"We Know We Belong To The Land...."

Well our goal was to hit the high spots in Oklahoma during the Centennial Celebration. While we didn't get to all the places we wanted to, the trip was well worth the effort and a nice spring break diversion.

The State of Oklahoma has done a great job of preparing for the upcoming celebration and it should not be missed. We will no doubt hit it again in the fall when all the big events are planned, but until then.................

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain

And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet

When the wind comes right behind the rain.

Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I

Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk

Makin' lazy circles in the sky.

We know we belong to the land

And the land we belong to is grand!

And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!

We're only sayin' You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!

Oklahoma O.K.L.A.H.O.M.A Oklahoma (State)

The Oklahoma National Monument

This is a hard place to visit.

And having been here twice, it doesn't get any easier the more you go. On April 19, 1995, I was up at 4:30am to catch the Halliburton shuttle to Houston. When I got back to the plane that afternoon, word had reached us that a bomb had exploded in downtown Oklahoma City and it was most likely some kind of terrorist plot. We thought it had to be a mistake. Why would anyone bomb a building in Oklahoma? For most this is just flyover country and this Murrah building, who knew what that was.

The state motto of Oklahoma is Labor Omnia Vincit which translated means "labor conquers all things". There is nothing easy about living in Oklahoma and this tells it all. We all knew what to do when the tornados came or grapfruit sized hail or killer ice storms, but not how to deal with this.

I didn't know a single person killed in Oklahoma City, but the one thing I know is that these were simple, hard working people who had come to work that day like all of us Oklahomans. They went on, we stayed behind.

The chairs are the tough to view. 156 in all. One for each person killed. Then the hardest part. Little chairs for the children that died.

We went in the late evening, just as the sun was setting and the chairs lit up.

The Oklahoma Capital Building - A Finished Work

Amazingly enough, only Rae had ever been inside the Oklahoma Capital. And none of us had seen the newly added dome. Yep, they built this thing without the dome and it was used that way for some 95 years. And there was a lot of grief about spending the money to finish it (seems many Oklahomans would rather use the money for lottery tickets or casino gambling), but somewhere enough sane people banded together and got this project finished and it is in a word, grand.

It was a lazy Friday afternoon when we finally found a door that would let us in, but it was worth the trouble. Touring the Senate and House chambers was also on the schedule, but there were many extrodinary pieces of art thoughout the capital and it is another stop well worth the effort.

And any place that would have a working oil well on the capital grounds is OK by me.

The Oklahoma History Center

Now this was truly a surprise. Having only vaguely heard about this place, we headed out after lunch to visit one of Oklahoma’s newest attractions. Complete with everything Oklahoman including a replica of Wiley Post’s record setting airplane, the Winnie Mae hanging in the entry with the Oklahoma Capital Building out the front window. A really nice pictorial and video history of all of Oklahoma’s governors and some items on loan from the Smithsonian that included one of the original Gemini space capsules that carried native Oklahoman Thomas Stafford into space.

The Rib Eaters

Then we bolt down to Bricktown, a renovated warehouse district east of downtown OKC that was between the railroad tracks on the west and the former Canadian River on the south. Seems for all the civic good that created Bricktown, the Ford Center and the like, some moron decided they needed to rename the section of the river that flowed thru Oklahoma City, “the Oklahoma River”. But they built a way sweet river walk / boat ride set up like they have in San Antonio and it is well done. But the reason for Bricktown was to get to Earl’s Rib Palace for some pigcicles and to meet up with my folks, a few aunts and uncles and my 93 year old grandmother who is still quite the carnivore.

Persimmon Hill

Oklahoma City is the final stop (know to the natives as “The City”) and we start the day at what used to be the Cowboy Hall of Fame but is now the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. And all we could say was, “Wow”. The Cowboy Hall of Fame was good, but this is off the chart. They have completely renovated and improved it. It is a must see in OKC.

Ted's Cafe Escondido

Made it to Oklahoma City tonight and we are staying at Twin Fountains, a brand new RV park near the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

We also had the great fortune to visit with OSU fan extrodinare and legendary gridiron great from Midwest City, Cy Perkins and his crew for dinner.

Yes, Cy and the Family Stone met us at one of OKC's premier Mexican food places, Ted's Cafe Escondido. Big day in "The City" planned for tomorrow.

The Little Sahara

Yes there is a state park in Oklahoma with that name and it is actually 1600 acres of real high sand dunes that people drive from all over the country to play on. I had never seen a $45K dune buggy until today. We actually ended up cutting a deal with one of the local dune buggy gurus and spent the day driving a sweet VW powered sand rail that is sure to fill your underwear with sand.

Strapped into the buggy with the Junior Unibomber

Two Thumbs Up

Bunster takes a ride for some serious air

Mom and Dad hit the sand dunes

Where No Man Has Gone Before

No not outer space, but almost. We traveled from Stillwater to Waynoka, OK today thru some places that are not on the beaten path. But the highlight was lunch in Okeene, OK at The Whippet Stop. The Whippet Burger was the local staple and didn’t disappoint.

“They Beat Us in Our Own Dojo” – Abbie Rae Winchester 3/13/07

We attended what turned out to be the last OSU basketball game of the year. Rae and I were sitting on the floor at GIA next to OSU Football Coach Mike Gundy who was able to watch this year’s BB team turn OSU into a football school.

The highlight of the evening was the trip to The Hideaway for pizza with one of our favorite friends, Charley Bob Pollock.

Murray Cattle Company

We finally get to spend the day with Richard “Doctor Dick” Murray at the infamous Murray Cattle Company south of Perkins, OK.

For the unanointed, Dr. Murray was one of my professors at Oklahoma State and my boss for a couple of years. To say he is eclectic would be an understatement. The stories about Dr. Dick would fill a book, but to be fair he is a role model for having fun. And that’s what we did.

The man has an arsenal which includes the Browning 50 Caliber machine gun, an AK 47, a mortar that shoots bowling balls 3 or 400 yards, an M1 Garand, 22-250, 30-06, 30-30, 44 Mag revolver, 357 Mag revolver and an explosives magazine that rivals many third world countries.

So Leigh and Abbie got the armorer’s lesson on how to set the head space and time a BMG 50 cal, how to properly handle and shoot both pistols and rifles and lastly a chemistry lesson in making proper explosive targets including charging a mortar tube with black powder.


Leigh scores two hits in the 10 ring



Abbie with the 357 trying not to shoot a hole in the hood of the Suburban



The Tick scores two in the 9 ring and misses the truck



Leigh unleashes the BMG 50 Cal.

Abbie braces for the recoil

Abbie installs the fuse in the mortar



Then she loads the powder



Dad loads the bowling ball



If you look hard, you can see the ball on the top left as a blurry spot.

Oklahoma's Favorite Son

No not Cy Perkins, but close. We spent the afternoon at the Will Rogers Memorial in Claremore, OK which is just south of Oologah where he was born and raised. This should be a manditory stop for all native Oklahomans. It only took me 47 years to get here. Well worth the trip and very well done.

Just off of old US Route 66, this memorial is on a hill overlooking town and right next to Rogers State College.

Tahlonteeskee

On the banks of the Illinois not far from our campsite. Since you only have to have 1/32nd of Cherokee blood to be recognized by the tribe as a Cherokee, we are taking our 1/16th as gospel and asserting our right as citizens of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. We'll have one of those snappy Cherokee Nation license plates for the coach before long.

Around the World

Abbie shows her gracious winning nature after a W on the basketball court by taking a victory lap..

The Illinois River - Cell Phone Hell

Made it to the Illinois River on Sunday evening, but no cell or wireless service kept the talking and blogging shut down. Had a nice spot to camp by the river and we went up to Lake Tenkiller then on to the Capital of the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah.

Back to Gore for the night and then we moved out this afternoon. But not before we found the mother of all desserts; apricot fried pies. And this place didn't sell fried pies of all kinds, they only had apricot which proved their superior pie frying prowess.

And we might have missed them if not for the smartly placed sign on the front counter.

Wildhorse Mountain

Headed north from Poteau toward Sallisaw for lunch at the famous Wildhorse Mountain BBQ. This was a favorite haunt when I first started to work for Halliburton in Fort Smith. The worst building I had ever seen food come out of (including a lot of third world countries) and a crusty old man named Huburt ran the place and when he had sold all the BBQ he cooked that day, they closed.

As if it could get any stranger, you could only buy soda to drink from a vending machine and it only served bottles. A similar machine stood outside and it sold cans of beer. And this was in 1985.

But Huburt is dead, the Wildhorse is much larger and you can get a drink in a cup and the BBQ is still good. But it is still a dump. And yes, that is a photo of a pork rib with the loin still attached. This is the only place I have seen them cooked like that.