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9:01 the minute beforeMileage: 373 miles
Boy! Have we been shocked. Oklahoma is nice. It’s lush green and we don’t feel like it’s missing any of our normal life’s amenities. Although busy, with it’s many roads, Oklahoma City was a pleasant surprise to all of us. Here’s why . . .
First stop, we went to see the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. For those of you who don’t know or who may have forgotten, the bombing of the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building was the first real domestic terrorist attack in the U.S. It occurred at 9:02 am on the morning of April 19, 1995 when Timothy McVeigh denotated a Ryder rental truck full of explosives (fertilizers) he had left parked in front of the building. There were 168 fatalities (including 19 children at a daycare in the building) and more than 680 injuries. It destroyed or damaged 325 buildings, including the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building, within a 16-block radius of the blast. The 9:03 memorial (when the healing began), with its serene, rectangular reflection pool is bordered by a gently sloping hill covered with 168 chairs
made of metal and glass each bearing the name of one of the lives lost that morning. There were even small chairs for the children killed. We were all nearly moved to tears. This beautifully touching memorial not only was a great reminder and tribute to those who were affected that day but set the tone for healing in this city.
Next stop, we went across the city to see the Centennial Land Run Monument to honor the “Land Run” that took place in April of 1889. Rich, poor, men, and women (of at least 21 years of age) of all races, including Native Americans, were all perched ready to take off to grab a piece of land to call their own. At the sounding, everyone managed to maintain some semblance of order and find some land. However, some people rushed in early grabbing up land and became known as “sooners” – hence Oklahoma’s nickname the “Sooner State”. The large, strewn-out monument consisted of numerous men on horseback as well as covered wagons and people running on foot winding through the city’s greenway and Riverwalk parks. Another tastefully done monument.
With the greenery, trees, river walks, greenways that
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9:03 when the healing begins look like home, our preconceived thoughts of Oklahoma were quickly diminishing. We’re beginning to like Oklahoma. We’re impressed by the way Oklahoma City does its monuments and memorials. Heading out of Oklahoma City, we got on I-40 East (still not going all the way to Wilmington). Huge airplanes, including an out-of-commission Air Force One, were almost touching the interstate at the Air Force Base.
What??? If you took a picture of this section of I-40, it would look just like it could be in NC like the drive from Hickory to Statesville. We were not just in trees, we were surrounded by forest. Even in the road construction zones, there was red NC-looking mud. Green grass, trees everywhere, and real multi-colored houses with roofs (and not flat roofs). This looks like home. How shocking! As Claire was driving, she said, “I keep seeing these ‘Reduced Speed Ahead’ signs, but then they don’t have a sign to tell me what speed to go. What speed to I reduce to?” Pam chuckled, “I guess you just reduce it from whatever you were doing.” But, finally a “65 mph in work zone” sign appeared to solve the mystery. Pam and Claire were
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The chairs shocked when Susan said with real purpose that she will have to stop peeing!!! What??? Has she been peeing all this time??? Quickly, she realized her mistake and said she meant “she will have to stop to pee!”
While we drove on down the NC-looking interstate, we came up with a new song to be sung to “Nothing Could be Finer Than to Be in Carolina” tune:
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morn-or-or-ning.
But, Oklahoma looks the same, so we’re not missing anything this dawn-awning.
If you take two pictures, they will look just the same,
Even all the roads here have the very same name.
Nothing could be finer than to be in Oklahoma in the morn-or-or-ning.
(Just kidding – We do miss home, but after all we had been told, we were all shocked by how similar Oklahoma looked to NC.)
We entered into Arkansas and immediately were in Fort Smith. Being “Smith” sisters, we had to stop and our first stop there was to “Miss Laura’s”. Miss Laura’s, you see, was once the most famous house of ill repute in the
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the land run monument Southwest! Opened in 1903, the brothel was perfectly positioned with the Arkansas River on one side and the railroad on the other to catch all the men wanting to “socialize” on the way out west. It was open until 1948 but is now a museum and a visitor center for the city. Our guide took us through the house showing us downstairs parlors where the men socialized and upstairs bedrooms where (oh, well you get the idea) . . . Above the door on the transom for each bedroom, the lady of the room’s name was etched in glass. This place was well-known because it was the only bordello anywhere this side of the Mississippi that had a doctor who regularly came by and certified the women as “clean”. Just so you know, we all got checked out while we were there and left with our “clean” certificates to hang over our beds! Yes, we received a “clean” bill of health!
Next stop in Fort Smith was at the historical site of the actual “Fort Smith”. In addition to the settlers in the area living in disorder, the government had put together several Native American Indian tribes and the
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the monument crossing the river city had gone wild. Judge Parker was sent there to restore law and order and that he did. During his 21 years, he presided over 13,000 criminal cases (344 for murder or rape – both of which carried a mandatory death sentence), yet he only sentenced 160 to death and only 79 were actually hanged at the gallows that still remain at the site of the historical fort.
Both Claire and Susan have had Hershey Kiss ® issues lately. Last night, Claire lost a “kiss” and found it this morning all smushed in the back seat of the van. Yuck. Then, while driving, she lost another one. It took a short hunt to find it under a bottle in the cup holder. Susan, on the other hand, held her “kisses” in her hand too long and they melted all over her hands – and she had on white pants!
We entered the Ozark Mountains and Claire started talking about the New Madrid Fault where there once was a strong earthquake, so Pam looked it up and we all learned quite a bit fro the information. In New Madrid, Missouri there were 6 major shocks and many numerous smaller
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A closer up picture shocks within a 2-month period.
• · Dec. 16, 1811 (7.7), an hour later aftershock 7.4, and 2
ndaftershock of 7.0 the next morning.
• · Jan. 23, 1812 (7.6)
• · Feb. 7, 1812 (7.9), and an aftershock later that day of 7.0
This led to the question, what’s the difference between an earthquake and an aftershock? So, we looked it up and learned that the one designated as “the earthquake” or “mainshock” is the one with the highest magnitude or intensity. All other shocks around that quake are deemed either foreshocks or aftershocks depending on whether they hit before or after the mainshock. Hope you learned something – we did!
Pam was on the computer and asked, “How long before we get somewhere?” Claire smart-alecky responded, “We’re already somewhere else!”, so Pam bops her on the shoulder. Then, Susan using her fingers to indicate a distance of about an inch on the map says, “This far!” Pam just sighed, “Agh…you know what I mean!” as they laughed. About that time, we passed a swampy “mosquito farm that was a really, large one and Susan called it a “Mosquito Ranch” or maybe a “Mosquito Hacienda”!
Finally,
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shadow picture with the horse in it we arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas and ate an early supper before heading out to see the sights of Little Rock. First stop, the Arkansas State Capitol Building that is similar in design to the US Capitol Building. On we went to the Little Rock Central High School where in 1957 the Little Rock Nine (a group of 9 Academically Gifted African American students) were enrolled in this previously all-white school. The students faced an uphill battle each day they attended class, being spat upon, called names, and bullied by students. They made major strides in breaking barriers during the civil rights movement. Next stop was to “La Petite Roche” (The Little Rock) for which the city was named. But, the “little rock” is even smaller now than it once was, because at some point the original rock was used as a foundation for a railroad bridge pillar and it damaged much of the rock. Only a small part of it still remains. Instead of Little Rock, the city needs to change its name to “Little Bitty Rock”! Last stop before going to the hotel was by the William J Clinton Presidential Library, but it was already closed for the
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Ms Laura's (the side entrance) day. We may go back in the morning. On the way to the hotel, we passed by US Hwy 70. (No, we’re not going to take it to Hickory, either!) We have told people around here we are from NC. They think we drove from there, but then we tell them we drove from Denver. Next, they think we’re headed home to NC. Nope, when we tell them we’re headed back to Denver via Iowa and Nebraska, they just scratch their heads and look shocked and bewildered. Of course, we’d get this close to home and turn around and head back west!!! What else would we do???
We stayed in a Hilton Garden Inn using Claire's points. Claire was able to snag 3 free breakfasts for the morning since they are not complementary at a Hilton Garden Inn. We forgot to say that Day 11's Hyatt House was also using points.
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