On Tuesday, the 20th, we drove from Checotah, OK, to Clinton, Ok, about 191 miles on I-40 We passed through Oklahoma City, a metro area largely built with oil.
Just west of OKC, we passed the hometown of Garth Brooks, and the street named for him!
And out of the rolling hills of eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas into the flatlands of the High Plains.
Our goal was the Water-Zoo RV Park in Clinton, Oklahoma, a small 8,500 population farming town where Donna and her family have roots. The rv park was less than spectacular, since the grass was 24" high and the advertised wifi was completely non-detectable. A series of voice mails to a "management" number finally resulted in the info that the gardener had quit 2 weeks ago, and they were in the process of changing wifi systems. Ok, but for $60 a night we expected more. We won't go back.
Settling in for the afternoon, Donna made contact with her cousin, Barbara, who is battling a severe health issue. We hope and pray for her, and congratulate her on her positive attitude. Barbara fixed us a tremendous dinner and we talked the evening away.
On Wednesday, we took care of a couple of errands, and then picked up Barbara for a nostalgia tour of the area. She took us to "the old place" where her father farmed for years, and to the location of the house that Donna's mother had grown up in. This is a beautiful farming area, with hay fields, cattle, and wheat fields everywhere.
We also visited a small country cemetery where many family members are buried. The cemetery is in the area known as Stafford, and is home for many of Donna's and Barbara's family members, including her maternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother.
As well as her grandfather and grandmother.
This little cemetery, one of many in the small towns of America, contains our family history.
Barbaras daughter, Canda, and her husband Dan, have a huge farm where they raise prize winning cattle. I won't pretend to relate the intricacies of the show cow lifestyle, but let me say that they recently sold their top cow for over $52,000! They grow much of their own hay, and are retailers of specialty grains for their cows. I was amazed that their show stock is kept in a refrigerated cooler during the day so that they will grow longer hair. Dan says that "if you show, you gotta have hair". They comb the hair into intricate patterns to better impress the judges. At night, the "cool" cows are released into an adjacent pen where they eat and enjoy the fresh air. At 6 am, every day, local kids come by to wash them and put them back into the cooler! Canda owns a flower and interior decorating shop in downtown Clinton, located on old Route 66, which runs right through town. Her shop is an eclectic collection of decorating items, and she has relationships with custom drape and furniture makers in Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas. She has a great eye for style, and her home shows her abilities off in grand style.
Dan and Canda have a beautiful 5,500 sq foot home on top of a hill, and as the sun began to set, we prevailed on Canda to take a picture of Barbara and ourselves at the front entry.
Barbara had made dinner reservations at a local restaurant, The White Dog. Named for a pet owned by a bygone owner, it has become a place where you take your prom date!
The restaurant has two levels with the lower level cut into the hill. Natural stone walls provide a rustic ambiance.
The meal was absolutely to die for! Donna had a filet, and Barbara and I each enjoyed a ribeye steak. The dinners came with potatoes fixed however you like, and a Broccoli, Mushroom and rice casserole. Delicious! It was getting a bit late, and Barbara had an appointment the next day, so we dropped her off at home and admired several of her art pieces before saying our goodbyes. She has a great talent for painting, and has created several seasonal pieces.
We originally booked three nights in Clinton, but since Barbara and her daughter had a full day on Thursday, and because we were not comfortable being the only rv in what appeared to be a post-apocalyptic rv park, we hitched up our drawers and left a day early, with Amarillo, Texas in our sights.
The Texas Panhandle, known as the High Plains, is about as flat as you can get! I-40 runs for miles and miles, guided on one side or another by old Route 66, on the right in this photo.
We checked into the Oasis RV Park about 3 this afternoon (Thursday, 9/22). The park is just about a polar opposite from the one we just left, with paved interior roads, concrete sites, good utilities, and an unusual welcome sign! It also has high wind and small trees! But this is the Panhandle, after all, and the wind starts somewhere in the Dakotas and goes all the way to the Gulf before it stops.
Just a mile or so from Oasis RV Park is the famous "Cadillac Ranch". Created in 1974 by the art group Ant Farm, it consists of what were older running Cadillacs or junk Cadillacs. They are placed at an exact angle corresponding to the Great Pyramid at Giza.
The cars have not been cleaned or preserved over the years, and succeeding layers of spray painted graffiti has created a weather proof cover!
The paint is so thick in places that it fairly drips from the cars!
Another 1/2 mile east brought us to Hope Road, and the Route 66 RV Park. The park isn't anything to shout about, being mostly for extended stay people, but the front of the park has something right our of the '60's. The statue was at one time one of the famous Muffler Man statues. Muffler Men began to be manufactured in about 1963 as promotions for roadside businesses. Many advertised franchise and chain brands and became recognizable across the country. Thousands were distributed over a decade or so, with different clothing, heads, etc., depending on the customers' order.
This particular figure is now known at the 2nd Amendment Cowboy, reflecting the owners stance on gun control.
Behind the cowboy are three real, intact, Cadillacs. The front car belonged to John Wayne, the second to Willie Nelson, and the last to Elvis Presley.
It looks like Amarillo will be a good stop for us if the weather holds. Predictions are for high winds and occasional rain. Hmm. We just took Sasha out for her late evening walk, and the temp has dropped dramatically. It's the coolest we've had for months! However, the wind is still blowing about 15 mph according to the news. Here's to tomorrow!
