I thought today was going to be a dull day. After all, I watched the corn grow during my last visit to Iowa. But today filled up with a lot of neat things to see and do. My hats off to the farmers of Iowa for feeding America, and my compliments to Sioux City, Iowa for preserving so much of America's heritage.
Again, I catered to Tank and loaded up the CD player with songs he just loves to hear, again and again. "It's just a matter of time" (Randy Travis), "Funny how times slips away" (Perry Como) and "Three times a lady" (Conway Twitty), kept Tank smiling all day. (Have you ever seen an armadillo smile? You haven't lived until you do!).
Eastern Wyoming is flat. South Dakota is flatter still. I'm not sure how to describe Iowa. Have you ever seen one long mile of corn growing? Imagine 55,875 square miles of corn!! That's Iowa, and it's all flat! Most farms around here look prosperous, as though you're eating okay.
Because Iowa is so flat, I purposely went to the highest point in the state, just to say I've been there. It's not marked very well, but it's near the town of Sibley in northwest Iowa. There was nothing to photograph because the horizon was almost indistinguishable (I mean flat!).
I had better luck when I stopped in Ritter, Iowa. Don't get me wrong, these towns are not big towns. They're not even small towns. The only thing big here are the grain elevators and I had Tank take my picture next to 'the higher elevations' (grain elevator). You should see the expression on people's faces as they drive by and see me and Tank taking pictures. "Of what?", they say.
Most of the little towns I passed through this morning were still 'rolled up' from last night, Saturday night. I didn't see any sidewalks and I didn't see anybody. Not until later, in the big cities of LeMars and Sioux City, Iowa.
I did stop in Orange City, Iowa because it looked like a really neat town. Tank took my picture by the town's windmill (a bank now). The town claims to have a Dutch influence and Dutch hospitality. How should I know - it's Sunday and there are no sidewalks visible in town. Diamond Vogel looks to be a big employer here, in the plumbing, heating and paint business.
I had a brunch in LeMars, Iowa and had an ice cream cone as well. Blue Bunny is one of the name brands here in the self-proclaimed ice cream capital of the world. I checked out the Plymouth County Museum and took a few pictures. There really wasn't much there of interest to me, expect for the relocated log cabin.
Sioux City, Iowa. Now there's a town to visit. You can see vitality in the city center and the waterfront. I first visited the somewhat famous statue of Mary, Queen of Peace at Trinity Heights on the northeast side of town. What a marvelous 30 foot sculpture, and surrounding prayer gardens. You don't have to be religous to appreciate this place.
The Public Museum I mentioned earlier was originally built as a private residence back in 1890 and it is a grand piece of romanesque architecture. Inside is a well thought out and laid out museum of local interest. There are Indian artifacts, items of geological interest and more. I like the building, both inside and outside. "They don't build'em like that anymore!".
As I drove through the residential areas close into the city's center, I saw 40-60 foot trees, which reminded me of the neighborhood I grew up in on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. Fine, big trees. Something you take from granted when your growing up, and enjoying summer, but really appreciate when you're older.
By chance, I drove by "The Castle", which I understand is the local name for the very large Central High School in Sioux City. Like the public museum, a grand piece of turn of the century architecture. The kids may think its a terrible building, not being modern and all that, but it really is the reverse, something remarkable.
I went down to the Missouri River waterfront and found the Belle of Sioux City Casino, a floating paddle wheeler. I gambled away some money and considered it a 'balance of payments', reciprocating for all those people from Iowa and nearby Nebraska, and all the money they may have lost while visiting my home state of Nevada.
One last stop for the day, and I have called it quits for now. The famous Lewis and Clark expedition went through this area back in the very early 1800s. The only person to die during the expedition was Sgt. Charles Lloyd and they have a monument to him here in Sioux City, on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River and the city itself.
With that, I'm going to call it a night, have some supper and think about tomorrow's busy day, venturing further south through the so-called Missouri Valley (river, not state), to Council Bluffs, Iowa and to Omaha, Nebraska.
Okay, so not 'all' of Iowa is flat. Among the things I did today was to tour Monona County, just south of Sioux City. I had received a map in the mail, and in the spirit of 'blue highways', I drove through the back roads and saw a bit of hill country.
Tank and I were up early, but a lot that meant to him. I had classical music on the CD player and for all intents and purposes, Tank slept in, because I didn't hear from him all morning. Leontyne Price sang "O Mio Babbino", Placido Domingo sang "Celeste Aida" and Itzhak Perlman played "Liebs Freud".
Some of the blue highways Tank and I used yesterday included routes like 42, 38, 9, 60 and 75. Today we travelled on routes 324, 175, 301, 183, 127, 30. It's a lot different than doing 65 mph on the Interstate.
My first objective for the day was to find the Lewis and Clark State Park and get close to the Missouri River that played a major part of their expedition in the early 1800s. I didn't realize how marshy the eastern 'shore' of the river is. I'm glad I packed Off repellent because I needed it this morning. At the state park, I viewed a replica of a 55 foot keelboat such as was used by the expedition.
After the park, I drove through the hills of Monona County, following a map mailed to me prior to the trip. It was interesting to see the number of terraced farms, where farmers are using the available land. It reminded me a little of Japan where land is a precious resource.
The hill country, in general, reminded me of West Virginia or Pennsylvania, where there is a lot of green, dense trees in the hollows, and plenty of grass and bushes. The terraced farm land made me wonder if this was land first acquired by pioneers who were 'too late' to get some of the flat land this state has.
The back woods driving tour took me through the small town of Logan. I realize it's Monday and maybe people here do their lawns on the weekend, but the impression I got was that 'everybody' mowed their lawn this weekend. As though there's some law to do it, or else you have a guilty conscience. Nice looking town in any case.
The Harrison Country Historical Museum in the town of Missouri Valley is really nice. Some people might call it a bit corny, but let's face it, all this memorabilia and artifacts are a piece of history. What you're looking at were the 'appliances' of the mid-1800s and early 1900s. There were implements, tools, the country store full of sample merchandise, mail delivery carts, and more. I enjoyed it.
My first sight seeing stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa was to find my way to the top of Oakland Avenue where the Lincoln Monument gave me an excellent view over the city, including Omaha to the west. From there I went to the city center where I toured the Squirrel Cage Jail. You talk about a spooky place, this is it. Inside an attractive three story brick building is literally a three story, circular metal cage.
Imagine a circle divided into ten wedges, and those would be the jail cells on each of the three levels. Inmates were put into their cells and the interior of the building rotated such that entry and exit was only through one portal in the front of the building. The purpose of this design was to minimize the number of wardens for the jail.
I left the jail and drove up some red brick steets, in order to find the Dodge House. I grew up in a neighborhood with red brick streets so that brought back memories for me. General Dodge was a major influence over the growth of railroads in the emerging west of the 1800s.
I went next in search of a railroad museum in Council Bluffs, only to discover that it was a model railroad museum, and they had only three actual railroad cars. I was disappointed then, and again, but finally, at the Union Pacific park in Omaha I saw some very well restored steam and diesel engines.
I had difficulty locating the Confederate Air Force museum, and to add to that frustration, I then discovered that they're closed on Mondays. I did find the Strategic Air Command museum in Bellevue, Nebraska, they were open, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing aircraft such as the B36, B25 and B26. This may not be your thing, but then this trip is not your trip. I'm enjoying my selection of sights to see.
I have to write AAA because their tour book told me about a train museum in downtown Omaha, which I now discover is no longer in operation. Thank goodness for the UP trains at the park. And across the street from that park was Freedom Park, where I was able to go on board a training submarine and a retired mine sweeper. Having spent four years in the Navy, this brought back other memories for me.
The last activity for the day was a visit to Father Flanagan's Boys Town. I wanted to show Tank the place where wayward souls like him are shown some love. While touring the place, a priest asked me whether Tank was a burden for me and I replied "He's not heavy, father, he's my armadillo." (I couldn't resist that!).
It's been a long and busy day, but fruitful. Tomorrow I'm off to the Kansas City, Missouri area, but with sights along the way in Nebraska, northern Missouri and Independence before I get to my end point.
Tank 'endured' the classics yesterday, so today I treated him to a replay of all the Willie Nelson songs we heard on the first day of this trip, 23 days ago. "Always on my mind", "Funny how time slips away" and "Take it to the limit" put Tank in a very good mood for today's touring.
The weather this morning was nothing exciting. Cloudy, overcast, dull but 60 degrees (warmer than last week, let's say). I have been watching the weather in the east and there it has been raining for days on end. I hope it's out of their system by the time Tank and I head east and up the coast.
I started the morning in Iowa because I could not get a motel room in Omaha. The NCAA baseball world series is going on this week and as a result I stayed on the east side of the Missouri River, in Council Bluffs. I drove by Rosenblat Stadium in Omaha yesterday but seeing scalpers all over the place told me that the ticket office probably would not have tickets, and I didn't want to see baseball bad enough to pay inflated scalper prices.
South of Council Bluffs, I crossed over to Nebraska and went to several small towns along the blue highways. I had planned ahead to see Nebraska City and Brownville, and while I was at it, I stopped in Auburn as well. These are great little towns, each one showing its pride and possessions.
Enroute from town to town, I certainly continued to see farms, silos, irrigation, tilled fields and so on. Some farms look prosperous and others not so prosperous. There are many barns or outbuildings that are in disrepair and I'll be that someone has been around to buy the used lumber for other purposes. The irrigation around here is of all kinds - ditches, long booms on wheels, etc. All the farms seemed quietly working to grow our food for tomorrow.
I thought about the roads I've travelled so far. There is the obvious concrete and black top (tarmac). I have also been on dirt and gravel roads, and in a couple of cases, pure mud. While touring one museum in Council Bluffs I saw where in the early 1900s they used short logs, on end, as a form of pavement. Interesting. And then there were the red brick streets I saw yesterday. Certainly a variety of surfaces.
The terrain on both sides of the Missouri River surprises me. It is more marshy than I would have expected. Several times when I have stopped, I had to spray my arms and head with Off to repel the bugs. On several roads, I saw strong warnings about 'soft shoulders' because the road side is not that firm. This reminded me of the equivalent sign one might see in England (soft verges - meaning you're on the verge of the road).
The grain elevators are getting bigger and bigger. I saw quite a few today that were the equivalent of a multi-story building - say 10-20 floors (100-200 feet high). Because I crossed the Missouri River several times today, I noticed a number of grain elevators right at the river's edge, I assume for moving grain using barges on the river.
When I stopped at Nebraska City, my first point of interest, my attention was drawn to the names of some streets. Instead of the more common "1st Street", this town uses the word 1st "Corso". I have never seen that, and I guess I have some homework to do. Nebraska City has a population of about 6500 people and I was impressed how well preserved the town's center is. Many fine buildings.
I photographed the Farmer's Bank, and then went over to the John Brown Cave, which is a historical site because of the Underground Railway. When I first mention this to one of my sons, he thought I literally meant a railway. Instead, what this is about is the secret movement of slaves in the mid-1800s to the north where slavery did not exist. The Allen Mayhew log cabin is preserved at this site, as well as other preserved and relocated buildings (e.g a school house).
Also in Nebraska City is a place called the Arbor Day Farm. I'm impressed. Not only is this an excellent public park, but there is a major conference center, a golf course, and several preserved buildings in the complex. Pretty good for a town of 6500 people.
Southeastern Nebraska is pretty hilly. On the Missouri side of river, it seemed to be fairly flat near the river, but it had a constant range of hills as Tank and I progressed southward.
I stopped in Auburn, Nebraska to take some pictures of their town center. As with other towns, the main street has its general stores, the town's theater, city hall and so on. I saw a number of highway markers for the Lewis and Clark expedition. With them and the Underground Railway, my travels through the area seemed insignificant, except to me, glad to be on these historic paths.
Before crossing the Missouri River to enter Missouri, I stopped in the river town of Brownville. Generally, the town was slow to wake up on this June morning, but I was able to see the Steamboat (paddle wheeler) Museum, a number of well preserved Victorian houses, and shop in a couple of the towns very small shops (a general store, a feed store and the post office). What a neat town!
I have not mentioned it thusfar, but there are signs for casinos and gambling all over the place. There are gambling river boats in Sioux City, Omaha and St. Joseph, and casinos on just about every Indian reservation. I have stopped only once to amuse myself by gambling.
At St.Joseph, Missouri, I had plans to see a number of sights. The town certainly has its place in history as a stepping off point for Pioneers, the Pony Express and then later, the railroads. I didn't think the town showed a good 'economic face' as did Sioux City, but the museums in town are quite good.
I stopped at the Pony Express monument, and then later at the original Pony Express stables. Across the street, within the Patee Museum, which was originally a hotel in the mid-1800s, was the Pony Express headquarters.
I visited the St.Joseph Museum, which is within a well preserved Gothic house dating back to 1879. The content of the museum included displays for Indians in the area as well as wildlife and geology. The museum I enjoyed the most in St.Joseph was the Patee House Museum, a national landmark.
The building was originally a grand hotel in the mid-1800s but now houses a multi-story museum, which I thought was excellent. All of the memorabilia and artifacts are presented in a realistic setting. Printer's things are in a print shop, the jailer's things are in a jail, and so on. The lighting was good, so I video taped my tour so I can enjoy it again in the future. At the rear of the museum is the Jesse James House, where the famous bank robber was shot and killed in 1882.
As the day progressed into the afternoon, I finally reached Independence, Missouri, where my plans included touring the Harry S. Truman home and his Presidential Library. You have to buy tickets for a specific time, and my Golden Age Passport saved me cash again. I booked a tour for later in the afternoon, giving me time for some lunch. I ate at a German restaurant and it was delicious.
The Truman home is just like you would imagine the plain folks, Harry and Bess, would like it. Bess' family lived in the house originally and then it passed onto Harry and Bess. No pretense here. No sign that an ex-president lived here. But, that was the man, and that was his wife's 'style' of living.
The Truman Library is very well done. Attractive setting, and the presidential papers and other things are well displayed. People can move about easily, everything is quite visible, and the library was organized in a way that each person could view that aspect of Truman in which they were interested (before presidency, during, after, etc).
I had plans to stop at a Croation bakery in town, but as has happened in other cases, the bakery is closed Monday-Wednesday. My parents both immigrated from Crotia (then Yugoslavia) and I grew up eating delicious Croation pastries. I wonder if they ship by Airborne?
I briefly toured the town of Independence, and I don't know whether the town influenced Truman or Truman influenced the town. No pretense in the town's appearance either.
Well, a long day and I'm ready to relax. Tank is here in the motel room and he has already helped himself to some refreshments. He tipped over my can of Budweiser so I hope he doesn't become 'tipsy'. Tomorrow? On to Kansas - Topeka and Wichita and other places in between.
I have learned not to be disappointed at what I might find or not find during this trip. Today had some disappointments, but I'd rather focus on the things that were enjoyable.
I knew I had a fair number of miles to put on today, and that did not account for a number of wrong turns or missed turns that caused even more mileage for me. I don't think Kansas does all they could do to tell the tourist where and when to turn.
Anyway, Tank and I were up early and on the road, leaving the Kansas City area and headed for the day's destination of Wichita. I first stopped in Overland, Kansas to 'see' the NCAA headquarters, even though the hour was early and I didn't think I would be able to see much. All that was available for me to see was the lobby mural, which depicts many memorable moments in college sports. Quite prominent is John Wooden and his UCLA Bruins that won multiple championships in the 1964-1974 period.
The NCAA baseball world series is still going on in Omaha, and the NCAA is also in the news for other reasons. They have decided to move their headquarters to Indianapolis, Indiana, and the KC press was not too kind with their words about the NCAA in today's paper.
Tank doesn't care one way or the other, so the CD player was loaded up with show tunes, somewhat suggestive of the trip in progress. "June is bustin' out all over" (Carousel), "People" (Funny Girl) and "Sunrise, Sunset" (Fiddler on the Roof), entertained us while we travelled today.
The temperature was 65 degrees this morning but ugh, what a sky. The sky on both the Missouri and Kansas side of the Missouri River was cloudy but a with a strong dose of smog. It crossed my mind that I probably will see more of this now that I'm east of the Rocky Mountains. I was reminded of the comment that attendant on the Cog Railway in Nanitou Springs made when we reached the top of Pikes Peak. She told the passengers that Colorado has 'air' outside, the implication being that other locations have something else in the atmosphere.
As I drove along today, I saw many nurseries with their stock of spring plants. Not that this was unique to Kansas, but simply that the thought occurred to me, look at all these people spending money to make America a prettier place. That's a nice thought.
Overland Park is a modern, upscale kind of town. I liked what I saw of Lawrence, Kansas, but had no strong feelings about Topeka. I had 'good feelings' about my short visit to Eldorado, Kansas, but Wichita struck me as sprawling and bigger than I'm now used to living in Sparks, Nevada. Sparks has a population of about 33,000 and it's easy to get around town.
The terrain in Kansas varies with the miles. Obviously, the Overland Park area is still metropolitan Kansas City, and then you get into heavily wooded areas to the immediate west. But, like night and day, central Kansas goes bare, with virtually no trees but a lot of grass for cattle to graze on. I should point out that in the wooded areas I saw tilled fields, but I saw no farming in the treeless area. Strange. The song "Oh bury me not on the lone prairie" came to mind, and I thought, this must be it.
I stopped in Lawrence, Kansas, because I needed an oil change. The Ford dealer took me immediately but that still gave me time for breakfast and a read of this morning's newspaper. Once I got back on the road, my mind wandered to thoughts of the Wizard of Oz. I can't remember were Dorothy lived but I must be close. I felt that I was travelling on the yellow brick road (rhymes with Yel-a-vic, doesn't it?) But in Kansas, like Pennsylvania and maybe some other places, some of their roads are toll roads, so keep your wallet handy.
I saw a number of signs which stated that I was following a portion of the Oregon Trail as I headed west to Topeka. I don't know why those pioneers had such a hard time. The four lane highway was nicely paved and really not very crowded today.
I have to tell Leigh Compton (with whom I worked in Dallas before retiring) that just east of Topeka is a place called "Lecompton". I didn't stop to ask how they pronounced it, because I had already made up my mind.
I drove through the downtown area of Topeka and I guess it's what a state capitol is supposed to look like. I took some pictures and talked with other visitors so it was a nice visit. My visit to the Air Combat Museum just south of town however was a bit of disappointment. I hate to be harsh, but the word 'junkyard' crossed my mind. There is simply no comparison with other aircraft collections, such as the B24 Museum I saw earlier on this trip in Pueblo, Colorado.
In Kansas, they tax everything. My $3.50 admission to the air museum had tax added to it, my meals had tax added, postcards had tax, etc, etc. It's all what you get used to, I guess.
I will say one thing about Topeka and Wichita, by the way, and that is that they have cleaner air than does Kansas City and Overland Park. It was cloudy but the smog was not in the air of central Kansas.
I mentioned putting on more miles that I had planned because of wrong turns and such. In a number of cases, Kansas may have had only one sign before some turn, or no sign. Being by myself (Tank can't read maps or navigate), I had a tough time reading maps and signs, and driving at 55, 65 or 70 mph. Oh well, at least I was able to recover without putting on too many extra miles.
Another observation today was something I have not seen for a long time, and that is, advertising painted on barns - red barns, mostly. I grew up in Ohio and in the 1940s and 1950s that was pretty common. I guess television and people reading more newspapers and magazines sort of killed the barn billboard.
As with every day, I tried to stay off the Interstate highways and travel the blue highways (as they're sometimes called). I followed some Kansas signs to the 'scenic byways' but I've come to the conclusion that Kansas must have some other definition for the word 'scenic'.
At Eldorado, I enjoyed visiting the Oil Well Museum, with life size replicas of oil wells and many other related things to see and learn about. In the center of town is the courthouse, a grand building built back in 1908. On the lawn of the courthouse is a 25 foot replica of the Statue of Liberty that I thought was interesting. I liked the look and the 'feel' of the town.
Wichita is a big city. I have been here before on business but I guess I wasn't paying attention to just how big it is. It takes quite a bit of time to get around. Of course, what I wanted to see was in three differet parts of town.
The Air Museum here was closed with two contradictory signs in front of the place. What was outdoors on display was not very good, so that makes two aircraft museums I didn't care for today. I went to both art museums in Wichita because I was told that they had quite a collection of outdoor sculptures. Bad press. I was not impressed.
But I was impressed with the Old Cowtown, which isn't so much a museum as it is a life size replica of a western town. I enjoyed my visit there, but once again, I found myself comparing one place to another. I think the 1880 Town in South Dakota was more realistic with its buildings and their content. Old Cowtown, here in Wichita, still looks a bit fabricated. I would recommend a visit here and especially for people with kids. Kids would love the dirt streets!
One last comment about me putting on miles and just how big Wichita is. In case you didn't know it, Wichita is an aircraft town. Boeing, Cessna, Raytheon and a number of other manufacturers have plants located here. It was just my luck to be passing the Boeing plant when the day shift let out. Boeing must be making money these days.
I had an excellent Chinese dinner last night in Kansas City and a very good Mexican meal today, so I'm not sure whether I'll eat more tonight. The trip is really goind quite well, but I don't think I'm getting enough exercise. I think I'll check out the motel's pool tonight.
Today turned out to be a very, very full day. Lots to record and lots to remember. The day began with a foggy, damp morning and it didn't clear up until Tank and I got across the Kansas/Oklahoma border. The temperature was a reasonable 59 degrees but there must have been a lot of moisture in the air. I took it easy until it was safe to see and be seen.
As I looked around the Oklahoma landscape, I saw a lot of crops beginning to 'pop up'. Wheat fields are beginning to sway in the breeze, looking like a soft carpet, or even something you could sail on, like one of the ads being run in the magazines these days. I saw a lot of wheat fields, cattle and oil pumps this morning as we drove along.
Oklahoma must seed along the highways because it really looked pretty. A blue/purple flower, lots of them, reminded me of blue bonnets but I'm not sure that's what they were. In addition, I saw stretches of flowers, in orange, yellow, white and probably all colors of the rainbow. It sure makes driving more pleasurable.
It seemed appropriate to load up the CD player with songs like "Oklahoma" by the Norman Luboff Choir, "I'll be seeing you" by the Vocal Majority and "It was a very good year" by the Johnny Mann Singers.
I had in mind to find an eighteen wheeler, standing on end, near Perry, Oklahoma, but I couldn't find it. Supposedly, it was along I35, and I wasted 50 miles going up and down the highway looking for this oddity. The picture appeared in a magazine a short while ago, and I thought I would like to see it first hand and take my own pictures. No luck, however. The truck is an advertising stunt, with "we fix trucks" painted on it.
I did have luck in Ponca City though. I had read about the Pioneer Woman statue, and went there to see it. Marvelous sculpture, 17 feet high, sitting atop a stone platform, itself probably 15 feet high. And this was near the Marland Mansion, which together with its hotel and conference center, is a beautiful piece of property. Ernest Marland made his money as an oilman and had the mansion built in 1920. He served as Oklahoma's 10th governor. The mansion architecture is definitely Italian renaissance and Florentine.
I should mention that following the signs to Ponca City, the Chamber of Commerce did a clever thing, to suit their purposes, and that was to lead you along the business highway, straight through the center of town. The hope is that the tourist will stop and spend money. I did stop, and took pictures of some of the remarkable buildings in town. Leaving Ponca City, I took the long way around town but it certainly was faster.
Conoco Oil has a big plant and office complex in Ponca City, so I'm sure they're the biggest employer around here. Other than that, it's more wheat, cattle and oil pumps.
Continuing south towards Oklahoma City, I saw signs for Enid, Oklahoma. If you're a crossword puzzle fan, I'm sure you recognize the name. It was too far out of my way, so in spite of my being a crossword puzzle fan, I chose not to make a visit.
While I was looking for the 18 wheeler on end near Perry, Oklahoma, I learned that Perry is the home of Ditch Witch. For those of you who have dug ditches for things like sprinkler systems, I'm sure you're familiar with the Ditch Witch. What a time saver and back saver. The chain driven digging tool is one useful gadget.
I thought about 'commenting' on Oklahoma as being flat (and it is) but the more global comment is that 'all' the prairie states seem to be very flat. I guess that's why they're called prairie states and not the Rocky Mountains.
Another pleasure today was the time I spent in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie was the first capitol of Oklahoma, dating back to the 1880s and the land rush days. The original state capitol building is still there, and in very good condition. I also visited the Oklahoma Heritage Museum which had a small, but good collection of pioneer artifacts. Looking for a store that sold post cards, I literally stumbled into a drug store museum. I saw the sign, 'drug store', walked in, and was immediately taken aback. What a delightful place! Complete with an old fashioned soda fountain (I worked as a soda jerk in my youth) and a completely preserved pharmacy. The town has a lot of antique shops, if you're into antiques.
Tank and I started seeing signs for Amarillo, and he wondered if that was misspelled and should have read Armadillo. I ignored him.
Once I got to Oklahoma City, my first stop was at the Cowboy Hall of Fame (and Western Heritage Center). I think it's a bit of a misnomer because this place is an absolutely outstanding western art museum, with extensive collections of paintings and fantastic sculptures. If you know western art, we're talking Remingtons and Russells. The building complex is very new, crisp and clean, and within months, a new section will open, almost doubling its capacity. What a place!
By mid-afternoon, I went to check into my motel and as I arrived, an auto accident had just occurred and emergency vehicles were arriving. I stopped, whipped out my video camera, and took pictures of the action. This is second emergency event I have witnessed this trip.
I had lunch at the Cowboy Hall of Fame, so I continued my touring by next visiting the Governor's Mansion (he wasn't in, I left my card) and the State Capitol. After seeing a one building capitol in Guthrie, it's interesting to see a huge complex of building to support today's state government. Hmmmmm?
Near the capitol is the Harn Homestead, a well preserved site, which includes two homes, two barns, a school house and some other out-buildings. One of the barns was really interesting because it had a wind mill on top, with the mechanism inside the barn. Apparently, Harn was a land claims agent back in the 1890s and the family willed the 10 acre site to the state.
I next visited the Oklahoma City bombing site, where the Alfred P. Murrah building once stood. What a tragedy! Hundreds of people were there, looking at and reading all the mememtos left by well-wishers. McVeigh has been convicted of the crime but it does not bring back 168 innocent people. Violence is not the answer. If you don't like something, use words to bring about change.
Since I was in the downtown area, I had heard about the city's botanical gardens, and they lived up to their billing. What a beautiful place. Oklahoma City is a very pretty town, but it will be burdened with the bombing tragedy for generations to come.
Before calling it a day, I did some visiting with my friend, Rick Jones, President of SofTouch Systems, located in Oklahoma City. Rick and his company produce a number of products, like CrossPlex for CICS environments. We talked about both personal and business things during my relatively short visit.
Tomorrow, it's on to Texas, my home of 16 years before I relocated to my current home in Nevada back in 1995. It will be good to see old friends and work mates.
Tank was up before I was this morning. Somehow he knew that he was going to Texas, home of the free and brave, and his armadillo relatives. In recognition of his excitement, I loaded up the CD player with such songs as "Yellow Rose of Texas", "Red River Valley" and "El Paso". The first two were okay, but I have no intention of going to El Paso this trip - I simply like the song.
As with every day, I enjoy looking at the sights along the way. There is always something to see, learn, amuse, etc. Yesterday, I saw reference to the Cherokee Indians. Today it was reference to the Chickasaw. I saw an increasing number of white fenced horse farms, and even one sign that said "Horseshoeing School". Really? I guess so.
Another sign advertised the "Amish Motel". I'm confused! Is this Texas or Pennsylvania? Other signs told the traveller about ostrich and/or Emu farms in the area.
Before reaching the southern Oklahoma state line, the scenery changed again. I've gone through forested areas, then flat areas, and today it actually got hilly, with dense forest land. I stopped at a place called Turner Falls, and it was pretty to watch the falls in the quiet of the morning. Doesn't everyone like moving water?
Before crossing the stateline into Texas, I notice on the map, just east of Ardmore, a tiny little town called Gene Autry, Oklahoma. For those of you not old enough to remember, Gene Autry was popular movie actor in western movies of the 1930-40 period. Later in life he acquired the California Angels, by the way.
Anyway, Gene Autry, Oklahoma was not too far off my path, so I drove over there to see what it was like. You talk about small, this place has a population of 200. I talked with people at the post office and learned that 'way back' in 1941, Gene Autry bought some ranch land there, and because of that, in his honor as a movie star and celebrity, the town changed its name.
I finally crossed into Texas and aimed for a planned stop in Gainesville, Texas. I had read where they offer an interesting walking tour of their town, pointing out historical buildings and some of the better preserved residences. By comparison (here I go again) I like the town of Guthrie better than I did Gainesville. But, it's good that the people of Gainesville have local pride and want people to see what they have.
In Oklahoma I saw big farms with their wheat or other crops, and I saw cattle ranches, and oil wells/pumps on all kinds of property. Here in Texas I began to see a lot of horse farms, complete with the white rail fence many associate with horse farms. These farms or ranches are really spreeeeeeeaaaaaaadddddssss (that's spread, spread out)! I don't know how many people know but you can drive for days and never get out of Texas. It's 800 miles from Texarkana on the east to El Paso in the west. Anyway, many of the ranches are huge in terms of acreage.
Before getting to 'my old neighborhood', I stopped in Roanoke to mail a home a number of things I have accumulated on the trip thus far. The town has a brand new post office, and now I'll have to change my story about the town of Roanoke. If you have never heard me present and tell the Roanoke story, here is the basic story line.
I worked for the IBM Dallas Systems Center, which has never been in Dallas. Our maling address was Roanoke, Texas, but it was determined that Roanoke would not mean much to people so Dallas was used for better national identity. But then, the Systems Center was never in Roanoke either. IBM simply uses the zip code for Roanoke. Before the new, bigger and more modern post office was built, the old post office was a little, one window kind of place.
So, where is/was the Systems Center? Well, we used to be on the north side of highway 114, which understandably is called 'South'lake. We then moved to the south side of highway where people then assumed it must be called 'North'lake, but alas, no, it is called Westlake. That led people to refer to the whole mess as 'Lost Lake'. End of story (unless you wanta private email).
So, after my business at the post office, I finally did stop in at the old office and talked with those who were in today (Jane Strickland, Jodi Leigh, Leigh Compton, Steve Zemblowski, Roy Bowers, Bill Matthews, Rich Lewis, Sue Wendler, Bill Keene, and others. It was an enjoyable visit.
I'm settled into my motel for the night but I have big plans for the weekend, going back to where I used to live in Arlington, Texas. For those of you not familiar with the area, Arlington is where the Texas Rangers play major league baseball. I have a number of friends and neighbors that I want to see, so my diary may not be much of a travelogue for the next couple of days. I'll do the best I can however.
Today was a great day! It could not have been fuller! Tank and I began early, first with breakfast and the morning newspaper. Having lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for 16 years, reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram was like old times. It was very interesting to see what has changed and what is pretty much the same. Watching the TV news last night, I had the same feeling.
My first stop for the day was the C.R.Smith Museum at American Airlines corporate headquarters. They have one of their original planes on display plus a wide range of displays depicting the airline industry of today and yesteryear.
I drove south to Arlington, Texas, my home for 16 years, to spend time at my wife's grave site. Later in the morning, I spent several hours visiting with Janet and Earl Johnson. Janet has been looking after Shirley's gravesight, putting flowers out and having Shirley's grave participate in candle vigils later in the year.
I watched the Ballpark at Arlington being built, from excavation of the dirt to the grand opening. The Texas Rangers are not in town this week, but the gate guard let me in the ballpark such that I could look around and take some pictures. If the Rangers had been in town, I would have gotten tickets for a ballgame. Instead, I plan to go to Johnny High's Western Revue tonight. He has been hosting his Saturday night talent show for years and it really is great to watch the emerging stars of tomorrow.
After visiting my old neighborhood and talking with people, I took off for Fort Worth. Fort Worth is always over-shadowed by the sophisticated city of Dallas, but that doesn't keep the city down. I visited the fabulous Water Gardens, which I have never seen duplicated anywhere in the world. Imagine being able to walk down 30-50 feet on well-designed slab steps, literally into a deep hole on which all sides have cascading water falls. Wonderful!
I took pictures of the Tarrant County Courthouse, a very well preserved turn of the century building. I listened to the sidewalk musicians seranade the people strolling through the area known as Sundance Square, made up of well-restored buildings, now providing shops and restaurants.
I went to the north side of town to revisit the Stockyards and Cowtown. There was a lot going on there today, Saturday, but I still managed to walk around, talk with people, take pictures and so on. The streets are lined with western oriented shops, saloons, and restaurants. The Cowtown Coliseum and the Stockyards building both have museum-type displays.
From there I went to the west side of town and visited the Kimbell Art Museum, where there is a Monet exhibit featured, and the Amon Carter Museum, which although not as large as the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, it does have an excellent collection of western art and sculpture. I bought a Russell reprint and enjoyed seeing the Remington pictures as well.
Before winding up my day in Fort Worth, I visited the Will Rogers Memorial, and next to it, the Memorial Auditorium. The Johnny High Revue used to be held in the Will Rogers Auditorium, but moved to Arlington, Texas several years ago. That's my destination for tonight.
Tomorrow, my plan is to visit downtown Dallas and then spend the afternoon visiting other friends in my old Arlington neighborhood.
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