Thru Texas and Oklahoma into Arkansas:

 Service Stations of the past:

 

Thru TX and OK into Arkansas:

This was the starting view on I-40 and it remained similar for many miles. 

 

 Then we started seeing huge fields of grain and corn, below is a huge one of Corn.

 

It is interesting to see these old grain elevators making statements form years past.

The replacement modern elevators serve the huge farm crops.

Then

 

fields got greener with cattle in the fields and under trees.

The ever present windmill power generators.

Seeing some water look good.

And then came Oklahoma where everyone had to sing....

WE entered Oklahoma and immediately started seeing trees. LOL

Like Texas these remote farm houses and rances were about 10 miles apart.

We all smiled at these brown hills, it looked like the last efforts to be like texas and New Mexico.

The above was to be our highwy view for many miles.

It was nice seeing a lot of water and greenery. The roads were very good and we decided we really decided that Oklahoma was OK!

I wanted to post the below. the dark upright is an active Wind turbine, The blades are going to be replaced or have been. JJ looked it up and these turbines cost millions and each one costs 48K$ a year maintenance.  HOWEVER they pay for themselves in a YEAR. WOW

 

And then came Oklahoma City this is a part skyline. YOu will probably that sorry Timothy McVey(?) .

 

This was a giant piece of art over the interstate. It is definitely unique, and impressive.

 WE passed the USAF museum and tis is the only shot I caught.

The picture below is basically the remain highway view until we reached Arkansas. The roads were MOSTLY very good in OK.

 

So on Monday night we will sleep in Arkansas.Next stop.....TENNESSEE!

Nite Shipslog     

 PS:

 ABOUT THE CATS: Stella's Grandma Mary has been taking her to see the cats often and feeds them. She has stolen my Tom and at last report has not returned him. Really I don't know about cats, but I sure do like these. I miss them. looking forward to seeing them.

Jack JR is 62m Happy Birhtday!

.. Jackie L Darnell Jr Discovered America in 1958

Cars from 1958:

 Caddy & Chevy

For Monday, August 31, 1958:

Many of you know some history of pregnancies. Well in 1958 folks used old-wives tales to guess what the lady was carrying, i.e. ‘If she is carrying the baby high, it will be a boy’, etc.

I was in the USAF and Sherry was expecting. We were very active in church. Most of the church attendees were military and like a big family. We were all away from our ‘real’ homes, so we sorta formed a family.

I bragged about we were going to have a son, I even put his name in our family Bible dated August __, 1958.

I figured I was safe, BUT THEN COMES THE 31^ST  AND STILL NO BABY BOY!!!

However the Lord took mercy on me and Sherry went into labor that afternoon towards evening.

I have told this story hundreds of times. The ladies of the church thought I deserved some payback. When I had taken Sherry to the hospital, they told me to go home they did not need me. They would call and let me know if they did. I left the preacher’s number and Mother-in-law and I went to the preacher’s house to wait. Word spread quickly among our group.

 

About 7PM the phone rang and the preacher’s wife answered and said, “He is right here!” and handed me the phone.

“Airman Darnell here,” I said nervously.

“Airman Darnell, this is nurse Thomas at the Keesler Hospital, You have a beautiful healthy girl, 7 pounds 13 oz.”

I was in shock after all my bluster, I hung up the phone. And told everyone what I had just heard the Pastor’s wife asked, “When can you see her?”

“I don’t know, I forgot to ask.” Silence. In the room…..

A few minutes later the phone rang again and the pastor’s wife handed me the phone. It was the same voice, “Jack, I’m sorry the joke was in poor taste, this is Mary, I hope you get a call soon about your son.”

 

I breathed better but realize not only was the possibility of a daughter real, but the clock was ticking toward the end of August.

 

My Lord had mercy on an idiot, Later near 11 PM I got the call, “A healthy son born at 10:35 PM Central Standard Time.”   WHEW!!!

So now Sherry has a son 62 and eligible for Social Security, as we motor down the road……. He is driving.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK, LOVE YOU!

(WHAT?I AM REALLY ELIGIBLE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY?)
 

Nite Shipslog     

 PS: Susie, Sherry’s mama did not appreciate the joke at all, but said not a word. She was such a sweet woman, the best Mother in Law a guy could ever have. She traveled to Mississippi for Jack’s birth and to Missouri for Mark’s birth.

 

Thru the land of enchantment to TEXAS:

 Gas stations Past:

Great time of USA pride, Victory Girls
 Confession: Some of the pictures are from the internet. I accidentally deleted about 40 photos. OUCH

Sunday’s ride thru to New Mexico into Texas:

BULLETIN: Today is Jackie L Darnell Jr's. 62 birthday!  

 

NOW: WE have driven some on Route 66. It is now living in the past, not much of the glory left. We, like many OLD FOLK, remember the adventures on Route 66.  Trouble is like the ‘Avon Bottle Collecting’ their time has past.

 

My daddy had a statement, “One of the smartest people around is one who knows JUNK, the day before it becomes an antique.”  Now a smart person is one who knows then the interest in ‘one time hits’ such as Beanie Babies, interest is waning.

You will find few if any Route 66 road signs, people take them home. LOL
 

It is a shame, but Route 66 is mostly shambles of its former self.

The colored rocks and land ID New Mexico as the land of Enchantment.

 

Lots of hills and fields as you cross the country.

 

Then you come to the town of Malpais. The flat lands are impossible to farm or use it is upheavals of black lava. I think it covered about 20 miles of road area.

 

Then Albuquerque the level before the mountains go to the sky. We met our friends Buddy & DI here once and they gave us a tour. Even went to the top of Sandia MT. by chair lift. We had a great time, even camped on Route 66.

After the mts. there were more rolling hills of greenery and scrub trees.

 Final note. We pulled into the AOK RV park. A man asked where we came from. We chatted for a minuted and he said, "Good you weren't here last night, we had some strong winds.  You will see the damage at the other end of the park.

We will hit the road early in the morning, headed for Arkansas and JJ's birthday.

  

 

 

Nite Shipslog     

From LV thru Arizona to New Mexico

Gas stations Past:

 

Saturday’s ride thru Arizona into New Mexico:

 At the Hoover Dam area we left Nevada and were welcomed to Arizona,  we made it down to I-40 and headed East. We are about 2,000 miles from Belmont, NC.

The road ws rocky ad mountainous for about 40 miles.

 

I enjoy the desert scenes and the rocky area. I am always amazed at the mountains in the west. Many times there are no ‘foot hills’, the mountains just start up from the flat plains.

 

The derelicts are many, and are a testimony to big things in the past.

Of course it is always nice to see the desert change from scrubs to small trees.  And then soon near Flagstaff the mountains are covered with pine trees.

 

I love the rocks along the road and seeing what the engineers had to dig thru. I love the colorful layers of the west:

About the time I saw the above colorful rocks,  emergency vehicles passed us on the right and I looked ahead and saw the smoke:

The car  was still burning, it did not look as if anyone was injured. Also a small grass fire was started and the fire department arrived.

But then in a few miles we are again in a plains area, not too much desert as grasses and scrubs of all kinds. I drove 3.5 hours this AM, now JJ is our chauffer.  WE have had both good roads and Terrible roads.

 

This was the last shots in AZ welcoming us to New Mexico. In person this is absolutely beautiful. The colors just mold together.

 

Below was out first view of the first mile into New Mexico.

  I-40 runs with the Famous Route 66 much of the time. WE are over nighting in GAllop, and this is the view from our picture window:

Towns are unique out west also. Back east you see houses barns buildings between towns. Out here, when you  leave civilization, you leave it.

 Nite Shipslog     

PS I will regress for a minute:

These pictures from 2013 when we were out and could walk on the dam. And as Lisa observed it appears to be drying up, but it has remained at that level for years.

Looking over the dam.

Above is the monument to the men who worked to build this huge dam.

Tomorrow we hope to drive across New Mexico and into Texas.