April 20, 2022

Temperature 91 Degrees, Abundant Sunshine

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

Talk about climate change and crazy weather. Yesterday the temperature was 63 degrees and today it is 91 degrees! That’s quite a shift in just one day. It will remain like this up to and including the day we leave which is Friday. Then we move further north and the temperatures go back down once again.

One of the wonderful joys of traveling around this great country of ours is the opportunity we have to visit some magnificent museums that we never knew existed. Such is the museum we visited the other day.

I discovered this museum by accident while surfing the web one day. I then spent some time looking at its web site and decided well why not. I literally had no idea what we were in for nor what to expect. But boy oh boy am I ever glad we decided to put it on our list of places to visit.

First of all this museum is huge. Like I mean enormous. According to their literature the museum has more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. I believe it. And that’s not counting the numerous outside exhibits. They recommend 2 to 4 hours for a visit. Well, we spent 3 hours and finally had to call it a day and we still had not viewed all the exhibits. We really should have taken a two day pass.

Second, this is a museum that deserves a visit from one and all. Per their web page:

MISSION STATEMENT
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum preserves and interprets the evolving history and cultures of the American West for the education and enrichment of its diverse audiences of adults and children

They also state that over 10 million visitors from around the world have already visited the museum since it opened in 1995.

Let me now try and highlight some of the exhibits that were on display. Truthfully, I know I’m not going to do it justice but I do hope I wet your appetite enough for you to put it on your bucket list.

Entitled The End of the Trail this sculpture was meant to reflect Native Americans as part of a vanishing race with no place in the twentieth century. It portrays an Indian warrior defeated and bound for oblivion – frozen in time. Yet far from going quietly into the night the Native American population from a low of only 250,000 in 1890 now numbers slightly over two million.

Throughout the year they rotate display exhibits. This is one of the current exhibits.

No air bags on this baby. Not even a leaf spring or two.

I wonder if they had CAT Scales back then? Or worried about four corner weight distribution? The one thing that stood out to me was the fact that the wagon was usually so loaded there was no room inside for the family. Rather, they had to walk alongside the wagon from start to finish.

Should I ever get to complaining about rough roads, high winds, and rainy weather while traveling all I need to do is refer back to this. Then I’ll truly know how good I have it.

Another current exhibit.

A sampling of some of the exhibits both inside and outside.

I can’t imagine climbing the ladder every night to go to bed. And what about a potty break in the middle of the night!

The above is just a sampling of what the museum has to offer. Other exhibits that we saw just a bit of dealt with Western Performers, the Rodeo, native American dwellings, and an early western town. The interesting thing is I knew of the West, but didn’t really know all that much about Western culture. I came away with a new understanding and new insights into a way of life that was far removed from the culture I grew up in. And any day that I can learn something new I consider it a good day.

Yup, back to collecting T-shirts again.

Life on The Road of Retirement is ever so good. One more day of sightseeing – this time I’ll go solo – and then Friday we’re back on the road. Stick with us, we have miles to go and so many more more interesting places to share with you in the future.

April 19, 2022

Temperature 63 Degrees, Sunny, Windy

An April Morning in Oklahoma City 27 Years Ago

We’re going back to the site of the Oklahoma bombing 25 years ago today. We’ll finish up our visit there with a tour of the outdoor Memorial and other exhibits around the museum.

The Survivor Tree. This is a near century old American Elm that stands as a symbol of strength and resilience.

This field of empty chairs is located where the Federal Building once stood. The chairs are arranged in nine rows reflecting the floor on which someone was killed. Each chair is etched with the name of a person killed. There are also 19 smaller chairs for each of the children killed. At night the chairs light up as individual beacons of light.

The reflecting pool is the site of what was once Fifth Avenue which ran in front of the Federal building. There is a gate at either end of the pool. One is visible above.

This is the other gate. They are called the Gates of Time. On one is etched the time 9:01 representing we learned the innocence before the attack. The other gate has the time of 9:03 which we also learned marks the moment when healing began.

And I’ll conclude with this.

We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have had the time to visit the Museum and Memorial. It left both of us with a lot to think about. Even today, a day later, so many thoughts about that day are still swirling around in my mind. Again, let me encourage you if you have not had the opportunity to visit both do take some time in the future to do so.

Thanks again for stopping by today  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

April 18, 2022

Temperature 64 Degrees, Windy, Scattered Clouds

An April Morning in Oklahoma City 27 Years Ago

Today was our first sightseeing trip. This Memorial and Museum has been on our bucket list for some time. The Museum in graphic pictures tells the story of that horrific day. The destruction. The heroism. The stories of survivors. This is definitely one of the best museums we’ve toured in our four years. It is well laid out and extremely informative. One blog can never really do it justice. There is just so much to see, to take in, to ponder and reflect about. If you have never been here I encourage you to put it on your bucket list.

Now, let me share with you a bit of what we discovered.

19 children died in the 2nd floor Day Care Center. 6 were rescued. A total of 219 children lost a parent that day.

One of the displays features a tape recording that was being made of an application hearing in a building across the street from the Federal Building. The hearing began at 9 am. You know it is coming, the explosion that is. But when it happens, let me just say it was deafening and shocking. I can only imagine the horror of those that day that witnessed it first hand.

There is really so much more but we’ll call it here. There is a whole display dedicated to the collection of evidence and the building of the case against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Another display details their trial and then their sentencing. Then there is the Memorial which is outside. We’ll cover that tomorrow night.

It was a very somber and sobering day. Also frightening when you stop to consider that it could possibly happen again today. We went away with a new appreciation for life itself and with a new resolve to never take even a minute we are given to live for granted.

Thanks again for stopping by today  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before