Today we drove from Weatherford Oklahoma to Amarillo Texas. The landscape is dramatically flat in many places; you can see a long long way! The difference from the green hills we went through in Missouri is extremely striking.
Much of the route, as previously, closely parallels an interstate highway (I-40 today) but of course the old road goes through small towns instead of avoiding them. But I have to say that many of those towns have suffered so greatly from being bypassed. Business after business--filling stations, motels, restaurants, shops of every kind--are closed. When you add in the competition from Walmart and its ilk, it is a devastating picture for those who value the small town life.
I was watching for "signs of the west," anything distinctive. In one restaurant we did see three cowboy hats, but they are much rarer than caps. It does seem that long pants (generally jeans) are universally worn, no matter what the weather apparently, and much of the time, long sleeve shirts as well. But on the whole it would be hard to know where you are. At one coffee shop, the young men sitting near us wore NY and LA caps, nothing "local."
However, back on old 66, we did find a large number of young women engaged in riding contests of various kinds. I believe there were 12 events. I don't think I've seen anything similar in the Midwest.
The weather has been warm, but what has been even more striking is the wind! Many trees are apparently bent over permanently by a prevailing wind out of the south.
And, in some areas, good use is made of the wind to generate power. We saw some very large windmill ranches, which impressed me. Speed limits are impressive too, going at times as high as 75 mph on the interstate.
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