Captain’s Log – 07042009
Location --- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Trip Miles – 1734.1
Diesel Price -- $2.55 per gallon
Report from Engineering – threw a breaker trying to operate microwave, air conditioning (AC) and TV at the same time; suggested appropriate revision in operator procedures to the Captain. AC operated well all day yesterday as outside temperature climbed to 104F. Star Ship Wolverine cleared for transit to Galaxy of Missouri.
Weather – Hot and Humid! Commodore and Captain are somewhat bedraggled.

Oklahoma afternoon thunder is LOUD --- especially after daytime temperatures have climbed to 104 degrees F! When we arrived in Oklahoma City, we thought the only attractive thing here was the State Flag. That view changed as numerous treasures of this place came our way. This city has real gold in it!

At 9:30 am, we were the only passengers aboard the Bricktown water taxi which plowed along a mile-long canal lined with shops, eateries, gardens and sculptures. About ten years ago, this old-warehouse district was a place to avoid! Today, it is a fun, energetic entertainment district. We went there twice! From a one-percent sales tax increase over a six year period, the folks in Oklahoma City built Bricktown, a 20,000-seat outdoor sports arena and the Ford Center indoor arena. All of these establishments are now debt free!

The attractions along the Bricktown range from the large to the small…the large end being celebrated in the impressive 1 ½-times-lifesize bronze sculptures commemorating the Great Oklahoma Land Rush back in 1889. Literally overnight, Oklahoma City became a city of 10,000 people. The small end of the local attractions is celebrated in the reigning royalty on the canal – a mother duck and nine tiny yellow ducklings!

Providentially driven indoors by the ferocious heat and humidity, we spent yesterday afternoon at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. This huge venue is home to elegantly-displayed works of Western art, including pieces by Charles Russell and Frederick Remington. Other talented artists, including Native Americans, were represented as well. At a recent auction here, paintings were sold for as much as $75,000. A large collection of saddles and U.S. Army weaponry is also on display here, as is an eerily realistic replica of a frontier village.

Collage at the Cowboy Museum...

Today is Barbara’s birthday, as well as the birthday of our Nation. We opened the day with joyous refreshment, swimming in the RV park indoor pool with Marv and Florence Kopf, our square-dance friends from San Diego. They are headed to Arkansas while we will be heading up to Missouri. We hope we cross paths with them again on our travels! Here we are with Uncle Sam...


Uncle Sam and Friends ...

No description is adequate for the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. This moving place is a tribute to those who died or were affected by the horrific bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. We spent two hours here in absolute silence. The Memorial Museum is extremely well and reverently done and moved us to tears…not only because of the horror of this moment but also by the acts of selfless generosity and courage this moment produced. Outside the building site stands the Survivor Tree, an old elm that somehow survived the blast and was nursed back to health. Seedlings from this tree have been sent to locations around the world, including the White House and New York City on the occasion of the 9-11-2001 destruction of the World Trade Center.

A Memorial Collage ...

Field of Empty Chairs For The Victims...

The Survivor Tree...

The rain is now quiet and it is cooler, thank God! We celebrated Barbara’s birthday with an excellent lunch at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Bricktown.

Hang in with us, travelers! We like having you with us! We head up to Branson tomorrow!


Yours Truly,

Captain Baldy