Cross Country-Day 2

Leap Day 2016 began leaving Nashville about 7:30 AM and passing all the traffic coming into the city at rush hour. About three hours later, our first stop was in Memphis to see the mighty Mississippi River and walk along the picturesque streets of Mud Island. Midway across the river, we crossed into Arkansas and headed to Little Rock for lunch. Trees were budding or already blooming and daffodils on the side of the road hinted that spring has already come to this area. Straight westward on I40, it wasn’t long before we entered Oklahoma. We passed occasional oil rigs and plenty of cattle but mostly just undeveloped land inspiring us to play the Dixie Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces”. The rolling hills of the Ozarks were lovely. As we drove through Muskogee, we played Meryl Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee” and laughed at the irony of Willie Nelson joining in. There are a lot of casinos that must be owned and managed by the Native American Indians. Driving west gives you a great view for the sunset. 

Winding down another day, we pulled into Oklahoma City for dinner and another nice hotel that Daniel found at affordable price on hotwire.com. We selected downtown near “Brick Town” which features dozens of restaurants and bars and a quaint canal lined with cafes and outdoor dining. Very few people were around and most of the places were closed. The Thunder Stadium is nearby so this place must be full of excitement when they’re in town. Shortly after we got to our hotel room, a storm blew through with 45-mph winds and hail…crazy how the weather can change so quickly. The news reported severe weather with egg-size hail. Not sure if hail comes with tornados but it wouldn’t surprise me.