So you probably think I either vanished off the face of the Earth or that I forgot to post anything on the blog since leaving Missouri. Well, neither of those are true, I've just been caught up with having so much fun!
But now that Ryan and I are on the road again from Phoenix, heading back to Atlanta, I finally have a chance to catch everyone up on the wonderful adventures we have been having, so without further ado.....
Ryan and I left Missouri and were sad because we had a wonderful time with my family in St. Joe. Hyvee and Shatto Milk silently wept as we left, for Ryan and I had probably bought about half of their entire milk supply when we were there. But we were off, with Phoenix as our destination, as we would meet up with Ryan's sister Sharon, who has a house there.
On the way to Phoenix, we sped by the Kansas Plains and went south on I-35 to Oklahoma where we stopped in Oklahoma City. Ryan and I were curious about what to do in OKC and we remembered that the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum was there, so, we were curious to check that out. Ryan and I really didn't know many details about the bombing, because we were in elementary school when it happened.
And it was a beautiful memorial site. The site was very quiet, very peaceful in stark contrast to what happened there in 1995. I was amazed at how much damage the initial bomb made to all of the buildings around it and how much different the entire block was because of the damage. If you see before and after shots of the area, you'd be surprised at how much damage a bomb could do.
But the memorial was beautiful outside and inside in a building right next to it was a very well done museum. As a self-proclaimed museum buff, I was impressed. You start upstairs and then you enter a room where the door automatically shuts behind you. In the room, you listen to a tape recording of a meeting that was going on next door right before the bomb exploded. I was amazed by how the recording just demonstrates how the ordinary routine of our lives can be shattered by tragedy in an instant. It was very moving.
The rest of the exhibit details the damage, the investigation and capture of the bomber Timothy McVeigh, and how ordinary people became heroes that day. It was all very moving and powerful. The site is ran by the National Park Service and it is one of the best sites I have ever been to, here are some photos we took!
After the museum, it was late afternoon and we hadn't eaten lunch. So, being the foodie I am, I got out my Yelp app and found this amazing funky burger place called S&B's Burger Joint. The decor was vintage 70's punk music with album covers decorating the table and a sort of neon colored highlights throughout the room. It was like a place you might find in New York rather than Oklahoma, but it was amazing! The burgers were juicy and delicious, and they had "loaded fries" that were delicious! Ryan had sweet potato ones complete with marshmallows and brown sugar and I had ones with queso, peppers, and crispy onions. If you find yourself in OKC sometime, you must go!
Afterward, we drove through OKC and were surprised that they have a very picturesque "riverfront" area. Although the "river" was very tiny, this was the nice area where the Thunder play and we took a picture of my favorite fast-food restaurant, Sonic's HQ. And then we were off again.
We drove across Oklahoma and Texas and we saw some of the damage that the tornadoes did to areas west of OKC. Whole billboards were shredded, we saw the twisted metal of farm equipment that hadn't been cleaned up yet, and trees ripped up. We actually didn't even get to see much from I-40, but it was enough to show just how bad those tornadoes were. Fascinating to see that damage up close!
We drove through to Texas to Amarillo and were surprised by the beautiful countryside that you can see around there. Some very nice scenery! That night, we made it to Amarillo where we decided to stay for the night. The next post will tell about our adventure from Amarillo to Phoenix. Stay tuned!
Nick
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