Moving Eastward

 Monday March 25,2013 6:55pm CDT  Room 140 Comfort Inn Springfield, Missouri

Arrived in Ponca City, Oklahoma on Friday March 22. Ate in Frazier's Sports Grill in the motel--funny sports grill--March Madness and they didn't have any of the games on--they had the news on. When guys asked for the games,the barmaid said they weren't coming on until 6 and Bill had been watching them in the room!  Then they put on only one game on all seven screens and it wasn't the Oklahoma teams much to a local guy's disgust--lol  Since we were tired and the weather was not promising we decided to stay an additional night. So I spent Saturday reading Letters from Wupatki, which are the ruins we saw north of Flagstaff. The author, who died in 2000, was the wife of the second custodian of the Wupatki Monument and at the time there were no buildings, other than the ruins there, so they lived in the old Indian ruins for several years. The book is okay but the description of the area read just shortly after being there was very interesting.

When we arose on Saturday the car was covered in snow and the weather was even worse--snow north and east, thunderstorms and possible tornadoes south and east, so we extended our stay for yet a third night. It was interesting to see our car covered in red dust once the snow melted. An inversion? The snow carried the dust out of the air?  Who knows? 

Anyway, today the sun came out, though the temperature was 30 degrees and the wind made it feel even colder. Nevertheless, we decided to leave the GeoKinetics and the Black Coal guys behind and head east. We were unable to visit Paul and Jean Gross in Corder, since it is a very busy week on the pig farm and the weather was terrible up there. The pigs were being shipped out today and then a crew was coming in to clean up the barns etc. Paul just wouldn't have a minute to visit and though school was already canceled for today, Jean would be going to school later in the week. So, all in all, the timing just simply wasn't right!

Oklahoma is divided among the five Nations of Native Americans and the first Nation we entered was the Osage. Pawhuska was a rather interesting town with many stone buildings and a Main Street lined with lovely old street lamps. I like that about some of these Western towns--the street lamps.  We continued on a narrow country road and enjoyed looking at all the cattle and horses. I'm always amazed when I see a horse lying so flat on the ground--I think the animal is dead--so flat and still.

We eventually reached Bartlesville--guess what its claim to fame is!  Phillips 66, Conoco-Phillips. The buildings, the streets ect --all Phillips in one way or another. Lots of money spent on the Performing Arts Center etc.

We took a brief side trip to Dewey,where the Tom Mix Museum is located. Well, closed for Jan and Feb and open only three days a week from 1-3 in March and today was not one of those days. Add it to the list of" I want to go back there again, some day".  Cute town, though and I forgot to take a picture of its centerpiece--The Dewey Hotel--opening in April and being painted as we speak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mix

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey,_Oklahoma

As we continued along more narrow back roads it was evident that Saturday and early Sunday there was not only snow but a pretty strong north wind. Much of the snow melted in yesterday afternoon's sunshine but the tree trunks bore stripes of snow that were pounded onto them by the wind. I would imagine visibility was bad and the wind, even today, made handling the car a mental  and physical stress.  All in all, we felt our decision to remain three nights in Ponca City was the right one. Today's sky became ever more ominous as we traveled east and the temperature never rose above 35 degrees.

After passing through the Eastern Shawnee Nation we entered Missouri south of Joplin. We had stayed in Joplin a couple of times but have not been back since the terrible tornado that destroyed half of the city. The devastation is still quite evident four or so years later, though there are rows and rows of flimsy looking new houses in the area. We continued east on old Route 66. I didn't take pictures this time, having been in Carthage several times and really not wanting to document the multitudinous Bible quotes etc on billboards the entire way to Springfield.

After getting our room we headed out to Olive Garden and used Bill's last gift card from his friends in Price Chopper. Had a terrific dinner--Sausage and Pepper Rustico, salad, breadsticks, limoncello and coffee. Bill had salad, breadsticks and spaghetti with meat sauce and sausages. Very full.

Came back and discovered that Nicole, the desk clerk, had upgraded us to a two room, two bath suite. How nice that would have been in Ponca City!  As we pulled in for the night, it began spitting snow.

How depressing--I want to go back to Arizona. Our waiter at OG was nice and tanned. He'd been to Padre Island Texas for Spring Break--he, too,is depressed, coming home to snow. Oh, well, all things must end, I guess.

Just watched Bones, The Following is on now--think I'll skip it--too weird for me. But Castle comes on soon and I enjoy that. Think we'll head toward Kentucky tomorrow or maybe Branson, who knows. Until tomorrow--take care. KandB