Author Archives: John and Laurie

Ed Galloway Totem Pole Park – Rising from Disrepair

Route 66 – Foyil, OK

The park was not meant to be a tourist site along the Mother Road. Instead it was one man’s retirement which turned into his passion. Ed Galloway began wood carving as a boy and along with blacksmithing enjoyed these all his life. He spent his career in Springfield, MO until his retirement in 1937 moving to Foyil, OK. His first retirement hobby was making violins/fiddles using different wood for each instrument. He then became interested in Native Americans and his passion took form. Continue reading

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Kicks on Route 66 – Chelsea OK

Day Two – Chelsea

Leaving Foyil we headed north to Chelsea. Since Route 66 is now a four lane highway, we could only imagine what it was like in its early days. Some of the remains of the early days were waiting for us in Chelsea. Continue reading

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Kicks on Route 66 – Foyil OK

Day Two – Foyil

Saturday dawned sunny and we were ready for day two on Route 66. Before we headed over to Route 66, we just had to shop the farmers market at The Artichoke Restaurant (another blog post). We arrived on Route 66 at lunch time and decided to head over to Annie’s Diner. Continue reading

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Kicks on Route 66 – Oklahoma

Day One

One thing we have learned being full-time RVers is flexibility and this year we have stretched flexibility to the max. 2018 has been a year of change in many areas and for many reasons. Our planned trip to the Pacific Northwest did not happen and we found ourselves in Northeast Oklahoma and Route 66. Although we only traveled a very small segment of Route 66, we experienced some of the history of this famous Mother Road  in a small area and got our kicks on Route 66. Continue reading

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Pioneer Woman – Ponca City OK

The Pioneer Woman, The Spirit Is Still Alive and Well

Heading west holding the hand of her young son, the Pioneer Woman embodies the building of the western United States. She stands seventeen feet tall on a pyramidal stone base, the entire sculpture rises forty feet proud and strong. The sculpture commissioned by E. W. Marland is a tribute to all pioneer women, a culture Marland saw as disappearing and he wanted to honor. Continue reading

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The Sights of Ponca City, OK

As in normal fashion, our one night stop over became a week. We started by taking an extra day to relax and then realized what the area had to offer. Tonkawa was our home while Ponca City offered many varied opportunities for touring. One of the interesting aspects of the city is the architecture. Continue reading

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Muddy Pond, TN – A Shopping We Will Go…

Growing up in south Louisiana at a time when sugar was king we are very familiar with sugar cane fields. While visiting north central Tennessee we saw fields of what looked like sugar cane. We knew it could not be and learned it was sorghum cane. If we wanted to see old time sorghum cane grinding, we were told to go to Muddy Pond on a Saturday. Continue reading

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History, Wine, Food and a Cellar

Highland Manor Winery – Jamestown, TN

 

Visiting wineries is something we enjoy as we travel the country. We like to taste the different variety of grapes as well as how the soil affects the taste and texture. It is not often that one of our visits involves history. Yet in Jamestown,TN we found history. Highland Manor Winery is the oldest licensed winery in Tennessee. Continue reading

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Ye Ole Jail Historic Museum – Jamestown, TN

Fentress County “Ye Ole Jail” was not on our list of places to visit mainly because we knew nothing about it. We went to the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce to get information on the area. What we walked into was a piece of Tennessee history again with a Louisiana connection. Continue reading

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