CUSTER COUNTY

I love driving on I-40. If I go far enough east on it, I end up in those rolling hills back home, where I came of age, where I can still turn back time just a little, and where I can always find a friend from way back when. And, if I go west on I-40, I watch the land flatten out and the western sky stretch out forever, and I know I'm in for an adventure. I've driven alongside of wildfires and into snow storms, on the same day, going west on I-40. And, I've watched in awe as storm clouds gathered miles away from me and then watched them pile up on top of each other in their eagerness to chase me down the road, rumbling loudly and shooting lightning out of the sky.

Yes, I know, a sane person would stay off of I-40 after all of that, but there's something about I-40 west that still appeals to me. I-40 runs from Wilmington, North Carolina all the way across the country to Barstow, California. Making that cross country trip is on my list of "Things to do before I die". And, yes, I really do have a list! I'm going to say it's the sense of adventure that calls me down I-40, and we'll just leave it at that.

I-40 also mingles and twists along the way with the historic Rte. 66, the mother road, west of Oklahoma City. The road is irresistible and no ordinary highway. I'm a sucker for blue whales, Indian gift shops and any other roadside attraction.

So, it wasn't a hard decision for me to decide to go to Custer County next. It's roughly a 90 minute drive west on I-40 from Oklahoma City. I'd driven through Custer County many times, but never pulled off the highway to look at the towns along the way. Probably because I was too busy trying to outrun storms and wildfires, but I finally got my chance to pull off the highway and check out the sights.

My first stop was the city of Clinton. It's not the county seat, but it is the biggest city between Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas, the Hub City of Western Oklahoma. And, it's home to the Route 66 Museum, at 2229 Gary Blvd. Woohoo! The mother of roadside attractions!

People from all over the world come by to visit this museum. I know this because when we signed the guest book, we noticed that the people before us were from France and the people before them were from Germany. And, it really is a great museum. It's full of detail, ambiance, art and imagination.

It starts off with a large curio cabinet, full of memorabilia from Rte. 66. This post card gives you an inkling of what's there.

Then, there are six rooms, each room covering a particular decade, with vehicles from that era as well as gas pumps, signs, pictures telling the story of Rte 66, a diner, too many things to mention, and music playing from each time period. The first picture below is of Rachael standing in the 60s room.

Here's Rachael hanging out in the 50s style dining room.

We even saw this guy there!

After you finish walking through sixty years of history, music and art, there's a "drive-in" theater where you can watch a short video about more history of Rte. 66. You exit through the gift shop where you're sure to find something you can't live without.

Clinton is also home of the Route 66 Festival, which features a car and motorcycle show, booths selling a little bit of everything, live music, and free hot dogs. This year the festival will be on Saturday, June 26th. If you get a chance to go, go! The museum will also have extended hours during the festival to give more people a chance to see it, too. So get down there and get your kicks on Rte. 66! (You had to know that was coming!)

Besides stopping at the museum, we also stopped at an Indian gift shop on our way home and I was able to get close to this fellow. He was shedding his winter coat, so he looks a little ragged.

Next, I'll be going to the towns of Arapaho and Weatherford in Custer County!

Moving On...

I've decided the next county I want to check out will be Custer County. It's located west of Oklahoma City, straight down I-40, about 75 miles. It looks like it has a lot of interesting things to see, like the Rt. 66 Museum in Clinton, the Washita National Wildlife Refuge, lots of Indian gift stores, wind farms in Weatherford and the Thomas P. Stafford Space Museum, also in Weatherford.

The towns I'll be going to are Weatherford, Arapaho, and Clinton. Actually, I've already visited Clinton and Arapaho and will be blogging about them soon. I'll also be spending a day at the Washita National Wildlife Refuge, which I'm really eager to do.

One thing I'm learning about my state is that a lot of places are closed on Sundays! It's best to go exploring on Saturday or a weekday.

McClain County - Purcell

Purcell, OK calls itself, "The Quarterhorse Capitol of the World," and, "the Heart of Oklahoma." It is also the county seat of McClain County, and my last stop in this county. There are a couple of ways to get to Purcell from my house. There's the straight, fast route going south on I-35, or the more meandering, slower route along US 77.

Needless, to say I took the more scenic route to Purcell along US 77, and I'm glad I did or I might have missed this.

The world's largest "spider" is actually in Lexington, OK, not Purcell, and not even in McClain County, but it is right on the edge of both, so I went ahead and took a picture of it. It's been an icon in this area since 1979 and is located just north of Lexington, on US 77.

It was built by Leroy Wilson, next to his business, Wilson's Auto Salvage. I've been told he was looking for a way to attract people to his business, and I guess it worked. It catches your eye, that's for sure.

A short drive through the town of Lexington finds you on the bluffs along the Canadian river. Purcell is on the other side. The two towns are connected by the James C. Nance Memorial Bridge, and at 3,642 feet, it's one of the longest bridges in Oklahoma. It's construction in 1938 allowed trade between multiple towns in the area, which is why Purcell calls itself, "the heart of Oklahoma."

As soon as you cross the bridge, if you go one block south, you will find Purcell's Main Street, which underwent a revitalization project in the 1990s. It has restaurants, antique shops, and historic landmarks lining the street. If you decide to visit this area be aware that everything along this historic area is closed on Sunday. You can tell from the empty street below, I was there on a Sunday!

One of the more interesting historical landmarks is the Canadian Theater, 116 W. Main St. It was originally the Brown Opera House, and has been remodeled and renamed several times since it first opened. Today, it houses T's Antique Mall and was remodeled in its 1940s appearance. It's pictured below.

Just a little further down the street at 200 West Main, is the sixty-three room Hotel Love. It opened for business in March of 1896, and is the only one built during that time that is still standing. The Purcell Register, a territorial newspaper during that era, called the Hotel Love, "The Pride of Purcell ... superior to anything of its kind in the Indian Territory."

The three-story brick building was considered very modern for its time. It boasted steam heat, electric lights, and rooms were $2 a night. It was a favorite place for newlyweds to spend their honeymoon. A picture of it is below.

And, if you like to go to antique shops, you won't want to miss Auntie Mae's Antiques on 129 W. Main St. or the Grapevine Antique Mall on 123 W. Main St. It would be easy to spend a whole day just walking from shop to shop.

Purcell was founded as a railroad town in 1887 and even named after a railroad director, so it's only fitting they have a memorial remembering their past. The Santa Fe Plaza on Main Street is a little park where shoppers can rest on benches in between antique shops, and also see a Santa Fe caboose up close. (See picture below.)

Also in the park, is the Star Memorial. On Nov. 16, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the United States. To celebrate that day, the children of Purcell formed a human "star" downtown, to represent Oklahoma becoming the 46th star on the flag. In 1995, children of Purcell recreated that moment and the Historical Society dedicated the plaque below.

I made two long drives around Purcell, going further south on US 77 and east on US 59 trying to find out what made Purcell the quarter horse capitol of the world. I saw a couple of very large horse farms built on beautiful, rolling green hills, and several smaller ones. I wasn't sure that was enough to justify their claim, but since then I've been informed the multi-million dollar operations are on the west side. Maybe someday I'll get over that way to see them, but for now it's time to say good-bye to McClain County and go on to the next one.

Two down - 75 to go!

McClain County - Goldsby

Goldsby, Oklahoma is a sort of no-man's land off of Hwy I-35, going south of Norman. It has some nice farm land and a few expensive looking housing additions, but not much in the way of businesses or amenities. A resident of the town, Pam Morgan, told me she got her phone service out of Norman, but if she wanted an ambulance she had to call the town of Purcell and if she wanted to put out a big fire, she had to call the town of Newcastle.

The town would be in danger of dying out altogether or being completely absorbed by one of the larger, nearby cities, except for it's one very big claim to fame. It's home to the largest casino in Oklahoma, Riverwind. There's also a smaller casino called the Goldsby Gaming Center, which attracts a lot of visitors, as well.

Besides the two casinos, the only other businesses are a hotel behind Riverwind, a cafe/bar, and a butcher's shop which specializes in goats. Since I didn't have a goat that needed butchering, I decided to try the cafe. And that decision led me to wonder if I'm really exploring Oklahoma's seventy-seven counties or just eating my way across the state. So, I decided I better go to the Riverwind Casino, too.

I've been to Riverwind before to attend concerts and special events, but had never tried the slot machines while I was there. Since this is the main attraction in Goldsby, I decided this was the time to try it.

My son, Matt, and his girlfriend, Rachael, decided to tag along with me this time. So, we drove down to Goldsby and got to the cafe about 6 pm.

They were having live music later in the evening in the bar, but on this particular day we decided to just eat and then head for the casino. Admittedly, that decision was also heavily influenced by the fact Matt and Rachael aren't old enough to get into the bar.

Libby's Cafe is the only business on what is considered Main Street in Goldsby. The building looks like it has been added onto a couple of times. The cafe part is divided into two large rooms and the bar is upstairs in the back.

One of the large rooms in the cafe, I'm guessing the newer half, has dark, wood floors and a rustic, hideaway feeling to it. The other half, is an interesting mix of old gas station signs and large, mounted fish hanging on tin sheet metal walls. Also, in this half, most of the wall that divides the dining area and the kitchen is gone, so you can see straight into the kitchen and watch them make your dinner.

According to the menu, they're famous for their fried catfish, so Rachael and I decided to try it. Matt ordered the hamburger and fries. Rachael and I both agreed the catfish was very good, but the side items tasted like they were straight out of a can. Matt must have liked his choice because he didn't leave anything on his plate. Although, I wasn't terribly impressed, I probably would have gone back again except everyone of us at the table got dirty silverware. Large clumps of dried food were stuck between the fork tines and on the knives. Which was a shame, because the food was decent and the service was good.

After dinner, we headed over to the Riverwind casino. I wish I had been able to get a picture of the building, but my camera just couldn't do a wide enough shot. It is a huge building, and as pretty as it is big. It has a river of lights running down one side of it. The lights change colors and shapes at night and rivals anything they have in Las Vegas.

Riverwind is 219,000 square feet of black jack tables, poker tables and slot machines. There's also a large buffett, a restaurant, a food court and a couple of bars, as well as a 1,500 seat auditorium for entertainment.

We were mostly interested in trying the slot machines, but the noise level from 2,295 slot machines and all their flashing lights competing for our attention, left us wandering around with the floor with that deer-in-the-headlights look. It didn't take me long to realize we were going to need professional help.

We found it at the customer service desk. I had a lot of questions about how to get started, like if we needed tokens or just used cash, and how do you possibly choose which machine to play and what were the rules, and how did you know if you were winning or losing, and what happened if you did win? It took the lady at the customer service desk about five seconds to realize we were new at this and she quite generously offerred us each a free card with $10 on it to play the slot machines. She patiently explained how to use the card, gave each of us one, and we set off to figure out how it all worked.

To be honest, I never did understand much more than how to put the card in the machine and then push a button. If there was a strategy to the games, I never caught on. Oh, I did learn how to read if I was winning or losing, and I walked out $10.46 richer than when I went in. Matt left with about $6, and Rachael was the big winner with a little over $13. All in all, it was an entertaining night and a lot of fun. I'm ready for Vegas now!

McClain County -- Blanchard

If you're looking for small town living, yet want to be near the conveniences of a big city, I just may have found the place for you. McClain County, Oklahoma, offers all of that and a little bit more. Just a short drive south and west of Oklahoma City and you'll find yourself in Quarter Horse country and the heart of Oklahoma. And, you might even find yourself unexpectedly on dirt roads, which I didn't even know we had in this part of the country anymore!

Time didn't allow me to visit all the towns in McClain County, but after much debating with myself, I finally pointed my Jeep towards Blanchard, Goldsby, Purcell and Byars.

First on my list was Blanchard. They were opening their farmer's market this weekend and since I'm a sucker for those, I decided that would be a good place to start. So, I was out of the house by 7 am and on my way to 222 W. Main in Blanchard. 222 W. Main Street turns out to be more of a parking lot than anything else and on this particular Saturday there were only five vendors selling anything. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed, at first. Out of the five vendors, under their little blue tents, not one of them was selling any fruits or vegetables! Two of the vendors were selling plants, two of the vendors were selling eggs, and the other vendor, a boy who looked to be about 11 or 12, was selling soap made from goat's milk.

I decided to go ahead and take a closer look. After all, I was pretty sure I was out of soap made from goat's milk. The boy, I think his name was Joshua, turned out to be a natural salesman and before I left his table, he'd sold me a bar of jasmine soap and eye cream, both made from goat's milk. He assured me the eye cream "really helps my mom with lines around her eyes". He told me his mother made the soap and eye cream. One of his chores, besides selling the soap, was to milk the goats. The name of their dairy farm is the Swinging K.

The Swinging K is a family run operation by KC and Dawn Kreger and their eight children, in Blanchard. They will also make other things for you like yogurt or ice cream, from the goat's milk, by special request. And, of course, you can get just goat's milk, too.

One of the other vendors, who was selling eggs, also caught my eye. Besides selling eggs, there was a sign behind the woman and daughter team, that said, "Springcreek Dairy Farm, fresh milk." Also, what caught my eye, was the way the two were dressed. Both were in long, simple dresses and wore bonnets. I'm not sure if they were Amish or Mennonites, and I wasn't sure if it would be rude to ask. So, instead I asked what kind of dairy products they had. I saw a couple of ice chests, but nothing was laid out on the table.

The mother, Shannon Unruh, told me they couldn't actually sell their milk at the farmer's market without licenses, but they could give me a sample, if I would like. She said the milk was from a Jersey cow that grazed on their pasture and there were no hormones or antibiotics in the milk. So, I said, sure, thinking she would give me something about the size of a shot glass. Instead, she reached into the ice chest and pulled out a quart of milk for me to take home!

I asked her if she had anything smaller, and she just laughed and said, no. I hesitated about taking it because it seemed a bit excessive for a sample, but she insisted. So then, I went ahead and bought some of her eggs, which apparently, was okay to sell at the farmer's market.

So, even though a quart of milk, eggs, and jasmine soap and eye cream made from goat's milk is not what I usually get when I go to a farmer's market, it was still a pretty cool trip. I think I'm happier when things don't go as planned, anyway.

By the way,I used the goat-milk since then and it really did leave my skin feeling softer and smelling just barely of jasmine. I'm hooked.

I left the farmer's market to explore the rest of Main Street in Blanchard. Below is a picture of the sidewalks along Main Street.

There were several interesting antique shops along Main Street, but, unfortunately, they were closed. However, I did see one shop open, The Outlaw Trading Post, so I went in to check it out.

It turns out, it was opening day for the store and I was their second customer. The husband and wife team had been wanting to open a retail store for a long time, but couldn't agree on what to sell. So, they came up with an interesting compromise. They split the store down the middle. On one side, the husband was selling guns and ammo with some camping equipment. Rifles lined the 20 ft-something walls on his side from the ceiling to the floor. I don't know much about guns, but it looked very impressive. Glass cabinets had all kinds of pistols and ammo behind them, too.

On the other side of the store his wife was selling some very high-priced western decor items. Expensive bedding, western-style purses, jewelry, pictures of the old west, knickknacks, just about anything you could put a horse motif on, is all there.

Despite the shop's split personality, it somehow seemed to work. I spent a lot of time looking at everything and I really wanted to buy something, since it was their opening day, but there was truly nothing in there that would go with my house. I wasn't in the market for a gun, and I just didn't have a need for a picture of horses running down a ravine or a lamp made out of horse shoes. But if you're looking for any of those things, this would definitely be the place to go. And, it's fun just to look around the shop, too.

Next stop, Goldsby, Oklahoma!

Getting closer..

I'm still having trouble deciding what towns to go to in McClain County. I know I want to go to Goldsby, Purcell and Blanchard. In fact, I went to Blanchard today and scored a free quart of fresh, milk straight off a dairy farm, from a Jersey cow, which I will definitely be writing more about soon. But I'm just not sure about where else to go. Newcastle is the largest town in McClain County, so I almost feel obligated to go there, but I'm just not sure if I should go there or to one of the really small towns, like Byars, which has a population of 281.

Tonight, Goldsby is on my to-do list. I'll be visiting the town, a restaurant, and the casino. And, if I win big tonight, I may have to put my exploring Oklahoma on hold to go buy my island home!