Portland, Oregon to Tulsa, Oklahoma - Day 1

Welcome aboard everyone! Day one of Vintage Roadside's road trip from Portland, Oregon to the National Trust's Preservation Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma is now in the books. We logged just over 500 miles and have stopped for the night in Susanville, California.

Eager to reach Topock, Arizona and begin the Route 66 portion of our trip, we decided to keep today's sightseeing to a minimum, although we did mange to swing by one of our favorite mom and pops in Southern Oregon - The Polar Bear Drive In, located in Merrill.

The Polar Bear was built in the late 1940s, and is one of the places that make a road trip special. Something about a chocolate malt that makes the miles fly by. The last time we visited we didn't have our "This Place Matters" sign so we were looking forward to taking a photo. We also felt that we should try the tater tots again to confirm our initial approval and, yes, they may have been even better than before!

For those of you new to "This Place Matters," here's a link where you can learn more. There's a great forum you can check out where people share photos and stories about places that they treasure.

We also discovered a wonderful mid-century modern drive in located in Newell, California. After a quick chat with the owner, we learned that Steve & Terry's Drive In was moved from a neighboring town to its present location about 30 years ago. A great example of creative preservation! The building itself makes quite an impact located in the high desert area of northern California.

Another highlight of the day was a stop at the Adin Supply Company in Adin, California, serving the community since 1906. If you grew up in a small town you'd recognize this type of store as the place where you could pick up a loaf of bread, a spiral notebook, a new winter coat, and a package of fish hooks. Our purchase came from their large selection of soda in glass bottles - we went with the Kickapoo Joy Juice.

We'll be on the road bright and early tomorrow morning, getting a jump on the last 500 miles to Topock. We have some incredible preservation projects and organizations to feature and are looking forward to meeting some of the people working to preserve the history, architecture, and signage of Route 66.

A few photos from the road:

A view of the surroundings as we approach Oakridge, Oregon.

A beautiful day along Klamath Lake.

Kelly displays the "This Place Matters" sign in front of the Polar Bear Drive In. Merrill, Oregon.

Steve & Terry's Drive In located in Newell, California.

Another view of the fantastic Googie style drive in.