Tuesday April 1. Left at 10:20 AM on a cool, sunny day. First stop: Commonwealth Brewing. I'd been to their Virginia Beach location in 2023. Today I visited the one in Fairfax for the first time. I couldn't find any free parking so I parked at a pay garage. Walked into the taproom at 11:50 and sampled the following, all of which were good:


The next 3 breweries I'd been to before. At 12:50 I arrived at Aslin Beer Company, which has 5 locations in Virginia, DC, and Pittsburgh. I was at the one in Herndon VA, which has two buildings. One is the regular taproom, which wouldn't open until 3:00 today. The other, which opens at 8:00 AM, has a pizza kitchen called IZZI (all their locations except the one in DC have one). I sampled:


Arrived at Ocelot Brewing at 1:40. I like the vibe here. I tried only one beer.


After that it was on to Adroit Theory. The final 3 beers in the following list were basically chocolate milkshakes because of the things that were added to them so I wouldn't really classify them as beer.


Bought a 4-pack of EBK [Until They Kill Me] to go, then went to Dynasty Brewing, which opened in 2018 and has locations in Ashburn (where I was) and Leesburg. I tried:


Shortly before 5:00 I arrived at the home of my friends Roger and Karin in The Plains VA. They have a nice, cozy flat in a separate building that they use as an Airbnb, where I would be staying that night.


They also have a friendly dog named Jada.


We went to dinner at a restaurant called Blue Ridge Seafood.


After that we hung out at their house for a few hours, then hit the hay around 10:30.


Wednesday April 2. Woke up at 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. Finally got up shortly after 4:00. This sort of thing happens quite frequently when I travel. Good thing I chronicle my trips on this website, otherwise I'd have nothing to do in the morning.

It was 38 degrees and cloudy when I left at 7:20, and when I arrived in Knoxville Tennessee at 1:40 it was 82 degrees. Checked into a Super 8 by Wyndham and walked to Austin's Steak and Homestyle Buffet for a buffet lunch. You know, to lay a base for the beer.


Lyfted downtown to walk to several breweries. Arrived at Pretentious Beer Company a little after 3:30. There is a glassblowing studio next door called Pretentious Glass that owns this brewery. It makes all the tap handles, glassware, and light fixtures for the taproom. Both the beers I tried were pretty good but rather light.


Walked to Xul Beer Company, which has two locations. I was at the one on 5th Ave.


Arrived at Crafty Bastard Brewery at 4:40. It opened in 2015 and has two locations. I was at the one on Emory Place.


On the way to my next brewery I found some street art.


Got to Next Level Brewing at 5:15. It opened in 2019.


On a suggestion from my server I went to Schulz Bräu Brewing, which opened in 2016. I don't like most German beer but it was supposed to have a cool venue. It did. I ordered a guest beer:


My last stop was Abridged Beer Company's Oak Room, which opened in 2019. I thought it had the coolest venue of the day. Note that one of my samples was a bottle. I hardly ever order a bottle on my trips.


Lyfted back to the motel at 7:40. Took an edible and went to bed sometime after 8:00.


Thursday April 3. Woke up sometime in the wee hours and couldn't get back to sleep. Finally rolled out of bed at 6:15. It was warm and cloudy when I left at 10:15. Drove to Abridged Beer Company's Cedar Bluff Headquarters, arriving 25 minutes before it opened at 11:00, which gave me time to eat a hearty breakfast of unsalted nuts, fake crab, and crackers. Sampled one beer:


Got to Orange Hat Brewing's Hardin Valley Road location before 11:30. It opened during the pandemic in spring 2020. I tried:


Then it was 2½ hours to Southern Grist Brewing's East Nashville location (there is another location in town called Nations). I entered the central time zone so I arrived at 1:30 instead of 2:30.


Checked in at the Knights Inn, which wasn't as nice as the place I stayed the night before and cost $40 more. Plus they slapped on a $10 parking fee, which no other motel had ever done to me. I guess Nashville is just more expensive than Knoxville.

Set out on foot at 2:40. Crossed over the Cumberland River and arrived at Monday Night Brewing a little after 3:00. It has 6 locations throughout the South. It's been in business since 2012 and this location opened in 2021. None of the beer is brewed here - most of it is brewed in Atlanta.


When I left it was raining, and kept raining the rest of the day. Good thing I'd brought my raincoat.

By the way, every place is Nashville that serves alcohol checks IDs, no matter how old you look. Also, beer that's over 10.1% ABV (8% ABW) cannot be sold to-go. I don't think it's a coincidence that 5 of the beers I would try in Nashville were purportedly 10.1% ABV. My guess is that they were stronger but breweries claimed 10.1% so they could sell these beers to-go.

A few blocks away is Bearded Iris Brewing's Germantown location (there is another location in town called Sylvan Supply). Arrived shortly before 4:00 and tried:


Stumbled upon a place called Buds & Brews, a cannabis bar and restaurant that has THC-infused drinks and several beers on tap. I got a can of New Highs Purple Punch, which had 5 mg of THC. It tasted like grape soda.


Crossed back over the Cumberland River...


...and got to Barrique Brewing & Blending at 5:10. It opened in 2020 and has lots of barrels that give the place a nice woody smell. I sampled:

My server was also handing out samples of a very woody bourbon whose distiller he was not allowed to divulge. It was nice both on its own and when mixed with the Viennawine.


Got back to the hotel around 6:30 and went to bed shortly thereafter. I was pretty looped from all the beer, bourbon, and THC.


Friday April 4. Woke up around midnight, lay in bed for about an hour, and got up. I didn't mind being up so early because I would be leaving early.

Left at 5:25 and traveled westward for 8½ hours, the longest single drive of the trip, because when I was mapping out my journey I couldn't find any places of interest in Arkansas, so I just drove through that state, stopping only to fill my gas tank and empty my bladder. There is one brewery in the northwest corner of the state that has a pretty good rating, but it was more than an hour out of my way, and I didn't feel like turning 8½ hours of driving into 10. There were a lot of trucks on Route 40 in Arkansas. I'd say about 80% of the vehicles were trucks.

Checked into the run-down but fairly cheap OYO Hotel in Tulsa Oklahoma at 1:45 and Lyfted to Heirloom Rustic Ales, arriving shortly before 3:00. It has been in business since 2018 and started serving coffee in 2024. I sampled:


Walked to Nothing's Left Brewing, arriving around 3:30. It's a cool venue but the beers weren't that good. Sampled:


There was another brewery I wanted to visit, and there were two other breweries a stone's throw from it that I hadn't planned on visiting because their Untappd ratings were low, but I was ahead of schedule so I decided to visit them. By the way, all the breweries I would visit in Tulsa were in a dirty, ugly, smelly part of town.

Cabin Boys Brewery opened in 2018. I tried:


Marshall Brewing opened in 2008. I sampled:


Got to American Solera Brewery's Tulsa location a little before 5:00. I had visited this brewery in 2019 when it was located in another part of Tulsa and been very impressed with it. I tried:


Lyfted back to the hotel at 5:45. Worked on this web page for a few hours and crashed around 9:00.


Saturday April 5. Woke up in the wee hours. Left a little after 7:30 on a cold, rainy, windy, dreary day. Drove more than an hour to Oklahoma State's Theta Pond. The weird protrusions coming up from the water and ground are "knee roots" from the bald cypress trees. Note the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house in the last photo (you might have to enlarge it to read the lettering). That was my fraternity when I went to University of New Hampshire.


I couldn't get cell service for Google Maps, and since I'd just decided that morning to go to Theta Pond, I hadn't written directions from there to my next stop. It's Murphy's Law that this would happen when I had no backup directions. Anyway, I navigated with Apple Maps, which couldn't find addresses but at least it was able to show me where I was at all times, and that was enough.

Visited the National Wrestling Hall of Fame because I was an avid wrestler for more than 30 years, plus it's near a brewpub. It's not very big so I was able to peruse it in 45 minutes.


A little over a mile away is Stonecloud Brewing's Stillwater location. I got there when it opened at 11:00. My server, whose name is Andie, is a beer traveler like me. She has been to 1000+ breweries. I tried one beer:

Andie.


Arrived at American Solera Brewery's Edmond location at 12:40 and sampled:


Headed down to Oklahoma City. On a tip from Andie I visited Prairie Artisan Ales. I had visited their Tulsa location in 2019. That has closed, and now the Oklahoma City location is their only one. It's inside a space called 8th Street Market. I got there at 1:40 and sampled a couple of boozy stouts.


Also at Andie's suggestion I visited Fair-Weather Friend, arriving at 2:10. It opened in 2021.


On a tip from someone I'd met at Cabin Boys the day before, I went to The Big Friendly. Got there at 2:50 and sampled:


From here I got on the famous Route 66, which isn't designated as such on maps. Here are the various sections of Route 66:

I would be traveling along Route 40 for the following week through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Arrived in Shamrock Texas at 5:45, where it was 37 degrees and raining. Checked into the Blarney Inn, which at $51 including tax was the least costly place I stayed at the entire trip (if you don't count my free stays with friends). After moving my stuff into the room it started to snow.

Had dinner at Mesquite Canyon Steakhouse, which had been in business for about 15 years. At 6:20 when I arrived I was the only customer (the weather might have made some folks stay home). I got a delicious sirloin steak. About 10 more customers eventually trickled in.


Returned to the room, worked on this triplog for a few hours, and crashed around 11:00.


Sunday April 6. Woke up before 3:00 full of energy. When I left at 6:25 it was 39 degrees out. A few blocks away is the Big Red Cowboy Boot, located in front of what used to be Big Vern's Steak House.


A stone's throw away is the U-Drop Inn / Tower Station, built in 1936 as a restaurant on one side and a gas station on the other. Now it is Shamrock's visitor center / museum / gift shop / chamber of commerce.


Then I went to McLean TX to see the Restored 1929 Route 66 Gas Station. I got there at 7:00 just as it was starting to get light out. It had snowed the day before. Here are photos before and after I cleared the snow off the gas pumps.


At 7:35 I got to the Leaning Tower of Texas in Groom TX.


Arrived at Palo Duro Canyon State Park at 8:45. I had planned to hike but all the trails were closed due to lots of recent rain. The red dirt turns into goopy mud when it gets wet, so even if I had been allowed to hike, it would have taken much longer than I'd planned. Fortunately there is a 16-mile scenic drive, so I was able to see lots of nice formations. It took me about 3 hours, so it was okay that I didn't get to hike because that would have taken at least 3 hours and I'd only budgeted an hour for the scenic drive. This way I was able to take my time.


Afterward my vehicle's wheel wells were caked with mud. So were the treads of my Merrills, which I cleaned with an old toothbrush, a knife, and water. Left at 12:30 and arrived at the Big Texan Steak Ranch 35 minutes later. It's a big place and it was packed. It's known for its steaks, and they're not cheap at $23 to $85 depending on what cut of meat and what size. I ordered the "mountain oysters", and I think you know what those are. Talk about a sack lunch. Some of them were chewy but I still had a ball.

Door handle.
My meal.


They have a brewery that makes some of the lowest-rated beers in the country, so I didn't bother to try any. I did get a couple of photos of the bar though.


They have a 72-ounce steak challenge. There is a table on an elevated platform where contestants sit. While I was there someone was doing it.


Less than a mile away is Slug Bug Ranch, which has a bunch of Volkswagen Beetles and other vehicles sticking in the ground. People are allowed to spray paint on them. It was relocated here from its original location in June 2024.


Then it was on to Cadillac Ranch, which has - you guessed it - a bunch of Cadillacs sticking in the ground. They were sitting in water due to all the recent rain. This place was the inspiration for a Springsteen song.


I crossed into New Mexico (and the mountain time zone) and stopped at the World's Largest Flip Flop at 3:18. It looked like it wasn't finished yet, as evidenced by the Lowe's house wrap and the strips of corrugated metal on the ground. There is a tiny gift shop next to it, which was open but it was empty and locked; there is a bell you can ring, which will get someone to come over.


It appeared that they were putting treads on the other side with strips of tire rubber, and that wasn't finished yet either.


A tub and small toilet are there too.


I wanted to get a photo of me in front of the flip flop for size reference, but the place was deserted. Fortunately a guy - who lives in Thailand and was doing a Route 66 trip - showed up, so we took photos of each other.


Drove to a Motel 6 in Moriarty. It's located just off an exit ramp, and the left turn to the parking lot was a bit confusing. I made a U-turn instead of a left, which forced me back onto Route 40. The next exit was 7 miles away, so I had to do an extra 14-mile round trip. Checked in at 6:00. Took an edible at 7:00 and went to bed sometime after 9:00.


Monday April 7. Woke up around 3:00. Spent several hours working on this story and going over plans for the next several days. The temperature dropped into the 20s. When I left at 9:30 it was gorgeous and sunny out. I arrived in Old Town Albuquerque at 10:10 and walked around for a few hours. Old Town is a roughly 10-block area with adobe buildings, a central plaza, and many shops selling everything from jewelry to art to clothing to soap to food.


There is one shop called The Candy Lady that made the "meth" for the series Breaking Bad (it's actually blue rock candy).


For lunch I drove to Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse, which has over 100 locations in North America, South America, and the Middle East. There are regular menu and all-you-can-eat options. There is a "market table" buffet, which was $18. For all-you-can-eat steak plus the market table it was $46. I chose the market table because it was much cheaper and had lots of stuff (including smoked salmon), plus I hadn't gone to a gym in a week so I didn't need to gorge myself with nutrient-dense food.


Then I went over to La Cumbre Brewing shortly before 3:00. It has two locations in Albuquerque. I was at the one on Girard Blvd.


Arrived at Bow and Arrow Brewing at 3:30. Andie had suggested it. I tried one beer:


A little over a mile away is Gravity Bound Brewing, which has been around since 2020. I got there when it opened at 4:00 and tried:


After that I continued westward to the Route 66 Neon Drive-Thru Sign, arriving at 5:35.


There was a train car nearby so I snapped a photo.


Checked into another Motel 6 at 6:00. The weather had been gorgeous all afternoon: perfectly sunny, blue skies, and 70 degrees. Wrote for a while, then went to Junkyard on 66 Brewery, whose web page said that it was open. It looked like it was closed for good. Since it was now dark out I went back to the Route 66 Neon Drive-Thru Sign to see if it was lit up at night. Well, it wasn't lit but there was light shining on it.


Since Junkyard was closed I headed to Elkins Brewing, which opened in 2018 and has a very low Untappd rating but it was the only brewery in town. The server, who was also the brewer, told me that Junkyard had been closed for a while and he didn't know why. The beers at Elkins are served only in 12- or 16-ounce draughts, and they're the same price. I bought one beer and my server gave me some free samples so I had:


Returned to the motel, wrote for a bit, and crashed around 10:30.


Tuesday April 8. Woke up shortly before 3:00 AM. Did my usual morning routine except I didn't shower because there wasn't any hot water. Left a little after 6:30 and arrived at El Malpais National Monument just before 7:00. Hiked in the El Calderon area. There are many caves, tunnels, and holes in the area that were formed by lava.


Returned to my vehicle at 9:00 and then went to Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano, which is about 6 miles away. There is lots of volcanic rock in this area. The small visitor center is an old trading post that was built in the 1930s. It has a museum with pottery that was found among the lava. These artifacts are estimated to be 800-1200 years old.


There are many types of lava formations. This one is a "tree hole", created when lava forms around a tree trunk and then hardens.


Below is a "spatter cone", which is the result of air breaking through the surface of molten lava, causing it to splash out and form a cone.


There is a hiking trail...


...to a lookout point near the top of the volcano (elevation ~8000 feet).


There is an ice cave whose temperature always stays below freezing because the ice at the bottom is 20 feet thick and the cave is shaped to trap frigid air. The ice's green tint is caused by Arctic algae.


Photos simply can't do the cave justice, so here is a video that at least somewhat captures the experience of being there.


Continue to Segment 2 (Arizona)