What A Day!

Riding out of Springfield, MO this morning began just like any other day, nice, quiet and clear. A short 25 miles later would change all of that. We stopped in Everton, MO at an incredible spot, the old Gay Parita Sinclair Station. We were instantly greeted by George the proud owner of this old station. George and Barbara took this over 13 months ago after Barbara's father passed.Barbara's father was Gary Turner and was unofficially known as the Ambassador of Route 66. George and Barbara have painstakingly organized this historic station into a not to be missed stop on Route 66. Anyone who passes would be making a colossal mistake. George is full of interesting stories on each item on the property and there are a lot of items on the property. One could easily spend hours there trying to take it all in.

There are so many unique items to view. Do yourself a favor and stop and see George. As we were leaving, George gave a suggestion that we stop at Red Oak II and visit with Lowell Davis. We promised we would look it up and thanked him for an incredibly rewarding time. Thank you, George!

We looked up directions and headed off to see Red Oak II. We had no idea what it was or who Lowell Davis was. Red Oak II is just a bit off of Route 66 in what used to be a farm. Lowell Davis purchased it 35 years ago. Lowell is an artist. He has an adventurist spirit about him that delights in the whimsical. He is an historian as well. Red Oak II is a masterpiece! The farm was his canvas and old buildings became works of art placed upon the canvas. Lowell was born and raised in Red Oak, MO, an all but abandoned town about 6 miles from where Lowell now resides. 

As buildings were abandoned and others even slated for demolition, Lowell would move them to his property. I didn't count the buildings because there are too many to count. There are several houses, his great grandfather's blacksmith shop, a church, a gas station, a general store, a jail and many more. We spent a remarkable day with Lowell along with Deb who works with the Boots Court Motel. Deb brought two guests from the motel to meet Lowell and see Red Oak II, Jon and Cyndi from Louisiana.

First, meet Lowell:

You must visit Red Oak IIs website to get a greater understanding of this incredible place:

http://www.redoakiimissouri.com/

This is a must stop location and even worth the drive from anywhere just to visit with Lowell. Lowell will celebrate 80 years next month. His stories along with his soft spoken voice almost beg you to lean in and not miss a word. He has lived a substantial amount of life in those 80 years. It makes me wonder how he fits it all in. Another thing that delighted me about Lowell were his words of wisdom. He has learned from his experiences and shares that knowledge readily. One great lesson was, "You can never find the hidden treasures unless you get lost". How true! Our stop with Lowell was off our main path and did we ever find a treasure!

I said that Lowell is an artist. This property was his canvas, but he is an incredible artist. He is a famed painter,sculptor and author. His paintings are being sold online for thousands of dollars. We purchased an autographed copy of his book, The Book on Chickens, written and illustrated by Lowell. He also has another book, There Ain't No Memories in First Class.

It was, indeed, an honor and a privilege spending several hours with Lowell today. As though spending such a large amount of time with him was not enough, he wanted to take all of us out for lunch to one of his favorite restaurants, The Hangar Kafe. This place is also not listed in any publications about Route 66, but it is another must see location. Not only was the food incredible, but the ambiance can cause a serious case of whiplash, you will be spinning your head to take it all in.

The Hangar Kafe is at an airport, go figure. The airport specializes in planes for crop dusting. They also teach pilots how to crop dust; they have skydiving and hot air balloons as well. Just a few miles off the beaten path but well worth it! Thanks again Lowell for lunch, and thanks again George for the recommendation! We ended up spending so much time with Lowell that we decided to stop for the night in Carthage, where Deb, who we also spent the day with, works merely 50 miles from where our day began.

  George, your one recommendation introduced us to three. What a day!