The Mother Road

Obviously the quickest route from Oklahoma
City to Gore is straight down 40 East.  Since that was the route I took on the westward run to visit the 99s Museum, well, you know I hate to take the same road twice.  And I realized that a large part of the old Route 66 still existed between the 2 cities, so I had to try it. 

My first great find was Pops.  At first glance it is simply a gas station and convenience store.  But it has found its way into the Roadside America list of quirky places to see.  I think the 30 ft. tall "pop" bottle out front has something to do with it.
It was quite the site to see.  I just wish I had found it after dark when it's all lit up.

A little further down the road I came upon the Round Barn.  They claim the
barn was there before the historic road.  I suppose that is so, but what I found disappointing was how touristy this stop was.  Keep moving on east.

I came upon the old gas station without warning and had to turn around and go back.  Supposedly it is what remains of a circa 1928 gas station along this historic route.  I am happy to report that the grafitti artists and liter bugs have either not found this place or chosen to leave it be.
Just imagine how much gas was when this place opened up!

There really wasn't much of the old road left to see and after the old station I didn't see much else so once I got to Sapulpa I got on the freeway and headed on home.  But I haven't given up on the Mother Road.  She stretches all the way to California.  I'll be looking for more parts as I travel farther west and keep you posted to unique finds along the way.

Flying Through The Heartland

Recently I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Amtrak has a station in Oklahoma City.  It's a major stop on the Texas Eagle route.  There is also a regional route called the Heartland Flyer that runs daily from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth in the mornings and back again late in the afternoon.  So of course I had to take a ride.  Since taking the train from its origin meant getting out of bed about 4am to drive 3 hours to take a train ride for 4 hours I decided to split the difference and drove to the halfway point in Paul's Valley to ride for 2 hours.  Hey, it was my day off and I needed to sleep in a little bit!

It was a pleasant ride and my Verizon MiFi worked great all the way.  The seats on the train are spacious and since I was only going for an overnight I only had my backpack and a briefcase to keep up with.  I posted to Facebook and worked on my blog as I rode along.  Soon the conductor was anouncing that we were crossing the Red River and entering Texas. 

At the Amtrak station in Ft. Worth I found Molly The Trolley, a free trolley ride around the downtown area.  It really wasn't going where I was going but it was a free ride around town and let me get a look at downtown.  Also grabbed a few virtual munzees!  I did get off at the Water Park and strolled around enjoying the cool fountains and a good use of downtown space. 

The next day I picked up a rental car and drove out to Arlington to find the oldest geocache in Texas and then drove a few extra miles toward Shreveport to get the oldest geocache in LA too!  And I would not have gotten there if I hadn't had a PAF (phone a friend) to assist me.  The next morning I slept in a bit then returned the rental car and headed back to the Amtrak station for the ride home.  It was a long day since I had to drive back to Seeker after I got off the train.  But it was a fun and unusual way to spend my days off (and I got 2 more classic geocaches!).  Plus I got to add one more route to my list of Amtrak routes I have enjoyed.

Girls Fly!!

I know when most people think of Oklahoma they think of cowboys.  And if you get to visit Oklahoma City you probably will be more likely to visit the Cowboy Hall of Fame.  But of course I had an alternative desitination in mind. 
Should any of my readers get the chance to spend some time in what my GPS calls OCK-LA City, I suggest a visit to the 99s museum where you will learn about the women who first took to the skies.

The museum is housed in the building that is the headquarters for The 99s.  Begun in the 1930s by a group of 99 women pilots and headed by Amelia Earheart, the organization has continued to exist and provide support for women who dare to let their feet lift off the earth and soar.  Of course we all know the name Amelia Earheart.  And maybe, if you were around during WWII or have studied women's contributions to the war effort you will be familiar with the names Jackie Cochran and Nancy Love Harkness.  These are the 2 women who found the WASPs and the Women's Aircraft Ferry Service.  But I was also excited to see exhibits on Louise Thaden, the first woman to win what is known as the Powder Puff Derby and course lots about the women pilots of WWII including the British ATA and the Russian women pilots known as the Night Witches.  There was even a section on the Whirly Girls (I'm sure you guessed it: women helicopter pilots) and women blimp pilots. 

Of course the museum included the story of women pilots in the commercial airlines and astronauts as well.  For a small space they pack a lot of history.  Even I learned a lot and that's saying something for me on this subject.  The admission is only $5 (I can go back in 2 years and get the senior rate of $4!) and while I only got to spend a couple of hours there I really enjoyed my stroll through this unique piece of women's history. 

Serendipity: To Find Something Nice Without Trying

So I had the day off and it was a beautiful day to have free.  And I needed to go to a Michaels to look for a couple of items.  There is one in Muskogee but why not try new territory: Fort Smith.  I meandered along on route 64 in no real hurry and stopping to grab geocaches and munzees (of course).  Just outside of Fort Smith I came across an old railroad depot with what looked like a line of people boarding a train.  I could tell it was just an excursion train since there were only 5 cars.
  But the car that caught my eye was the Silver Feather, a 1940s dome car.

That's right, the kind of car where you sit upstairs surrounded by windows in every direction and enjoy the view.  So I stopped in to get the scoop and found myself buying a ticket on the Arkansas Missouri line (or what's left of it) from Van Buren to Winslow, Arkansas. 

It was just a 2 1/2 hour lunch time ride through a small piece of the Ozarks with a box lunch, some lovely scenery, and some very knowledgeable period dressed crew.  Of course there were a couple of real railfans on board and then just some occassional train nuts like me.  I mean, I could have gone through the drive up window at Burger King for a lot less time and money, but how often do you get a chance like this?  I really enjoyed the ride and talking with my fellow riders.  A few knew about the Folkston Funnel and were envious of my many visits there.  The route crossed 3 large trestles and went through a nice tunnel ending up in




Winslow where the engine disconnected, turned around, and took us back down the mountain.  Yep, much better than Burger King.

Getting Away From It All

So like I said before, the job I'm doing right now is not really my cup of tea.  The folks I work with are great, and the job is not really hard to do or to learn.  It's just that I don't care for the big crowds in a small campground and that's what this is.  So I grin and get through my days here and then on the good days I jump in the car and head to my sanctuary:
Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. 

It's only a 20 mile drive from the family camp where I'm living and working, but it's worlds away in difference.  Of course there's no camping there so it's not like I could really live there, but I would if they would let me.  The refuge has a 6 mile wildlife viewing drive that was perfect for me with my leg in the long brace.


The first night I just drove out to a viewing site near a pond and sat with my camera and binoculars and listened to the quiet birdsong.

Each time I go there I see something new and add new birds to my life list.  I've even seen a good size snake, huge turtle, and a bobcat.  None of them seemed to mind me and since they were quiet and didn't try to attack me or ask me for quarters for the arcade games, I was fine with just watching them go by.



 It's a peaceful place and I'm sure I'll be adding some more pix from there. 
But for now, here's the neighbors I've gotten pix of (sorry, the bobcat was too quick for my camera).


Took this picture from inside the car!



Same road just a little further along.