The room at the Super 8 in Dumas, Tx. It was starting to rain, so I high-tailed it out of there...
...and into a gnarly thunderstorm that covered all of the Texas panhandle all the way to Oklahoma City. At least, it seemed like one huge storm. I got into some seriously heavy rain that forced me to slow down. People kept passing me going 70 miles per hour though. The benefit of modern traction control, I suppose. Either that or just plain bad driving. Anyway, this shot was intended to show the fog in downtown Amarillo, Texas. I guess I hit the shutter long before I got the camera up. Oh well. This misty foggy business lasted the whole drive and limited any sightseeing I may have wanted to do.
"The Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere." One of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen. That thing is big enough to crucify Paul Bunion. I could write more on how wrong this thing is, but I’ll just leave it at that.
The nicest rest stop I’ve ever seen. The building had some history on Route 66, and some seriously clean, modern, and artsy restrooms. This shot shows the left half of the building, plus the Texas flag at attention, a testament to how windy the day was.
There’s a "Welcome to Oklahoma" sign in there somewhere, but the wiper cycle wasn’t timed well enough to clear the windshield for the shot.
"Welcome to Sayre, Oklahoma." You just know I had to visit a town that shares my name. Someday I’ll make it to Sayre, Pennsylvania.
Approaching downtown Sayre.
The Town Hall of Sayre. I passed this by the first time, so I doubled back to get the shot. I was afraid I had gotten the car coming up the street, but I accidentally framed the shot well. I only stayed in Sayre long enough to take a leak and buy some Gatorade, as it was far too wet and windy for a picnic.
Out the right side of the car somewhere between Sayre and Oklahoma City. (It’s still weird for me to type my name as a town).
Out the left side of the car, seconds later. I tried to stop for lunch at an Arby’s shortly after these shots, but there was a line, and the help didn’t seem interested in helping anyone. When I got there, there was a line of about 6 people in front of me. The sole cashier took about five minutes to complete one order, then disappeared into the back. I figured rather than wait at least 30 minutes, I’d just sit in my car and make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
My cell phone appears to be malfunctioning. I can’t retrieve voicemail. So when I called Uncle Riley to meet up, I left a message. He apparently called me back a minute later, but I didn’t get the call, and I didn’t get the notification I had voicemail until about an hour later. Then an automated voice told me I couldn’t complete the call to my own voicemail. Whatever. In the end we hooked up just fine. He gave me a tour of his house, which really belongs to his three dogs and dozen or so cats. Seriously, that house belongs to cats. It’s insane! Riley drove me around town the rest of the day, showing me the OU campus, the school where he teaches, and various other parts of the city. We had dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse and saw the capitol building. I laughed out loud when I saw the oil derrick right smack in front of the capitol dome.
Tonight’s hotel is the Marriott Westforge, provided by Uncle Riley. This place is way too rich for my blood, especially being so used to Super 8s. The crazy thing is that here, internet and breakfast cost extra, whereas they’re included at Super 8. Now I know I don’t want to be rich. To pay so much for so little.