Proud to be an Okie

From Kansas we made our way a bit further south to Oklahoma.  We’ve based ourselves in an RV park at Tulsa and doing day trips.  Our first circuit took us through the small towns of Hominy, Barnsdall, Bartlesville, Nowata and Foyil where, following on from traditions set in Kansas, we found a lot of quirky and interesting things to visit.

Only operates once a day
 but it still operates

Barnsdall, for instance, has a working oil well in its main street.  It’s been in operation since 1914.  Sure, it’s not a large or busy main street but it’s still a main street… with an oil well in it.

 

Nowata has Chris Barbee’s Bowling Ball Art.  We had a tour around the yard with Chris himself, getting the stories behind the art works.  We were his first visitors from New Zealand.  I really wanted to rush out and get a bowling ball to add to his collection.  All in all we spent a couple of very entertaining hours in Nowata.  Thanks Chris.
 

Goes clunk, clunk
 instead of
dink, dink, dink, dink, dink, dink, dink ...

Could be waiting a while
 at this traffic light

For those that need some assistance with their ABCs

Foyil was another interesting stop.  Home to the World’s Largest Totem Pole and other concrete installations.  The Totem Pole was completed in 1948 and has 200 carved pictures on it, including 4 9’ tall Indians near the top.

World's Largest Totem Pole at 90' high

This setting took me straight back to
Westshore Beach
 and the kiosk that used to be there. 
Mmm, pink elephant ice creams.

 



And of course a lot of this was on Route 66.

No explanation required

You can just about hear the
 thundering hooves

Did a day trip to Oklahoma City.  Visited the Land Run Monument that shows the rush to stake out the best land when the unassigned land in the area opened for the settlers.  An impressive setting of about 35 bronze sculptures with still more to be done.  We became famous ourselves while having lunch sitting under a shady tree canal side at Chickasaw Plaza when a tourist boat glided past – with several of the tourists taking our photo.

Lunch spot made famous by yours truly

It's on a sign and on the internet
 so it must be true

Round barn at Arcadia

We made our way back to Tulsa along the mother road (that’s Route 66 for the uninitiated), stopping off at a round barn and a museum of sorts in Arcadia.  Had a chat with the owner of the museum, John, who showed us around then said help yourselves to coke and water and make yourself at home.  Take as long as you want looking around.  So we did.

What an interesting place – a few old cars being restored, a few model planes, his own versions of the various attractions along Route 66,


Indoor Outhouse

 items from an old drive in movie theatre (indoor now), an old diner, half of Herbie sticking out the 2^nd floor and a whole lot more.  Neat place, neat people.




Diner part of the museum - a nod to other Route 66
attractions and home to a host of
Coca Cola memorabilia



Jean enjoying her coke at the wheel
of Herbie (who remembers the
Love Bug?)

   


 

Saturday had us spending the day in Muskogee at a Renaissance Faire.  We were planning to visit the castle in Muskogee anyway but couldn’t resist the Faire when we found out about it.  Twas a shame we didn’t pack costumes but when you only have one suitcase for a whole year the line does have to be drawn.  It was a lot of fun even without costumes although some people had strange ideas on what period renaissance covered.

There's a whole medieval-styled village in the castle grounds

The Bedlam Bards - Sue recognised a couple of their tunes
from her Hash House Harrier days

Tulsa itself had an interesting phenomenon going on.  Labelled as The Sonic Centre of the Universe, the area itself is on a now, pedestrian, bridge going over some railway lines.  Standing on what appears to be little more than a manhole cover, when you talk out loud there is an echo in your head.  Anyone standing next to you can’t hear it.  When the two of us stood on the sonic centre for this photo Jean could hear Sue’s echo when Sue talked out loud but Sue couldn’t hear her own echo and vice versa.  Weird huh?  I know there’s very likely a rational scientific explanation but who cares.  It’s a bit of fun.

Jean and Sue hearing voices in their heads ...