While Route 66 has become a symbol of freedom and adventure, history tells us this was not true for everyone. In particular, Black families traveling along the highway experienced everything from a refusal of service to downright threats to their lives. They came to rely on The Green Book, a travel guide that listed businesses and places safe for them to visit. One of those places was so famous it was never even listed in the book! Word of mouth was so strong that everyone knew of Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma. It was not only an excellent spot for gas, produce, and overnight parking, but it became a gathering place for Black road trippers. I met with Ed Threatt and Reverend Allen Threatt III to discuss their plans for preserving the station’s history and opening it up to be an interpretive center!

Neon signs are such an iconic part of Route 66 that it makes you wonder – what goes into making them? I had a chance to find out from the Neon Queen herself, Kathy Reynolds while visiting her shop in Oklahoma City’s Gayborhood. Kathy has been creating neon magic since 1984 and has seen how the field has grown to include more women, even as the number of neon sign artists has dwindled to fewer than 2,000. As she puts it – to create neon signs, you need to be part artist, part scientist, part mechanic, part construction worker, AND part electrician! Keep an eye out for her creations all over OKC!

Did you know that Oklahoma is home to 39 tribal nations? Most of these nations are not indigenous to the state but were forcibly displaced here. Their languages, cultures, and traditions are so distinct from each other that it’s like comparing countries within the European Union. The First Americans Museum is dedicated to honoring these nations and sharing their histories. It’s the single largest tribal cultural center in the United States and is the only Native-run museum. Cultural ambassador Ace Greenwood of the Chickasaw Nation showed me all around while we discussed Oklahoma’s indigenous history.

On your way out of Oklahoma City, be sure to stop in El Reno for oni-on reason (get it? ha!) – the burgers at Sid’s Diner. You see, during the Great Depression, meat was expensive but onions were cheap. To make meat go further, burger joints would slice up sweet onions into slivers and cook them together. Sometimes called the Depression Burger, other times called the Onion Burger, either way it’s become a culinary bucket list item for anyone traveling Route 66.

Everything’s bigger in Texas… except Route 66! With only 150 miles of the highway, it’s the second shortest stretch after Kansas. However, Texas makes the most of those 150 miles with some truly unique stops. The first? A museum entirely dedicated to barbed wire. The Devil’s Rope Museum in McLean is dedicated to all things wiry! The museum’s founder, Delbert Trew, has curated quite the collection from barbed wire art pieces to historical exhibits. He also shared with me the most serious thing this wire has taught him.

If you continue along the Texas leg of Route 66, you’ll come to Amarillo. When you reach the city’s historic district, be sure to stop at Lile Art Gallery for some of the most creative jewelry I’ve seen yet – Cadilite jewelry. Bob “Crocodile” Lile uses the spray paint that chips off cars at the nearby Cadillac Ranch and turns them into colorful creations.

As I mentioned above, Croc creates his jewelry from the spray paint that chips off the cars at Cadillac Ranch. This “ranch” is a public art installation created back in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michaels. It’s a row of 10 Cadillac cars buried in the ground and covered in spray paint! According to Croc, something like 1.3 million people come here every year to leave their mark, me included!

Need a break from driving and want to cross horseback riding off your Texas bucket list? Check out Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West. Located at Los Cedros Ranch, a real working ranch, anyone can hop on a horse and experience the second largest canyon in the United States, Palo Duro Canyon. The whole thing is 120 miles long and 20 miles wide at its widest part, a genuinely unexpected view in a state known more for its flat landscapes! Founder Phyllis Gordon guided me on my ride and gave me a history of this breathtaking area.

How about a Texas-sized steakhouse while driving along Route 66? The Big Texan Ranch owner, Bob Lee, told me this place can seat 452 people at one time and will often see 3,000+ people daily during peak season! Lee’s father built the first, much more modest version of this steakhouse back in 1960 to serve big, delicious steaks. Since then, they’ve appeared in all sorts of TV shows and films and have welcomed all sorts of people from around the world. Today they’ve also got a brewery and accommodation options if you need somewhere to sleep off all the food you’ve just eaten.

To finish my time in Texas, I’m stopping at the official halfway mark of Route 66 at the aptly named Midpoint Cafe in Adrian. While the diner has been here since the 1950s, they only figured out it was exactly halfway in the 1990s. Three different towns were fighting over the right to call themselves the midpoint of Route 66 until the state stepped in and made it official with Adrian.