[Reading through the old journals, one begins to sense the rapidly shifting tides and backlash eddies near the end of the cheap and fast Auto Age. Mobility vs. stability, movement vs. place, the freedom of possibility vs. time. EDF]
[August 1982, Linda France]: Texas Central Time. "I don't want to fade away." We're on the lookout for the Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo.
Just before 64 exit on I-40 East (not on Route 66 like they said), the Cadillac Ranch. Ten front-ended machines in a cornfield. . . . .
Heading back for Amarillo. The lake was a 354 spooky disaster in desolation greenery. Forty miles to nowhere!
On Route 66, Shakey's. Pig out! HmMm -- $7.00.
[When I was a kid, Shakey's Pizza was very much in the American cultural landscape. They peaked at 300 plus restaurants in the USA. As of this post, there are six Shakey's left outside of California, their home turf. There is an expanding Asian market, however. I think Shakey's was a place that served birch beer, too. -- EDF]
Keep them doggies rolling -- Rawhide truckers. Bowser Bob and Shasta Sue.
Drove on to Oklahoma City. . . South on 35 toward Dallas. Ended up near border (10 miles north) at rest stop after fun/nightmare night of pushing on. Stopped at 6:20, as morning streaks lit the dawn sky. Hidden falls and mountains.
[Then there was LUMS -- good hot dogs. Started in 1957, year of Sputnik, On the Road and On the Beach, down to a small handful of orphan eateries by the end of the 1980s. EDF].
On the way to Dallas-Fort Worth. State #18 again, or #20. It all depends on your perspective. Cool, clouds.
Stuckey's. $4.00 one hour long stop, but needed. . . . . [Georgia-based Stuckey's predates the Eisenhower era interstate system. Ranging from Pennsylvania to Texas and New Mexico even, and all over the Southeast, Stuckey's peaked at 350 locations and now has about 200 left. Texaco road maps, pecan logs, and coffee, I remember hot salted French Fries served vertically in cups . . . Way above promo: Stuckey's: An American Tradition. EDF]
Today's Rune: Movement.
6 comments:
Oh, wow I remember Shakey's. I went to one once as a kid and they were playing silent movies like Laurel and Hardy. Good times!
I remember Stuckeys but not the other two. Of course, very few chains made it all the way to rural Arkansas.
Lums rings a bell...never encountered the pizza chain. Way of the ranch is where the auto driven American is going. In retrospect a very prescient piece of art.
We used to go to Lum's with my grandparents when I was a kid. I think they had a "french dip" sandwich that I was a fan of.
I don't remember any of those places, but I was born & raised "up north," so I'm exempt. *L* I'd love to see Cadillac Ranch someday. I mean, what a bizarre piece of artwork!
I've seen the Cadillac Ranch a couple of times, but not for many, many years.
I really enjoyed this series of posts.
Not so politically correct, but do you remember the Sambo's chain? Long gone, probably for the better for various reasons.
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