Our Journey, Day 1 - 2020 Vacation - #9UBC

 Day 9 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge

DAY 1

On Friday, we began our journey to Illinois. I wrote a post a few days ago titled, "should I stay, or should I go" as a segue into the next few days...did you read it? If you did, thank you! I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

The journey if we travel it straight through is a little under fourteen hours. This time, on the way there - we are breaking it out into 4 - 4.5 hours stretches as we are meeting cousins of mine that I haven't seen in many, many years and also having the opportunity of meeting several other 'new' cousins I have met through my genealogy journey and also from blogging. 

We left the Dallas/Ft Worth area about 4:15 p.m. after my husband got off and began making our trek towards Oklahoma. Our first stop for the night. 

We saw many sights along the way...things such as more concrete being erected and more construction along the highways and byways. We decided, or should I say, "I decided" we would take a different route than we normally do when taking a trip up North. This was two-fold - we were going to be stopping in Heavener, OK to see my 1st cousin who I grew up knowing, but over the years have not seen her in many, many years. I mapped out different routes for the second leg of the journey but wanted to do a few specific things on the route I knew...

When we were still on the Texas side, I saw a sign that said, Eisenhower State Park. I will need to make a trip back to visit this monument. 

As we made our way closer and closer to the state lines, we crossed the Red River. Yes, there was water in it...many times, portions of it are dry. As we continued driving, my husband's eyes are gazed out at the timber we are passing in hopes of seeing the deer. I must admit, I too, look for them when we travel. 

Welcome to Oklahoma!!! It was just passed the Red River on our way out of Texas. In my genealogy journey, I have many ancestors who lived along and near the Red River areas. I have Native American ancestors who I have heard many, many stories in days past that have roots in these areas, too. Oklahoma is rich with history and stories. As with many other areas in the great U.S.A., there are beautiful areas of the state and then some not so many areas. We are in a beautiful part of the state. There are hills and lakes, streams, and lots of timber. 

Along this same area of the highway, there was an old Trestle bridge. It was an awesome sight to behold. It was majestic! 

Just past the state line, you will find Durant, OK - this is home to the famous Choctaw Casino. 

We had debated stopping and dropping $20.00 each - but after a previous conversation with my daughter, she advised us that it probably would not be a good idea with my health and all since people are allowed to smoke inside of the casino areas. She also said there was a great deal of walking and my knee/foot cannot handle that either now. In fact, I tweaked it this morning so I will be reaching for the Icy Hot before we leave the hotel. 

It looks like they are building another casino or hotel area next to the famous existing Casino. As we sat at the stoplight (where I was able to snap the photo), I looked across the parking lot. In fact, we could see the parking lot from the highway before stopping at the light. It was packed. My thought was, no social distancing taking place there! Laughing out loud...and at the same time, feeling a bit apprehensive and glad we decided against going in. 

As we continued driving, we passed a truck hauling a large airboat. That was a neat sight to see. 

We saw a sign that said, ARMY AMMUNITION DEPOT. Wait, what? It was a government sign, and it was huge. I always found things like army tanks and caravans neat to see. This sign piqued my interest. I was thinking silently to myself though, why would they want to broadcast where this depot was? Guess that will be a conversation for a later time. We continued to drive...

There were many fields that had cows and horses in them.  There were plain white cows. There were Brahma Bulls. The horses were beautiful too. We saw solid colored ones and then ones that are called Painted. (I think that is what they are called anyway). 

In Oklahoma, we kept seeing signs along the highway about jams/jellies, Amish bread, tomatoes, and other things that are normally found in a Farmer's Market. Yes indeed, there was a large fruit stand in one of the small towns. It was already closed for the day when we passed through. Seeing these signs triggered a memory from my childhood when my family would travel from Amarillo to the Mineral Wells, Texas area to visit my great grandparents and other family members. We would always pass large signs along the highway that encouraged passer Byers to stop and shop. Yes, fresh fruit and vegetables. Fruit stands. 

We made it to our destination for the night. McAlester, Oklahoma. We decided to eat before we got to the hotel. I had written out a few of the local restaurants in the area and let my husband decided where we would eat. 

He chose, Marilyn's. Home Style Cookin'. 

The restaurant itself was quaint. There were antiques placed along the top of the wall throughout the restaurant. Old lunch boxes, old hand mixers, old tin cans - many of which triggered different memories we both had. There was even an old milk bottle about half full of glass marbles. (who sees those anymore?)

 

Marilyn's was home cooking at its best. I must say, the food was amazing. My husband chose a hamburger with a small chef salad and I chose a chicken breast with a side of okra. 

We were not disappointed. The food was fresh and delicious! The service was friendly, and the atmosphere was nice. We both gave Marilyn's 5 stars out of 5! If you are ever in the area, be sure to stop by and give them a try. You will not be disappointed. 

We are settled in now at the hotel. I am tired. The hub is already counting Zzzzz's. 

Until Day 2, I bid you good night...

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