So tonight all is going well with the computer--Daren's that is. Mine is still dead and I haven't had a chance to check on it yet, but let's all cross our fingers and pray that the online computer backups I have been using really work. I'd be in huge trouble if it didn't!! But it will. Wouldn't you know that it would happen the day after I just downloaded all my photos of this trip up to this point, but I'm sure it had all backed up by then. I'm just glad we both had our computers here. It has definitely been a more mellow traveling day for us since we just had to go from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, so luckily we all got to sleep in this morning. That reminds me...my sister, Brenda, asked me last night what our sleeping is like on this trip. Basically it's all over the board. Daren and I were counting on catching up on some much needed sleep, but our traveling and this blog has thrown a major curveball into the whole thing. No matter how far we have to travel, we usually get in to the hotel around the same time each night, around 10:30 or 11:00. Then we have to get the boys to bed and then I can finally start the blog. It usually keeps me up until around 1am, sometimes earlier, and a few times later. Daren is usually up too, catching up on his reading--right now it's a book called "Wheels for the World," about Henry Ford. This is a far cry from our normal sleep patterns at home where the boys are in bed by 9pm and then we are in bed by 11 or 11:30 so that I can get up to go running at 5:30am (I am really missing running with my friends, by the way--you'd never know that I just ran my first marathon just over a month ago, and by the time I get back I will be starting over from scratch!). Anyway, I'd better get on with this blog because it's almost 1am now!
This was a cool picture of a very cool bridge that Daren took last night, but I forgot to put it into yesterday's blog. This is what kept us out late last night--a 3,944 foot bridge, called the Pony Bridge which spans across the Canadian River, on the old road out in the boonies. It is a steel truss bridge built in 1933, and it seemed to go on forever as we drove it. It was very cool, and worth staying out late for!
This morning Daren took the boys out to the hotel pool so I could catch up on yesterday's blog. They were all so happy to be in the water again!! With the amount of miles we drive there isn't a whole lot of time for swimming on this trip, so the boys are happy to take it when they can get it.
After we loaded up we found a great old-time Route 66 restaurant to eat lunch at in Oklahoma City--Ann's Chicken Fry House. Very yummy food, especially the fried peaches!! The boys loved seeing "Sheriff" out front! By the way, you know you are driving through football country when you see a huge stadium, figuring it's for a high school, and then find out it's for a middle school!! We never did see a high school stadium!
No visit to Oklahoma City would be complete without visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial site, where at 9:02am on April 19, 1995 the Murrah Federal Building was bombed. There are just some things that happen in life that you will never forget, and this is one of them for me. I didn't know anyone in Oklahoma, and I had never been there, but I'll never forget those images I saw on TV that morning. Daren and I had been married for just over a month, living in our cute little basement apartment below Harry and Myrtle Keates, in Holladay, Utah. We had just gotten up and were getting ready to go mow lawns when we turned on the TV and saw what happened. It was a sobering reality check that there are people out there who want to hurt others in such a way, and it was very sobering to see the memorial site today.
We never have enough time to spend anywhere on this trip, and though our trip to the memorial site was short, it will never be forgotten. Will was instantly drawn to this wall at the children's area, and although he didn't understand what the hand prints or other hand-painted tiles were for, I just thought it was a sweet moment as he tried to put his hands in the hands of others.
As we were walking over to the memorial site, I explained to Ben what it was all about. It's hard to tell your kids that there are bad people who do bad things in this world, but I think it was good for him to learn and to see what the memorial site is all about. In the children's area are scattered big blocks of chalkboard where children can leave messages, and Ben was so cute to leave his own little message, "I am very sorry." I think that about says it all.
In the town of Arcadia, just north and east of Oklahoma City, is an old red round barn which was built in 1898! Very ingenious!!
I love to learn the history of places because it is always so fascinating, and Oklahoma City is no exception. I know there are plenty of others out there who know much more about Oklahoma than I do (Julie and Maryann), but this was a road memorial to mark the boundary where people had to wait until a signal was given at noon on April 22, 1889, and then they could rush (to 30 miles away) and grab whatever land they could get, and just like that a city was created. You just can't make this stuff up!!
We had planned on eating at the Rock Cafe on this trip because I'd heard good things about it. The Rock Cafe is in a little town called Stroud, but just a month ago it burned to the ground, and this is all that's left. It has been on Route 66 serving travelers since 1939. I've read there are plans to rebuild it, so we will just have to come back someday.
Daren and I could not get over what a beautiful drive it was today. (I can just hear the song from the musical Oklahoma now: "Oh what a beautiful morning. Oh what a beautiful day.") It was some of the most beautiful, green, picturesque countryside I have ever seen. This picture doesn't even begin to do it justice, but it was the best out of the ones I took. There were so many cute little quaint towns dotted here and there in and around the rolling hills, but it was very hard to capture it in a picture. It was seriously breathtaking. Speaking of, did anyone see the moon tonight? It's full and it's beautiful, but when it was rising here, as we were driving into Tulsa, there were a few clouds around and it made it look extra spooky and mysterious (so thought the boys). Anyway, this was the last town we saw by daylight, a town called Bristow where Daren's friend, Charley, from law school, grew up. We drove by his old house and were just amazed that everything about this town was what you would imagine a small midwest town would look like--complete with an old train station and old caboose the boys got to play on for a while. It was really fun to see this town.
This was a cool picture of a very cool bridge that Daren took last night, but I forgot to put it into yesterday's blog. This is what kept us out late last night--a 3,944 foot bridge, called the Pony Bridge which spans across the Canadian River, on the old road out in the boonies. It is a steel truss bridge built in 1933, and it seemed to go on forever as we drove it. It was very cool, and worth staying out late for!
This morning Daren took the boys out to the hotel pool so I could catch up on yesterday's blog. They were all so happy to be in the water again!! With the amount of miles we drive there isn't a whole lot of time for swimming on this trip, so the boys are happy to take it when they can get it.
After we loaded up we found a great old-time Route 66 restaurant to eat lunch at in Oklahoma City--Ann's Chicken Fry House. Very yummy food, especially the fried peaches!! The boys loved seeing "Sheriff" out front! By the way, you know you are driving through football country when you see a huge stadium, figuring it's for a high school, and then find out it's for a middle school!! We never did see a high school stadium!
No visit to Oklahoma City would be complete without visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial site, where at 9:02am on April 19, 1995 the Murrah Federal Building was bombed. There are just some things that happen in life that you will never forget, and this is one of them for me. I didn't know anyone in Oklahoma, and I had never been there, but I'll never forget those images I saw on TV that morning. Daren and I had been married for just over a month, living in our cute little basement apartment below Harry and Myrtle Keates, in Holladay, Utah. We had just gotten up and were getting ready to go mow lawns when we turned on the TV and saw what happened. It was a sobering reality check that there are people out there who want to hurt others in such a way, and it was very sobering to see the memorial site today.
We never have enough time to spend anywhere on this trip, and though our trip to the memorial site was short, it will never be forgotten. Will was instantly drawn to this wall at the children's area, and although he didn't understand what the hand prints or other hand-painted tiles were for, I just thought it was a sweet moment as he tried to put his hands in the hands of others.
As we were walking over to the memorial site, I explained to Ben what it was all about. It's hard to tell your kids that there are bad people who do bad things in this world, but I think it was good for him to learn and to see what the memorial site is all about. In the children's area are scattered big blocks of chalkboard where children can leave messages, and Ben was so cute to leave his own little message, "I am very sorry." I think that about says it all.
In the town of Arcadia, just north and east of Oklahoma City, is an old red round barn which was built in 1898! Very ingenious!!
I love to learn the history of places because it is always so fascinating, and Oklahoma City is no exception. I know there are plenty of others out there who know much more about Oklahoma than I do (Julie and Maryann), but this was a road memorial to mark the boundary where people had to wait until a signal was given at noon on April 22, 1889, and then they could rush (to 30 miles away) and grab whatever land they could get, and just like that a city was created. You just can't make this stuff up!!
We had planned on eating at the Rock Cafe on this trip because I'd heard good things about it. The Rock Cafe is in a little town called Stroud, but just a month ago it burned to the ground, and this is all that's left. It has been on Route 66 serving travelers since 1939. I've read there are plans to rebuild it, so we will just have to come back someday.
Daren and I could not get over what a beautiful drive it was today. (I can just hear the song from the musical Oklahoma now: "Oh what a beautiful morning. Oh what a beautiful day.") It was some of the most beautiful, green, picturesque countryside I have ever seen. This picture doesn't even begin to do it justice, but it was the best out of the ones I took. There were so many cute little quaint towns dotted here and there in and around the rolling hills, but it was very hard to capture it in a picture. It was seriously breathtaking. Speaking of, did anyone see the moon tonight? It's full and it's beautiful, but when it was rising here, as we were driving into Tulsa, there were a few clouds around and it made it look extra spooky and mysterious (so thought the boys). Anyway, this was the last town we saw by daylight, a town called Bristow where Daren's friend, Charley, from law school, grew up. We drove by his old house and were just amazed that everything about this town was what you would imagine a small midwest town would look like--complete with an old train station and old caboose the boys got to play on for a while. It was really fun to see this town.
We ran out of daylight once again and had to miss many things I'm sure but that's what we'll have to come back for. All along our way we have seen not only really great signs, but also imaginitive ways to advertise. These are a few examples we have found....
...on the side of a really old brick building, or........
....painting the side of your barn, or......
...making a mural in the bathroom. Seriously, this is the women's bathroom in a brand new REST STOP just west of Alanreed, Tx.
...on the side of a really old brick building, or........
....painting the side of your barn, or......
...making a mural in the bathroom. Seriously, this is the women's bathroom in a brand new REST STOP just west of Alanreed, Tx.
Signs of the day:
Total mileage to date: 3,546.6
Weather: a hot and sunny 94 degrees...and starting to feel the humidity!!
Weather: a hot and sunny 94 degrees...and starting to feel the humidity!!
Premium gas paid in Oklahoma City: $3.99 (but saw it later for $3.93)
3 comments:
We did catch the moon the last night. We were at the drive-in movie with Syd and her friends. It was huge and gorgeous. I would go for more green around here. I love the mountains but it does seem dry and brown around here sometimes. It looks like you had a great day.
Makes me homesick to read your thoughts on Oklahoma. And it is a very somber visit to the memorial sight. I too remember what I was doing when I heard about the bombing, but we didn't hear until two days later as we were living in England. News traveled a little slower back then before the internet!
We just got back from D.C and gas was $4.29!!! (for regular) Sheesh.
Forgot to say that on that terrible day in Oklahoma City, I was on my Nordick Track watching a morning show with my kids when a news bulletin interrupted the programming to show a large fire burning a building downtown. A news helicopter was flying around with a camera behind the Murrah building and when it came around and showed the front of the building the news anchors gasped. They said it was a federal building downtown. I immediately tried to call my sister who worked at the Federal Reserve Bank two blocks away. All lines were dead. I don't think I turned off my tv for a week after that. I was glued to it, thirsty for the news of what and who did this terrible thing. We were all numb there in Oklahoma, so freaked out by it all.
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