Finding new things going through Oklahoma

 We came into Oklahoma on Highway 60 but just 7 miles in, turned north on Highway 15 to Shattuck.

We stopped at this rather interesting gas/reststop.

We were in luck again with nice, clean restrooms.  We have stopped at some "doozies" before but on this trip, we have "hit gold", if you can say such about public restrooms.

The army also stopped.  Lots of men and women in uniform came in the gas station.  I overheard the clerk ask where they were headed.  "North" came the reply.  Not going to reveal more.

There are 37 windmills at the Windmill Museum and Park, no two alike.

There is also a dug out at this park.  "In August1904, Alexander and Eva Ehrlich filed a claim on a piece of land seven miles southwest of Shattuck. From the caliche rock found on their own land they hewed and shaped the stones for the family dugout. The original dugout was larger than this reconstruction as many of the original stones could not be moved due to the lay of the land. The Ehrlichs and their nine children lived in this half-dugout until they could build a two-room, two story frame house. At that time the dugout became a cattle shed."

Dinosaurs in Woodward!

We picked up 412, also called the Cimarron Highway.  We have often traveled 412 from I-35 to Silaom Springs, Ark, but this was a first for us to be on it in western Oklahoma.

It was just captivating!

We got off 412 and headed north on 8/58.  We've seen several white churches like this.

I saw on the atlas that there was a sod house museum.  Unfortunately, being Sunday it was closed.

Allen's pharmacy tech, who was intrumental in getting Al hired on at the hospital, was born in a soddy!  She has passed on now, but we enjoyed hearing what it was like for her to have a dirt roof and walls.

A sad old house.

We had no idea at all that we would be coming to something we had never heard about before.  How had we not heard about it??  There is actually a salt lake in Oklahoma.  It is half as salty as the ocean!  You can even walk on the salty end and dig in the salt.  "Crystal enthusiasts can dig for hourglass selenite crystals, a rare and fragile form of selenite, which is a form of gypsum. Digging times are available from April 1 through October 15."

Had we known about this, we would have brought our grandchildren!  

Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field is located by the park.

For a lake park bathroom, these were A plus!  Brand new.

The marsh and ponds for wildlife were all dried up.  No water at all.  The drought has been really hard in this part of the state.

We took highway 11 onto 81 and back toward home.

My grandmother was a Hostetler.  Should have stopped and seen how we are related!

We had seen this historical marker once before, when we traveled to southern Kansas with Rich and Carolyn Dewey!  I remember reading it.

Our windshield was bug splattered by the time we got home.

It is so fun going on roads we've never been on before and discovering new things!

How do you know about these things unless you adventure?

As a believer in Christ, I have also found that the more I search the Bible, which is the very Word of God, the more I find!  The more exciting it is to learn new things!  God's Word is inexhaustible!  What an adventure it is to "journey" this pathof life with Him!!  He is my "road map"!!

The road home through Texas

Sunday morning we headed back home to Kansas going a different route than we came on.  It began the same until we got to Pampa, then we continued northeast on 60. 

One thing we observed is that trains are much longer than they used to be!  They were long enough before! - often 100 cars or so.  But now?  We didn't count them but they have even added 3-4 extra engines in the middle to help push them!  A man at our church who works for the railroad confirmed that they are trying to get by with fewer workers.  Either trying to save money or perhaps can't find willing workers?  There are so many "Help Wanted" signs in windows.  Perhaps too many incentives not to work?

It is just so pretty!!

Miami, Texas

population 439 in 2020

Roberts County courthouse

I found this old photo of Miami, TX back in the day. 

Miami park

The next town we came to was named Canadian, population around 2,649.  It is named after the Canadian River, a tributary of the Arkansas River.   Early settlers thought the river ran all the way to Canada.  Coronado came through the area in 1541 searching (in vain) for the Seven Cities of Gold. 

The atlas showed that there was a wagon bridge at the edge of town.  We followed the maps to it.

"This bridge is the longest known simple span pin connected highway truss bridge in the entire country."  It is 1/2 mile long each way so we got in a mile walk.

Although used for wagons (and horses, evidently) in the day, today it is a pedestrian bridge.

Racoon paw prints.  Not sure what else.

There were 55 flags along the way.

Al fixed a few that were twisted up.

Looking back - more wooded on the other side.

The railroad is on one side of this bridge and the highway on the other.

Here is one of those L O N G trains with 4 engines in the middle!

Perhaps delivering a package to you!

When we got back, we drove on highway 60 and could see this bridge we had just walked across.

We stopped at a gas station.  We have had luck in getting clean bathrooms on this trip!

Continuing across Oklahoma and on home on next post.