Chasing Tornados.
OOOOOOK-lahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain… I sang that song my entire way through Oklahoma. Growing up, we would go down to Long Beach Island, New Jersey during the summer and whenever it rained we'd watch one of the numerous movies we owned on VHS. One of which, thanks to my Mom's love of musicals, was Oklahoma! Although I did not see any surreys with fringe on top, I did see a ton of hay barrels. Nothing new there though, you probably expected that, as did I. I started my trip through the Sooner State in Tulsa ..and the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet when the wind comes right behind the rain... shit, sorry, there I go singing about Oklahoma again. Anyway, I got to Tulsa late Saturday night and couldn't find a couch surfing host so I grabbed a cheap Airbnb. This, depending on the city and the price, is typically a good backup option if there's no hostel or I don't feel like camping. It worked out surprisingly well. I had a great room in a beautiful apartment with an exceptional view and very nice hosts. Both originally from China now studying in Tulsa, they love to go on road trips and travel to National Parks. I even convinced them to become couch surfing hosts. Honestly, not much convincing was needed since they seemed genuinely interested. So, if you're ever in Tulsa and need a great place to stay let me know and I will send you their way.
I've noticed a few things about myself on this trip. One of them, and I can't remember if I've mentioned this before so I apologize if I am repeating myself, is that if I don't want to do something it's just not going to happen. Saturday night after I got situated I thought to myself, I'm in a new city on a Saturday night maybe I should go check out the nightlife. Not so much. This was one of those times where I really had no interest in putting effort into meeting new people. Traveling alone gets kind of exhausting at times. I wish I could say I could just go out sit at a bar by myself and relax. Actually, who am I kidding, I absolutely can. If I couldn't, I'd have a problem. I have also realized, and this I already knew, that it's easy for me to just walk up to someone and strike up a conversation. Occasionally it's not, but most of the time it is. I'd like to give a shoutout to my Dad at this point for instilling that in me at a young age. Watching him talk to random people on elevators while sometimes putting his foot in his mouth in the process has rubbed off on me, I guess. That's a good thing, by the way. Regardless of all of that independence, there are times when I just need some me-time. That's exactly what I did. I "Netflixed and chilled" my Saturday night in Tulsa.
Sunday, however, I did everything Tulsa had to offer me which was not much. Did you know that The Mother Road runs through Tulsa? That was an awesome thing to discover! I had a big, delicious breakfast at Tally's Diner on Route 66. Everything there comes with biscuits and gravy, even if you also get toast; true story. Seriously in need of some exercise after that, I wandered around the Blue Dome District and the Brady Arts District, both pretty cool areas with lots of street art, restaurants and bars. There's a spot worth mentioning that you should really only go to if you happen to be passing through, it's not worth going out of your way to see even though it is pretty awesome. It's called "the center of the universe" and it is an acoustic anomaly. On the walking bridge behind the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame there is a circular brick design on the ground in a round part of the walkway. I have no idea how, but if you stand there and say something it is amplified. It legitimately sounds like your voice is being carried and you're speaking in a megaphone. If you're standing outside the circle, listening carefully, voices sound distorted. Those who know of it come to stand in this spot and try it and onlookers, unsure of what it is, just look very confused. If you ever happen to be in Tulsa, check it out.
Tulsa, and seemingly all of Oklahoma, is very flat. That's something I've discovered. There have also been tornado warnings a lot more lately. None where I am, thank goodness, but it means that I am constantly on the lookout for them. Sometimes while driving I'll find myself looking around for a place to get low if one just so happens to shoot out from the sky at that moment; crazier things have happened. It's a ridiculous way to drive, and very distracting, but I can't help it. If you're from anywhere prone to the natural disaster, you're probably rolling your eyes at how absurd I sound. Let's be honest though, I'm from the Northeast, it's not like I know what to do in that situation, really. I know the basics which is enough to get by, and I listen to local radio instead of CDs now so that if there's ever a warning I will know about it. Letting go of all that worry with perfectly clear blue skies on the horizon, I headed to Oklahoma City on Route 66 to pick up my friend Adriana visiting from New York. A few weeks ago, she texted me and told me that she had a few days off and she wanted to come and adventure. I loved that. The fact that she didn't care if we couch surfed or crashed in a motel nor where we went was so awesome to me. Here I was thinking I was the only one who enjoyed not knowing what the day would bring. It was very refreshing.
Small towns bordered Route 66 and they seemed to be centralized around it, actually. Every new town had their sign with the logo engraved on them. It makes sense for the towns to brag about it. The historic route is 2,451 miles long, passes through seven states, and is the original road connecting the east to the west. Rundown gas stations, old classic cars, red, round barns, giant soda bottles; you name it, Route 66 has it. Now I understand why people say "get your kicks on Route 66." There's even a big blue whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma that you can climb through which during the summer turns into a swimming hole. Oddly enough, it was originally an anniversary present from a man named Hugh Davis to his wife in the '70s. Evidently she really loved whales. There's also a few filling stations left from when the road was originally in use in the '20s. The small stone building still partially standing in Arcadia, Oklahoma, is thought to have also been used as a counterfeiting location back in the days of Al Capone, fun fact.
Oklahoma City is not only the home of the Thunder but it is also the home of the cutest cat who I call Little Dude, and his owner, Daniel. Little Dude managed to squeeze his way in between Adriana and I in our bed the first night and couldn't get enough attention. The pair were awesome hosts for Adriana's first time couch surfing and my first time in OKC. We spent the first day wandering around Bricktown, which is all bricks just like it sounds, and a beautiful area downtown. Then we kept wandering past awesome murals towards the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. For those of you who don't know, on April 19, 1995 at 9:02 am, a terrorist from the U.S.A. set off a bomb that collapsed half of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and destroyed nine other buildings in the vicinity. All over downtown Oklahoma City, 312 others had shattered windows and damages and over the next month, the death toll climbed to 168, 19 were children. The one thing left standing is a few hundred year old tree, the Survivor Tree, which, aside from having some limb damage from the blast, still stands tall today in the exact same place it always has. I was almost five years old when this happened so I do not remember it. I knew of it prior to coming here, but no real details. Needless to say, the visit had a lasting impression me, like I was experiencing the bombing for the first time. The memorial is beautifully done, an entrance on one side where the Murrah building once stood with 9:01 engraved on it and on the opposite side of the block was the same except with 9:03 on it. The center is an open reflecting pool and represents 9:02, a moment frozen in time never to be forgotten. In the museum they played audio of a meeting from that morning in a building across the street. Everything seems fine and dandy when all of a sudden you hear the blast and chaos ensue. In the moments following the explosion, parents and grandparents showed up looking for their children in daycare. Police and rescuers didn't even know there was a second daycare in the Murrah Building, they only know of the YMCA daycare in another building. The second floor where the daycare once operated was completely gone. I won't keep going because it's very sad and I don't want to be a debbie-downer but one thing did hit me hard. A woman's dress was on display with a single tear in it. At the time of the explosion, she was presenting something to her team in a meeting when the bomb went off. Half of the conference room gave out with the blast and she watched all of them completely disappear. Somehow she was safe and escaped the tragedy with a lone tear in her dress. Can you imagine? I can't.
The rest of our time in OKC was a lot more upbeat. After checking out the Museum of Osteology, a weird and fascinating small museum dedicated to skeletons of all kinds, some of which you can touch, we made sure to stop at the American Banjo Museum. We had gotten reviews that were mixed but decided to check it out for ourselves. Luckily we did, it's a very cool place if you enjoy the banjo at all. Who knew there were so many different kinds which such intricate detail. When we got there, the man who greeted us at the front door whipped out his banjo and played a song for us as an introduction. With about 10 million dollars worth of banjos in one small place, it's hard not to enjoy it even more while you're there. Another place we visited was the Stockyard in Stockyard City where we walked the catwalk. Looking down from the boardwalk above, trying not to breathe it all in, we were in awe of all the cows, horses and steers ready to be sold and eventually put to pasture. Some may even be my lunch one day, who knows. The tiny part of town was only a few blocks but very western. Actually a lot of Oklahoma has that vibe. Speaking of which, the National Cowboy Museum is in Oklahoma City as well. Adriana and I walked into it ready for our last museum in OKC, there were a lot, and realized there was a special going on - wear a bandana and get in for free. Overly excited, I ran out to the car to grab mine from Gatlinburg, Tennessee and proudly displayed it for my free ticket. Adriana purchased hers for half the price of admission and wore it the rest of the day. The museum was much bigger than we expected and covered the cowboys and their history. We learned all about that small red bandana and how integral to the story of the west it really is. Turkey Reds, as they were called, were worn along with boots and a hat to prove that the cowboy wearing it was not just a "sodbuster". Later popularized in Western fiction, the patterns became bolder but the idea of the simple bandana still remained. Finishing up at the museum, we saw the rodeo hall of fame and the gardens out back that boasts a massive statue of Buffalo Bill, surrounded by grave sites of rodeo animals past their prime.
After going out for dinner the first night for some great Ramen with Daniel, Adriana and I decided to cook dinner the second night as a thank you. Three bottles of wine later, we were contently watching the intense storm through the living room window, music playing in the background, Little Dude on our laps. Thank you again Daniel for the awesome time and the bird watching book! I can't wait to use it on my hikes!
Since leaving Oklahoma City, we've been to Turner Falls Park in Davis, Oklahoma, where a doctor's summer castle from the '30s remains in ruins and a beautiful waterfall waits at the bottom of the easy hike. We've also crossed the state line into Texas, my 18th state, I believe. I feel like I've been waiting forever to finally make it Texas. I don't know why I am so excited about the Lone Star State, but I am determined to experience it all and find out. I put Adriana back on a plane to New York yesterday and started my journey on my own again. On to new adventures!
- G.
The Photo:
Old Classic Cars on Route 66.
Chandler, Oklahoma.
3/27/17.
