Texas and Oklahoma 2023

I love it when I find out a state is completely different than I originally expected.  I wasn’t sure what to expect in Amarillo, TX. I always associated it with the Glen Campbell song ‘Amarillo By Morning’, but didn’t have any idea of what the panhandle of TX might look like.  It turned out to be a mixed bag.  Oklahoma on the other hand was totally different (in the north that is) than I expected.  Let’s explore!

Route 66 has never held the allure for me that it does for others, but I do love the kitschy Americana stuff you find along the way.  That’s Amarillo, TX!  The panhandle of TX is flat, flat, flat, and dry, dry, dry!  Very dusty and hot! The interstate follows Route 66 much of the way. Most activities need to be done early morning due to the heat, and my first stop was at Cadillac Ranch which doesn’t look like much from a distance but it pretty cool up close.  A man took 10 old Cadillacs and tipped them up on end, burying the front of each car in the soil of a field.  They are leaning at an angle rather than straight up and down.  Anyone visiting is allowed to use cans of spray paint to make their personal design on any of the cars.  Years and years of people painting them has left a very thick coat of paint over every conceivable part of these cars.  It’s a sight to behold that is ever changing!  I didn’t think to do the spray paint thing but had a fun time watching others do it… especially the kids!  I took tons of pictures with my camera before I realized I had taken the memory card out and never put it back in.  BUT! There is an ever-handy backup camera in my cell phone which has come to the rescue more than once!  Cadillac Ranch was the only one I visited, but there is a VW Ranch, a Combine Ranch, and something else I can’t remember.  Only an American could love this eccentric form of art!

In that same area was the 2^nd Amendment Cowboy statue with guns by his side and the Cadillac Ranch gift shop in the background.  This was fun to see and made me want to see more of its kind.  Next on my list was the Beef Burger Barrel that has existed as different businesses since the 1930’s.  A word to the wise… the burger and fries were less than stellar but I felt good in supporting this old Americana relic.  

Amarillo was just a short stop on my way to Oklahoma, but I had heard great things about Palo Duro Canyon State Park. That was my next adventure.  Palo Duro had lots of red rock and soil, fall wildflowers, and a very large canyon area that looked somewhat like the Grand Canyon.  Indeed, in the United States this canyon is 2^nd in size to the Grand Canyon at 120 miles long and 6-20 miles wide.  There were lots of trails in this park but for me it was just too hot with very little shade, so I opted for a driving tour with only a couple short trail walks early in the day.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, but I did realize I have seen so many places like this that it didn’t give me the ‘Ah, Wow’ moment I was expecting.  And it definitely deserved a Wow!

Next destination was Oklahoma City, OK (with an overnight in Elk City, OK).  My friends Shannon and Jeff live in Oklahoma City now.  I met Shannon through square dancing in Washington (we were in the same club).  At this point I had 2 things on the RV that needed repair. 1) the Hydraulic Leveling system had a hole in the fluid line; and 2) the Slide was broken AGAIN!.  I made appts with repair folks before arriving in OKC and had a great experience with both businesses.  Originally, I was only staying 2-4 nights in OKC… just long enough to see Shannon and Jeff, but with the repairs I ended up staying for 2.5 weeks!  Shannon became my tour guide and without her I would never have seen the many lovely parts of OKC.  Shannon is mega into Geocaching so each of our forays included finding some caches which was great fun like a scavenger hunt. 

I’ll start by saying that it was October and still hot and humid in OKC.  For the first week it was in the mid 90’s. Put humidity in the mix and you have a PNW girl melting in the heat!  We tried to do inside things for the first few things. Day 1 we went to the Myriad Gardens and Conservatory in downtown OKC. I was struck by how beautiful it was in the city. So many gardens with flowers blooming and trees for shade. Water features were everywhere to provide a cooler feel.  My previous thoughts were of a dusty, dry and flat place with nothing interesting to offer. Boy was I wrong!!!

The gardens and conservatory were beautiful, but we had to laugh at the fact that the conservatory was even more humid than being outside!  It was all very tropical!

Next adventure was touring the Capitol building.  I haven’t been in a Capitol for many years, and it was very interesting to see what this one was all about.  There was art everywhere of all different kinds, and the dome was stunning!  This capitol building was in disrepair for many years when money was finally allotted to refurbish it. So, this Capitol had a somewhat more modern look while still incorporating the old architecture. 

Experiencing the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Site and Museum was especially moving. I do remember this happening in 1995, but it was so far from Washington that the impact wasn’t so great. Shannon and her family were living in Oklahoma City area when the bombing happened. Hearing about it from someone who was here added a different component to it all. This memorial was so well done! The bombing happened at 9:02am April 19^th.  In the memorial there is a shallow rectangular, reflecting pool of water. At one end is a granite wall with ‘9:01am’ engraved on it, and at the other end of the pool is a granite wall with ‘9:03am’ engraved on it.  These were to signify the minute before the explosion when it was just a day like any other, and the minute after the explosion when the city started the healing process.  On one side of the memorial lawn are chairs made of metal and glass blocks. Each chair represents one of the 168 men, women, and children that were killed. They are laid out in a pattern representing the floor and position where they worked or were located. More than 600 people survived the blast and their names are engraved on the Survivors Wall in the outdoor memorial.   The museum walks you through every aspect of what was happening that day chronologically. It works its way through to the bombing, the rescue efforts, and the investigation leading to arrests of the perpetrators.  It was super emotional, and I was so glad to have experienced this special place.

Whew! Enough of the downer stuff.  One day we went to several of OKCs many parks.  Oklahoma is the Sooner state. One of the parks has a very large, more than life size, sculpture of horses pulling wagons, men riding horses, etc as they made their run for land in Oklahoma.  Plaques explained the history of this big event.  Continuing, we went to Scissortail Park (the Scissortail is the OK state bird) where a large metal sculpture stands over a bridge representing a modern take on the Scissortail.  This park is lovely with planted gardens, ponds of water, and walkways. It is huge and connects to other parks as well.  I couldn’t get over how beautifully designed this city is.  As for the outer parts of Oklahoma, I was primarily in the north but rather than being flat it has rolling hills with a combination of fields and deciduous trees. One thing to note… both TX and OK residents keep their yards very tidy.  Grass is mowed and clipped. Even if the house is run down the yard will be neat.  This gives a very ‘clean’ feeling to the neighborhoods. 

One of our last forays was to Chickasha, OK. We primarily went to this area for geocaching, but we did get to see the 50-foot-tall Leg Lamp!  This was so much fun! Apparently, Chickasha has an incredible Christmas Light Festival and the Leg Lamp fits in with that theme.  We had lunch and wandered about town then headed back to OKC. 

It was time to carry on with my travels, and Shannon & Jeff were taking off on a trip of their own.  Thanks to Shannon and Jeff for putting me and Misty up for a night while the RV was being repaired. And for several lovely home cooked meals!   I am so Blessed with warm and giving friends! 

Until Next Time!