Camping with Christi

Out & About in Oklahoma

During a lot of my day trips, I have ended up in the beautiful state of Oklahoma. I have seen some interesting sights and these are some of the highlights.

Oologah Lake

Oologah Lake is a reservoir in northeastern Oklahoma that was created by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The name Oologah, pronounced oo’-la-gawh, is a Cherokee word meaning “dark cloud.”

The lake has a swimming beach, mountain biking, marina, RV and tent camping, picnic tables and a playground.

Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park
Foyil, Oklahoma

Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park is the oldest and largest example of a folk art environment in Oklahoma. It is located just a few miles off of Route 66.

Last on this list is fun and you have to guess what it is!

Did you guess a space capsule?

Nope, it’s a cement mixer, also known as the Winganon Space Capsule.

During the mid-20th-century, a construction vehicle got into a wreck while transporting cement to a bridge being built across nearby Oologah Lake. The mixer rolled onto the side of the road, where the cement inside it quickly began to harden into a solid block. Crews decided it was too heavy to move the mixer and it had to be buried right there on the side of East 300 Road. However, this effort fell by the wayside and locals became attached to the object as something of a landmark.

In 2011, local artists Barry and Heather Thomas decided to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary by transforming the cement mixer into an object of wonder. They noticed its shape resembled that of a space capsule and began painting it to push the resemblance as far as possible. They covered it in silver paint and added NASA logos and an American flag.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

The Lodge on Drummond Ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma

One of the best parts of visiting Pawhuska is being able to visit The Lodge on Drummond Ranch. The Lodge is the family guest house, which also serves as the production location for Ree’s Food Network show!

I told you in the last post about the 25 cent iced tea at the Mercantile, but the tour of the Lodge is an even better deal! It is free.

You will need to plan ahead to visit because Lodge tours are only offered on select dates. You can find out what dates are available on The Pioneer Woman website. Pick up the instructions & directions when visiting The Mercantile and you are ready.

The drive isn’t too long, but plan on taking your time. The drive to the Lodge is filled with lots of cows, horses and windmills, but is on gravel. Most of the county roads in Kansas & Oklahoma are gravel so fill up your gas tank and don’t wash your car before you visit!

The Lodge is absolutely beautiful & you can tour everything. There are hosts there to greet you and tell you to walk around, open doors, drawers and cabinets! All of the rooms are open and nothing was off limits.

You enter the Lodge from the deck which overlooks the ranch.

The sliding glass doors on the deck go right into the kitchen where Ree films her show.

The living portion of the lodge is decorated flawlessly and has three guestrooms. Each guestroom has a private bath.

Last on the tour was the commercial kitchen. It was stocked with everything you could want or need in the kitchen. I love my Kitchen Aid mixer and saved room for it in the camper. Ree must love hers because I counted at least 8 at the Lodge. I also loved her Fiestaware and jadeite dishes.

I hope you enjoy getting a peek behind the camera. Definitely worth the trip to visit!

The Pioneer Woman in Pawhuska, OK

If you know anything about me, I love to cook & I love good food. I am a big fan of Food Network & one of the shows I watch is Ree Drummond’s The Pioneer Woman.

In 2011, I read her biography before I even knew who Ree Drummond was. I loved the cover & wanted to known the story of how this New York City girl fell for an Oklahoma cowboy.

For those of you not familiar with her, Ree Drummond has got it going on! She is a best-selling author, chef and entrepreneur. She has a line of kitchen merchandise at Walmart and her own clothing line.

She has breathed new life into downtown Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The Pioneer Woman Mercantile has a general store, restaurant & bakery. She also has the Boarding House hotel, P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Sweet Shop & a clothing store.

I had so much fun just browsing around the Mercantile. Here are a few of my favorites:

Shopping made me hungry, so lunch was next on the agenda. I had a salad at the Mercantile Restaurant.

I was too full for dessert, so I checked out what they had in the bakery. I brought home a croissant for breakfast, but think I am going to have to go back again!

If you haven’t read one of Ree’s books, I would highly recommend them. She has cookbooks, a couple of biographies and children’s books. Check them out at your local library or on Amazon.

Price Tower Arts Center Bartlesville, OK

Today I had scheduled a tour of Price Tower, the only skyscraper designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was the perfect day because it was freezing outside!

**Price Tower Arts Center completed in 1956**

This 19 story building was designed with commercial, retail and residential spaces. Today the building still is multifunctional. It houses the Inn at Price Tower with beautiful modern hotel rooms. The building has art throughout beginning with a mural on the first floor.

***Willows and Reflection*** designed by John DeKoven Hill, a member of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen Fellowship

The H.C. Price Company Corporate Apartment

The restored 19th floor executive office of H.C. Price

Around the corner from the elevator I was surprised to see a Frederic Remington sculpture, ***Coming Through the Rye***

A look around the grounds

Really Big Stuff

While in the St. Louis area, I found two interesting places to visit. I love finding quirky roadside attractions and here are a couple to add to my list.

World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Collinsville, Illinois

World’s Tallest Man Statue Alton, Illinois

Growing up, we had the large yellow pencil in Wytheville, VA.

Several people have asked how I find the places I visit. I have two favorite places I look for ideas.

The first is Atlas Obscura, an online magazine and travel company. They have a website and have published four books.

Atlas Obscura doesn’t have an official app, but you can access all of the destinations on the Pocket Atlas of the Obscure app.

Use Pocket Atlas of the Obscure to see locations on a map.

The second place I look for suggestions is Tripadvisor. You can download the app or access it at tripadvisor.com/.

My favorite feature in the app is that you can search for places near you.

Christmas with Van Gogh

I was lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam & see so many of Vincent Van Gogh’s works in person. The museum is temporarily closed due to COVID; however, you can visit the museum online.

I wasn’t able to see the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit in Charlotte, but Christmas Day I went to see it in St. Louis!

Almond Blossom

Enjoy the video, but turn down the volume. Sorry for the background noise.

I am a huge fan of the art and the artist. If you are looking for a good movie, consider one about Van Gogh.

In 2017 Loving Vincent, about the life of Vincent Van Gogh, was nominated for an Oscar. Each of the film’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, created using the same techniques as Van Gogh by a team of 125 artists drawn from around the globe. If you are a fan of Van Gogh, you will recognize many of his paintings throughout the film. It is a fabulous film & I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Loving Vincent

Willem Dafoe starred as Vincent Van Gogh in At Eternity’s Gate in 2018. He was nominated for an Oscar for his leading role. The cinematography is stunning.

At Eternity’s Gate

Christmas Eve at the Gateway Arch

Christmas Eve found me near the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I had never been so I was anxious to get there before they closed at 4 pm. There was not time to stop, so I drove there still pulling my camper.

I drove downtown and parked right beside the Mississippi River!

Cappy was ready to stretch his legs but had a difficult time with the cobblestones.

I was in awe of the Arch and took so many pictures. This is a small sample of the many vistas of the Arch, the Mississippi River & St. Louis.

Unfortunately there were no tickets left to ride the tram to the top of the arch. Instead I got a ticket for the 35 minute movie that chronicles the construction of the Arch. It’s a nail biter if you are afraid of heights!

Watch it here and be amazed. https://youtu.be/ZjVvMkFjf1k

I learned so much and it amazed me at the ingenuity of the builders. Construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1965. There was not a single casualty during construction & I did not see any safety equipment or harnesses, only hard hats!

Construction began on both sides and met at the top.

The two sides had to be gently pried apart for the last piece to be placed.

I plan on stopping here again the next time I am in St. Louis. I want to ride the tram and have time to explore all of the museum. There is so much to see and do!

Traveling through Indiana

After leaving Louisville, I began my way across Indiana. While driving, I spotted a sign for an Amish restaurant and stopped for an early dinner.

Schwartz Family Restaurant in Eckerty, Indiana

Fried chicken, meatloaf, green beans, sour cream mashed potatoes, dressing, and delicious creamed peas

Homemade peanut butter pie

After dinner, I stopped in Santa Claus, Indiana. It was a nice town and so fitting to visit on Christmas Eve eve.

It was time to settle in for the night. This night I stayed at Hohl Farms in Huntingburg, Indiana. Hohl Farms is a row crop and livestock farm. I had a peaceful night’s sleep and left with farm fresh bacon!

A big thanks to Alex Hohl for hosting me and being so gracious. His farm is one of the locations you can stay at with Harvest Hosts. This is one of my favorite memberships & I will definitely renew it next year.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY

While driving from Kentucky to Kansas, my first stop was in Louisville at Churchill Downs. I was never really into horseracing, but a good friend was and I thought of him while visiting here.