Fleeting Expressions. Chronicles from the Road.
This is where every Friday dispatch lives once it's been sent. Stories, photographs, and the occasional thing we learned the hard way on the road. I'm Shelle, and Jody is the reason most of these stories exist.
Tulsa has a thing for giants.
Friday, June 12, 2026 🗺️ Rolling through Tulsa, OK Happy Friday, Reader! We rolled into Tulsa, and right away, I noticed this city is obsessed with giants. Seriously, they’re everywhere along Route 66 on 11th Street, just hanging out in parking lots like it’s totally normal. Jody kicked back with the bike while I wandered around admiring these massive characters. I snapped about a million photos and ended up with a sore neck from all the looking up. Worth it! But the giant I wanted to see...
The truck on the bridge was a happy surprise.
Friday 🗺️ June 5, 2026 🗺️ Still in Oklahoma and ready to hit the road again! Happy Friday, Reader! We're still hanging out in Oklahoma, but the truck is itching to roll and so are we! This week was one of those where you blink and it's gone. With work projects and Jody off at a conference, there wasn't a whole lot to show for it except a full calendar. Recently we made our way over to Sapulpa to check out how they are celebrating the Route 66 Centennial. We treated ourselves to a tasty meal...
We started where everyone ends
Happy Friday, Reader! We finally landed at an RV park after more than a hundred days on the road, and let me tell you, a long shower and endless air conditioning feel like winning the travel lottery. While I’m soaking up these little luxuries (and catching up on editing, of course), I took a stroll down memory lane and picked out five Route 66 moments that totally caught me off guard. The first surprise? It happened before we even rolled out of the parking lot. Santa Monica Pier at sunset The...
$5 worth of sandstone and a lot of grit
Happy Friday, Reader! We've tucked ourselves into our own little corner on the edge of Green Country in Oklahoma, where those wild chat piles (heaps of tailing piles from the lead and zinc mines for you non-Okies) pop up out of the ground like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Jody may or may not have admitted to racing up those chat piles back in the day. This week brought the best kind of visitors—good friends ready to swap stories and check out our neck of the woods. We kept them...
The lights never came on.
Happy Friday, Reader! We’re camped on a friend’s property in Oklahoma this week, stealing calm between storm cells in the middle of tornado alley. The grass is impossibly green right now, the kind that only happens when the sky has been doing its worst. It’s been a good week for wildlife and quiet mornings, which feels like a gift this time of year. This week I want to tell you about a shot I almost didn’t get, and how Route 66 gives us more than we expect. Pop's Soda Bottle, Arcadia We...
The dogs saw us first.
Happy Friday, Reader! This week, we’ve parked the RV in northeast Oklahoma, right back in the corner where both of us grew up. If you added up all our stories here, you’d need a bigger map! His mom was waiting on the porch, trying not to cry (she almost made it). When she hugged me, I hung on tight; those hugs mean even more now that my own parents are gone. Gotta soak up every one. Maybe that’s why this Route 66 trip hits me in the feelings so often. It’s full of places that used to be...
Some places are worth two visits
Happy Friday, Reader! We said our goodbyes to the Texas panhandle and rolled into Oklahoma, where the wind means business and the spring storms are showing off. I’ll be honest, work totally hijacked my week, and I am itching to trade my laptop for some fresh air and open highway. But let’s talk about the good stuff! Here’s what the Texas panhandle served up for us. The U-Drop-Inn After Dark The U-Drop Inn, Shamrock, TX. The neon came on just as the storm rolled in. We cruised past the U-Drop...
Jody went to find parking.
Happy Friday, Reader! We made it through New Mexico, which means I’m writing this somewhere on the other side of it with dust still on the windshield and a week’s worth of stories I’m still processing. The landscape here has a way of slowing you down. Big skies, red earth, and sunsets that made our campsite one of my favorites! The road had a few surprises in store too. More on that below. This Week's Feature Blue Swallow Motel The Blue Swallow Motel has been glowing on the side of Route 66...
The mountain lions evened the score.
Happy Friday, Reader! Route 66 through northern Arizona isn’t the road most travelers expect. Strip away the nostalgia and what remains is something a little more raw and honest, with motels that glow after dark and ghost towns with genuinely dark histories. This is Forgotten Outposts on Arizona Route 66. Come take a slow ride down this stretch. Still standing on Route 66. Delta Motel - Winslow, AZ Winslow, AZ. The Delta Motel sign still rules the sky above Route 66, stars and all. Out front...
A Different Side of Route 66 in Flagstaff
Happy Friday, Reader! Route 66 is basically a greatest hits album of neon signs, retro gas stations, and those diners where you just know the pie is homemade. Flagstaff checks all those boxes, but it also throws in a few surprises. Picture rolling mountains, thick forests, and ancient sites popping up as you cruise along. This stretch of Route 66 has a vibe all its own, and I love it! Flagstaff itself feels pretty modern, probably thanks to all the college students buzzing around. But step...