We got up nice and early in the morning in Fort Smith and lolled about for a bit as we waited for breakfast. And what a breakfast it was! We started out with orange-cranberry juice (surprisingly good) and then got some apple-cranberry oatmeal. It was cranberry day. And cranberry day is awesome day. Then, we got a full breakfast with Eggs Benedict, potatoes, and tomatoes.
After breakfast, we headed upstairs to grab our things to pack the car. We quickly discovered that we'd locked ourselves out of our room. It had to happen at least once. So we went downstairs with our shamefaces on and recovered an extra key.
TIME LAPSE GOES HERE.
Next thing you know, we're toodling along on Route 40--a route that we have become and will be very familiar with during this trip--towards Oklahoma City. That's right, new state! Oklahoma is long. And windy. And, by windy, I don't mean lots of curves, I mean blowing wind, lots of strong blowing wind. And really not all that memorable, honestly. But that's okay, Oklahoma. 50 is a nice, big, round number, so we'll keep you around. For now.
Our first stop was in Oklahoma City at the Murrah building, better known now as the Oklahoma City Memorial. For those of you too lazy to pull up Google, the Murrah building was the federal building that was bombed in 1995, with a high number of casualties. The memorial itself is striking. It features two towering black walls inscribed with 9:01 (before the bombing) and 9:03 (after) set across a reflecting pool. Nearby is the Field of Empty Chairs, which marks each victim of the bombing. It's somber and beautiful at the same time.
After the Murrah building, we were going to get lunch. But quickly realized our planned lunch place was actually closed at that time on Sunday. Sadface. So we piled back into the car (shocking) and headed over to the National Cowboy Museum. WHICH IS GIGANTIC. We had lunch there, too. I was going to omit that, but I didn't want y'all to think we were starving.
This was a super-fun museum. I started to fade rather quickly, since I knew we had a long drive after it, but there was some truly fascinating stuff there. We moved a bit quickly to make our time limits, but we saw some lovely paintings. My favorite room was the Native American dress; the beading was just extraordinary. I was also fond of this lovely lady, who I have nicknamed "Little":
Little does not live up to her name. She's 18 feet tall and 16,000 pounds.
We wandered the hallways for a bit, navigating the treacherous area with only our street smarts and a hard-won map. In proper cowboy fashion, we won it in a duel with the admissions cowboy. Worked out well. Our last stop was the store, where I stared at all the rhinestone-studded belts. So shiny. It was hypnotizing.
And then it was time. We needed to get back into the car. The next stop after Oklahoma City was Amarillo, Texas, which was around 200 miles away. Awesome.
ANOTHER TIME LAPSE THAT INCLUDES ANGRY BIRDS, DIET COKE, AND CURSING OUT TRUCKS.
Finally, we were getting close to arriving at Amarillo. After we checked in, we walked the 100 feet to a Texas Steakhouse and almost face-planted in our food from fatigue. I don't even remember what the food tasted like. Foodish, I assume.
Just like the last post, mileage will be added to this later on, after I remember to bring in the scrap of paper with my mile markers on it. Can you tell that it's no longer the beginning of the trip? I'm getting lazy.
Mileage today: 293.
Total mileage: 2034. Dear everything, that is a lot of miles.
Mileage today: 293.
Total mileage: 2034. Dear everything, that is a lot of miles.
And yes, there are a lot of cowboy hats in Texas.
A Gretchen post-script. The Murrah Memorial and Museum was amazing. It immediately transported me back to that day in 1995 when I sat glued to the tv (I had taken the day off), crying and fearful. Little did we know then, that some six years later we would go through that kind of experience again on 9/11. The museum covered everything and was very moving. We ended up staying much longer than anticipated, which is why we missed the restaurant, Ingrid's, which closed at 2 pm. Alas, I was looking forward to yet another Guy Fieri recommendation.
The Cowboy Museum was a hoot. It was a totally eclectic mix of significant art (Bierstadt, Remington, Russell), Native American clothing, jewelry, and information, cowboys in movies, and the Rodeo Hall of Fame. My favorite was learning about all the events in rodeos and how the contestants gain points. There was much to explore, but we missed the 65 kinds of barbed wire somehow. I wished we'd had more time, but the 252 mile journey to Amarillo was calling, so we headed out. Four hours later, here we are, ensconced in Amarillo, surrounded by many Texans. New Mexico tomorrow.
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