Moooooving on West--TRIP 3 (2012)

"Today is about as far south as we go," said Andy, as we headed across Oklahoma toward Oklahoma City. Grey skies and occasional misty rain kept the temperature a cool 69 degrees. The weather report, altered since last night, suggested that clouds would dominate through tomorrow afternoon.
We passed through the Cherokee Nation on Interstate #40.  Small trees lined the rolling hills. "This doesn't look like Oklahoma," said Andy. "Everything is green and hilly."

The statue reminds me of the Greek
myth of Sisyphus trying to roll a rock
over the top of the mountain.

I read that the two passions of the Cherokee people are law and education. The Cherokee Female Seminary in Tahlequah, established in 1851 after the trail of Tears and relocation to Oklahoma, was the first institute of higher learning for women west of the Mississippi.

The bridge led us to the
Centennial Land Run Monument.

After a Starbucks break we found meter parking in the Bricktown section of town, a few consecutive blocks of bars and breweries, that led up to Bricktown Canal. The canal, a mile long, was patterned after the one in San Antonio. "We make no bones about that," said a boatman as his canal boat floated past us. "They succeed in creating a lovely downtown, so we can too."  First opened in 1999, Bricktown Canal just outside of downtown Oklahoma City, is still in development.

Monstrous statues of pioneers
honor those who settled
Oklahoma in the late 1800's.

"If the restaurants can last ten years, this will be a real asset to the city," said Andy. Located in the heart of the convention center, the area is within walking distance of downtown.
We followed the canal past a statue of the upper torso of a man holding a globe. "It looks like a modern Sisyphus pushing the world to the top of two planks," I told Andy. 

With Andy standing next to the bronze,
its monstrous proportions are even more obvious.

"That's probably what it is," he agreed.
Centennial Land Run Monument at the far end of the mile-long canal stretched across acres. Tallgrass gardens surrounded huge bronze statues of pioneers moving west and cowboys on horseback and Pony Express riders urging on their horses.

With the office buildings of Oklahoma
City rising in the background,
the statue at Chickasaw Plaza
honors the Indian heritage.

The park honors the pioneers of the Land Run of 1889 when on April 22, 1889, 50,000 Americans vied for 160-acre plots or "town lots."  The statues, in a variety of poses, dash for land across the canal.In 1890 the unassigned land was established as the  Oklahoma Territory. In 1907, that territory combined with the Indian Territory for one government, and on November 16, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state.

Our return to the canal provides
sunny skies to photograph
the statues a second time.

A canal boat passed us near Chickasaw Plaza. Over a microphone system, the boatman explained the statues to his passengers. "There will be 46 bronzes when this is complete," he said. "Forty-six for the 46th state.  There are only 25 installed now."
And the 25 are absolutely huge and gorgeous!

Horses balk as the land grabbers
approach the river.

After checking in at the motel, we headed to Agnew Exit off I-40 and Stockyard City, the largest stocker/feeder cattle market in the world. Small ranchers drove small truckloads of six or eight cows into the yards. It was hard to even watch. We knew the animals didn't have long to live.

A big empty truck leaves the stockyards. 

"Do you think they realize what is up?" asked Andy.

Whimsical bull statues
decorate the Bricktown
section of Oklahoma City.

"How could they not?" I answered. There must be a sense of death around the place for the animals, even though it was clean.
The shops had beautiful bronze statues, gorgeous leather work, and every cowboy style imaginable. We walked along the streets and meandered through shops.
"Let's go back to Bricktown and walk the mile both ways one more time," suggested Andy. "Then I'll take you out for dinner."

In the late afternoon the sky clears
over downtown Oklahoma City.

The suggestion was almost a relief, even though I found Stockyard City eerily fascinating.
"Wonderful," I told him, and I meant it.
The skies cleared with big patches of blue and huge fair-weather puffy cumulus clouds. The sun warmed our world in broad steamy rays. We followed the path along the canal and back before choosing the beautiful indoor patio of Abuelo Mexican Food Embassy for a scrumptious enchilada and burrito dinner.