The Rest of the Story, October 15, 2011

We made coffee and Dennis called the “glass dept.” of the insurance company to see what we needed to do and if they could help us find a reliable glass replacement company.  Then Dennis took the dirty clothes down to the laundry room and I went into the workout room across the hall.  Dennis talked to the glass folks and dressed and left to take care of the car.  I took a shower and finished the laundry and re-packed our stuff.  We hoped to leave around 1:00 or 2:00, but at noon I still had not heard from Dennis, but I was packed and ready.  He sent a text that he was on his way back to pick me up at 12:30.

We hit the road at 1:30 – both of us quiet and pensive about the incident.  I suggested that we head for Oklahoma City and Dennis agreed.  He hadn’t eaten anything yet so I suggested that we stop at the Rock Café in Stroud, about 45 minutes from Tulsa.  I read the blurb describing the restaurant – it included homemade spaetzle and that cinched it!  The Rock Café was right out of the movie Cars.  Here is what our guidebook said: “the owner was the inspiration for Sally Carrera in the movie Cars.”  The restaurant was tiny, clean, smoke-free and had great sandwiches.  And, yes, we had the spaetzle.  We also took pictures.  Dennis was considerably cheered after having a meal.  We got back on the road and headed for Oklahoma City.

I had suggested Oklahoma City for two reasons:  my brother Tim recommended a visit to the Murrah Building Memorial, and I thought the comparison to our Tulsa experience would put that ugly event in perspective.  Tim was right – the Memorial was beautiful and very moving.  There were many visitors and all were quiet and respectful.  Like us, many were taking pictures.  The people who designed this memorial were very thoughtful in its creation.  The memorial honors the deceased and uses the remains of the building in creative and sensitive ways.  It also honors the first responders who saved so many lives.  Walking through the outdoor memorial was a very sad and meditative experience.  These were folks just like us who got up and went to work, who dropped their kids off at daycare, who came to do business at the federal building and who did not return home.  It was a powerful reminder to do the best we can at every moment because we really do not know which moment is our last.

We left Oklahoma City on historic Rte 66 and drove through miles of flat, increasingly dry land.  We did not see any hotels but we did not want to drive all night so we broke the Rte 66 rules and went back to I-40 West in search of a motel.  We stopped at Weatherford at a Holiday Inn Express right next door to Lucille’s Roadhouse (awesome!).  Tomorrow we will jump back on the old road to visit a few places in OK and drive on to TX.

We are fine.  Sad about the vandalism and theft and about what would cause a person to do such a random un-kindness, but we are moving on to have some more road adventures.