Dust Bowls of Oklahoma

Moving into Oklahoma from Missouri was a bit like a penguin being dumped into the Arabian desert. It was a depressing dust bowl during the early days of Route 66, and it's a depressing dust bowl now. Apparently business was booming in between, but I guess I missed the peak. So I didn't stopover much along the way, and headed straight for Tulsa for the overnight stay, and decided to push on straight to New Mexico in the morning.

And it was about 5 miles off Tulsa that I got my first taste of what some of the still in business and historic Route 66 motels are like from the inside. The Desert Hills was a classic route 66 motor court, neon signage and all. Pretty bare bones, but fairly decent. Pretty clean, run by an Asian-Indian couple, and offers free local calls, HBO, guest laundry and a kitchenette. Considering they only charge $35, it's a good deal if you're on a route 66 roadtrip. Might not be as fancy as the Ritz-Carlton, or even the Super 8's and other Tulsa motels, but it does offer a piece of history, a clean bed and a bath. And parking.

That's not something you get everyday, even if you're willing to pay for it. Anyway, I stopped over and checked out a few of the Route 66 attractions in Tulsa in the morning, including Tally's Good Food Cafe and the Blue Dome gas station. There's also a neat museum - Ida Dennie Willis Museum, which had some neat dolls and toys, and tiny models of houses and gypsy caravans.

It's not a bad place, Tulsa. But a bit depressing. I mean, it's nice for a relaxing weekend, or a holiday. But I can't imagine living here day in and day out. There's a fog of inertia which forbids you from having a good time. It's like everyone just wants to get back into their homes and switch off the lights.