About the process of writing Tumbleweed, thoughts, excerpts, cuts.
At the intersection with Sunset Drive, as Luke turns left, he says, “Here’s where we leave Highway 81 that follows the old Chisholm trail. It continues north, but we’re going west again on Route 66 out of El Reno. In the last blog R66-9 about the *Atkins Family’s 1948 …
At El Reno’s Shepherd Avenue, Highway 81 comes in from the south and joins Route 66. As they pull through the intersection, Carl, reading the signs, says, “Daddy look, did you see? We’re now on 81 too. Isn’t that the road you said follows the trail the cowboys drove cattle over?” In the last blog …
In Yukon on Route 66, as Luke drives across 9th street, he says, “The Chisholm Trail went through Yukon, and passed right here at this spot.” In the last blog R66-7 about the *Atkins Family’s 1948 U.S. Route 66 journey west, the family has driven through Oklahoma City, taking the Beltline Route 66 …
“Did you ever hear Aunt Flora tell about being in the 1930 Tornado here in Bethany?” In the last blog about the *Atkins Family’s 1948 U.S. Route 66 journey west, the family has traveled through Oklahoma City taking the Route 66 Beltline in order to bypass the downtown area, and …
At Western Avenue and Classen Boulevard, Luke follows the Route 66 Beltline, which angles southwest across the railroad tracks toward Belle Isle Lake and then turns south again. In the last blog about the *Atkins Family’s 1948 U.S. Route 66 journey west, the family has reached Edmond Oklahoma and, in order to …
Luke drives on, looking around, as is his habit, turning his head this way and that, seeming to barely glance at the road ahead. Grace says, “You’re going to run us off the road or into another car.” Luke laughs. In the last blog about the *Atkins Family’s 1948 U.S. Route 66 journey west, the …
Luke points out the Round Barn, “They had dances on the second floor. My oh my, Sis and I had the moves; we loved to dance. At the Round Barn the music just took over, surrounded us, went right through us; it was great.” In the last blog entry about the *Atkins Family’s 1948 U.S. …
It is a beautiful place with an expanse of green grass, a few trees and many others further back from the road, and they take enough time eating to relax and enjoy the scenery. In this partial account of the **Atkins Family’s 1948 U.S. Route 66 journey west, the family has just left the Seaba …
R66-3 1948 Wellston Ok to Washington Irving Camp Read More »
Luke is in his element. They are off and rambling, and rambling seems to be in his blood. He likes to travel with the wind, like tumbleweed. In later years, my father had a favorite song, sort of his theme song for himself; it was “The Wayward Wind,” released in 1956. Often, around the house …
The 1948 Route 66 Journey Begins. On the south side of Chandler, the Atkins family turns along with Route 66, chasing the sun bright ahead of them, heading west as they will be until they reach California When we were traveling, my father had a pet peeve just as Luke does in the book. He …
