Tornado Damage Oklahoma
Field of Chairs for Oklahoma Bomb Victims
Sign in an Oklahoma Diner
Fred in the driving seat with Mick the navigator.
Fred’s Tom Tom, named Karen, is playing up and we have come to the conclusion she is a women scorned by the fact that I have been using the TomTom on my IPad !
First port of call is the National Cowboys Museum in Oklahoma City and this certainly lived up to its reputation as a museum of the highest quality, with a spectacular exhibition of paintings, sculptures and other memorabilia relating to Indian and Cowboy heritage.
Move on to the site of the National Memorial,commemorating the killing of 168 people by Timothy McVeigh when he detonated a truck bomb near the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building.
The Field of Empty Chairs is a very simple but incredibly moving tribute to the victims.
Karen is still sulking, tells us to continue ahead for 110 kms and leads the guys in the front seats of the car a merry dance as they try to find a way out of the city and head off across Oklahoma.
We pass the ghost town of Fort Reno and a roadside World War 2 bomber at speed and continue our search for a coffee shop.
Scenery less than inspiring but we do see evidence of severe damage to houses, trees etc in this tornado-prone area.
Finally get to have a coffee in a small diner in Calumet. $ 3 for a coffee and fruit pie. The sign on the wall in the diner reads as follows: ” we don’t call 911″ and there is a model of a gun underneath the quotation.
Interesting 1933 Pony Bridge over the South Canadian River near to Geary, which comprises 38 small pony trusses. Mick provides us with some entertainment with his efforts to clamber down the riverbank slope to get a better shot with his camera.
Another dreaded u-turn as we lose our way a little at Hinton and by the time we reach Hydro the temperature has risen to 100 degrees.
Call in at CherokeeTrading Post and the guys bought some gifts for family and friends. ( not this old Scrooge who is waiting until we are a bit further down the Route 66.)
At Clinton we also stop to photograph the Trade Winds Motel where Elvis apparently stayed 3 nights in Room 215, two of them after he had died!
Arrive at Days Inn in Elk City at about 5 pm and enjoy a tasty dinner at a local grill. Doug and Mick share Calf’ s Fries ( Calf’s testicles ) for an entree, which prove to be quite edible, if a little chewy.
There is probably a host of jokes in this scenario but in the interests of decorum I will stay well clear of them.
Not the most eventful of days but each day brings new experiences and we are still well up with our timetable as far as the distance travelled.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret.











