The Blue Whale
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click photo to enlarge |
After leaving Knoxville and the Honda Hoot I decided I wanted to ride route 66
home. After all, we work at the Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow and we
always see people from other countries that flew in to Chicago, rented bikes
and are riding Route 66. So my first stop on the Mother Road was Catoosa and
the famous Blue Whale. The Blue Whale was built by Hugh Davis as a surprise
anniversary gift for his wife who collected whale figurines. Now, I'm not sure
how you build something this large as a surprise but OK I'll accept that. |
click photo to enlarge |
What I was surprised to find out is it was built in the 1970's. I had
incorrectly thought it was built much earlier in the Mother Road's history.
The Blue Whale was intended for family but it soon became a favorite place
for locals and people traveling Route 66 to go swimming. The day I was there
I was by myself. The park and the pond grew as Mr. Davis had sand trucked in
and added picnic tables. |
click photo to enlarge |
The park grew to include the Animal Reptile Kingdom (ARK). But by
1988 the Davis's found they could no longer maintain the park and closed
it. Two years later in 1990 Mr. Davis died. In the early 2000s from monies
raised by the citizens of Catoosa and the Hampton Inn's employees the Blue
Whale received a fresh coat of paint. You can just imagine how much fun
people must have had sliding and jumping off the Blue Whale. This was my
starting point of my ride on Route 66. |
click photo to enlarge |
click photo to enlarge
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