Welcome to WeeklyWilson.com, where author/film critic Connie (Corcoran) Wilson avoids totally losing her marbles in semi-retirement by writing about film (see the Chicago Film Festival reviews and SXSW), politics and books----her own books and those of other people. You'll also find her diverging frequently to share humorous (or not-so-humorous) anecdotes and concerns. Try it! You'll like it!

Month: November 2008 Page 1 of 2

Historic Harvey House Hotel Houses Barstow (CA) Route 66 Museum

barstowmuseumpics-003Today’s big adventure took place in Barstow, California, where we visited the Route 66 Museum supervised by Deborah Hodkin in the basement of a historic Harvey Hotel at 681 N. First Avenue. You approach the museum across a bridge not unlike the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in that it has a turn in it, and you can see the entire railway below. The museum is open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with the hours being 10 to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

barstowmuseumpics-008In the old days, people alighted from the trains and stayed in the Harvey House Hotels. There was even a 1946 movie starring Judy Garland that romanticized the Harvey House female employees, who had to take a vow not to marry while employed by the Harvey House and had certain other morals clauses in their work agreements.

We watched a movie, hosted by Marty Milner of “Route 66” television fame, that tracked the Mother Road (so named by John Steinbeck in “The Grapes of Wrath”) all the way from barstowmuseumpics-006Chicago to California, with Milner at the wheel of a classic Chevrolet Corvette.

Completed in 1911, the Casa del Desierto boasted a rail depot, restaurant and hotel complex and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original alignment of Route 66 was in front of this building, between the railroad tracks. Route 66, itself, was made from the National Old Trails Road, which crossed the Mojave Desert.

barstowmuseumpics-009This Museum was founded in 2000 and charges no admission, but accepts  donations. Volunteers staff the Historic Harvey House and the museum hosts special exhibits and upcoming events, including a Miss Route 66 pageant, a Route 66 Quilt Show, Artists & Authors and Desert Writers’ Day and group tours of the facility. Students attending Barstow Community College may also apply for the Barstow Route 66 Mother Road Museum scholarship, designed to bring more awareness to Main Street, USA. For more information on the scholarship, check www.route66 museum.org.barstowmuseumpics-005barstowmuseumpics-003

Williams, Seligman, Kingman (AZ) and Barstow, California

sedonawilliamsseligman-026Today’s journey took us from Sedona (AZ) through a tiny corner of Nevada (Loughlin) on into California. Along the way, we stopped in Williams (AZ), Seligman and Kingman (AZ), and are now in Barstow, California.

Williams was the last town to capitulate when Route 66 was officially decommissioned. They fought in the courts, but finally lost the battle. Now, Williams has some downtown displays, a purportedly haunted bar called “The Black Cat,” and, according to the woman who assisted me at a roadside gas station, her own house is haunted. (Mainly by a cat belonging to the previous owner who built it.)

sedonawilliamsseligman-026Seligman had a Polar Express train display, but little else.

Kingman has a haunted motel called the Beale Hotel on Main Street, and another place where a local doctor took his victims to murder them.

It took from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. to reach Barstown, California, where we are now.

Sedona, Arizona: Red Rock Vortexes and Great Restaurants

sedona-0041Here in Sedona, we lunched at Bistro Bella Tierra at 101 North Hwy 89

A, F29 in Sedona, Arizona, a lovely place with a great view that is nestled amongst other shops in a shopping center. We strolled through the shopping center afterwards and took part in a wine tasting (5 Arizona wines for $10; try the white merlot.) The onion soup was just the way you always hope it will be, with cheesy goodness, and the view was spectacular, featuring (from where we sat) the red rocks of three formations: Cathedral Rock, Snoopy, and the Coffee Pot.

sedona-0011As we have dinner reservations at L’Auberge de Sedona, a truly class act amongst the hotels and motels that dominate this town of 14,000, we ferreted it out down L’Auberge Lane (or Little Lane) and were given the guided tour by Graham, the concierge, whose wife was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

L’Auberge rooms start at $225, move up to $325 for the cabins with a garden view, and top out closer to $500 in the cabins with a creek view. There is extensive remodeling going on at the hotel, which is nestled amongst the trees and bushes of Oak Creek, and the concierge mentioned something about “an outside shower” under construction. We could see that a shower-sized extension to the cabin was being added, and we wondered if one would be able to be viewed au naturel.

sedona-0061A British couple (last name Craig) with whom I spoke in the lobby was off on a hike and chatted with me prior to leaving. Hiking seems to be a big thing to do here, as are hot air balloon rides and helicopter rides over the splendor of the canyons.

About 300 million years ago, the oceans that covered Sedona retreated, exposing layers of sandstone and limestone. [I seem to remember something about “upthrusting” and “downthrusting” from my years in Earth Science with Dr. Sherwood Tuttle (at which I was very bad).]  There are also formations with names like Thumb, Steamboat and Bell Rock that surround the Sedona area.

sedona-0051There are numerous fine restaurants, one of the best of which was Dahl and Diluca’s at 2321 W. Hwy 89A. This is a freestanding place across from the Safeway Shopping Center with a romantic décor and wonderful Italian food. It is very fancy, which we did not know, as we entered in our jeans and tee shirts. Others dining this night were attired just as casually. The waitress, who was from Pittsburgh, was very efficient and friendly. We wanted fettuccini with shrimp, but we craved Alfredo sauce, not the red sauce mentioned with it on the menu. Only fettuccini with chicken had Alfredo sauce, the chef obligingly used prawns and Alfredo sauce, instead.

So far, we have not encountered anyone who was actually born here. The concierge in our hotel is from Chicago, originally. Graham, the concierge at L’Auberge de Sedona, is British. The woman at the gift shop where I bought candles, May, was originally from the Sacramento area. Her husband’s retirement brought them here, but she “misses the ocean.”

We learned about “vortex circles,”  rock formations representing  places where electromagnetic field energy naturally collects, creating energy whirlpools that can flow clockwise or counter-clockwise. Because the human body is made up of electromagnetic energy, students of the phenomenon such as Page Bryant of Sedona, claim that the rock vortex circles can have a range of effects on the human body.

Some believe that, if the vortex is too strong, it can weaken the human immune system. They maintain that compasses and electronic devices like cell phones and watches won’t work properly around such energy vortices. I can testify that this is the first hotel on our trip where the promised network connection in the room doesn’t work (although it works in the hotel lobby).

Other vortex believers say that the effects on the human body will be a form of healing and spiritual growth. They believe it can realign the energy in one’s body, increasing health and vitality. Terms like “upflow” and “inflow” and other meditation techniques are common in Sedona. Valleys, canyons and caves are inflow sites, while mountains and mesa tops are outflow sites.

sedona-0031Meanwhile, on the “Good Evening, Arizona” Channel 3 news, Patty Kirkpatrick tells me that Attorney General Michael Mulkasey fainted onstage during a speech at the Marriott. Mayor Gordon of Phoenix failed to come to a complete halt at a red light for the second time and was picked up by a traffic camera. A high of 78 in the valley today and it will dip into the fifties tonight. There will be a high of 80 tomorrow.

An erratic freeway chase came to a halt in Columbia as the arresting officer pounded Stephen Zombra, the driver, who was charged with drug possession, among other things. A traffic stop in Oklahoma City also led to 130 mph chase photographed by KWTV in Oklahoma City. One thing is for sure: there are wide-open spaces out here in the wild, wild west and it is easy to do 100 mph with nobody around for miles (not that WE would ever do such a thing).

Flagstaff (AZ) to Sedona: Gorgeous Scenery and Ghosts, as Well

gallupflagstaffsed-003Sunny Arizona (temperatures predicted in the 70’s until Thanksgiving) beckoned this morning, as we set off from Gallup to Flagstaff and then to Sedona on our tour of the Southwest, Route 66 and other interesting places that are hopefully warmer than the Midwest at this point in time. As established in a previous dispatch, we can now scratch Roswell, NM, from the list of interesting places, despite the fact that we drove hours out of our way to visit the alien museum there.

Most of the places mentioned on our Route 66 map didn’t have an address next to it that you could plug into our operating GPS system. Meteor City looked like we’d be driving quite a way out of our way to see a hole in the ground. (Can’t compare with the World’s Largest Ball of Twine!) I had a friend (Linda Henderson Hearn) who had a meteor in her backyard for years, so I was pretty blasé about driving out of our way to see this crater.

gallupflagstaffsed-004Therefore, we stuck to I40 until Flagstaff and then I selected one (of four) locations to try to GPS in, within Flagstaff, as a “tourist attraction.” The one I selected was known as the Museum Club. It wasn’t that I was that set on seeing the Museum Club; it was just that none of the other Route 66 era motels that were listed came up on the GPS, so the Museum Club it was, for lunch and a wonderful time. The place was great! I highly recommend it. I could easily have lost several hours in the dark fun place.

The bartender, Jane Bliss, is a treasure. She even was given a plaque recently, commemorating her 10 years behind the bar, which is a very dark, very picturesque old woody Route 66 place that has a lot of history surrounding it, ghosts, AND off-track betting!

gallupflagstaffsed-009Jane was only too happy to show me the tree that exists inside the club on the dance floor, which has quite a history. It seems that, in the old days, an African American was shot, hanged and burned from this very tree. (The bullet holes are still visible.) There it sits, right smack in the middle of the dance floor. No wonder the place is supposed to be haunted as hell! I went to the tree and whispered, “Barack Obama is President now!” I’d like to think that this poor allegedly innocent victim smiled somewhere in heaven.

I was told numerous stories about the various strange goings-on inside the Museum Club and strange they were! (You’ll have to wait for Volume II of “Ghostly Tales of Route 66” to hear them, though.) The girl placing pari-mutuel bets for the patrons told me some that were especially convincing. (Stay tuned and hang on to that idea).

gallupflagstaffsed-008From the Museum Club patrons, we learned that the haunted places to visit in Flagstaff were Monte Vista Hotel (this place is REALLY haunted!); lots of stories— the Weatherford Hotel, and the Riordan Mansion, reputedly the oldest house in Flagstaff. As we stopped by the Visitors’ Information Bureau, located inside the old train station, I learned from Justin Connors, the Native American visitors’ information representative, that the old train station itself is perhaps haunted by a brakeman who died there in an accident.

From Jane Bliss at the Museum Club, we were advised to take the scenic route (i.e. Oak Creek Canyon, the 89A exit off Highway 17) to Sedona, rather than the route the GPS would map for us. It was a twisting, turning drive through canyons lined with signs that urge you to “watch out for falling rocks” (some of the canyons actually have netting on the sides to prevent drivers from being hit by these falling rocks) and, also, some very futuristic homes that made me wonder if Frank Lloyd Wright designed them during his Arizona phase.

gallupflagstaffsed-019We eventually reached our destination: Sedona, Arizona, a lovely tourist town carved from the glories of the Grand Canyon, where our room tonight has a fireplace and is right off the pool. Tomorrow night, we dine at L’Auberge de Sedona, purportedly one of the cities’ nicer resorts, but one that was full up for the 2 nights we will be here.

A local Flagstaff newspaper “The Lumberjack,” put out by students at Northern Arizona University, had a front-age story entitled “Nationwide Protest Denounces Anti-gay Legislation” by Ashley Barela and, right next to it, a story by Jill Hallquist entitled “Homeless Shelters Packed in Winter” that detailed how the Sunshine Rescue Mission in Flagstaff just celebrated 51 years of community service in September and serves breakfast at 6:30 a.m., lunch at noon and dinner at 7 p.m. to the cities’ less fortunate homeless folk.

gallupflagstaffsed-014Palmer Williams, one of the Sunshine Rescue Mission’s three full-time coordinators, who has worked there for 7 years, said, “It’s very hard to be homeless in Flagstaff, especially in the winter time.” Somehow, I think that sentiment would go double for a colder climate, like Chicago or Minneapolis. [Maybe triple if you’re in Fargo, North Dakota or International Falls, Minnesota.]

The evening newscast announced that unemployment in Arizona has hit 6.1% with 30,000 people out of work and that Mesa, in particular, is gearing up to make “significant reductions” in staff. Chris Brady, the City administrator, says that 389 positions will be gone within the next 18 months, with measures like reducing the number of responding officers to an emergency medical call from 4 to 2. The city of Buckeye (AZ) is also experiencing a budget crisis, and figures about the nation’s young people (ages 25 to 35) indicate that, between 1985 and 2005, their income dropped 30% while their levels of debt rose by 44%. On the radio as I type this, I hear reports that 1 out of every 2 businesses in the U.S. is going to announce lay-offs this year, coming from the cheesy-sounding voice of that guy who sings stuff like Yanni-style music (John Tesh) and used to do Entertainment Tonight with Mary Hart.

gallupflagstaffsed-011On the bright side, one Arizona resident who has a shot at upping her income significantly is Janet Napolitano, the current Governor of the state (the 25th Governor, but only the 3rd female in Arizona history). She has been offered a position in the Obama Administration as Secretary of Homeland Security.

Homeless in Gallup, New Mexico: “What Happens to a Dream Deferred?”

gallup-003A short drive from Albuquerque—which seems like a bustling town, with much construction—-to Gallup (NM), which doesn’t.

The feeling of a burned-out failed place haunts Old Route 66, the main street of town. We found the Chamber of Commerce, which contains a room dedicated to the Navajo Codetalkers. Unfortunately, there is no recording of any of the codetalkers who served during WWII, so it is mainly clippings and pictures.

Bill Lee, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, and Sandy, the secretary, were very helpful in directing us to places to eat and places to visit. The three most haunted places in town? According to Bill, those would be the El Morro Theater, the El Rancho Route 66 era motel, and Washington Elementary School. Why an elementary school? It may have been built on an ancient Indian burial ground. (Shades of the movie “Poltergeist”!) Also the County Courthouse and possibly the Country Kitchen Restaurant, if you believe the construction workers remodeling it.

gallup-001The entire town used to be coal-mining territory. Now, it exists pretty much on the artwork (jewelry, pottery, paintings) of the locals and it doesn’t seem to be doing that well. In fact, the November 19th issue of “The Independent” newspaper has a front page story by Phil Stake, staff reporter, entitled “No Place Like Home.” The article is all about being homeless in Gallup.

Phil was assigned to be homeless for one day in a three-part series corresponding to National Hunger and Homelessness Week, November 16th through November 22nd. There is an all-male transitional housing unit in Gallup called Care 66’s Frances House and Phil followed Kenny Grissom, a 31-year-old homeless resident for a day.

Grissom was apparently not always homeless. He washed dishes for Gallup’s Applebee’s restaurant, ran the register for the McDonald’s (which is visible out my window right now) and worked at the night clerk at America’s Best Value Inn and Suites, which is where I am writing this from (Room 124). Kenny survives on $700 a month from SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), which he qualifies for after undergoing 11 days of psychiatric observation at the state mental hospital in Las Vegas, New Mexico, which diagnosed him as clinically depressed.

gallup-002Mostly Kenny walks around all day, and Phil walked with him, carrying a sign that read: “Homeless. Anything will help.” The two begged for three hours and had raised $14.85 by noon. The rules? No money. No cell phone. No shaving for five days.  No showering for 2 days.  And, added Kenny, “Yeah, and it’s a good idea to put your ID in your stock so police can identify you later.” By the time I finished reading the article, Kenny was not the only one depressed.

So, what else is new in Gallup? Well, they found bullets (an unspecified number of .22 caliber shells) in Miyamura High School for the second time in less than a week. Two boxes of ammunition were found at Gallup High School and a janitor at the school found a live shotgun shell inside the school cafeteria last Thursday, November 13th. There was also a large article entitled “Who will police the casino?” The casino in question is a new Navajo casino just outside the city limits. There also seems to be some difficulty regarding the local Superintendent and Principal, with petitions circulating, trying to remove them from their posts.

Inside the paper, were stories about Zuni dancers, people making candles to sell for cash and a Prescott man who has carved a niche for himself repairing dolls. None of these pursuits sounded like sure-fire moneymakers in this tight economy, so I could see why the numerous stores in the area were not doing well.

We were offered a “Manager’s Special” at a Best Western (that is, arguably, one of the finest places to eat in town, along with Earl’s Restaurant and the Olympic Kitchen) of $20 below the going rate of $89. On our walking tour (after going through the self-guided Route 66 Museum) we learned that half of the “must see” things  on the list have disappeared, just like the El Vado Motel in Albuquerque we attempted to find for hours.

For example, the White Café is gone and the Opera House has been replaced by Zimmerman’s Western Wear.

The people couldn’t have been friendlier, but one thing I knew, for sure, as we passed through town: I would not want to live here. The town has a sad, left-behind feeling, as though the Santa Fe trains that noisily blare through the downtown at all hours of the day and night, their whistles deafening the locals, have taken the town’s lifeblood with them.

Roswell to Albuquerque: From Small to Large

elrosamalb-0021We visited the Alien Museum in Roswell, New Mexico, but it was a bit of a bust, to be honest. There seemed to be little there but yellowed newspaper clippings.

Today, we traveled 3 hours to Albuquerque (NM) and spent the day sightseeing, visiting sites of some old Route 66 motels, as well as a Route 66 restored diner that is owned by the leader of the Albquerque Route 66 group, Tom Willis, the owner. We also found the old KiMo Theater and looked (in vain) for the location of one old motel, only to satisfy ourselves with the one I shall picture here.

Route 66 is now known as Central Avenue in Albuquerque, and there are many old Route 66 haunts (motels, etc.) along the stretch from 4th street on.

The interior of the Route 66 Diner was quite well-done. There was a life-sized cutout of Marilyn Monroe, old neon signs and juke boxes, signage, etc. It also serves diner food.

Onward, tomorrow, to Gallup, but Sedona beckons, too.

We visited the Alien Museum in Roswell, New Mexico, but it was a bit of a bust, to be honest. There seemed to be little there but yellowed newspaper clippings.

Today, we traveled 3 hours to Albuquerque (NM) and spent the day sightseeing, visiting sites of some old Route 66 motels, as well as a Route 66 restored diner that is owned by the leader of the Albquerque Route 66 group, Tom Willis, the owner. We also found the old KiMo Theater and looked (in vain) for the location of one old motel, only to satisfy ourselves with the one I shall picture here.

Route 66 is now known as Central Avenue in Albuquerque, and there are many old Route 66 haunts (motels, etc.) along the stretch from 4th street on.

The interior of the Route 66 Diner was quite well-done. There was a life-sized cutout of Marilyn Monroe, old neon signs and juke boxes, signage, etc. It also serves diner food.

Onward, tomorrow, to Gallup, but Sedona beckons, too.

“Ghostly Tales of Route 66” Video Amuses Dean Fans

Ghostly Tales of Route 66The 13-story Quixote Press book “Ghostly Tales of Route 66” is now available by going to Barnes & Noble.com or calling 1-800-571-2665.

The stories are set along Route 66 between Chicago and California and were researched by the authors, Connie (Corcoran) Wilson and Bram Stoker Finalist Michael McCarty.

The books cost $10. If you order from Quixote, be prepared to add $3.50 for postage and handling.

During December and January, at the River Music Experience in Davenport (IA), authors will be available to sell and autograph the book(s), and you will avoid all shipping charges. (Consult RME schedules for times of the “live” concert series.)

The video below, courtesy of Stacey Wilson (Connie’s daughter) is posted on YouTube, where it has become a viral phenomenon.

You should also check out www.outoftimethenovel.com for the latest 80,000 word offering from the dynamic duo.

Fort El Reno Ghost Tour in the Oklahoma Cold

el-reno-013The Fort El Reno “Ghost Tour” on November 15th (in El Reno, Oklahoma) went off without a hitch. My hosts, Bob Warren and Jessica Wells, couldn’t have been more helpful or gracious. Bob Warren looks like Richard Farnsworth, the character actor, complete with a Stetson hat, cowboy boots, a craggy visage and star appeal. Jessica, who led the section of the cemetery ghost tour I was on, was very knowledgeable about the many haunted sites and why they may have become  haunted. The fort is big, with over 1,675 acres and we toured (on foot) from 6 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.

Some of the hauntings had to do with the Major (Konat) who shot himself in the green-tiled upstairs bathroom (in the tub, no less) in the 1930s after his wife left him. Some had to do with Indians imprisoned unjustly. Some are still just mysteries. [Perhaps they will appear in additional “Ghostly Tales of Route 66”?]

We drove from Oklahoma City to El Reno and found  the Fort during daylight hours, which is a ways from town. We journeyed into town to have one of their famous onion hamburgers (Johnnie’s or one of 2 others), first. Every year, they build the World’s Largest Hamburger, with the help of the fire department and 3 local restaurants. (They hold the Guinness Book of World Records for this.)

Fort Reno was established to protect the Darlington Agency during the Cheyenne uprising of 1874.  The Indian agent, John D. Miles, assisted Captain Winter in the selection of the site of the military post named in honor of Major General Jesse L. Reno (not to be confused with a different Reno who served with Custer.) It was an Indian Wars Fort but is not an enclosed fort. Seminole and Creek Indians helped to control things between the Southern Cheyenne, the Northern Cheyenne and the Arapahoe, who did not always get along.

Fort El Reno served the country as a remount depot for the military from 1908 through 1947. Those stationed at Fort El Reno, including the so-called Buffalo (black) soldiers, helped escort cattle drives and made sure that money was paid as it should be. Although the first commandant of the fort, an older Quaker gentleman, was very fair, his successor cheated the Indians and caused problems with his corrupt behavior.

During the Land Run of 1889 in Oklahoma, those seeking a claim could stay for free on the fort’s grounds, while they would have had to pay money to stay on tribal lands. Horses were bred and trained there and served the military. The Fort served as a social hub, hosting polo matches, horse races and jumping competitions. Celebrities like Amelia Earhart visited, landing her Autogyrator (a cross between a plane and a helicopter) here. It was, generally speaking, a country club atmosphere.

One of the most interesting uses for the Fort was during WWII, when it housed 1,335 prisoners who were part of Rommel’s forces in North Africa and captured there.  The prisoners were mostly German, Italian (and 2 Russians who served with the Italians). They worked for eighty cents a day on neighboring farmlands and also built  chapel, to thank their captors for their good treatment. Many befriended the locals. One poor fellow (Hans Seifert) who was a POW was to be released in just 6 days when he accidentally set fire to himself while lighting a natural gas stove. He died and is buried in the fort’s cemetery, along with about 35 other POW’s.

Today, the Fort is a grazing lands research laboratory, designing feed for cattle and sheep, with many colleges (OSU, etc.) involved. For example, after the tsunami in Thailand, that country’s officials wanted advice on what plants they could use to help with the contamination after the storm.

The Visitors’ Center, which was built in 1936, was extensively renovated in 2005 (the first building burned).  Most of the buildings on the site of Fort El Reno are reputed to be haunted, and, this night, there were paranormal investigators and fort employees who would lead us on a five-hour trek around the grounds in freezing weather, holding lanterns.

I took a picture at one building that seemed to show something unusual, and had the experience of being tapped on the right shoulder 3 times, with no one acknowledging that they had done the “tapping.” (This was as we were entering to begin the tour.) Now, when people ask me if I’ve ever encountered anything “ghostly” (as they did in St. Louis at the First Annual Route 66 Festival) I will have the story of Fort El Reno’s Ghost Tour to tell and a picture that is puzzling.( It appears to show a woman, clad only in brassiere or bikini (Didn’t know they wore bikinis in the 1800s).

This ghost tour, taking place as it did on November 15th, was the last of this year. They will not resume until March and there is usually a waiting list and 3 to 4 groups of 20 go off at $6 a head, all of which goes to the fort’s upkeep. We flew from Chicago to take part, and I wore my Chicago heavy winter coat, but my husband packed shorts and kept telling me how warm it would be. (He ended up in the car with the motor running during the final cemetery portion of the trek.)

Onward to Amarillo, where we’ll visit the Cadillac Ranch, where vintage Cadillacs with big fins are buried with their tail-fins in the air and visitors are encouraged to spray paint them.

Oklahoma City, El Reno and Points West

el-reno-0061Day Two in Oklahoma City and we take a trip to see the World’s Largest Milk Bottle. This leftover bit of Route 66 memorabilia is located at 2426 N. Classen Blvd and is owned by Iyhuhg, who, I am happy to report, makes the absolute best egg Vietnamese egg rolls ever. It’s really small inside the milk bottle building, which is called Banh Mi Ba Le. Their specialties are Saigon Baquette, Chicken, Roa St. BBQ Pork Subs, luncheon pork subs, grilled pork subs and meat ball subs.

We visited the memorial to the victims of the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, which took place on April 19, 1995, and I also took pictures of a small memorial on the corner directly opposite, which also memorializes the bombing with a picture of a weeping Jesus and the cross from St. Joseph Old Cathedral, which had been installed in the east end of the church in 1909 and survived the blast, while much of the rest of the church, including priceless stained glass windows that had been in the church since  the 1800s were destroyed.

Each victim of the bombing has an individual chair-like monument with his or her name etched on it, and there is a shallow pool, with, at one end, the exact time one minute before the blast (9:01 a.m.) and one minute after (9:03 a.m.) the blast. The blast occurred at 9:02 a.m., 168 people died, and Timothy McVeigh was ultimately executed for the senseless murder of innocent victims. While we were there, I listened to a mother of a girl named Stephanie describe how her daughter was working 2 blocks away in a law office that day and rushed to the indescribably horror of the scene. I remember that my son’s roommate, whose last name was also Wilson, lived in Oklahoma City at the time and conveyed the complete disbelief at the senseless act of domestic terrorism. There are still items left at an impromptu fence-like display to the immediate left of the entrance to the memorial.

After visiting the Memorial (and the milk bottle), we ate in El Reno at Jimmy’s, one of the three burger joints in that former Route 66 town that participates in building the World’s Biggest Hamburger every year. Onions are mashed into the hamburgers. There are 3 such places that assist the Fire Department in building the Guinness Book of World Records-holding bit. I took pictures of the 3 waitresses who didn’t flee when I entered the café. They were Ashlee Brinman (in pink shirt), Ashlee Higgins (aka “Higgie”) in brown and Sheila Cowan in green. Several others (male and female) ran and hid in the kitchen as I took the picture. A very sweet young girl named Samantha Wilkinson sold me a small homemade angel, which I told her would protect us on our trip.

Then, I read the El Reno newspaper, to learn of the sad death of Dewayne Moore, who was killed while delivering pizzas in Oklahoma City (which is about 20 miles away from El Reno). Dewayne’s father is Jeremy Moore, who apparently was valedictorian of his 1998 Calumet High School Class (what that had to do with his son’s senseless shooting, I do not know) and a brother, Josh, who is a civil contractor in Iraq. The story seemed to be more about Jeremy than DeWayne, as Jerome explained how he began to hear “it.” “On the 4th day, ‘it’ was getting louder.  At the funeral home, ‘it’ embraced me. The love of God embraced me.”

The second interesting El Reno story involved a 100-mile race that had 175 participants who ran from 9 a.m. to Canadian County and ran for 29 hours, most of them. The starting line was Route 66 and Main Street in Elk City and the finish line was the Fort Reno Chapel (which I would visit that night).  Bret Sholar, of the Pirana Brothers (?) was one of the organizers, but the winner was Tim Neckar of Houston.

A woman named Sarah Spelt of Pleasant Hill (east of San Francisco) was quoted as saying that this was her “50th birthday present to herself.” She ran for 25 hours straight as a birthday present to herself. Good going, Sarah. On my next multiple of 5 (2 years from now), I plan to walk the 20 yards to my refrigerator to get myself a Diet Dr. Pepper. But you keep right on running those 25 hour races. Apparently, this year, the race attracted participants from Germany, California, Arizona and Colorado, all of whom had the supreme pleasure of running for more than a day without stopping. Good on them, as the British like to say! There were 175 of these loons who ran 100 miles.

Immediately after the tragic story of the (unsolved) murder of DeWayne Moore and the 100 mile race was the story “More About Head Lice” on pp. 10 and 11B.

After dinner, we drove past the old Phillips Motel (a remnant of Route 66) and out to Fort El Reno to join Bob Warren and Jessica Wells and four sets of 20 people who were joining me (us) on a tour of the old El Reno Fort Grounds, including the cemetery. This is an 1874 military camp, which I wrote about in “Ghostly Tales of Route 66.”

More on the tour in my next correspondence from the road.

Huddled Together for Warmth in Oklahoma City

oklahoma_city_ok_entertainmentWell, we’re in Oklahoma City and…so far….so good.

The trip from Midway on Southwest was uneventful, although we were among the last to get on the plane, so we did not get to sit together. I sat next to a very courtly gentleman in a nice suit jacket, with white hair, who let me sit next to the window, while he took the middle (poor him). He was very nice and read his USA Today, while I was reading my Chicago Tribune, although I had planned to sleep.) He had been out east attending a friend’s funeral. Things went well until politics came up as a topic and he turned out to be from Stillwater (returning home) and a big Palin supporter. (Yikes).

We stopped (briefly) in Kansas City. We left after 20 minutes in KC and landed here a little while ago (it is quarter of 6 p.m. CDT). We didn’t have to leave for the airport in Chicago until 12:15, as our flight was at 1:40 p.m.

The rental car is a Cadillac…a red one. Pretty sweet…and pretty expensive. However, gas here is only $1.79 a gallon! If it gets down to $1.51 that will match the nationwide average of what gas cost when Bush took office 8 years ago.

Airline tickets cost us $456 (for both) and flying home (LA) they will be $349. Car rental: $904 (we drive from now on; $196 in taxes, alone!) McDonald’s food at the airport today: $10. Tipping the airport guy(s) $15, total. Snacks at the 7-Eleven (pop, beer, etc.).  $25.  Cab to Midway: $35.

Room here: $65 a night, and we said we’d be here 2 nights. Ghost walking tour (tomorrow night) $6 apiece, or $12.  Dinner tonight: $50.

One memento from Shorty Small’s: a tee-shirt that says, “My BBQ can cure hangovers and baldness, but, if you’ve been hit by the ugly stick, ain’t nothin’ gonna’ help ya.'”($15) (It is necessary for me to add, “Yee haw!”?)  The little girl who showed us to a booth said, “Y’all.” Then, she pointed out the location of the Milk Bottle Building, a small wedge-shaped building on Classen Avenue that has an over-sized replica of a milk bottle on the roof, a remnant of the Mother Road.

So, now you know the cost(s) associated with this trip, so far. ($1,871).

When we returned from dinner, we had a $5 bet regarding whether we would have any heat in our motel room. I said no. Craig said yes. I am $5 richer.

There was still no heat, and, furthermore, there was both a fire truck and an ambulance outside our motel on Meridian Ave. I saw a man in a white bathrobe strolling on the balcony above and asked him if he knew what had happened. He speculated that there had been a fight in the attached bar/lounge. (Wrong, as it turned out.) His friend, strolling with him, suggested that we turn on the overhead heater light in the bathroom and open the door to attempt to warm up the cold room. (We are trying this right now, to no avail.)

As we approached the LaQuinta on Meridian Avenue, there was a fire truck AND an ambulance out front. My husband went to the office to find out what had happened.

The man working on the boiler fell through the roof and broke his ankle. (I should have bet him $10!)

It’s 37 in parts of Oklahoma right now with temperatures about 7 to 10 degrees below normal. Low temperatures tonight will drop into the twenties. Stillwater will be 32 and it will be 33 in Oklahoma City. It was in the 70s yesterday. It is supposed to be even colder tomorrow with a wind chill of 36. Highs in the 50s from now on. Fortunately for me, I wore my heavy winter coat. Craig, as usual, is clad in the lightest of all possible jackets and predicting warm weather, eternal optimist that he is.

Onward to El Reno and the Fort Ghost Tour tomorrow.

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