven to Afton Station today by its owner, a gentleman from Bailey, Colorado and his friend from Monkey Island, OK.  Both being very avid vintage car lovers, they remained in our showrooms for quite a long time.  We also talked at some length about the fate of the buildings across Route 66 from Afton Station, but I wasn't able to talk them into buying them and saving them from the wrecking ball.  It really is getting very crucial that they are taken over by someone with restoration in his/her heart.  

Ron M. and Marly were both at the Station with me today, and we greeted 8 visitors.  Other than the above mentioned, there were also visitors from Tulsa and Vinita, OK and Minneapolis, MN.  It was a rather ordinary day, but we're gearing up for a weekend which, if the meteorologists can be believed, will be filled with rain and more severe weather.   Why must this happen on weekends??

Time for Some Steinbeck

2012 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of John Steinbeck's Travels With Charley in Search of America.  It's interesting to note that some things never change.  Case in point:  this excerpt. . .

I sought out US 90, a wide gash of super-highway, multiple lane carrier of the nation's goods. (. . .)  The minimum speed on this road was greater than any I had previously driven.  I drove into a wind quartering in from my starboard bow and felt the buffeting, sometimes staggering blows of the gale I helped to make.  I could hear the sough of it on the square surface of my camper top.  Instructions screamed at me from the road once:  "Do not stop!  No stopping.  Maintain speed."   Trucks as long as freighters  went roaring by, delivering the wind like the blow of a fist.  These great roads are wonderful for moving goods, but not for inspection of a countryside.  You are bound to the wheel and your eyes to the car ahead and to the rear-view mirror for the car behind and the side mirror for the car or truck about to pass, and at the same time you must read all the signs for fear that you may miss some instructions or orders.  No roadside stands selling squash juice, no antique stores, no farm products or factory outlets.  When we get these thruways across the whole country, as we will and must, it will be possible to drive from New York to California without seeing a single thing.

How achingly true are these 50-year-old words.  I do drive interstates sometimes -- frequently, in fact, on my way home from Afton.  If I'm in a hurry to get home, those 85 miles go a little faster on I-44.  I've found that the MPG on my little Subaru is incredibly improved if I keep it to 65 mph, however.  That means that I probably irk some fellow drivers on the 75-mph superslab, but that's just too bad. I do, of course, only poke along in the slow lane, and never violate the speedy one.

On the interstate, I get to see different cows, but that's about all.  Folks in passing cars never glance left or right, unless to scowl at my slowness.  They probably think I'm going 65 because I'm just a pokey old lady, but that's not the case.  I just enjoy the sensation of NOT going 75 or 80.  The interstate is mesmerizing at any speed.  I'll take the twists and turns, the ups and downs, the tiny towns, the roadside parks, on the "small" roads any day.  In Steinbeck's day, the interstate highways were in their infancy.  Unfortunately, they've developed to the point that some younger folks barely realize that there is an alternative to their monotony.

When Steinbeck was traveling all over the country with Charley, he found it necessary to hop on the interstate a few times, too.  So, if you can forgive him, I  hope  you'll forgive me as well.

Getting Back In the Groove

I'm afraid I'm not quite back in the groove of 4 days work + 3 days dialysis quite yet.  Those free Tuesdays and Thursdays during the winter spoiled me!   I'm really enjoying being back at Afton Station more often, but I can't seem to manage my "free" time very well, since there's so little of it.  For this reason, my blog posts have been awfully cut-and-dried and not very exciting these past few days, but I'll get back in the groove soon and will try to be less rushed and more interesting in the future.

For today, however, this will be another quickie.  We had 13 visitors today.  I was terribly disappointed when an absolutely great family of six from Londonderry NSW, Australia came for a visit because I took a great photo of them, but for some reason the photo mysteriously disappeared from my camera!  This has never happened before, and it couldn't have come at a worse time, since they were such a nice family, the kids were amazingly well-behaved, smart, attractive, and chatty.  I really wanted that picture!  The family is touring Route 66 but must be back home in time for the eldest daughter to take the exams necessary for her upcoming high school graduation.  (To the Werner family, I'm so sorry there's no photo!)

The camera came back to life later in the day, and I managed to snap this photo of a couple of other very attractive and interesting people from Waubrugge, Netherlands (a small town not too far from Amsterdam).   They are recently retired and can spend a full 4 weeks on Route 66.  He has traveled 66 before, but this is the first time for her.

Later in the day, a couple from Vinita, OK and two young ladies from Yorkshire, England came for a visit.  Then, this gentleman from Tulsa stopped by to do a little reminiscing.  He grew up in Afton and graduated from Afton High School.... and worked at Afton Station!  Well, it was called Eagle Service Station then, but he clearly remembers pumping gas and washing windshields, and he even recognized the pumps.  He recalled how busy the station was then, and that there was always someone on the staff who would stay overnight to service late night travelers' need for gas.   He stayed a while and regaled us with interesting stories of old Afton.

 Phil arrived in time to close up for me, so he may have greeted more folks after I left.  I'll let you know.

Rabbit Ranch West

It seems like Easter Day is a good time to observe that the bunny who lives between our two auto showrooms at Afton Station has now apparently become three!    When Ron M. went back there to take a photo of the one, he found three.   He was only able to get two of them to sit still for a photo, but here they are.  Is this becoming the western extension of Rich Henry's famous Route 66 Rabbit Ranch?  No, we could never beat him in quantity or quality of bunnies, although ours are mighty cute.  Happy Easter.

Besides rabbits, we also had human visitors today.  A couple from Kineton Warwick, England were the only foreign folks who visited, and a couple from Van Buren, AR were the only out-of-staters.  The rest were from Ponca City, Foyil, Lenapah, and Ketchum Ok.   This fellow from Foyil was lucky enough (or unlucky enough, depending on how you look at it) to win a $50,000 custom motorcycle from the renowned Orange County Choppers. Now, he wishes to sell it in order to pay the taxes, since he already has a nice motorcycle.  If anyone is interested, I have the information.

 It appears that three new barbecue places have opened or will open on Route 66 between Tulsa and Afton.  All of them have "Route 66" in their names, which I think is wonderful!   In Chelsea, it's Ruben's Route 66 Barbecue cart, which is permanently installed behind the antiques/flea market in the center of town.

In Vinita, we discovered what appears to be the reopening of a restaurant called Roadhouse that used to be off Route 66 on the lake.  Now, it's called 66 Roadhouse and is close to downtown Vinita.  Steaks and barbecue are the specialties.  I'm not sure if it's open quite yet.  It appears to be under construction.

In Afton, there's the old convenience store which is being restored somewhat (the black paint job is quite awful, but we can hope it's just primer) and will be No Where On 66 Barbecue and Beer.  It looks like it's far from being ready for business, but it will be nice to have a new place to eat in Afton.