Day Three - Monday, May 4, 2009

It's difficult to sit down to blog when American Idol is featuring Slash from Guns 'N' Roses as the guest and Paula is dancing and lip syncing as well. Oh well, we can try!

Let's see. We've actually finished Day Five but I still have to blog about Day Three and Day Four and both of them were worthy of my attention so I'll try!

We left Oklahoma City at our usual early hour but ran into a lot of Monday morning traffic. Fortunately the traffic flowed quite well and we were on our way without much delay. As I read the early morning news from the AAA guide, I found what I think is an interesting fact. The town of El Reno which we passed through was well established for several years when the railroad was built a few miles away. Rather than be deterred by this setback, the town moved itself in toto to a new site near the railroad crossing. Apparently homes, businesses, hotel, and all were moved and the town of EL Reno continued and prospers to this day. I love this story! And what's more, during World War II the town served as an imprisonment site for German POWs. Only in America ... as they say!

Although we had sunny skies this morning, the skies revealed a persistent pollution presence. Whether this pollution was from the substantial mining and refining functions in the area or from weather inversions or what, the haze continued for many miles. Along the way we passed the homes of several notables - Garth Brooks, Astronaut Tom Stafford, and Roger Miller. Of course that reminds me of all the famous people who have been on the trail with us for the past three days. In Missouri we had Harry Truman and Samuel Clemens aka Mark Train and we enjoyed lots of stories about them along the way. In Oklahoma we had Wiley Post and Will Rogers. Such significant figures in our nation's history. And of course Monday night we continued our watching of the PBS five-part series "We Shall Remain" chronicling the history of Native Americans. This week featured Geronimo - very appropriate for our location here in the Southwest.

Near Weatherford OK we were greeted by a vast array of wind turbines which were most welcome in the midst of the pollution we were seeing everywhere. We continued to see the red earth everywhere and to appreciate its richness and presence on our journey. We also passed the intersection of the highway with the old Chisholm Trail coming up from Texas. History is everywhere in this country and we appreciate having the opportunity to observe it first hand even though many years have passed since the Trail was used for cattle drives from Texas to the northern depots and markets.

We arrived in Elk City - nearly at the end of this particular journey through Oklahoma and we still did not have a magnet to commemorate the experience. Those of our readers who have been to any of our homes over the past thirty years or so know that magnet collecting is another thing we like to do. Our magnet wall is extremely full now, however, so we have to be very selective in deciding when a new magnet is required. Oklahoma definitely required a new magnet! Elk City provided the perfect venue for selecting the perfect item. We stopped at the community's museum which included the typical array of restored buildings in an old time western town format. The museum complex also included a Route 66 museum. Here was our solution! We enjoyed a short tour of the museum - including a lovely conversation with a couple from Dayton who were traveling the entirety of Route 66 - to the extent that they could - in celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary. It's amazing what we do for love! Anyway, we found a perfect magnet with various scenes of Oklahoma, including the prayer tower (!), and considered our visit a total success!

As we continued further west, the number of oil wells and refineries increased as did the number of cattle we saw grazing and standing around tightly in feeding stations. Unfortunately coming out of Elk City we missed the turnout to follow Route 66 which meant that we missed the 1960's art sculpture of innumerable Cadillacs buried in the roadside - you've seen the photos and we wanted to see the real thing, but alas, we missed it!

Before we knew it we were crossing over into Texas - into the panhandle to be precise. Not much to see there but lots to think about since my sister Jane and her family have lived in Texas for so many years and we're taken so many trips to Texas - though not nearly as many as they have taken home to Ohio - but always to southern Texas - Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio. So here we are in the panhandle with more oil rigs and more cattle and Amarillo! We left the interstate to do a drive through of Amarillo which is a very respectable community with a few really interesting Art Deco buildings. It is the home of the National Quarter Horse Association and Museum and had we had more time, we would have stopped there but we had the literal miles and miles to go before we could sleep so on we went!

After an enjoyable stop in Vega TX for lunch at a deserted Boot Hill Saloon for lunch - excellent quesadillas which were generous enough to provide our dinner later in the day - we went on to New Mexico! FYI - We're in the west now! The skies really are bigger! I really don't understand the scientific details that explain this phenomenon, but it doesn't matter. The skies just seem to go on and on. I seem to remember writing about this same experience in 2007!

We love New Mexico! What's not to love about Santa Fe and Taos which are the two places we really have enjoyed in the past. This trip we stopped in a small community called Santa Rosa for our overnight stay. We arrived early enough in the afternoon to enjoy a walk through the community park that was right across the road from our hotel. The park followed El Rita Creek and provided a Healthbeat exercise path as well as more traditional experiences such as playground equipment, ball fields, a lake for small boating and swimming, and picnicking areas. It was a lovely walk which made us appreciate the efforts that the community is making to improve its resources for citizens and visitors.

It's late and Allison just got voted off of American Idol, so I'll stop and pick up this thread next time. We're off to Durango CO in the morning!