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Published: January 2nd 2016
Go To Your Safe Place!!!
Tornado Warning from local weather reportersLocated in middle America between perhaps the two better-known states of Texas and Kansas is Oklahoma. Unless you’re a American and paid some attention during history class, you most likely don’t know a lot about this part of America. The name is derived from the native Choctaw Indians words “okla” and “humma,” meaning “red people.” The territory gained statehood in 1908 and the rest as they say is history.
Oklahoma is one of the Great Plains states. It lies in an area meteorologically called “tornado alley.” Oklahoma is a state full of eager storm chasers. We must admit we love thunder and lightening so living here has been exciting. We’d never want anyone to be harmed by these storms but since Oklahoma is prime for these storms due to the colliding of cold air from Canada, the hot air from Mexico and the moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. On average—62 tornadoes strike each year, which is one of the highest rates in the world. It’s not that big of a state, so considering that the storm season is really April and May for the most part, that’s a lot of severe storms.
The
Devon Tower -OKC
Vast Restaurant located
48th floor weather forecasters go absolutely mad and the television coverage is intense on those days in the spring when the weather fronts collide and the storms begin. All the local stations deploy dozens of remote reporters who chase these storms. “Go to your safe place!” they repeatedly say when they spot a funnel cloud. One local TV station gave away a storm shelter a day for the whole month of May. Seems the lucky winner (is this a prize people really want to win?) gets to have a company come out to their property and dig a big hole and then place a metal shelter in the ground, so families can escape the winds of these terrifically powered storms.
It is windy quite a bit in the state, mostly due to it being fairly flat without dense forrestation. It was a rare day when the winds were not above 10 mph.The dirt is red and gets blown about and there is also a fair amount of oil to be harvested from the ground. Oklahoma also has mild earthquakes occasionally.
You’ll need a couple of days to explore the quaint downtown neighborhoods of Bricktown, Midtown, Uptown
23, Western Avenue and you’ll want to take in a minor league baseball game. We found ourselves on occasion in the Bricktown area enjoying dinner and a few beer tastings. There are a couple of brewpubs with a wide selection of beers that you may want to visit. Our favorite is theTapWerks Ale House.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, where’s the beef ?...... our answer would be Oklahoma.
We are not vegetarians. We believe everything in moderation. We’ve always liked beef but honestly before Dave lived in Oklahoma City we would have told you that we liked a good steak, but a steak is a steak. They are tasty but generally we would have told you that there is only so much you can do to a steak. We each have our favorite cuts, we personally like New York Strip, but many argue that they want a rib eye because the fat marbling gives it more flavor…..on and on.
But, after living in OKC, we would tell you that they do things with beef that we have not experienced before. We had a pricey steak at Mickey Mantle’s Steak house that was beyond
words. He was a very famous baseball player and native son. When you eat their incredibly special filet you will look into space and wonder what they did to that cow. One would think it might have had daily massage and such. We still think of it and smile.
We found a place at the Stockyards where we went a couple of time for a steak and egg breakfast. Again, this was a better than average cut of meat.
One weekend we drove two hours northeast to the town of Hominy to eat in a cattle car turned into a restaurant. You can really get your beef on at Wild Country Meats. Carnivore heaven, this state.
We certainly don’t know but can imagine that many or most of people in the U.S. gave the state of Oklahoma very little thought until the bombing of Alfred P. Murrah federal building in April of 1995 – unless you are a fan of musicals and can hear Rodgers and Hammerstein’s famous “Oklahoma” in your head.
Sadly in the U.S. we have more than our share of whacky deranged individuals who blow things up
for some misguided reason. Never can any sane person understand why these things happen. No one will be able to explain to me why these savage incidents continue to happen our country. In this particular case Timothy McVeigh had desired to inspire a revolt against a tyrannical federal government. We believe the only thing he was able to accomplish before he was executed was to kill 168 innocent people and injure another 600. Senseless, meaningless killing happens all too often in our country.
If you travel to Oklahoma City, make an effort to stop at the Oklahoma City Memorial, as it is a stunning and lovely tribute to those who died in this tragic event. You will find chairs on a slopping hill that represent each of the people who were killed in the office building. Their name is on their chairs and it depicts which floor and location they were seated at during the bombing. There is a reflection pond standing between two walls of tribute. This memorial is incredibly well done. The emotion it provokes when you stand in breathless silence is likely the feelings being sought after. If you have time, please come back
Stunning Memorial
2 minutes that changed a country and see it again at night, as it is an even more moving experience.
America is a strong country. We often pull together and become stronger after these events and sadly they come all too often. This memorial is one of our finest and worth a trip through the middle of our country.
Another chapter has closed for us. We don’t know what comes next but we are glad to have experienced the nice people of Oklahoma.
Restaurants we can recommend-- please don't think we ate our way through Oklahoma City 😊
Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse
Metro Wine Bar & Bistro
Cattlemen's Steakhouse
Red PrimeSteak
Wild Country Meats (Hominy, OK)
TapWerks Ale House
BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
Another chapter closes
When I think of why people live in Tornado Alley, I guess it's because it's there and life goes on regardless. Your sojourn in Oklahoma is over. Now for the State of sinkholes and the springboard to the Caribbean. Another chapter opens. May it be full of good reading...and frequent soaking in the blues.