June 6th, 2010 | 
Author: Travel The Heavenly Mother Road Route 66 Just For Kicks
Pop bottle enthusiasts like the object of their affection are composed of some volatile ingredients. The main element is nostalgia with a passionate effervescence as the driving force. Add some dynamic intensity as a stimulant and a pinch of fanaticism to give it some fizz and you’ve got yourself a true soda pop bedlamite.
Besides the occasional convention and the next big bottle show therewere few places to exhilerate and excite such a person. There is now a new third choice. A place appropriately called “Pops“.
I first discovered Pops by accident while acting upon a lifelong desire to drive the infamous Route 66. It was the early evening of day three of my journey when I entered the unruffled Deep Fork River valley in Arcadia Oklahoma. The glorious sunset had already finished asI drove westwardon the Mother Road.The horizon now hid the sun whichleft thesky stained a beautiful crimson as dusk began to fall.My rented Audi hummed through the peaceful farmland that seemed to be endless. Words cannot begin to describe the freedom one feels while driving this iconic roadway. Thanks to cruise control and the virtually empty road my eyes were free to wander and take in all the serenity that this stretch has to offer.
Then suddenly something happened. The far reaches of the landscape were interrupted by something completely foreign to anything I’d expected to see in the flat outlands of Arcadia. “Is thata pop bottle?” I wondered out loud. It was and no it wasn’t lying in the road. It was off in the distance glowing with lights and over sixty feet tall. Many times on my trip I felt as if I were dreaming but this time I pinched myself. I couldn’t be sure if this was real or not. For lack of a better description it was out of this world.
As I drew closer another object began to come into view. Next to the towering bottle was another object. I rubbed my eyes and tried to refocus. It appeared to be something from outer space. Some sort of craft wasjust hovering there. At first I thought maybe space aliens have as much interest in this giant bottle as I do. Then I noticed there are cars parked beneath this thing. People were pumping gas. This was a gas station. I looked at my fuel gauge. My tank was threequarters full. I didn’t need gasoline but I definately needed to stop and check this out.
I parked the Audi and stepped out of the car. I was in awe and staring with my mouth gaping open. The strange “spaceship“turned out to actually bea cantilever looming out from a comparatively tiny building. Crisscrossed steel beams seemed to levitate over the futuristic gas pumps. Looking at it you would think the giant hundred foot awning would topple under its own weight and uproot the smaller building that anchored it. This is an architectural miracle truly divine.
I closed my mouth and headed toward Pops. The front of the building is primarily made of glass like one huge window.It was an enormous showcasedisplaying a gigantic colorful palette of soda pops more than 7500 of them. I could hear angels singing as I entered through the gates of soda pop heaven.
Once inside I met numerous others that had apparently died and came to this place just like me. Some were sitting at the counter of a 50′sstyle soda fountain sipping their malts floats and surrealcolored sodas through crooked straws. Others were consuming a variety of savory burgers obviously the preferred cuisine inpop paradise. I quickly found an open seat at the counter and asked the angel working behind it for a soda. She informed me that the menu consisted of over four hundredchoices; everything from Austrian Cola to Hawaii’s Waialuan Pineapple. I figured since this was heaven I should order appropriately so I ordered “Amazing Grapes“with a crooked straw of course.
During my visit I was able to gather someinteresting facts about Pops. That giant bottle out front is exactly sixtysix feet tall to commemorate the historic route. Named Bubbles it is twenty feet in diameter covered top to bottom with LED lights able to offer a dazzling light show and of course the tallest pop bottle in the world.
Pops opened its doors in July 2007 about one year after groundbreaking and offers a full menu that includes breakfast lunch and dinner as well as homestyle and gourmet catering for reunions picnics and other events. Weather permitting you may choose to dine outdoors in the Deep Fork Tree Farm courtyardadjacent to the well manicured orchard of 66 Red Bud trees. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs or pick up a little something for your own special soda freak.
The visionary responsible for the creation of this bubbling nirvana is not a diety but Aubrey McClendon CEO of Chesapeake Energy. It all started with a need for another gas station but just another gas station seemed dull. McClendon realized it should be something splendid so he brought Rand Elliott Oklahoma’s favorite architect aboard. Together they have managed to build a true attraction with a very unique blend of the past and the future which will certainly prove to be draw whether you’re a pop nut or not.Marilyn Murril mayor of Arcadia said this about Pops; “This is such a magnificent attraction a destination for tourism that will bring more people to Arcadia.
For those still doubtful about whether I was truly in heaven or not recently the cast and crew of one of TNT’s hit TV shows dropped in for a brunch buffet and to sample some fizz. Which show? Saving Grace.
About the writer: Travel lover
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