Daily Archives: October 4, 2017

Bentonville AR Mile 2098.8

We have been driving under cloudy skies or rain since Albuquerque which seems like a long time for us although it has only been a couple of days. When we woke up Tuesday morning, in Tulsa, it was raining Since this drive was short – only 121.5 miles, it turned out – we spend the morning and most of the afternoon in Tulsa in intermitant rain. As an aside, my whole worldview is that it only rains when it is cold and I am shocked every time I walk out of an air-conditioned building into the rain, and it is warmer. End aside. 

Michele standing at The Center of the Universe, a place on a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, that has very strange acoustics.
The Woodie Gutherie Center was a great reminder that, while Oklahoma is politically conservative, it also has strong Populist roots.
Michele – I guess that you already know that this is Michele – in front of a stunning mosaic showing the geology of the area.

It was still raining as we left town. I liked Tulsa a lot. Because it has had several booms and busts, It’s got lots of interesting buildings and it’s fun to walk around the Downtown area and see what seems to be buildings from three eras. The 60s buildings, of which I have always been a fan, come off as pretty blandly out of a human scale, compared to the earlier buildings. 

I don’t know what to make of the “Kum & Go” name of the gas station. I am slightly offended by the name and slightly more offended by the bad spelling.

Once on the road, the rain seemed harder before it let-up..  

Crossing the Arkansas River on its way from Colorado to the mighty Mississippi.

Entering the Ozarks which were beautiful even in flat light. .
The Welcome Center for the Cherokee Nation with both flags at half mast.

 

A little after when we left Tulsa, we got into the Ozark Mountains and the road cuts became spectacular, but we seemed to be mostly out of them by the time we got to Arkansas. Still, Arkansas was beautiful even if was marred by giant chicken factories, and, driving into Bentonville, much of it seemed like a park.  We ended the day at Doe’s Eat Place, a place we had first run into in Greenville MS, where Michele had a long conversation about Rye whiskeys and Irish whiskeys before choosing a very nice Cornel Taylor Rye.

A couple shots of Tulsa OK

When we got up to wander around Tulsa, my camera had a dead battery. I had plugged in the charger cable all night but it didn’t charge the phone. It turns out that the phone has to be sitting at a certain angle for the charger to work – I’m worried that I may have tweaked connectors while charging in the car – so I didn’t take any pictures on our wandering through Tulsa. The pictures after the Union Station and before Michele shaking hands, are all Michele’s. 

Tulsa 9/11 Memorial. The tall building in the background is a 52 story tower designed by Minoru Yamasaki & Associates, the same architect as the original World Trade Center and, at 52 stories, it looks like a 1/2 scale model.

Tulsa Union Station.

Michele and a Tulsa Democratic activist congratulating each other on their mutual good sense.
Tulsa State Fairgrounds Main Pavilion which was featuring “Disney On Ice. Most of the rest of the shots are at the Tulsa State Fair. 
The guys on the left are selling metal outbuildings, the guys are the right are selling barbecues that run on pellets that are feed into the fire by a little electric motor – hey! don’t laugh, Michele has a family friend that has one and swears by it – safes, and gun silences (called suppressors).
There seems to be a much bigger interest in security in this part of the world than I am used to. Part of it is the constant threat of tornadoes.
Tornado Alley Armour, a manufacureer
I like that the tooth guy is right next to Nitro Ice Cream.
A vendor demonstrating how to beautify a cow for an upcoming competition. The comprehensive program includes making the cow’s nose shiny and doing something to improve the hoofs as well as enhancing the coat with paint.  
A family leading – and sometimes pushing – two of the most beautiful cows I have ever seen, to a beauty competition.