From Alabama to Arizona: Day 3 -- Cowboys, Route 66, Fried Onion Burgers

This has been a good, safe day. Once again, we learned new things and realized how much we still do NOT know. We toured 2 museums, traveled from Oklahoma City, OK to Amarillo, TX (much of it via Route 66), and met an enthusiastic, successful businessman. The terrain is still flat, and as we approached Texas, the number of wind turbines increased dramatically. As we end today, the weather is cloudy and much colder than we expected. Brrrr. I'm still waiting for warm, sunny, dry skies and temperatures. Maybe we'll find them tomorrow as we head to Albuquerque.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in OKC is huge, immaculate, full of knowledgeable docents, and truly beautiful. It's a perfect place for end-of-the-school-year field trips, and the elementary-age and middle school groups we saw were engaged and well-behaved. The galleries include the American Cowboy, Native American Art, Art of the American West, American Rodeo, Western Performers, and Prosperity Junction (which is a replica of a cattle town as it might have been in 1900), and more. The gift shop, Persimmon Hill, is filled with lovely, non-kitschy merchandise, and the Museum Grill is open Monday through Saturday for lunch. Admission for seniors and military is $17.00. I would have loved more time there.

A Small Section of Route 66

We visited several of the iconic sights along The Mother Road, also known as Route 66, including the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK. I'm sure we'll continue to find more fun places as we explore New Mexico and Arizona. In its heyday, Route 66 was extremely important and led to many cultural additions that are commonplace today -- such as gas stations and overnight accommodations. Businesses along the route are gearing up for the 100th anniversary of the road's establishment in 1926.

I am particularly interested in this road because I have been approached about writing a book highlighting the many places to visit, shop, stay, and eat on Interstate 65, which begins at Lake Michigan, ends at Mobile Bay, and includes the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. The proposed title is something like "Enjoy the Drive on I-65," but I'm hoping we can think of something as catchy as "Get Your Kicks on Route 66." If you have any suggestions, I'd LOVE to hear them. Assuming I get it written this fall in time for publication in early 2026, that would be cool for a new transportation route to be promoted a hundred years after Route 66.

You Meet the Nicest People . . .

As Steve and I approached El Reno, OK today, I started reading about diners serving Fried Onion Burgers, and visions of Penn Hamburgers in Decatur and Dub's in Athens danced in my head. Plus, it was lunchtime. :)

We decided to visit Sid's Diner which is located at the intersection of Route 66 and Hwy. 81 (which was once the Chisholm Trail) and is considered the original Crossroad of America. It smelled SO TANTALIZING when we walked into the smallish diner. All the tables were filled, so we happily took two vacant stools at the counter. We observed the man at the grill turning out fried onions and giant meat patties in such a well-oiled manner, it reminded me of an orchestra conductor. We ordered an onion burger, a bowl of chili, a half order of fries, a half order of onion rings, a chocolate shake, and a diet drink, planning to share the bounty. We ate happily while we continued to watch the action at the grill.

After a little while, the cook had a short break. He had likely noticed me taking photos and heard me asking all kinds of questions (my usual habit), so he came nearer and was very friendly in his answers. As it turned out, he was Adam Hall, the owner. He's the 3rd generation owner. Sid was his grandfather. He starts out every day with 700 meat patties and 150 pounds of chopped onions. Imagine! El Reno will host the annual Fried Onion Festival this coming weekend, and he expects to cook and serve 1000 burgers that day.

Adam told about how he stayed in business during Covid by following his dad's sage advice to keep the quality high as he filled orders for carry-outs. His goal is for every burger to live up to an exact, excellent standard. His attractive wife works beside him at the counter. I heartily recommend that you visit Sid's Diner when you're in El Reno.

About the wind turbines. They are so numerous, I'm tempted to call them the state birds of both Oklahoma and Texas. Who knew those western states relied so heavily on wind energy?

From what I've read, ranchers who agree to have a turbine on their land get paid for doing so. In many cases, that money allows them to keep paying their bills when times are lean.

I can't wait to find new places, see new-to-me sights, and meet great people tomorrow.

By the way, we're glad we limited ourselves to only six hours per day on the road, and we're glad we're SHARING the driving responsibility. It's good for our sanity and our dispositions. :)

Thanks for following along.

#travel #food #Route66 #NationalCowboyMuseum #SidsDiner #ElRenoOK