What an amazing adventure these past three weeks have been!
I will admit, when we finally made it to the Cactus Motel in McLean Texas, we didn’t know what we had gotten ourselves into. Outside the motel’s office was a mail box, inside were envelops with names and room keys. That was the extent of check in. Thus far we had stayed in a Motel 6 in Barstow (the hardest beds in the entire country are there); and a Red Roof Inn in Gallup. Now we were spending the night in McLean. Never judge a book by its cover. The rooms are spacious, the beds comfortable and your host has stocked your room with micro-wave popcorn and chilled bottles of water. The only thing lacking was a useable size bar of soap.
The little hamlet of McLean lay some 74 miles east of Amarillo, and 185 miles west of Oklahoma City. Today’s whisper of a population is said to be about 600 people. The largest building in town its Church and gathering hall. McLean began as a section of land that Alfred Rowe, an English land owner, donated as a cattle stop for the railroad in 1901. The land donation was in his best interest. Alfred never lived long enough to see the town’s heyday as he traveled between America and England. It was his intention to return, having booked his return first-class voyage aboard the Titanic.
In 1927 US Route 66 was constructed through town, and it became a stopping point for tourists, a center for oil, a transportation hub for livestock and agriculture. By 1940 McLean was home to some 1,500 residents with six churches, 59 booming businesses and a thriving newspaper. In 1942 the military constructed a prisoner-of-war camp just east of the town. The camp housed some 3,000 German prisoners until the end of the war in 1945. When US 40 was constructed it bypassed the town. Today its commercial district is on the National Register of Historical Places.
From McLean we continued east toward Oklahoma City. Kiddo is an avid fan of storm-chasing, and hopes to someday make a living as a certified chaser himself. He wanted to visit a memorial site near El Reno, just west of Oklahoma City.
Oh May 31, 2013, TWISTEX Researchers Tim Samaras, his 24-year-old son Paul, and 45-year-old Carl Young died in a record-breaking 2-1/2 mile wide EF3 multiple-vortex tornado that wrecked havoc near El Reno Oklahoma. The three were unable to escape along the gravel roads while chasing the storm. Their car was caught by a subvortex, killing Paul and Carl by ejecting them from the vehicle. Tim, buckled in the passenger’s seat, was killed as the car was thrown around for a half-mile by the storm. Today there is a memorial marking the site, where visitors leave notes, flowers and mementos. Standing at the site, surveying the landscape and imagining what it must have been like that day seemed eerily unsettling.
From El Reno we continued on to our next stop, at my request. Today seemed a day filled with sorrow and memorials. The empty chairs, reflecting pool and clock frozen in time on the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building are moving. All I could think as I walked the grounds is that we don’t need to import terrorists into our country – we do a great job growing our own.
On April 19, 1995 Timothy McVeigh parked a Ryder rental truck packed with explosives in front of the Federal Building. A total of 168 innocent people, many children in the day-care center, died as the explosion destroyed the entire north face of the building. On the fifth anniversary of the attack, April 19, 2020 the outdoor Memorial was dedicated.
In addition to the chair display, a lone tree remains as a symbol of the resilience of people. The tree stood near the parking structure. Debris and burning vehicles crashed to the ground all around it, yet the tree not only survived; it is thriving, made stronger by its scars.
Our visit to Oklahoma City and it’s surrounding area was not all sad. Oklahoma City is actually a very clean, beautiful place. As part of a revival of the area Oklahoma City created their Bricktown district. This was formerly a major warehouse district that had seen better days. Today it is a thriving entertainment district with a Chickasaw Bricktown Ball Park, shopping, restaurants and the navigable Bricktown Canal. The entire district encompasses 50-square city blocks. The best way to explore the canal is to take a boat cruise. Your captain is happy to point out places of interest as well as to provide some Oklahoma history.
While enjoying our boat ride, we spotted the Bourbon Street Café and decided it was the perfect spot for some Deep South cuisine before moving on. Our meal began with Fried Alligator Tail (a little chewy for my taste). Hubby had their Satchmo Salmon while I tried their Napoleon Benedict. (Eggs Benedict with a true “Okie” touch – instead of English Muffins, the poached eggs are on biscuits – a receipt I fully intend to recreate). Kiddo stuck with what he knows – a burger.
Our next stop will be to explore a road less traveled up over the mountains between Oklahoma and Arkansas. Hope you come along.
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