If one is a stickler for
detail it could be logically argued that Oklahoma is not Texas. One
does exit the State of Texas to enter Oklahoma. And technically
Oklahoma is a separate state. But to the outside observer Texas is
not only a state, but a state of mind. And that mind state
definitely extends up to Oklahoma. Texasification also extends south
into Mexico, east into Louisiana and, definitely, northeast into
Arkansas and slightly west into New Mexico. So, these Eyes
on Texas took a trip to Oklahoma City the last weekend of March,
2001. Three things stood out in OKC. The Myriad
Botanical Gardens. The Oklahoma City
National Memorial. And Bricktown.
If memory serves Oklahoma
City is the largest city in the United States (in geographic size). It
does seem to sprawl. While the above three areas will show you the
beauty and the tragedy of Oklahoma City there are other sites to be
seen. The downtown is quite small. Heading north from downtown there
is a top rated zoo and science center. In far north OKC there is a
theme park called Frontier City owned and operated by Six Flags
Over Texas. Six Flags also operates a big waterpark on the
west side of town called Whitewater Bay. Also west of downtown is Stockyard
City, the world's largest Stockyard. OKC is home to the National
Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the world's largest collection
of western lore and art. Fabled Route 66 runs through OKC. To the
south just a bit, in a suburb/separate city called Norman, there's a University
which seems to win football games a lot, apparently to the
consternation of many in Texas.
A semi-interesting
sidenote from this Eye on Texas in Oklahoma.
On the return to Texas, backroads were taken. The backroads of Texas and
Oklahoma can be very interesting. Just north of Lake Texoma, about
50 miles from the Texas border there is a town called Sulphur, known
for its rheumatism healing waters.
Driving through that town an interesting mural
was spotted on the side of a building. This mural was interesting to
the non-native Texans in the car because they had migrated to the South
from the Great Pacific Northwest and this mural portrayed a scene
which was very familiar, but very out of place in Oklahoma....
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