On the road again!

 For the 3rd time this month, we were headed out of state, this time to Arkansas.

We had to make a stop at the hospital in Wichita to return meds that Al had borrowed for our hospital.  While Al was going to the pharmacy, I looked at the map, wondering if there would be a route we haven't gone before.  We've gone to Arkansas so many times over the years, but I did find a way we hadn't gone.

We made a couple of other stops first.  We don't get to the big city often, so when we do drive through, we sometimes make stops for items we can't get in our town.

 Guess you can tell it is almost Halloween. 

 South on 77.  We've been on portions of this road, but not into Oklahoma.

 We like to pull over for historical markers, although we had a hard time finding them at times on this trip.

Going through small towns.

 We went across several creeks and rivers.  One was named

and yet another was named

Muddy Creek!

Ponca City, Pioneer Woman statue

dedicated to all pioneering women who helped develop Oklahoma

Speaking of Pioneer Women, I got to thinking that the modern day Pioneer Woman, blogger and food author, has a ranch somewhere in about this general direction in Oklahoma. 

I googled it and realized we would be going right by her ranch and shop!  I had no thought of that when we first mapped out this trip!

                                 

"There it is, Al!"

We pulled right into the town of Pawhuska and we decided to stop and see since we were there anyway!

 It was a nice stop!  And unexpected!  What a nice treat for the day.

 We had been in bare, ranch lands but soon the landscape turned to trees everywhere!

 An oil well in the middle of the road?

World's only Main Street oil well, Barnsdall, Ok

 Barnsdall is also the home of singer and Miss America 1958, Anita Bryant, and the movie star, Clark Gable of "Gone with the Wind"!

"The town was founded in 1905 and originally named Bigheart, for the Osage Chief James Bigheart.  They experienced a tornado in April 1911, a major fire in March 1913 and a flood in September 1915. Despite these calamities, the population increased from 307 in 1910 to 2,099 in 1920. That proved to be the high point of population in the town." - Wikipedia

 We stayed on small highways and avoided Tulsa.

For awhile, we followed a highway patrol.  He began to slow down and the question was, do we pass him?  It makes us a little nervous, even though we aren't doing anything wrong.  Anyone else feel that way?  Eventually, he pulled off.

 I think sometimes people feel that way about God.  That He is always looking for them to see if they trip up and do something wrong.  But, God isn't like that at all. 

He is not after us to beat us up.
He is after us to love on us!  He pursues you to love you!

 We drove through the town where our son went to college (and met his wife-to-be)

 And before too long, we were pulling up to our destination, where red maples and banana trees coincide.

Dan was getting the fire pit ready for the party the next day.

And Eli, our grandson, was ready for Papa to sword fight!