The drive from Paducah, KY to Hot Springs, AK was long. Lots of highway and when we got to Hot Springs, the streets were jammed and there was no parking for Stargazer. Visiting Hot Springs on a beautiful Saturday was not a good idea. The grand architecture of the historic bathhouses balanced with natural curiosities was fun to observe, but Stargazer was happy to be out of the city.

For the evening we camped at the base of Lake Ouchita, a reservoir created by the damming of the Ouchita River by the Blakely Mountain Dam in Mountain Pine, the home of Bobby Bones. Otto got some well deserved walks and we watched the sunset on a beautiful 70 degree night.

We were up early for another long drive but this time we traveled the stunning back roads of Arkansas. Once back on the highway there were many signs noting the homes of famous people, such as Carrie Underwood and Troy Aikman. We passed on visiting.

We arrived in Oklahoma City mid-afternoon and headed to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. There were lots of incredible exhibitions including, Fighters for Freedom: William K. Johnson Picturing Justice, Abbas Kiarostami: Beyond the Frame (the picture below is of a person observing Vincent Van Gogh’s Noon Rest from Work painting), and a Dale Chihuly Retrospective. There was a stunning painting of the Oklahoma Bombing by Cynthia Daignault.

Today was a very busy day. We started by visiting the OKC National Memorial & Museum. The way the presentation was designed and delivered made the experience both moving and educational. With the visit just after Trump’s Waco Speech, the pain and sadness of almost 28 years ago feels both fresh and still incomprehensible. The OKC community pulled together. Their example is motivating.

Next we visited the Myriad Botanical Gardens; another incredible OKC resource. The outside had a great Children’s Playground (Ralph would love it) and incredible walking paths. Inside we viewed a variety of plants with explanations that even I could understand.

From there we drove down Micky Mantle Drive. I got out of Stargazer to give The Mick a high five for my NY Yankee pal, Paul “Yogi” Franklin, and took a photo. Then we searched for a brewery close to our last stop, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Unfortunately it ended up being a casino – never thought Melinda and I would walk into a casino.

Although the impact of the cowboy myth, thanks to BarryG and RonR, has been a key reason for much of today’s hate and disfunction, we were certainly impressed and overwhelmed by all the cowboy memorabilia – including Exhibitions on Playing Cowboy and the Art of the Northwest Coast. The Museum did make an effort to highlight how Native Americans and other non-whites were treated, but I ain’t “woke” when I say the real history needs to be told.

Overall we were very impressed by OKC and could have spent lots more time exploring. When we got back to our campground, Otto had lots of fun romping in the Dog Yard with many new friends.