*NOTE: Five years ago I began a journey across the country with Thiel, a dear friend of mine. I was moving from Chicago to Long Beach, California, and she agreed to make the drive with me. I present my journal of that journey on the corresponding day that it was recorded five years ago. Enjoy reliving this adventure with me!
Day 7: January 9, 2014
I woke up rested and back to my normal, sparkling personality. We got a later start to our day because I knew I needed to sleep as much as possible. We checked out of the motel at 11:00, right on the dot of checkout time, and headed out. It’s been around 40 degrees for the last couple of days, which feels warm. It was gloomy and misty out, but the only snow on the ground was patchy and slushy. I was excited to see that we’re finally getting out of it.
We drove to Foyil, Oklahoma, to a roadside totem pole park to see the world’s largest totem pole.
The World’s Largest Totem Pole, Foyil, OK.
Me (teeny tiny on the bottom left of the base) and the World’s Largest Totem Pole, Foyil, OK.
Thiel (teeny tiny on the bottom right of the base) and the World’s Largest Totem Pole, Foyil, OK.
Following that we stopped to eat and then went on to Catoosa, Oklahoma, to see the Catoosa Whale, a big blue whale in a pond that was part of a small roadside amusement park built in the 1970s. You can go in its mouth and there are slides out either side of its body into the pond. Swimming is no longer allowed in the pond, but the whale is being preserved and is a great piece of Americana.
The Catoosa Whale, Catoosa, OK.
Thiel and the Catoosa Whale, Catoosa, OK.
Next was Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we went to Oral Roberts University because one of my guidebooks told of a kitschy-sounding walk-through presentation of the first seven books of the Bible inside the Prayer Needle in the middle of campus. After being confronted with a MASSIVE sculpture of praying hands at the entrance, we found parking near where we needed to go. We got to the Prayer Needle only to be told that they no longer have the presentation, so we used the holy bathroom and moved on. For some reason the Prayer Needle had a pole on top of it with flames coming out of it. Not sure what that symbolizes. There was another building nearby with a giant basin in front of it with another pillar of flame coming out of it.
Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK.
The Prayer Needle at Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK.
We got lost a couple of times after Tulsa but regained our course. There were some great stretches of the original 1926 road that we got to veer off on from time to time, but for the most part it was newer highway with speed limits of 65 MPH. For some reason when it gets dark, oncoming traffic seems to think that my lights are on bright; they’re always flashing their brights at me. I’m very conscientious when driving and always aware of dimming my lights for other drivers. I flash them back to let them know that I’m already dimmed, but it’s very frequent that someone does it to me. I don’t know what it is about my headlights. They must just be very bright.
The weather challenge for the past couple of days has been fog that develops at night. It’s hard to see very far in it sometimes and that prevents us from keeping up speed. We reached Arcadia, Oklahoma after dark. There’s a historic round barn there. It was closed, of course, when we reached it, but we took some pictures and went on to Pops, which is a new roadside attraction. It’s a café with all kinds of different sodas and a snack shop. Outside is a giant soda bottle with a straw sticking out of it. It’s lit up and changes colors. You can’t miss it.
The Round Barn, Arcadia, OK.
The soda bottle at Pops, Arcadia, OK.
We stopped for the night in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City. We got some dinner, then tried to find a laundromat but to no avail. I gave up searching and went to Target to buy some underwear, as that’s not something I’d like to repeat wearing. I tried to find a liquor store with my GPS to get a bottle of wine to take back to the room with us, but every one I went to was closed, and it was only 10:00 PM! I stopped at a 7-Eleven and they had beer. There was a cute guy next to me looking at the beer and I asked him if they sell wine. He said no, only beer. I told him that all the liquor stores I could find were closed and he told me that the liquor stores in Oklahoma all close at 9:00 PM.
“You’re kidding!” I said incredulously.
“No, in Oklahoma they close at nine. After that it’s beer or nothin’,” he said.
I bought a six-pack of Bud Light and we went back to our room. My boss had given me a bottle of pink champagne on my last night at work so we opened that and toasted to the end of winter on our journey. Maybe we’ll save the beer for later.
Thiel, the worthy navigator, buried under maps, books, and CDs.
Finally I get to see what your great friend Thiel looks like!
Yep! There she is!
I grew up just a few miles from Arcadia. And I went to college in Edmond (originally Central State College and now The University of Central Oklahoma). You’re providing me a trip down memory lane since I never go back to Oklahoma: thanks!