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America's Biggest Road Trip! |
Route 66
Caravan Road Log:
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America's Biggest Road Trip! |
Route 66
Caravan Road Log:
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Catoosa, Oklahoma |
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The Blue Whale |
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The Blue Whale has become one of the most recognizable attractions on old Route 66. Hugh Davis built it in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift to his wife Zelta. The Blue Whale and its pond became a favorite stop and swimming hole for both locals and travelers alike. Hugh was an entrepreneur in the grand old tradition of those roadside attraction proprietors of old. His park became a destination in itself. | |||
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| His property not only included this fanciful blue whale, but picnic tables, concessions, a couple of boats and a wonderful zoo housed in a wooden ark. The zoo was once a favorite field trip for the local school kids. Blaine Davis, Hugh's son, recalls giving tours of the zoo when he was only six years old! The Blue Whale, pond and zoo were closed in the late 1980s and soon fell into disrepair. A decade after the Blue Whale was closed citizens of Catoosa along with Hampton Inn employees cleaned up the grounds and gave the whale a fresh coat of paint. Today the Blue Whale lives again as an attraction worth seeing. The remains of the ark and zoo can be seen returning to nature nearby. There are no plans to restore them at this time and soon may be just a memory. | ||||
I couldn't help posing in front of this wonder of Route 66. Though the day was cloudy and misty, I could almost see images of a time when this area was alive with the laughter and delight of those long ago hot summer days. |
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Blaine Davis grew up with the Blue Whale. After all his dad built it for his mom. Blaine plans on letting his sister run the Blue Whale and he's thinking about exploring the Mother Road in his RV. |
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DeeDee Belt, daughter of Hugh Davis also grew up with the Blue Whale. She retired from teaching this year and will devote her time to running the Blue Whale. After decades of silence the Blue Whale will live again! |
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DeeDee and Blaine along with Brad Nickson of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association pose by the new Roadside Attraction sign. |
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Hugh Davis’ brother-in-law, Chief Wolf-Robe Hunt, once ran the Arrowood Trading Post across the street from the Blue Whale. |
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Mojo's Bar-B-Que |
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After our fun time at the Blue Whale the Route 66 Caravan stopped at Mojo's Famous Bar-B-Q in Catoosa for lunch. Mojo's once was a D-X Service Station from the days of old Route 66. Owner Kevin Walker converted it into a restaurant in 1997. | |||
I guess we worked up an appetite! Dennis, Bill, Jaimie and Kevin patiently wait for me to take their picture so they can get on to more important things like placing an order for Mojo's famous Bar-B-Q. |
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Kevin Walker, Mojo's owner and Bar-B-Q wizard, shows off the Roadside Attraction sign with Jim. |
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 Previous Log  |
Road Log pages read like a book:Follow the Route 66 Caravan
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66 Caravan Web Site Written, Photographed & Designed by Guy Randall |
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