Museum'd to Exhaustion
Monday, April 19, 2021 for Friday, April 16, 2021
We spent Thursday night in Tulsa/Catoosa, OK, having traveled through Claremore, OK to get there. On Friday morning, we had to go back east to pick up the Will Rogers Memorial and Museum. We had hoped to visit the Museum on Thursday, but had gotten way behind with other adventures and driving. Will Rogers was a man who I read quite a bit about some time ago, so both of us looked forward to seeing this.
If you don't know his story, it really is an American Tale of rags-to-riches, born into a mixed-culture family, in the Cherokee District in Oklahoma. His biggest early claim to fame was roping and rope tricks. His wife convinced him to banter while he did tricks on the Vaudeville stage, and he was a hit and a natural. He eventually moved into radio and movies, as well as syndicated writing for newspapers. His interest in flying caused him to get involved with an early aviation pioneer, Wylie Post, and it was on a flight in northern Alaska Territory, near Point Barrow, where they were in a fatal crash. He was 55 when he died, but still had a lot of life to live had the incident not happened.
There were two "interpreters" walking around the museum, posing as Will Rogers. One did a fun introduction, including some of Will Rogers banter and simple rope tricks.
While my description is short (well, for me), we spent about three hours in the museum.
We still had a lot to see! Next stop (in the rain) was the famous Blue Whale, right on Route 66.
We headed back to Tulsa, now going further west from our original spot. We noticed that some places embraced their Route 66 heritage more than others, and Tulsa embraced it.
Another of those iconic motels used by so many motorists in the past:
Randy was also interested in finding some of the well-known neon signs along the way, but we were typically traveling in daylight, so some of the effect was lost.
We had already spent a good bit of time, but there was another museum that was must-see for me:
Some of you will be familiar with Woody's music, what is now called "roots" music, and his influence on American folk music. His habit, especially early on, was to take familiar melodies and add his own words. He was prolific during his short life, and his music is being "covered" by artists and bands 60 - 80 years later. Although he didn't live all his life in Tulsa or Oklahoma, he considered the state and city home. He was a product of the dust bowl and its economic effect on America in the 1930's. One of the first things we did in the museum was experience a virtual reality presentation of Woody reciting one of his writings about the dust bowl, while being immersed in the sound and sights of a dust bowl storm. It was fascinating.
The late Pete Seeger was a contemporary and friend of Woody Guthrie, as well as a collaborator with Woody's son, Arlo (that is his gear on the right).
Randy: What are all those pictures of guitars? Don: They were all important to Woody Guthrie at one time. Compromise: one picture (OK, two. I'm writing the blog.)
Two museums, with about three hours in each, and some travel and stops, and we still had "miles to go before we sleep."
We had done following guidebooks and websites with reviews of eating places along the way, and as much as we could, we tried to stay in the traditional places. We stopped at the Rock Cafe in Stroud. Reviews were high, it was a "can't miss" stop, so we did. It takes its name from the local sandstone used in its construction. The proprietor, Dawn Welch, a long-time promoter of U.S. Route 66, is the basis for animated character Sally Carrera in the Pixar film Cars.
I provided all that buildup just to say, we were disappointed. Admittedly, it was raining, we were exhausted and hungry. Service by the young ladies in the cafe, with only one other patron, was poor. If we asked a question, the answer was "no" or "we don't do that." So, off we went.
Randy will tell her tale of visiting our local AAA office and requesting a Trip-Tic in preparation for this trip. In her younger years, her family made a trip across America following Route 66, which was the only choice back then. They followed a Trip-Tic, and Randy says that is where she got her love for following maps and using them. She was sorely disappointed on the modern version, which mostly kept us OFF Route 66. It has been rejected. On the other hand, we acquired sometime in the last few years, the book pictured above, with the author in between us. Jerry McClanahan is another of those people who make traveling Route 66 fun and easy. He says, drop in if you are in the area, so we did! For us, it would be almost impossible if we were without the guide. He was fascinated that we were using the 2nd edition, since it is now in the 4th edition, and if he is able to make the trip out and back himself, he hopes to have the 5th edition by the end of the year! He grabbed the book from Randy and started making changes that he knew we would run into further down the road. "If you ever plan to motor West ... ", you might want to find Jerry's book.
In spite of the time fleeting and it getting dark, there were two more places to try to see before we could head for our lodging.
The 1898 Round Barn was closed, of course, due to the hour, but we stopped and grabbed a picture. Normally there is a gift shop and exhibit.
We ended our day by driving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (" ... Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty ... ") It wasn't a particularly good ending, because our Hampton Inn was substandard, and we changed our four-night stay to one! More in the next entry.
Was the blue whale anything like the blue whale we'd visit in Mother Gooseland when we were kids in Ohio?
ReplyDelete