Day 30 Texola and route 66

The drive from Amarillo to Oklahoma City was much shorter and our early arrival allowed us to do a “short load” of laundry (one washer load) so we could still be fresh when we arrive in Michigan. We listened to an Arkansas SPEBSQA(W) group sing in the backgroundwoth the the humming washers and dryers.

On the drive the wind had shifted, however, to the north so the side winds slowed the mileage in the gasoline ($3.09/gal) in the Panhandle of Texas. No more 12 mpg.

The constant winds have brought about a change in the landscape, here in east Texas and
Windmills, those wind generators are in many places in both states. I read that China actually leads the world in non connected wind generators (ones that are not hooked to a grid) and will lead the world in conneced ones, soon. The lay of the land as the drive moves on I-40 into Oklahoma begins to become rolling and fraught with small canyons and arroyos. Then there is a sudden spurt in the growth of deciduous trees that is not seen in Texas. This leads to smaller farms and more fences and noticeably smaller land holdings. There was more wheat and alfalfa grown. There were lots of trucks and motorcycles at this time. One rest area is dedicated to the “Old Route 66” which runs through here in various places. Route 66 is not a designated highway anymore, but the town of Clinton OK is the center of Route 66 memorabilia. There is a Museum there and many shops devoted to the memory of that great Route that carried Americans after WW2 to California and the west.

We ate lunch as we often did at “TA” truck stop where there is lots of room and we can look at a field or pasture adjoining the stop. Some of the truckers are walking their dogs that they have with them on their cross country runs. I guess it would make a good companion.
We began to see some hawks and meadowlarks as the day pro-gressed and in paces dozens of the latter on the roadsides. Route "66" Museum in Clinton OK

Getting to the campground in Oklahoma City was a trick as the Campground Book said to turn “EAST” off the freeway, and we did, but saw no campground (RV Park). After calling the office we discovered that the book had printed ‘east’ instead of ‘west’ so we did get straightened around and we had only driven two miles out of the way. Turning around with the trailer on a rural road can be a problem at times.

So, we finished the laundry and then called Ruth’s sister as they were in OK City with a former pastor here. It happened that they were in a restaurant less than one mile from us, so we joined them and had time to eat with them at a “Rib Shack” (Of course for dessert we sampled the brownie with kahlua sauce.)

On Sunday we needed to do some birding so went to a nearby lake (Arcadia) and found 17 specie of birds. Besides Eastern Phoebes, Juncos, and Coots,we did see many Eastern Bluebirds, so spring is on the way. The Bald eagle that is there eluded us. We have NOT seen an Eagle yet on the trip. We do cross the Mississippi River one more time so there is hope.

In the afternoon it was a visit to Jim’s niece in nearby Edmond. They are constructing a wheelchair accessible pool and sidewalk from the front, for their son and his friends to be able to access. It was good to catch up with Brenton, Ray, and Bernadette (Mom). We missed Dad (Gary) and Nathan who were coaching and playing baseball in Tulsa and the report is that they won the Tournament and qualified for the Little League year end Tournament in Steamboat Springs CO later in the summer. Check out this site. http://www.triplecrownsports.com/

That about wraps it up for this one and we head into Missouri in the morning and expect rain all the way. We will plug along and let the road flow as it will. Blessings to all, Jim and Ruth
P.S. ‘Texola’ is a town on the Texas/Oklahoma border. Questions . What is the name of the town on the Texas/Arkansas border’s name? On the Texas/ New Mexico Border? Stay Tuned.