We're in Oklahoma

October 13, 2018

We completed our trek across the Texas panhandle today and made it into Oklahoma.  Most of the towns we passed through along Route 66 have seen better days.  Many are almost ghost towns.  I think for every restored sign or business that we photographed, there were 100 signs or businesses that our abandoned.  Life along Route 66 is certainly different than life in New England.

An oil refinery in Borger, Texas

 There are plenty of these in the Texas Panhandle where it's flat and windy.

 Do you think this home owner belongs to the NRA?

Slug Bug Ranch, Conway, Texas

Not a real water tower, Mr. Britten had a good sense of humor.  Groom, Texas

 Oldest Phillips 66 gas station in Oklahoma

 Hand cut ribeye steaks for lunch.  Outstanding!

Art deco Conoco gas station in Shamrock, Texas.  Featured in Pixar film Cars

Our first town in Oklahoma, Texola, population=38

 Texola, OK

  Texola, OK

Sandhill's Curiosity Shop in Erick, OK.  Hometown of Roger Miller and Sheb Wooley, who wrote "One Eyed, One Eared, Flying Purple People Eater"

We shouldn't have been surprised to see so many cotton fields since Texas does host the Cotton Bowl

 Our final highlight of the day was visiting this battlefield in Oklahoma, where on November 27, 1868, over 700 soldiers from the 7th Calvary, led by George Armstrong Custer, slaughtered a village of 100+ Indians, mostly women and children.  Chief Black Kettle and his wife were among the victims.  Not sure why it's called a battle.  The Indians were asleep in their teepees when the attack began just before dawn. 

When Custer signed a treaty and smoked the peace pipe with the Indians after this battle, one of the Chiefs dumped the ashes from the pipe on Custer's boots and said,  "if you break this treaty you will die."  Many historians have stated that Little Big Horn was the Indians revenge for this attack.

I'm not sure it sure it should be called a battlefield.  That's like calling Dachau a battlefield.

The trees in the back of this foggy scene are along the Washita River, the location of the Indians' village attacked by Custer.  It's not that picturesque, but just seeing the location was moving.

Foss State Park, Foss, OK