Wednesday July 10

Detours can be a good thing:)

Because of all the delays we experienced yesterday in Arkansas, we never made it to our planned destination of Elk City, OK. By 10PM last night, we hit Oklahoma City and managed to find a motel room. Corey wanted to see the memorial today, so that's where we spent the morning.

The memorial is extremely well done. Everything that is there is there for a reason; everything is strategically placed. The trees along the entry path represent the rescuers. The chairs represent the dead. Each has a glass base with the person's name on it. The smaller chairs represent children. Three chairs have 2 names on them: they represent 3 pregnant women and their unborn babies.

A large tree stands on the upper level overlook. Called "The Survivor Tree," it stood in what was once a parking lot across the street from the Murrah building. Although it took a hit, it somehow managed to survive and grows larger and stronger each year.

There is a bronze gate at each end of the Memorial. Each has a time engraved: 9:01 and 9:03 to frame the moment our lives changed forever.

There are many more symbols which evoke emotions and remembrance. Once I get home, I can go into more detail and upload even more pictures.

After leaving OKC, we continued west on I-40 and eventually reached Texas, a place where the road and the sky collide (to steal from Jackson Browne). I have included a picture just so you can get an idea of just how flat and boring the northernmost part of Texas is. What really got me was that with all that "nothingness," how well it was all fenced in!

By 8PM central time, we crossed the state line into New Mexico and changed our watches, effectively giving ourselves an extra hour (Corey was more excited to see the Mountain Time Zone sign than she was to see the Welcome to New Mexico sign).

While planning this trip, I had toyed with the idea of staying in Tucumcari, but wanted to get to Albuquerque as soon as possible, as that is where "Phase 2" of this trip begins. However, with all the delays and changes of plans, we ended up staying in Tucumcari afterall.

The Legend of Tucumcari Wautonomah, Chief Apache, knew that we would soon die and was troubled over the matter of who his successor would be. His two finest braves were Tonopah and Tocom, enemies and deadly rivals for the hand of Kari, the daughter of Wautonomah. But Kari loved Tocom and hated Tenopah. So, Wautonomah called Tenopah and Tocom to his side and said, "Soon I must die and one of you must succeed me as Chief. Tonight you must take your long knives and meet in combat to settle the matter between you, and he who survives shall be Chief and have for his sqaw , Kari, my daughter." So the two rivals met and hurled themselves ipon one another in deadly combat, but unknown to either, Kari had concealed herself nearby, and as the knife of Tenopah found the heart of Tocom, she rushed from her hiding placed and plnged her knife into the heart of Tenopah. Then, taking Tocom's knife, she stabbed herself in grief. When Wautonomah was led to the scene, he was heartbroken and seizing Kari's knife, he plunged it into his heart, crying in agony, "Tocom-Kari." The old Chief's dying utterance lives on today with a slight change to "Tucumcari" and the scene of the tragedy is now famous legendary "Tucumcari Mountain."

OKC Memorial	Corey & The Chairs	The Survivor Tree
The chairs w/original wall	Angled view	View from Above
Entered Texas	Corey & Cactus in Texas	Boring! For MILES!!

New Mexico, finally

Corey befriends a turtle

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