It seems to be doing the trick, but we’ll have to wait for the next significant rainfall to really test things out.As for the rest of the adventure…
After leaving Tulsa we headed out for Keystone State Park, on the outskirts of the city. First, we stopped at K-Mart (yuk!) and a local grocery store, in order to buy a few necessities for our camp outing. Both places affirmed not only our geographical position, but a number of stereotypes about Southerners and rednecks. In the same breath, I’m sure we provided some entertainment for some of the folks we interacted with. I can just picture them impersonating characters from the movie “Fargo” after we got out of earshot.
We had to find State Highway 51 in order to get to Keystone State Park. And while we followed the appropriate road signs we seemed to never find the place and headed for Walnut Creek State Park instead, only about 20 miles from where we were. On the way there I pulled into a little country gas station, touting an upcoming Catfish Festival with a banner on the side of the building. As we pulled in a twenty-something man, likely with two first names (e.g. Bobby Joe, Jimmy Lee, etc.) hopped into his 80’s Chevy pickup and cranked up the country music as he sped away, spraying gravel in his tracks. Yes, we had arrived in a part of America were I would not feel comfortable with any additional pigment in my epidermis.
Our campsite was situated yards from the shore of a beautiful lake, and the sun was setting in the west, providing beautiful scenery as we set up camp while Heidi prepared dinner.
We feasted on some chicken sausages, baked beans and mixed vegetables. Unlike some of the commercial campsites we had stayed at, we were far from any other campers, and could only see one other family about a quarter mile away.The next morning we headed for Oklahoma City. For the first time I let Heidi take the wheel and she did an admiral job. Sometimes it’s kinda hard for me to let go and, quite frankly, part of the reason I handed her the keys is because we were having a pretty heated argument the night before, and it carried into the morning, so I wanted to extend this offer as a sort of olive branch. Like I said, she did a great job driving and I spent a majority of the drive sleeping and just being a relaxed passenger.
Upon arriving in Oklahoma City we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of a domestic terrorist attack in 1995, which caused the deaths of 168 men, women and children.
Walking among those hallowed grounds was a sobering experience. There are 168 empty chairs on the grounds (representing those lost in the attack), the Gates of Time, a Survivors Wall, the Survivor Tree (an oak which withstood the blast), a Children’s Area (adorned with some of the thousands of hand-painted tiles which were sent in by students following the tragedy), and an orchard for the rescuers. The entire memorial was thoughtfully designed and left one feeling somber, yet resilient. This is indeed an incredible nation and I am proud to be a citizen of the greatest country on earth.
After leaving the memorial we walked over to a nearby park and just enjoyed the weather for a while. We decided to get a hotel for the first time on the trip, and spent the better part of the next hour searching for wifi to steal, so we could book a cheap room. We ended up at the Baymont Inn on the Southside of town. The room was nothing special, but certainly a welcomed retreat away from the van, which we have spent a LOT of time in.
For dinner we went to Chelino’s Mexican Restaurant and were waited on by Juan, who I suspect to be the proprietor. He was an extremely friendly man, nearing the age of retirement (although I imagine he’ll be working well beyond that) and had a slight limp. As Heidi pointed out, he was your stereotypical proprietor of a family-run Mexican joint. All of the locals, gringos and Mexicans alike, knew him by name and he engaged each and every one of them in genuine conversation. He really was the highlight of the meal, although the food was delightful. When we were ready to go he was sitting at another customer’s table and just told us we could leave the money on our table, and to have a great night.
We checked out of our room precisely at 11am and headed further west, for Amarillo, TX. Along the way we stopped at a gas station to use the restrooms and a gaggle of good ole boys were gathered near the back of the station and pointed us in the direction of the relief we both sought. Upon coming out I was greeted by the patriarch of the group: “Where ya from…friend?” I explained our journey and we exchanged some polite conversation, prior to me wishing them a wonderful day. The conversation concluded with the leader saying, “You sure got a pretty daughter.” Heidi was a bit creeped out by this comment but I explained it was merely southern hospitality.
We arrived in Amarillo in the late afternoon and checked out the Cadillac Ranch
, an icon of the Old Route 66. In 1974 a local man, along with an artist’s cooperative, assembled 10 old Cadillacs, from 1949 to 1963, and partially buried them into the ground. Today they are covered in graffiti and the grounds are littered with spray paint cans. The site we visited is actually about 2 miles west of the original location, as development forced the creator to move his work of art in 1997. This was one of a number of landmarks we passed along the way, including a leaning water tower and, possibly, the largest cross in the 
Western Hemisphere, towering some 19 stories.We were gonna spend the night in Amarillo, but I wanted to arrive in Albuquerque (the following day) at a decent hour and proposed we continue west, and sleep at a rest area in New Mexico, near the town of Tucumcari. When we neared the rest area a road sign informed us that it was closed, and we’d have to proceed another 85 miles west to the next operational facility. First we stopped in Tucumcari for some dinner at a kitschy Route 66 diner called Del’s. I enjoyed smothered chicken and Heidi took in the all-you-can-eat salad bar. The food was good, although nothing to rave about.
We continued west, through off-and-on desert thunderstorms and finally pulled in to the rest stop near Santa Rosa, NM around 10pm local time. There we picked a spot, away from the lights and other slumbering motorists and made camp (in the van) for the night. When we woke up the temperature had dropped considerably. I made some oatmeal for us, and proceeded to ruin our little camping skillet, as I neglected to use any spray on the bottom. I guess I just thought if something was considered non-stick it didn’t require a non-stick additive. Well, the coating has started to flake off and continued use will add some unwanted ingredients in our meals.
We got to Albuquerque around noon and I took Heidi to Frontier restaurant, a must-see eatery right on the campus of the University of New Mexico. I visited the joint once before, on a previous trip to the city, but wasn’t sure if I could find it again, as our USA tour book neglected to mention this place!
A little before giving up we happened upon the establishment and Heidi ordered huevos rancheros with green chili (a New Mexican staple), while I had the Frontier Burrito. The food was great and, to my delight, Heidi savored every last bite.Next we went and explored Old Town
, a historic part of Albuquerque, which is much as it was more than a century ago. When the railroad came into town it ran about a mile east of Old Town, leading the way to a new town center. As such, Old Town is a charming walk back in time, although now it is little more than a tourist trap with overpriced works of art 
and scammers preying on unsuspecting tourists. The historic church in Old Town was gorgeous and we had a great chat with one of the photographers from a local cooperative, called the Albuquerque Photographer’s Gallery.We spent the night with Bob Tilley,
a fellow member of Couchsurfing. If you haven’t heard about it, you are missing out. Couchsurfing is a social networking site where open-minded folks open their homes to weary travelers in need of a cheap place to stay. Beyond that, it gives travelers the opportunity to spend time with, and learn from, a local. You certainly can’t find all the good stuff there is to know about a town from a guide book.
I know that some of you are thinking this is a crazy concept and must wonder if I am worried about being held hostage and murdered by some ex-con with a thirst for blood. Well, Couchsurfers have the opportunity to post feedback on other peoples’ profiles, so if someone doesn’t have good feedback you simply don’t stay with them. Bob, on the other hand, has been an extremely accommodating and gracious host and I am grateful that he took us in on such short notice. He is in his mid-40s and always wanted his home to be a gathering place, rather than a sanctuary, and Couchsurfing is helping him accomplish that goal. (In return for the home stay there is an unspoken rule that one should bring a gift, take the host out for a meal, or something similar).
We treated Bob to dinner at a relatively upscale pizzeria, similar to Punch back home. The three of us split two pies which had ingredients not found at Papa John’s. The food was wonderful and we spoke about travel, Albuquerque, and Bob’s life, all while taking in the al fresco experience on the patio. Afterwards, he took us on an extensive evening tour of the downtown area, walking us through historic buildings (that are now trendy bars, coffee shops, etc.) and sharing a history of the town which was more comprehensive than any book on the subject. I really enjoyed the history lesson and there was definitely a glimmer in his eye as he shared his wealth of knowledge with us.
Day two of Albuquerque started out slowly. We did laundry and hung around the house, sans Bob, until the early afternoon. When we finally got motivated, Heidi and I headed out to the Petroglyphs on the western edge of town. The Petroglyphs
are, essentially, the ancient graffiti of the indigenous people who roamed this land well before the Anglos came in with their alcohol, smallpox and “civilized” ways. Sadly, some of our modern-day peers, with little regard to ancient history, have marred the beauty with graffiti of their own. Perhaps one day “Steve loves Dorene” will be looked at by anthropologists as an important contribution to our culture, but for the time being it just seems asinine and disrespectful to me.
We attempted to check out a touted coffeehouse for a very late lunch, but the doors to Barela’s were closed when we got there. We turned around and walked more than a mile in the hot midday sun, before stopping at a Chinese Noodle Restaurant which had no patrons dining prior to our arrival. The food was good, although nothing spectacular. That being said, I ordered a pretty mundane meal: Sweet & Sour Stir-fry. Heidi, on the other hand, ordered some sort of soup which had a phenomenal broth that included coconut milk, lemongrass and chili. Mmm Mmm Good!
Tomorrow we’re gonna head towards the Grand Canyon. We’ve changed the itinerary a few times along the way, thus far, and if you know me I’m not a big fan of straying from the pre-planned path. As such, it’s lead to some growing pains between my companion and I, but we continue to persevere, while growing together.
very good story
ReplyDelete