September 16, 2012
Been a couple days since our last post, so let me first bring you up to date. On Friday night we "camped" at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO. It started to rain shortly after leaving St. Louis and rained almost all night in Springfield, like cats and dogs! They were doing some remodelling at BPS so several areas of the store were closed. The store is really big, but not as big as I thought it would be, likely due to the remodelling.
Saturday we left for OK City. The rain finally let up about the time we hit the OK border. Can't say much about the scenery, it was various shades of gray. Rolling hillside through the Ozarks.
Today we went to the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. We found it very interesting. The museum helped us learn what a cowboy really is and how they got started. Hollywood has romanticised what a cowboy is to get people interested. Cowboys got started after the Civil War, driving cattle from ranch to market. Their skills were broad, as they had to take care of the cattle and their horses, but also included living outside and survival. The gunfighter, gambler, and adventure seeker were not those guys.
The museum had lots of art in paintings and sculpture. Most were no photos. In the lobby is their signature piece called the End of The Trail which was originally commissioned for San Francisco. It signified the end of the Trail of Tears endured by the Cherokees. I could go on and on about my disgust for the way this country treated Native Americans that occupied this country before we got here.
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| End of the Trail |
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| John Wayne |
The Civil War played a significant role in how cowboys learned many of their skills, and shaped the way cattle got to market. This statue of Lincoln depicts him in deep concern over the country's situation.
Tomorrow we head for Amarillo, checking out some Route 66 stuff on the way. More later!
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