Tuesday, July 30
After another very good free breakfast in our hotel we got on the road a LOT later than we thought we would. We lost one hour when crossing into Arizona and didn’t realize that we’d lost another when we had crossed into Texas. We’ll lose one more when we cross into the Eastern Time Zone.
Just leaving the outskirts of Amarillo one of the car’s warning lights illuminated. It wasn’t a symbol that we recognized so we pulled off to the side of the road and once again consulted the owner’s manual. The symbol, which looked somewhat like a faucet, meant that our emissions control needed to be addressed (aka the dreaded Check Engine Light). This wasn’t serious so we continued on our way. We quickly resolved that since we would be in Sarasota for nine days that we would drive the car over to a dealership on the first day and have them address the warning light and the undercarriage. We figured that they could diagnose and order whatever parts they needed leaving us to return another day to have the service completed. That way we’d only loose a few hours on car repair. It is hard to believe that we had this car checked out before we left Las Vegas! The best laid plans…
We crossed the Texas panhandle pretty quickly and spent most of the trip traversing Oklahoma – a state that neither of us had ever been in before. About 20 miles West of Oklahoma City we stopped at a local bar-b-que joint called Swadley’s Bar-B-Q that we’d seen advertised on the billboards along the way. The place was crowded with locals, which is always a good sign.
We ordered a smoked chicken plate that came with two sides (we chose the sweet corn and cole slaw) and a two rib platter that came with french fries. We got a number and when we sat down a waitress brought us our two sweet teas, some bar-b-que sauce (we had several choices and went with the house standard) and a cup of bread and butter pickles and a cup of dill pickles. The food came shortly afterwards.
The chicken was thinly sliced and had no rub or sauce. It had simply been smoked. Because we were in cattle country the ribs were beef instead of pork. They were huge and we actually got three instead of the expected two. The ribs also lacked rub but had been sauced during their cooking. The major flavor for both dishes was smoke, and they were very tasty. The sweet corn was similar to creamed corn; we liked it a lot. The cole slaw was very good. The fries were made from freshly cut potatoes but they had no flavor. They had probably been cooked in vegetable oil instead of peanut or some other flavorful oil. At $32.22 is was more than we’d normally spend on lunch but it was a great meal and a lot of food.
Editor’s Update: Avoid this place – we both got food poisoning! We’re okay now.
Once on the East side of Oklahoma City we stopped again at a place called Braum’s. It’s an ice cream brand that is based in Oklahoma City, has a dozen or so stores in the city and a few more in the neighboring states. How could we miss out on a local delicacy? We had a scoop of cookie dough and a scoop of peanut butter cup. Both were good but nothing special. At a total cost of $2.17 we’d be willing to sample some of their other flavors.
Along the highway we ran into a city called Prague, OK. It’s a sister city to Prague in the Czech Republic. They said that they had a copy of the Infant Jesus of Prague and all of the accoutrements. We were temped to stop but since we’d recently seen the original in the Czech Republic we decided to continue on our way.
Fun Fact: The first YIELD signs were developed and tested in Tulsa. They quickly spread around the country and are in common use today.
We arrived in Fort Smith, AR late in the afternoon. We just needed a place to sleep before heading to Memphis, TN.
Wednesday, July 31
On our way to Memphis we stopped in Little Rock, AR to visit the Bill Clinton Presidential Library. Cost of entry was $10.00 per person.
The Library was in a large purpose built building near the waterfront and was designed to resemble, “A Bridge to the Future”. The first floor contained mainly the security checkpoint, the ticket office and the gift shop. The second floor had exhibits on his accomplishments listed by year and his successes in international diplomacy showcased by country. In addition to a full size replica of the cabinet room there was a 20 minute informational movie.
(The Cabinet Room)
The third floor had examples of the many types of entertainments put on by the White House ranging from State Dinners to Holiday celebrations. There was also a full sized replica of the oval office as it looked during Clinton’s presidency.
Our favorite section was a display of personal letters to/from the President from famous statesman, celebrities and private citizens. Volunteers roamed the building and went out of their way to be helpful or to explain the displays. It was a very worthwhile stop and only our third visit to a presidential library. We may do one more on this trip later.
For a change we decided to splurge just a bit and checked into the world famous Peabody Hotel. The hotel has a long and storied history. Many famous musicians have performed there, many famous people have stayed there and every president since FDR until George W Bush has been a guest. Today the hotel is most well known for its ducks.
Since the 1930s five mallard ducks (one male and four females) have been in residence. Every day at 11:00 am the ducks are led from their pen, across the roof, into a waiting elevator, across a red carpet and into the fountain in the lobby area. At 5:00 pm each day the Duckmaster reverses the process and the ducks are returned to their pen on the roof for the night. It’s a grand event performed with great pageantry. People from all over town come to witness these events and fight for a good vantage point. It’s a lot of fun.
(A Pampered Duck)
The hotel lobby also contains the Lansky Brother’s flagship clothing store. As a young boy Elvis was walking by the Lansky’s store and was invited to come in. Elvis explained that he had no money. Lansky provided him with an outfit free of charge and told him that if he ever got famous he should help promote the store. Well, the rest is history. All of Elvis’ outfits throughout his career were custom made and often designed by Lansky’s. The store has replicas of many of Elvis’ outfits and some very tasteful designs as well. The prices are not for those who have weak stomaches.
After we saw the ducks off for the evening we walked up and down Beale Street and took in the sights. The street is well known for its many restaurants and Blues Clubs. We stopped in for some dinner at a restaurant called the Flying Fish. We shared an order of fried shrimp and fried oysters and shared an 18 ounce frozen Margarita. For dessert we had a fried pie that was filled with fresh peaches. Everything was delicious. Total cost was $36.58.
After dinner we walked to a unique Bass Pro Shop that was just over a mile away. The store is in the shape of a giant pyramid! The building, constructed in 1991, was an homage to the city’s namesake in Egypt. It was intended as a sports arena but soon fell into disuse. Bass Pro Shops purchased it in 2009 and it now contains the usual sporting goods, a restaurant, a bowling alley and a small hotel. There’s also an elevator that for $10.00 will take you to a platform near the top where you can see the entire surrounding countryside. It is the tenth tallest pyramid in the world. Who knew?!
(Bass Pro Shop in Memphis)
