After looking at their menu online, we decided to try the Dilly Diner. Again, coffee was a must! (I have to admit, I love how I was able to catch the cream in mid-swirl!)
I chose the Chicken & Waffles ... anything listing sriracha honey as an ingredient is a must have, in my opinon!
After breakfast, we hit the road! I had a pretty full day planned for us!
In a beautiful venn diagram of everything Route 66 related and all of the craziness of Roadside America, the point where everything meets is in Catoosa, Oklahoma. The Blue Whale of Catoosa was originally built back in 1972 and families used to come from all over to swim, fish, and picnic on the grounds. While you can no longer swim there, you can certainly still visit and climb inside the blue beauty!
I had a great time walking around & admiring the Blue Whale from all angles. If I hadn't worn a dress that day, I would have climbed up the ladder to peek out one of its port-holes or perch on its tail!
The little whale seats for kids were really cute! (Although, the his/her bathroom signage was a bit creepier)
Tucked away to the side of the Blue Whale park, I had spied something a bit odd. We walked over to get a closer look and found a what seemed to be part of the park that was never renovated or up-kept.
Apparently, the big ark-shaped building once held a number of reptiles, including alligators. (It was called the ARK, as in short for "Animal Reptile Kingdom"). There was also the most creepy mushroom circle I have ever seen. I would not want to be on this side of the park at night! It sounds like there's been talk of renovating this area, which I think could be pretty cool.
After we left Catoosa, we headed north-east to end up in the even smaller town of Chelsea. Our destination was the Ed Galloway Totem Pole Park.
Ed Galloway was a well known folk artist who lived on the property back in the late 1930s. He began work on the main totem pole in 1937, finishing his creation 11 years later. I can see why it took him a long time to build the "World's Largest Totem Pole" ... it's a massive 90 feet tall!
There are several other totems on the property, all of which are carved with fantastic creatures and murals. There's also a museum/gift shop called the "Fiddle House" because it contains part of Galloway's large fiddle collection. The more you looked around, the more small design details you discovered. Quite amazing!
We headed northwest out of Chelsea, our sights set on Nowata. Or, more accurately, on a small property just on the outskirts of Nowata. The property in question belongs to Chris Barbee, also known as the Bowling Ball Man. I don't know how many bowling balls Mr. Barbee has on his property, but the answer is in the thousands!
It took us a second pass to find the even smaller country road that took us to his house. But once we got close, there was no mistaking we were in the right place! Mr. Barbee originally started using bowling balls to make durable yard art for his wife. She passed away in 1997, buy he decided to keep collecting them in her memory.
Mr. Barbee happened to be home when we visited, so we got to chat with him for some time. What a nice and fascinating man! He talked to us about the people (and bowling balls) that come from all over the world. He also mentioned that the first wedding on his property had just happened a few weeks before.
Apparently his son and his grandson have helped make some of the yard art as well. Not only does he have the bowling ball art, but he also has wind-chimes made from old tanks and other found objects.
We could have spent all day with the Bowling Ball man, but soon it was time to get back in the car and head west to Dewey. Originally, we were going to see the Dewey Hotel Museum, but they were closed during Spring Break. (I did take a picture of the beautiful building, however)
We still found several fun things to do in Dewey. We first visited the Tom Mix museum. I didn't know much about Tom Mix before we went in (the husband knew a little more thank I did), but the museum did a lovely job of introducing you to the man who was such a huge name in the old black and white westerns.
As the husband and I are both librarians, we both felt we had to stop by the Dewey City Library. I just love the fact that there is a library named the Dewey City Library! Mr. Melvil Dewey must be so happy!
We also explored several of the antique stores in the downtown area, finishing up at Linger Longer Antiques & Soda Shop. I didn't find any treasure to take home, but I did "linger" long enough to get a cherry phosphate from the soda fountain!
After Dewey, we started heading back towards Tulsa. Mindful of the gathering St. Patrick Day crowds, we decided get to get dinner along the way. Our chosen restaurant ended up being Dink's Pit Bar-b-cue in Bartlesville. Being from Texas, the husband and I are both suckers for good barbecue ... and Dink's was a great choice! Checking in on Yelp got us a free appetizer, so we decided on the onion strings. Additionally, any place that allows me to order smoked bologna gets a star in my book!
After an amazing dinner, we headed back to our hotel to rest up for the next day's adventure!
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