Before I begin our day in Oklahoma City, I had promised some "tips" along with the "tales." One of these tips was passed along to us by Betty Jo, and this tip saved my relationship with the WOW girls for over three weeks. You see, Kristee had told everyone to bring only one suitcase, so I naturally bought the largest one I could afford that had rolling wheels. It fit just fine in the van, but once I had loaded it with clothes, I could barely lift it off the ground. Betty Jo showed us how she had packed for the trip with each day's outfit, bra, and panties in a 2 gallon zip-lock bag. Each night, she unzipped her suitcase and pulled a bag out. The next morning she slid the used bag to the bottom of the suitcase. Her other necessities were in her carry-on. The other three of us went to a K-Mart and bought enough 2 gallon zip lock bags for a week's worth of clothes apiece. That night, I unloaded my monster bag and repacked everything one day at a time. My bag stayed at the bottom of the pile, and all I had to do was unzip one side and slide new things out and old things in. Once a week, we found a hotel that had a laundry room, or we did laundry at Jane's sisters. No more lugging the monster bag every single night! On to Oklahoma City!
The memorial to those who lost their lives in the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City was beautiful and touching, especially to those of us who had watched the news that day on April 19, 1995. I still remember the news showing the fireman carrying out a child, whose legs dangled helplessly; I later heard that child did not survive. It is a fitting tribute to those who died and those who risked their lives to try to rescue them. One nurse did lose her life trying to rescue someone; she has a special chair by the reflecting pool. The Survivor Tree is a symbol of hope to the people of Oklahoma City in particular and people everywhere; the tree should not have survived the blast, but it did. The statue of the weeping Jesus across the street was a gift to the people of Oklahoma City from the country of Italy. It portrays Jesus weeping for his children and turning his head away from the devastation. Kristee had brought something from Virginia Tech to pin on the fence which is covered with memorabilia from visitors, and Betty Jo had brought a cross to hang on the fence.
Once we left Oklahoma City, we headed down Interstate 40 until we reached Route 66. We stopped at the Route 66 museum in Elk City, which had a lot of Route 66 nostalgia. We made it to Amarillo in time to eat supper at the Big Texan Steakhouse, the home of the 72 ounce steak--eat it all in one hour and it is free! Several people were attempting it while we were there, but we didn't see any winners. Once again, we were serenaded while we ate, this time by an elderly cowboy trio with guitars and fiddles. This restaurant is worth a stop just to see the waiters and waitresses dressed as cowboys, cowgirls, or Indians, the giant rocking chairs to have your picture taken in, and other cool stuff.
Tourists beware!! We used a coupon for a hotel just down the road from the Big Texan; our hotel lobby was beautiful with white sparklling lights decorating the trees, and the breakfast area looked inviting. Upon receiving our coupons for $39 a night, we were sent to the back of the hotel, which was so far removed we really did need to drive. The room looked like the rooms my family stayed in when we crossed the country back in 1966; however, we saw no bugs, the towels were thin but clean, so we stayed.
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