Introduction
Seattle to Los Angeles to Houston to Tulsa
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City to Seattle
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Getting off the flight was relatively easy and I started to head my way towards the baggage claim and then down towards the car park where the signs were sending me. Except my phone told me I had to go to the rental counter… o dear. Backtracking to find some signage and when I finally did find the rental counter, they told me to go straight to the car park…. *sigh*
Eventually I made it to the National Rental area and there was like maybe 6 cars in place. This is not good. No wonder the virtual aisle was not working, they had no cars! I had reserved a full size since the price was so good and it was a reserve service, not an aisle set up. So I should have had a car waiting. When I got there the person working the booth did not seem to care there were no cars and offered me either a Cherokee or a Patriot… both of which are SUVs and neither of which I wanted. I asked him what cars I can have, he said none. I pushed back saying I reserved a full size, he offered me a Fusion, a Camry or a Chrysler 200, all of which are not Full Size. I said I would take the Cherokee in this instance but as soon as I got to the car it didn’t look that great inside so I went back, but I had missed out on the fusion by moments. Again I pushed back to the guy that I reserved a full size and I would like a full size. He said he might have some (he didn’t want to look in the computer at all) and said that maybe when the drivers get back they can get something for him. I said I was willing to wait but he looked like he just wanted to get rid of me. He asked me again what I was looking for and I said “What I reserved, a Full Size, like a Charger or something like that). Well he again had a huff, and then said “What about an Altima” I said sure, that’s a full size. So he walked off down to Alamo and got the keys from them and swapped it over in there computer. Could he not have done this in the first place… *sigh*
Finally off to my hotel and the area was exactly how I expected it. A mix of residential/industrial/commercial park, right next to the freeway. Lots of food options around. When I got to the hotel though, things did not go as planned here either. I arrived to find the driveway of the hotel full of security and police cars. All in all there was 8 police cars at reception. This was NOT a good sign. I ventured inside to check in and the lady on reception again did not seem to care at all, and when I asked about the police cars she just nonchalantly said “O Don’t worry about that”…. ugh yeah… sure! I moved my car and went up to the room briefly to drop things off. I was not impressed with the room and I won’t air all the dirty laundry here, but this was not a wise choice. I tried to see if there was any BBQ still open, but there wasn’t so I did the next best thing.
I jumped back in the car and drove off for something that I passed on the way to the hotel (well not that exact one, I picked one a little bit closer and close to an area I could find water after). I went to Waffle House. First time at this US staple and it wasn’t half bad. It was dirt cheap and as you would expect, I had a waffle. I had breakfast pretty much for every meal that night with Bagels for breakfast and lunch and then Eggs, Sausage, Waffle and Grits for dinner (although apparently I should have had hash browns… silly me). After my dinner and catching up on digital life I hopped in the car to find the nearest grocery store to grab some dessert and some water for the next day. All that seemed to be open was a Walmart, so that’s where I went. I returned back to the hotel to find all the police cars cleared out and the hotel deserted. So after a quick call to the wife and planning out where I was going running the next morning, I hit the sack.
Wednesday 23rd September 2015
I woke up earlyish and headed over to Riverside Drive, about 4 or 5 miles drive away. This was the number one running trail that I could find in all of Tulsa and it was pretty damn awesome. Cutting through the middle of Tulsa is the Arkansas River (funny considering that its no where near it right?). The city of Tulsa has done things right here by putting in miles and miles of running/cycling path and really amazing facilities for people to enjoy along the way. I parked my car at the 41st Street Plaza where there was ample parking, restrooms and best of all, resting space if things didn’t go to plan. I hit the trail and it was wide, flat and open and passed plenty of people doing the same thing on the way. All while forgetting my camera 🙁 I did get to enjoy a lovely sunrise as the colors went from dark to light and tinged pink and red and orange. The people were all friendly as well, with just about everyone greeting you as you passed them. Always a great way to start the morning with a sunrise run in a new city.
I headed back to the hotel and again, more problems found (try no hot water) and so I showered and headed to breakfast (no wifi at all!). Breakfast was as you would expect when it’s free, carbalicious (no fruit so thankfully I brought my own) and I went with something in honor of Heidi, a waffle! A good waffley breakfast and some coffee and I hit the road to make a quick stop back at Riverside Drive to get some photos since the place deserves it!
Off on the road to Oklahoma City I went. Open road, cruise control and some music was something I wanted and it was a great drive. Turns out the drive from Tulsa to OKC is a toll road for part of it and $4 cash later, I was able to continue on my way. I expected the drive to just be solid flat road, but it was actually more like rolling hills the whole way. It was a good drive and I didn’t really have an idea of where in Oklahoma City I was heading to but was going to just head downtown and take it from there. I ended up coming in on the freeway seeing signs for the State Capitol and that sounded as good as any for somewhere to go to.
The State Capitol looked pretty decent and I actually saw one of the state senators arrive at work as they all have reserved car spaces (no names though). Funny that here in the USA the state senators & representatives all drive to work in their own car. In Australia they would all be driven to work in a government car. From there I headed off to find some lunch! I just googled BBQ and went to the one with the best rating. Leo’s BBQ is where I ended up and the place look exactly how I was hoping. A DUMP. But this generally means that the food is good, at least in BBQ perspective because it’s all about the pit, not the ambiance. Leo’s has apparently been on the Food Network so I expected it to be full of tourists, but when the guy sitting next to me at lunch (had to share a table) had been eating there for 35 years, well it was a locals joint. He told me what to order, said he had been eating the same thing for his entire life so I knew it had to be good, and it was. The Brisket I had was amazing, it was melt in your mouth tender but with enough chew to really taste it. I had one rib and it practically fell away from the bone without being overcooked. The Fried Okra was great and the beans were so flavorful. In something I had not experienced before they had a cucumber and onion pickle to go with it. Not a gherkin style pickle but more like a fresh cucumber salad style pickle. It helped cut the richness of the meat really well. None of the meat came out sauced and the guy at the table gave me the good sauce (and good it was!). All of it came served with a slice of their famous Banana Strawberry cake and to be honest, I’ve had better cake. Now lunch wasn’t cheap (probably my most expensive thing in the entire visit to Oklahoma) but it was good!
I moved on from Leo’s (my car had not be stolen or damaged so that was good considering the area was sketchy) and headed towards a place I had found in a little brochure around the state capitol. Tinker Air Force base is located in Oklahoma City and was not to far away. They had a big Air Park just next to the main gate so I headed over there to ogle some avgeek goodies. A big piece of park full of heavies and some small stuff that I did not expect. It was really worth the short visit. From there I headed over towards the airport to fill up. I kept passing Sonic’s all day yesterday and today and when I passed one it turns out it was half price ice cream all day…. SOLD!
I found the closest Sonic to the airport and then headed that way to grab a treat before I filled the car up. I just wanted somewhere I could consolidate all my stuff (rather than having to do it in a gas station) and whenever there is ice cream involved I can’t really complain right? Sold! Plus when it cost less than $2 for a Waffle Cone Sundae who would say no! Hell it even came with a cherry on top! I gassed up the car (where else can you get gas for under 50c a liter!) and headed towards the airport, ready to finish off the last part of my quick trip to Oklahoma.
