Today was spent traveling from Missouri.... through Oklahoma... to Amarillo, Texas. I wasn't sure I would actually make it this far... but the driving was good today. Today was a huge day for reflection... and it made the hours in the Jeep go by rather quickly.
I stopped for a late dinner at The Big Texan... you may remember it from a previous post. It is a fabulous ... kitchy... interesting place. The last time I went here... I noticed that there was a row of buildings next to the restaurant that are available as hotel rooms... so I decided to check it out. Indeed... rooms are available, and are very "cowboy" inspired. I got a room that was all decked out like the interior of a rustic cabin... complete with large log furniture and cow print duvets. The bed was extremely comfortable. In fact, my only complaint was that I had no wifi connection... but perhaps that was for the best.
Sabrina and I thoroughly enjoyed our take-out dinner from the restaurant... consisting of a top sirloin, roasted tomatoes and onions, mashed potatoes, rolls and iced tea. It was scrumptious. For dessert... I tried a very small piece of their home-made fudge... which was exquisite.
After a restful night's sleep in Indiana... I woke up early and headed out on the open road again. By late morning... I was sipping Starbuck's in Terre Haute~ it was awesome. Even Brina took a little siesta on the patio...
I really feel like I am running behind for some reason. I know that I am not "on a schedule"... but in the back of my mind... I am wanting to get home before my son and his wife have their precious baby. And I have had a sense of urgency... and underlying current of stress... this whole drive back.
I stopped at the Driftstone Pueblo... one of my fav places to look at stones, beads, feathers, jewelry... even flutes! This shop is in Illinois, and behind it is a wonderful lake area. I am told it is a good fishing area... but seeing as I didn't have my pole with me this trip (I know.. I know...)... I decided it was the perfect spot for some meditation.
And it was.... and it relieved me of alot of the urgency I had been feeling these past few days.
Tonight I am staying in a Holiday Inn Express in Springfield, Missouri(!!!)... and I am delighting in how wonderful it is. Brina enjoyed her portion of my KFC dinner... and is now happily sacked on the bed while I enjoy some great shows on the Food Network :)
(photos by Elaine A. Russell -- this one was taken at the 2nd Time Around antique shop)
Today we started out near St. Louis, Missouri....and tonight we are in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today has been sort of a rough day. Lots of construction on the roads... and some bad experiences with other drivers have made it a little difficult. Also... the roads seem to be in worse condition than I remember... or maybe it is just because my back is more sensitive to every pothole and bump in the road *(and there have been alot).
That said... we have seen some gorgeous scenery. Kristin did alot of the driving today... so I was able to look out my window at the stunning countryside. We saw lots of rivers and streams... and lots of really pretty birds.... tons of cows... horses and such. We even saw an alpaca farm off in the distance.
And there were the pleasures of being in more "city" areas as well...
We stopped in Springfield, MO for a Starbucks (my first in about 6 weeks)... and we discovered this awesomely loaded antique shop called "A Second Time Around." See this link: here
I think every square inch of this place had cool treasures to see... and we saw a ton.
For dinner, we stopped in Miami, OK at the Waylan's KuKu Burger (link: here). This is the cool place that I took a photo of last summer when I was in Miami... but I didn't get the chance to eat there at the time. This time... we took our time and sat down for a bite. It was really, really awesome. This place had been a nationwide "hot spot" since the Route66 days... and it is still going strong.
I had a fantastic steak sandwich, home-made fries and fresh coffee... FABULOUS.
Almost to our stopping point for the night, we saw a red glow and alot of smoke. Turns out.... some local farmers were burning their fields... and boy did it look cool.
These purple trees were everywhere... and boy are they gorgeous!
Well.. ... we are having fun... but we are making lousy time. I am blaming it on all the weird weather. The wind is still pretty incredible. We are getting blown around a bit... and the driver's door is a little stiff since it got massively jerked once when I opened up my door just as a huge gust of wind caught it on Monday.
So. Last night we staying in Miami, OK. The town is just quaint. I was trying to think of another word... but quaint is appropriate. Alot of the buildings are brick, and look to be circa 1890's. Most of the styling of things seem to be leaning towards the Victorian end (or cater to the route66 theme). We stopped this am to get gas, and also found a Walgreens to get batteries for my camera. Whilst driving thru the main part of town... I decided to get a daytime shot of the fabulous Coleman Theatre in yesterday's post (the last pic that was panoramic). While there... this guy came out of the theater and asked me if I wanted to see the inside? Of course! So Kristin, Sabrina and I all got the deluxe extended tour of the place. WOW. I would go into great deal... but I think I will save it all for an exclusive post on the place. I will say, however, that if you are ever anywhere near Miami, OK... this is a DEFINITE... MUST SEE place.
(Skies in Missouri)
We got back on the road... and drove most all the day.... although we really didn't seem to get as far as we had intended. Along the way today.... we stopped at The Heartland Antique Mall in Lebanon, MO. This is the antique mall that I stop at every time I go back to PA. It is pretty big... has a huge selection of stuff... and it is connected to both a cheese factory outlet, and a Russell Stover Candy Outlet. Yah.. exactly. I got a few treasures... took some photos... ran into my friend Mike that I met last summer when I went to the mall. He has a booth there... and he is an awesome guy.
(Heartland Antique Mall, Missouri)
Driving through the rest of Missouri seemed to take forever. But... I must say... I do like Missouri. Years ago... I would have thought of this state as just being a typical humid... buggy... boring kind of place. I have since come to realize how diverse a state it actually is.... and it really is quite pretty. Caverns.... fields... farms.... interesting rock formations and walls where the road is simply cut through the middle of a mountain. Lots of trees... critters..... people are really friendly... It's a nice place. The weather throughout most all of Missouri today was overcast.
We made it in to Indiana tonight.... and have stopped just outside of Indianapolis. I am estimating that we have about 550 more miles to go... which doesn't seem like alot... until you realize that most of it will be on back country roads once we hit PA... .and those take longer.
( on the road in Indiana)
Our hotel room tonight is on the scanky side... but it was the first one we stopped at ... and the desk clerk said that very few hotels will take guests with animals here... so I opted to just get it. As I said to Kristin... well... it looked OK on the outside...
Talked with my mom on the phone... Dad seems to be in alot of pain... is very distended... but managed to get out of bed and walked about twice today (with much help) in his room. No word yet on a definate discharge date... no word on the possible transfer to a rehab place. So... we'll see.
Tomorrow will probably be a long day of driving... and it is already 1:30am ... as we lost 2hours to time changes. Will post as soon as I can tomorrow... connections permitting...
So -- yesterday's travels took me from Rolla, Mo to El Reno, Oklahoma. I started off with a really good breakfast from the hotel. French toast, orange juice and coffee. I haven't had french toast in years... and it was really good. I also grabbed a piece of sausage for Sabrina, who licked it up pretty quickly :) The first stop of the day was at the Heartland Antique Mall in Lebanon, MO. I always stop there.. it is just full of so many cool things. This time, I picked up a couple of state quarters that my dad is missing, a couple really old hammers, a couple vintage Japanese bowls, and a carved piece of carnelian stone that looks like a locust bug.. made into a bead. I love this kind of stuff. I also stopped at the Cheese Outlet and got some churro nuggets (told you they were addictive). Brina and I stopped for lunch at a McDonald's along the route. They had a gazebo in the lot (for smokers) but it was the only shady spot... so we grabbed it to eat our lunch in. We ended up talking to a local young guy. He's had a rough life. Divorced parents, older brothers who are in trouble with the law... a car that's literally falling apart. He is trying to make it. Trying to work two part time jobs, trying to stay clean and out of trouble... I'm sure this is a pretty normal story for alot of people. I think it proves how many people are really trying hard.. in spite of the economy and all kinds of struggles. The rest of the afternoon was a blur of gas/pit stops. Stopped at a Starbucks in Tulsa Ok, and talked to a nice couple on their first date :) Stopped for the night at a Motel 6 in El Reno OK. It is right next to a Taco Bell (taco salad for supper !) and right down from a Walgreens.. so I could get my photos onto cd. The car is doing really well... but somewhere along the way I lost the door cover to my gas tank nozzle. Not a big deal.. just odd. Not sure if it fell off, or what. One more day of traveling to go !
so -- there as a major thunderstorm here last night, and I could not get a connection to the internet. Being in the middle of nowhere certainly has it's advantages.. but internet capabilities is NOT one of them.
My parents are ---shall we say--- very religious. They do not have cable, they only watch one religious tv station that they get via dish network. They do not listen to the radio. They do not watch movies made after 1960. So -- they do not, nor ever intend to get... a computer or internet. Sometimes I can get a connection on my laptop if I sit out near the bank of the river. I am sure I am sponging the signal off of someone.. I just don't know who. Anyway, I can usually only get one bar of connectivity... sometimes 2 bars if I am very lucky.
One of the advantages of being here is definitely the scenery. As I was traveling, it was very interesting to see how the topography changes from state to state. So much more rain and green. Of course, along with that comes humidity... but alas.
The photos are ones I took on my travel to PA.
I love the idea of taking sort of a photo journal of my travels... come ride along with me :)
Today I woke up at at 9:30am.. still pretty tired... and stayed tired all day. I can only assume that I am just not used to all the driving. It has also been very humid.. and I have been driving in and out of storms.. which also adds to the feeling of fatigue. Right away, I was able to find a Walmart near the hotel, and was able to purchase a new cord to hook my camera to the laptop. However, the pics still won't load.. so I can only assume that there is something really wrong with my camera. This is not a surprise, as my camera is not so elegantly held together with duct tape and prayer.
Drove for a couple hours, then stopped for lunch at a Wendy's. I am constantly amazed at how many people come up to me to talk about the SmartCar. I have been averaging about 50-60 people every day during my travels, who ask about the details on the car. If I had a $1 for every one... . he he. I actually don't mind. It is great to see people so excited about it... and I understand their enthusiasm.
Later on, Brina and I stopped at a Speedway Gas station in Wadsworth, OH. I got to talk to a very nice young girl about life... young, tattooed, rebellious, and an artist... living in a really really small town. Ohio is full of well manicured lawns and the towns of nothing but 3 bedroom brick ranches. Large corporate buildings and factories. Heavy steel factories, lots of really big buildings composed of brick...reflecting the heyday of industry in the East.
Around dinner, we stopped at a little gas station/cafe/gift shop at the junction of I-80 and Rt66. We are in PA now. Now comes the part of the trip where the road winds up and down thru the top end of the Appalachian Mountains. Small little villages with no red lights and one country store. Areas that are only hosts to the seasonal campers and hunters with sporadic trailers and cabins strewn about. Luscious green fields, primitive forests, and quiet blue ponds. Dairy farms and small herds of sheep. Rusty old tractors gathering rust in the sun strewn fields. Barns echoing times gone by, now left to fall into the ground. It is my home state... and I had almost forgotten how loudly it speaks to my soul.
The last leg of the trip takes me thru Mt. Jewett, Kane, Smethport, Port Alleghany, Roulette, and finally to Coudersport. Along the way I took photos of fields, farms, and some vintage train cars that a gentleman is restoring into guest houses. I took pictures of lots of flowers. This is what I started taking photos of as a child, and I still love to take nature shots. I had actually considered studying Biology at one point... and at one time I knew the names of every plant or tree I saw.
As I arrived into Coudersport, it started to lightly rain.. and there was the most gorgeous HUGE rainbow. It was soooooooooooo bright. I did take some photos.... along with another guy in a small car that stopped alongside the road.
Picked up a salad for supper ... and drove to my parent's house. Brina has been happily sleeping in her bed since we arrived at 8pm.
Total expenses: $60 for gas, food and snacks. $20 for a camera cord at Walmart. Drove about 500 miles or so today.
*photos by Elaine A. Russell
(photos by Elaine A. Russell -- this one was taken at the 2
(Waylan's Restaurant.... Miami, OK)
(Skies in Missouri)
(Heartland Antique Mall, Missouri)
( on the road in Indiana)
