I hope and pray that y'all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
And so dear friends; once more into the fray I say. We have been busy but did take some pictures along the way. We went to Texas last Sunday and here is proof. As you know "if there are no pictures it didn't happen"...hahaha.
This is Manitou. Another town that seems to be dissolving into the Oklahoma dust. The population was 181 in 2010, but at the 2013 census reported 176 residents. "not looking to good for you, Manitou."
The Post Office is indicative of the town. Don't we all want to do our Postal Business in a "Single Wide trailer"!!!
South of Manitou we come to Frederick, the seat of Tillman County. Frederick seems to be following the trend. While there were 3,940 residents in 2010 the population has declined dramatically to 3,797.
Just past the Courthouse, is a statue ostensibly depicting a Grizzly Bear. I'm sure this is all very well and good, unless you have actually ever seen a Grizzly Bear.
I append a picture of an actual Grizzly here for comparison purposes. He seems to be saying, " Hi, come here, I want to tell you something."
The telling would be short, and the resulting meal leisurely!!!
Also in Frederick we find the Grand Hotel. While it was no doubt grand back in the day (that day being 1930) it no longer operates as a hotel.
The City Hall in Frederick is a 3 story building. The administration of this burgh takes room apparently.
After leaving Frederick we head south towards the TX border and pass through Davidson. It is a little larger that Manitou.
They can boast a post office made of brick, even though it looks like a one-room affair. Still, brick vs. trailer....heyyy!
We cross the Red River on the new bridge to leave Oklahoma. Although the river channel is about 1.5 miles wide, the river itself is about 20 feet wide. Still....
Texas is one friendly state. They drive friendly here too, until you get close to DFW, then it gets a little "hinky". There are so many freeways, and everyone is in a hurry. I usually adopt the practic of driving about 10mph below the speed limit, and everyone can pass me and rush heedlessly on! At least I'm calm, though they may be freaking right out.
As you enter Texas you come to Oklaunion TX. The last census gives a population of 138. I think that is wildly optimistic by today's standard.
After our visit in Vernon TX., we headed back acrross the bridge. This is a picture of the old bridge, still in decent shape, just decommissioned.
And so we return to Oklahoma. By now the light is starting to fade, and we motor on home. There are plans afoot for ScooterChick's birthday on the morrow.
When we returned to Lawton we filled up with gas in preparation for our trip. It was $1.75 / gal, though I saw $1.51 the following day.
We passed through Apache heading north. There is a mural of an elk with the backdrop of the Wichita Mts. He appears to be bugling thusly
We rolled into Anadako, then Chickasha. The local Antique Car Club is making use of the defunct Rock Island Line station.
This is the the front of the station. Still standing strong and proud. It was built in 1910 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
This is today's entrance to the Car Club.
This is the old freight shed which was used before the "new station" was constructed. One can only imagine the furs, foodstuffs and mail that passed through here back in the day.
This is the "new freight shed." It is likewise no longer in use.
I took a picture of the Savoy Hotel, which no doubt served many travelers on the Rock Island Line. It proudly boasts "we never close" painted on the side of the building.......yeah....... it's closed!
We stopped to look at an Antique Store. Yeah....it was likewise closed.
We continued on through several other small towns, like Tuttle and Minco and finally came across the "Canadian River". Yeah, nowhere near anything Canadian other than your humble scribe!
We arrived in the city and checked into a hotel, then made our way to the greatest outdoor store I know of Bass Pro Shops - Outdoor World.
Upon entering the store there is a diorama with mounts of Elk and Cougar.
Looking towards the back of the store there is a veritable cornucopia of outdoor gear, mounted animals, clothing a giant aquarium, a hunting cabin and a full sized Cessna bush plane hanging from the ceiling. We made our way directly to the ballistic weapons section.
We went from Bass Pro to Harkins Theatres the local 16 plex to see Selma. It was a well told story and was upsetting and enjoyable at the same time. This is a picture of the lobby. Spacy.
After the Movie we went to a Tapas Bar and Restaurant called Bolero. After perusing the menu we ordered. Here are 3 of our choices. Andalusian Meatballs in Marinara Sauce, with Toast Points.
These were followed with Artichoke Hearts, fried and served with a delicious Garlic Aioli. Spectacular.
There were some Goat Cheese balls, fried and served with Honey....Ooooh!
In addition we had Pork Brochettes, Steamed Mussels and Clams in Marinara Sauce and last but not least Bacon Wrapped Dates. We pushed back from the table, and wandered back to the theatre to watch Exodus: Gods and Kings. It was a big screen epic, but not overly biblical in it's interpretation. Still it was entertaining. We left the theatre and headed back to the hotel.
The following day we went to another Sports Store and had breakfast at IHOP, then headed back to the ranch "the other way". The first town we came to was Purcell, south of Moore.
this is the Amtrak station in Purcell, still in use. You can catch the Texas Chief to connect in Houston with The Texas Limited for NOLA or the Sunset Limited bound for LA.
On the main Street in Purcell the old theatre has been converted to an Antique mall. "Again with the Canadian???"
Another reminder of the past. The Hotel Love. Yeah, I'll bet. It has likewise become an antique emporium. It stands adjacent to a street which has been closed and now features an old caboose, sitting in Santa Fe Square. The AT&SF rail line used to be the premier rail line throughout the west.
There is a war memorial across the street. It looks like a quiet place of contemplation, in a quiet area of a quiet town in Rural Oklahoma.
After leaving Purcell, we passed through Maysville, Elmore City, Bray and Marlowe before arriving back in Lawton around 1:30. I sightsaw, ScooterChick snoozed. I like the secondary roads for variety and the freeway for covering vast distances in short order.
We had a fun time and saw some interesting territory on the back roads. I hope you enjoyed coming along with us.
1 comment:
Fun. I always enjoy seeing the pics of the old buildings in the towns. So much history.
Thanks for the tour.
And happy belated birthday to Scooterchick.
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