Random thoughts, disappointing realizations and moments of clarity

Random thought 1: I strongly advise anyone over the height of 5'10" to be prepared to squat in the shower to get their hair wet. As the tallest in our party (at a mere 6'0"), I frequently found the hotel showerheads to be designed more for the shorter members of society. I almost felt like sitting down in some of the showers in order to get completely under the shower spray. Apparently people travelling the Route were shorter back in the day, much to my chagrin. However, I practiced knee bends and my calves are now in excellent shape.

Moments of Clarity
About halfway through our trip, I realized that if you are fanatical about any of the following, you will absolutely ADORE Route 66:

• Restored gas stations. I know little about vintage gas stations, but we stopped at many of them which have been restored, and most of them were downright adorable. At our first gas station stop, Nathan explained some of the oil pumping techniques, so we were able to smartly identify such objects in the other numerous towns we stopped at. Some had the history of the station posted in windows, others were notable due to their architecture (U Drop Inn), and for the random duck attacks (Red Oak II).
  
• Bridges. I'm a history geek, not an architecture one. But I do know about pony trusses now and how unique certain bridges are on the Route. And they are lovely. I especially liked the one in Kansas and Devil's Elbow. I'm sure I'll like the Chain of Rocks bridge in St. Louis once I go back and see it in the daylight. I know if I was really into bridge architecture/engineering, I would be in hog heaven on this trip.
• Neon signs. Our guidebooks (or maybe it was just Jerry) pointed out cool neon signs along the way, some of them being restored (Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari), others just pointing to empty lots (Asuza drive-in). But if you have a photographic eye and a love for old neon signs, this trip will give you a treasure mine of material.
• Frontage roads. I realize that there's not a lot of people who are real hip on the Frontage Roads, but if there's someone out there, please go on Route 66. You'll love it! It almost became a chorus in the Montana as we would cross the interstate and then turn on (everybody now) THE FRONTAGE ROAD!

Of course, this is not to say that if you do not enjoy these items that the trip is awful. Quite the contrary--you'll learn more about things like bridge trusses and still have a fantastic time. I'm just saying if you're a huge fan of any of these items, you'll definitely love this trip.

Disappointing realization: Paul Shirley is now back in Kansas City. As the only single person on the trip, I was hoping to either meet a park ranger or happen to run into Paul Shirley while in Santa Monica (because the odds of that are so high in a city of thousands of people). I even told Ann to keep an eye out for anyone who was 6'10" while we were out. We saw no one who fit that description.

For those blissfully unaware, I do have a bit of a cyber crush on Mr. Shirley, who played basketball for Iowa State, various teams in the NBA, and now writes a bitingly clever and funny column on espn.com and was in LA writing and producing a sitcom pilot loosely based on his experience in the NBA. As one of my more sane friends pointed out, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to actually talk to him if I did spot him somewhere, so it's probably better for all involved if I just admire from afar.

And Becky, if I do end up with Paul, you can have Keith Murphy. I promise.

Random thought 2: I was completely and thoroughly charmed by Santa Fe. Northwest New Mexico was a lot prettier than I thought it would be, and driving through Santa Fe right after a bit of rain was truly wonderful. All the adobe buildings, the downtown plaza, no bugs, cool evenings, desert flowers, I truly fell in love. All the street names were in Spanish, so I felt right at home. We all agreed it was someplace we'd love to return to and spend more time exploring museums, wandering the streets and sampling more food. It's one of the oldest cities in the country and I look forward to returning there someday.