Touring Texas on Route 66 – Part 2 (Vega to Adrian)

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VEGA

Vega was a great little town which had an eclectic variety of fun things to see.  From a few old gas stations and restaurants to museums with interesting displays plus murals to please the eye, Vega has a bit of everything.  An interesting artifact almost hidden by a tree was an original Route 66 sign.  The info provided with it reads “The Mother Road of Route 66 ran north from I-40 on First Street then west on Main across Vega.  A number of abandoned concrete bridges are the only readily visible signs of the old route across the Texas panhandle.”  The Magnolia Gas station was built in 1925 and operated until 1953 when it was used as a barbershop until 1965.  It is now restored and serves as an interpretive stop on Route 66.

Route 66 era yard art
Route 66 era yard art
Route 66 era yard art
Route 66 era yard art
Boxwell Brothers old west mural
Boxwell Brothers old west mural
Buffalo on the plains mural
Buffalo on the plains mural
Original Route 66 sign
Original Route 66 sign
Dot's Mini Museum
Dot's Mini Museum
Route 66 panhandle mural
Route 66 panhandle mural
Original Texas 66 shield on road
Original Texas 66 shield on road
Welcome to Vega mural
Welcome to Vega mural
Milburn-Price Cultural Museum
Milburn-Price Cultural Museum
Full-size actual wind turbine blade w/America's Main Street mural
Full-size actual wind turbine blade w/America's Main Street mural
Equity bar mural and cattle sculptures
Equity bar mural and cattle sculptures
Worlds Largest Branding Iron & "Hank" the Ankylosaurus in background
Worlds Largest Branding Iron & "Hank" the Ankylosaurus in background
Minions getting their Kicks on Route 66
Minions getting their Kicks on Route 66
Doc Hudson's twin sits inside an old garage
Doc Hudson's twin sits inside an old garage
Magnolia Gas station
Magnolia Gas station
Road Runner Drive In
Road Runner Drive In
Vega Motel - opened in 1947 as the Vega Court
Vega Motel - opened in 1947 as the Vega Court
Hickory Inn Cafe
Hickory Inn Cafe
Rooster's Restaurant (with a giant rooster)
Rooster's Restaurant (with a giant rooster)

ADRIAN

Did you shout “Adrian!” with a terrible Sylvester Stallone accent in your head when you read that name?  No?  That was just me?  Hmmmm, alrighty then.  Well, that iconic line was shouted repeatedly when Rocky won the boxing match against Apollo Creed.  While there isn’t any boxing going on here, I did feel like I was winning by making it to my finish line for this road trip and got the special photo op on the midway point of Route 66.  Its 1139 miles either direction to either Chicago or Los Angeles.  The MidPoint Cafe sits right on the line and is said to be the inspiration for Flo’s V-8 Cafe in the Cars move franchise.  An interesting architectural place is the Bent Door Midway Station.  This site started as the Kozy Cottage Camp cabins, store and service station but a fire destroyed much of it.  Soon after, an employee purchased the property and began building the cafe on a limited budget.  He used salvaged materials including an air control tower with cantilevered doors he got at an Amarillo Army Airfield auction.  Look close at the red door and you can see how its “bent” at its waist.   

Welcome to Adrian mural
Welcome to Adrian mural
Abandoned station
Abandoned station
Bent Door Midway Station
Bent Door Midway Station
The red front door is "bent" at its waist
The red front door is "bent" at its waist
Bent Door Midway Station
Bent Door Midway Station
A Texas proud armadillo
A Texas proud armadillo
Phillips 66 station
Phillips 66 station
MidPoint Cafe
MidPoint Cafe
MidPoint Cafe - Route 66 shield for every state and the US
MidPoint Cafe - Route 66 shield for every state and the US
Midpoint Cafe antique car
Midpoint Cafe antique car
MidPoint Cafe mural
MidPoint Cafe mural
MidPoint Cafe - diorama display
MidPoint Cafe - diorama display
Inspiration for Flo's V-8 Cafe
Inspiration for Flo's V-8 Cafe
Dream Maker Station
Dream Maker Station
MidPoint shield approaching the MidPoint line
MidPoint shield approaching the MidPoint line
MidPoint Line on Route 66
MidPoint Line on Route 66
We made it to the MidPoint!
We made it to the MidPoint!
Smurf-vette on the MidPoint
Smurf-vette on the MidPoint
National Old Trails Road Association - NY to LA
National Old Trails Road Association - NY to LA
Welcome to the MidPoint
Welcome to the MidPoint

SUCCESS!

Well, y’all…we have reached the end of this half of our Route 66 road trip.  This is a trip I’ve wanted to do for many years and am happy that I was able to do it, enjoyed so many sights we saw, experiences we had, and memories made with my trusty trip companion, my mom.  I’m certainly blessed to be able to take my mom on trips like this and continue to make these memories that will last a lifetime.  I do plan to complete the western half of Route 66 at some point in the future. 

An additional personal success was the creation of this travelogue.  Thanks to my friends who encouraged me to take the leap to learn how to build a website and post these stories and photos.  I’ve learned a lot, but, I have more to learn.  I think they’ve created a monster though because unbeknownst to them, I’m now a proud owner of an action camera (makes a great dash cam!) so video editing is next on my learning list.  I’ve seen some more great places this year and I can’t wait to share my pictures and my videos with you!