Oklahoma City...Visiting an old favorite!

Well we are back in one of our favorite cities, Oklahoma City!  There is always so much to see here, that we always find something new to go and find out about.  With a "list" in hand, we started out easy and headed out downtown to check out the area, see some art and then go celebrate my birthday at one of my most favorite restaurants, the Cattleman's Steakhouse (yum!).

First stop, an area they call "Plaza Walls".  Seems like more and more cities are getting into mural painting.  I guess they figured out that if you encourage the local artist, give them areas to paint, they won't graffiti your city in the areas you don't want them to!  Smart.  This area was mostly all down a back street, all along a fence and the opposite wall and then into a small eating area.  Like other places, some very good art, along with some quirky pieces.  One thing I noticed here in Oklahoma City, is a lot of murals done under bridges and along the over-under passes.  Some pieces here are HUGE too, taking up the side of whole apartment buildings...just amazing pieces.  

They also pay homage to their Route 66 strip, and have some historic pieces still left from "the day".  I couldn't pass that up!  So here are some nostalgic pictures of those!

Then it was dinner time!  The Cattleman's is always busy, but we got right in and Charles, our waiter treated us like royalty.  I always order the T Bone as I feel it has the most flavor.  Here, it's so tender you could cut it with a fork, and large enough for two nights (lucky me!).  Afterward, Charles "gifted" me with a generous slice of their signature coconut cream pie to take home!  (I'm still working on it!)

The next day we headed out first to the American Banjo Museum.  Wow, who knew there were so many different kinds of banjos?  The museum documents this colorful evolution, presenting every musical style and chapter associated with banjo history - from its roots in American slavery to its mainstream heyday of the Roaring 20s to its most recent voice in bluegrass, folk and world music.  As you entered, they had a delightful diorama with an old man and boy, with him showing the boy what a banjo was and how to play it, while sitting on the porch of a cabin. Very nice.  From there they had pictures with the history of the banjo then that led you into the displays of the banjos themselves.  The oldest being from the 1840s.  As time went on, they got fancier and fancier and "show" banjos really got fancier - wow!  Gold, with inlaid work on the back as well as up the neck and all around the edges - real works of art.  

Of course the had "famous" entertainers banjos donated too, like Steve Martin, Dolly Pardon, Roy Atkins, and of course Earl Scruggs...but did you know that little Shirley Temple played one too?  ;-) And Elvis?

Anyway, it was very entertaining and educational.  The museum collection contains more than 400 instruments, and its the largest collection of banjos on public display in the world.  They even had an area where you could handle a couple different styles and use a computer lesson to show you how to learn a few chords!  Pretty cool, I'd say!  One never knows, maybe there's a hidden banjo player deep inside, just waiting to come out!

Afterward, we drove over to the 99s Museum.  Now this one I was anxious to go see, as I had read a couple of books about these women.  The "99s" were formed back in 1929 by a group of women pilots.  There were 99 of them, hence the name.  It was at a time when they pretty much had to learn by the seat of their pants, against all the odds, with the worst of the planes, conditions, circumstances, (no) uniforms, etc. In spite of everything, they learned, flew and grew.  They showed the world that "a woman can do what a man can do!".  

The museum did a nice job of displaying artifacts from their heyday along with pictures of many of the original pilots from the group.  They really got noticed when they flew in what was referred to as "The Powder Puff Derby" - a cross country flight from Santa Monica CA to Cleveland Ohio. Nineteen started, and 15 finished 9 days later. It made history. No, Amelia Earhart was not the winner, a woman named Louise Thaden won. ;-)  It was after that race Amelia and others brought the group together to start the club.  

The museum also showcased women pilots through the years, all the way to today into space.  It sure would be a great place to take your daughters and granddaughters...show them the fortitude and possibilities are all around them!  Great place for inspiration!

The change in weather (Arizona's 85-90's to Texas' 65, rain & hail), gave me the gift of a cold.  Not to bad of one, but enough that I don't want to make it worse or pass it along to others, so I have been hunkering down in the RV for the last couple of days.  Tomorrow we move over to a sweet friend's home here in the city and visit with her for another few days before heading on to Louisiana.  Who know what we will get ourselves into!  ;-)  

...kicking back in Oklahoma,  Marie

If you want to see more of my pictures, check them out on my Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

A Few Days in Flagstaff...

Flagstaff Arizona is one of those picturesque mountain towns that I've always wanted to visit, but never got the chance to because of the timing.  It's just high enough at over 7,000 feet that the weather has kept us out of there whenever we've been near it...tempting us, but to cold and the possibility of snow to high for us to linger.  Not this time!

So, we grabbed the opportunity to stay a few days to enjoy it's fresh mountain air, especially after many, many days of 90++ degrees of heat "down below"!  It didn't disappoint.

We camped in among pine cones and fresh breezes.  It was quiet and lovely.  We soon found out that Flagstaff has 100 trains each day that run through it, and we were so lucky that the campground we chose was well off the beaten path that we didn't hear one of them!  Not true with many of the others!  Phew, that could have been many a sleepless night!

We really didn't have an agenda, so just used our time strolling through the town, taking in the scenery and relaxing.  The weather was on-again-off-again rain and thunder showers, but if you timed it right, you could have hours of sun!

Our first stop was at the old train depot built in 1926 that half still operates as the Santa Fe Depot and the other half is now the Visitor's Center.  They have a model train running along the top of the wall that's pretty cute.  A big train came in while we were there that was pretty cool also.

The old historic part of town was delightful.  Lots and lots of murals everywhere, down alleyways, along side streets, adjacent to route 66 which runs through the town, etc.  Unlike most places, they didn't seem to have any postings as to "why, by whom" or the history on them, just painted here and there, and really quite beautiful!  I tried googling them and found some information and even some script that people noted that said even they didn't know when and by whom many were painted!  They even showed more that I hadn't uncovered.  Must be quite a few "hidden artists" in Flagstaff!

They have a lot of wonderful old buildings there as well, and even give walking tours of them.  Most of course have been converted into shops and businesses now, but it's nice to see that they have been saved.  It was also fun to see some old motels and neon signs from the 1950's & 60's - the hay days of route 66, I'm sure.

We were there over the weekend, and they had a small craft fair going on as well.  Not very big, but very nice things.  I even bought a couple of things for Christmas gifts.  It's always fun to see people's talent in various states along our travels.  I'm always tucking some of their ideas in the back of my mind in hopes that someday when we settle down I might do some of them myself!  Who knows??  ;-)

It was a wonderful little stop, but we are off to our next adventure!  One to "check off our bucket list" that I've waited many years to do!

...on the road in Arizona,  Marie


If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Well...this is Texas, y'all!

BIG, flat, windy, and dusty - that's Texas!  At least the north/west Texas "panhandle" is!  Boy-howdy, it's been quite an experience visiting this state this time, I can say!  27 days of wind, rain, lightening, thunder, sun, some gorgeous sunsets, some black skies and a number of days of tornado "warnings",  phew, we've experienced them all.

Our trip began with a couple of "one nighters" through Pecos & Abilene to Plano where my son lives.  We booked ourselves into the only RV park there is in Plano - a mobile home park that has a number of extra spaces they keep for RVs.  It didn't look very safe or hospitable, but in the end, it really turned out to be an ok place.  It had a lot of shade and the folks around us were friendly.  It was really just a home-base while we spent most of our time with my son.

Three days after we arrived we got to go to the church he has joined and watch him and about 200 others baptized.  It was quite a sight!  Over a thousand folks singing, praising, and just being happy together.  The day turned out to be a beautiful one too, which was nice for the ones being baptized since they entered a special pool, full in!  Lots of food and fun.  It was great to see the friends he's made and what a great group he's connected with here.  Not having any family here, this is so important, and I'm happy he's found such a supportive loving church family.

After all that excitement, we spent the next few days seeing a bit of Dallas.  First up was the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  What a beautiful place!  It is 66 acres that includes a couple of estates and is one of the top 3 arboretums in the US.  It's broken out into separate themed gardens and pathways along the beautiful White Rock Lake.  We spent most of the day there and still didn't see everything.  My son and his fiance were considering an outdoor wedding, so we spend some time looking at various places in the park for potential sites.  Of course they do weddings there, and of course the prices are steep...but one can dream, can't one?  It's the kind of place that you want to wander slowly, sit and gaze, daydream, even bring a book and an apple.  We got the kids a yearly pass and said that this was the best "de-stresser" one could ever ask for, right in the heart of a big city!  Truly beautiful.

I then took a quick flight out to Silicone Valley for the week to celebrate Mother's Day with my daughter and family and see my grandson get baptised!  What a glorious week!  Fantastic weather, great fun, lots of laughter, got to visit with old friends, beautiful baptism (very different from the other one!) wonderful food, many, many hugs & kisses - who could ask for anything more?  His Catholic baptism was only with 3 others (babies) and quite "formal", so quite different from the other one - but true to his personality, he made it fun!  His godmother is a dear friend I hadn't seen in years, so it was a great time visiting with her, celebrating with champagne and wonderful food my daughter & son-in-law made.  Spent hours on the floor playing space ship, or castle or monsters or beanbag toss or whatever with my grandson, in between lots of hugs and kisses to keep me until next time.  I got two visits to Asian restaurants, my favorite!  ...and more hugs & kisses as we tried not to cry when saying goodbye, one more time.

Back in Texas it was load and go!  I had sent a grocery list to the guys and had them packed and ready to hit the road when I arrived.  We all were off to go camping!  We headed off to Lake Texoma, in Eisenhower State Park, the four of us and dog.  We got a great camping site with beautiful trees that shaded the whole area.  The RV sites don't get close enough to see the lake (only the tent sites do) but there are trails to it, or you can drive closer and walk down.  We did both on separate days.  Our site was more than ample to handle our rig, their tent, both trucks, the picnic table and plenty of play area for Sadie (their chocolate lab).  Jack wasted no time meeting our neighbors and Dwight and Fran joined us the first night with wine and even a taste of some "apricot moonshine" he picked up in Tennessee!  Fun evening!  The next day the kids and I went for a hike to the lake (Jack took the shortcut and went back to the rig for a nap!).  Phew, it was hot!  I cut back and made it back to the rig before I fainted from the heat.  I always get a scolding when my face turns bright tomato read and I'm about ready to fall over...
The next day, we drove close to the lake and walked the short distance in.  Sadie had a ball swimming to and fro as we all took turns throwing a stick into the water for her to fetch.  She sure slept well when we got back to the campsite!  That night the ranger came around and warned us of the bad weather situation.  The tornado had just hit Oklahoma and might be coming our way.  At the very least we were in for some extreme winds and possibly rain and hail.  If the tornado was coming, he would be driving around with his bull horn warning us to take shelter.  They didn't have one, and we shouldn't stay in the rig..."so just find the lowest spot you can and hunker down".  Jeez...some help he was!  We told the kids to pack up their stuff, bring everything in and sleep in the rig with us tonight.  Well, the good news was, nothing happened.  The bad news was, Jack discovered that he was allergic to the dog!  The kids ended up leaving for home later that afternoon, and I vacuumed and washed everything I could, loaded him up with allergy pills and he fared ok.  Oh well.  That night he read the weather report that the tornado was headed straight for Eisenhower State Park, so we pulled out early the next morning and headed to Wichita Falls TX

I'm here to tell you, there isn't a dang thing in Wichita Falls TX!  Nothing between the two cities, nothing but a couple of murals that I thought were pretty impressive,  a couple of signs that were funny and lots of flat, windy, dusty land.  Wow.

Amarillo tries.  They think BIG here.  Every 5 minutes along the Interstate (40) is a billboard advertising "FREE 72oz STEAK dinner if eaten in 1 hour"  They must have hundreds of these billboards!  Of course we had to have dinner there, someone has to help pay for all those billboards!  No, we didn't try the challenge, but we did order a steak (6oz) and I have to say, it was pretty darn good too.  What a place, my or my.  Just about what you would expect, big, flashy, loud, funny, outrageous, over the top, you get the picture...fun!

The other thing Amarillo is big on is what they call the "other grand canyon" Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  A 120 mile long and 800 feet deep canyon that you drive around.  There are trails that you can walk, bike or horse ride along and most are several miles long.  Of course they have a Park Museum/Museum Store (such as it is), a campground and during the summer they add a Musical Drama and Interpretive Theater. that word much, and with good reason.  We've seen much better in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado...so, a bit underwhelmed, but maybe we are just spoiled.  We didn't tell them so...
We took the drive.  Well...Arizona, you don't have anything to worry about.  It may be "big" (Texas likes that word) but "pretty" it isn't.

 Amarillo also has a botanical garden, albeit a small one, but a sweet one none the less.  Amarillo Botanical Gardens is only 4 acres, but it is filled with beautiful themed gardens such as fragrance, Japanese, Palo Canyon and butterfly.  It has an enclosed tropical conservatory with a waterfall and tropical plantings.  Nice.

We finally got to try Texas Bar-B-Que before we left the state, and weren't disappointed.  Dyer's Bar-B-Que in Wellington Square was great!  I discovered that "Texas style" has a vinegar base to it, vs Kansas, say, has a molasses base.  Cool.  Interesting.  4 very large pork ribs came with (get this): Cowboy beans (no surprise, and very good), coleslaw (also no surprise, and also very good), potato salad (a bit on the mustard side), fried onion rings (yum!), Texas bread, and a little bowl of apricot jelly? jam? juice?...not to sure...had to ask what it was for, she said some people put it on their toast, some on their ribs (hm mm).  Oh well...All for less than $10. I needed a doggy bag.

A couple of afternoons of the obligatory antique shopping, mostly down the "Historic Route 66 District.  Of course I was able to find just a couple of treasure... Really wanted to see the private collection of old RVs of Jack Sismore.  He's got RVs dating back to 1921!  His little museum was closed for the holiday weekend (double darn), but maybe we can squeeze in a few minutes as we leave on Tuesday, maybe.  If so, I'll share it in the next blog.

We saved the "biggie" for last...the famous "Cadillac Ranch"!  Everyone's heard of this place, right?  I've wanted to see it for years! It was put up back in 1974 by 3 guys who were a part of an art group. There are about 10 mid-century Cadillacs half-buried nose-first in the ground, out in the middle of a wheat field, off of the I 40.  What I didn't know, was that people (are encouraged to) graffiti them!  I just thought they were painted and you just go see them.  No...it is an "active art" where people come with their spray cans and have at it!  How did I not know this?  I guess my head has been stuck in the dirt all this time too!  It was a busy place I tell you!  People, cans, action, sunshine, wind, picture taking, art happening, the whole thing!  What a hoot! Tomorrow we leave the great state of Texas, and hopefully the constant wind (and tornado warnings).

Here's a few pictures, loads more (of course) in my Flickr account, but for now...

 

...on the road en route to Colorado,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Its all the little things...

My goal on this trip was to see all the "little things" in this country, as well as the big attractions.  America is made up of billions of fun sights, scenic byways, locally known places and surprises.  All to often we "get going" and miss some of them along the way, but for the most part, we try our best to take the time to seek out those special treasures and enjoy them.  Lots of times its something we spot along the road and a quick shout out "oh my, take a look at that!" or "did you see that?" gives us our chuckle for the day.  Some, I manage to capture with my camera, some, I'm not so lucky.

Sometimes its just enjoying nature, seeing & feeling the changing of the seasons.  Living so long in southern California, its easy to forget what a true season is like.  Autumn colors are beginning to paint the landscapes along our route these days.  Cool breezes whisk the leaves hither and yon and the rain beats it's music on our rooftop fairly frequently.

One of the latest little things we've enjoyed lately was when we took a quick trip around the Cave Hill Cemetery in Lexington.  The famous Col Sanders is buried there and I thought it was only fitting that I pay homage to my favorite "chicken chef".  As we drove around this huge place, we were aw struck at some of the incredibly beautiful headstones.  People used to really invest in having something special created in honor of their loved ones, making them a thing of beauty for all (the rest of) us to enjoy.  We did find the good ol' Colonel, only to also find a nice lady standing guard.  It turned out that KFC Corporate was hosting a team building experience for some of their employees and one of their stops was his grave site!  As we chatted with her, we commented on her cute red t shirt with a screen print of a person asking a chicken with an egg next to it, "So, what does come first?"  She shared that we were the first (public) to see it, that it, as well as several other (cute) screen prints were going to be part of the new uniform for 2013!  We approved.

Speaking of chickens, it doesn't get any funnier than the one coming out of the front of a restaurant!  Its one of those you have to see it to believe it places.  For that, we pulled over and I was able to snap a couple of shots of it.  It's a well known, or maybe I should say, its a well advertised restaurant in Branson.  We chuckled and shook our heads every time we passed by it. 

Barns capture my attention a lot of the time - and there's been plenty to see this year!  Usually we are driving to fast for me to take a good picture of, but occasionally I can get a snap in.  The ones I've missed I'm sad about because they are usually the ones with the quilt painted on, or old advertisements (called "ghost ads" I found out) painted on their sides.  When we drove by the St Louis Arch, I got off a quick snap because we were stuck in traffic!  We really didn't want to drive through the city, so we passed on stopping to visit it.

One thing we try and do upon entering each new state is stop at their Visitor Center.  These people are great resources for all kinds of things.  They have helped us with maps, scenic routes, routes to avoid, regional music and food and just all kinds of wonderful ideas and advise.  Sometimes their center is a "destination" itself, like the one in Missouri.  Their "theme" was Route 66.  They had all kinds of fun stuff built round it, including each picnic table's shade structure designed to look like a place along the route!  Their floor showed the whole map, including the iconic US66 logo. 

As I am writing this, I'm enjoying the beautiful scenery and solitude of the state park we are staying at for a few days.  The only sounds are the leaves rustling from the breeze and the birds chirping nearby.  Many times we have found that there are only a few of us in a great big park.  I'm sure too, that as the temperatures continue to cool, we will see even fewer fellow campers.  It's rejuvenating to just settle in, surrounded by nature, and not "go see" this or that...to just to sit back and enjoy being here, reminding me, that's why we are doing this...

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...on the road,  Marie

Getting our kicks on Route 66!

We discovered that Lake Havasu is just a stone's throw from Kingman, which is part of the historic Route 66. So with that in mind, we decided to spend a day zipping up to Kingman, on to Peach Springs with a stop at the Grand Canyon Caverns. With camera in hand (and battery fully charged) off we went!

First stop was at Kingman's Powerhouse Visitor Center. Besides information, it had a small museum and wonderful history of the area, even a model train set up. We didn't spend much time in Kingman itself, saving it for the caves later on that day.






















Jumping onto Route 66, we came to one of the highlights of the day, the Hackberry General Store. The store is as much a museum as a place to grab a cold drink (Route 66 Root Beer no less!). They have everything from retired gas pumps used when Route 66 was a booming thoroughfare, to old metal signs, an outhouse, old cars and even old Burma Shave signs! Everywhere you looked was something to smile (or take a picture) about! We had to get a Route 66 cap for Jack there.













































Back on the road, we headed to Peach Springs, which is a tiny town with not much in it, but just beyond it is the entrance to the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, our big stop of the day. Now this is where I got my first surprise. I'm coming to realize that having worked for the world class San Diego Zoo I just naturally expect other attractions to be of the same caliber. The name implied as much, the rack card did, so I was a bit taken aback when we drove into a dirt road, up to rustic, wooden "general store" entrances for their store and then for their caverns. I was beginning to doubt our decision to come here, thinking that we were probably in for an expensive, disappointing hoax...one that Jack wouldn't let me forget either (since it was my idea to do this!). However, we decided to give it a go anyway, after all, we had come this far, might as well "go for it". Well, we were glad we did! It was quite an experience. All the caverns I had been to before have been "wet" ones that have stalagtites and stalagmites growing in them, this is a "dry" cavern that is what is left after millions of years of changes from ocean floor to volcanic eruptions, to dry floor, and on & on to what is left today. It's a very different experience than the typical cavern, and quiet pretty. The guide is very knowledgeable and funny. It was a good long tour with some great walking included. They push the envelope a little with their "creativity" but it was well worth the trip and I'm glad we took the tour!









































They even had a few treasure to admire outside, including an old forge that (of course) Jack found!


A quick stop in Seligman before heading back...













It was a fun-filled day filled with great memories of cross-country trips we had experienced as kids. There was even a few (new) Burma Shave signs along the route home, like this one: Thirty days - Hath September - April, June & November - And the speed offender! - Burma Shave

If you would like to view the rest of my photos from this trip, just go to my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/sets/72157629163337129/

...kicking back in Arizona, Marie