My Daughter Amber and I at the Beach!

Guess which one of us doesn't do the beach much! The hint would be motorcycle boots, long pants and an insulated long sleeve top! Bingo! I never was much for sand, surf and sun; it's nice to visit but wouldn't want to live there. Always have preferred the mountains and snow/cooler weather over anything else. Trips like this AWSOM ride are always a cool opportunity for me to visit some places for shorter periods before getting back home to the mountains, though after this trip I realize what we call the "Pocono Mountains" aren't really mountains in the strictest sense! Have had a great visit with my daughter Amber and new son-in-law John in Pensacola,Florida but the road beckons? Plus, when your daughter does your wash, folds your clothes and lays them out for you it may be a hint that the newlyweds are ready for Dad to migrate North! I've visited 30 states in the US, 2 states in Mexico, travelled 8,800 miles so far but still have 18 more states to visit and who knows how many more miles before getting home? I'm scheduled to be back at work by November 16 so we'll sign off for tonight and get some rest before our return leg starts! Don't forget the AWSOM ribbon-cutting at the soon to be open animal shelter is Friday November 13 and I'd like to be home for that!

Room with a View!

So far 8800 miles, 30 states, 2 countries and 1 AWSOM view! Got a $50
room in Vicksburg Mississippi on the banks of the mighty Mississippi
River looking out on a very impressive river crossing and trying to
envision the first explorers arriving here in the days before bridges
and such!? This area has been pounded with rain this year and water
levels seem high throughout the South! Sorry for the choppy video
edit, too long according to Apple! You only missed my panning out to
the next door Waffle House, another great American institution!

Yet Another Southern Delicacy!

Yes, we owe a great debt to The South for introducing the rest of us to such indescribable delicacies as RC Cola and Moon Pie, Dr Pepper, the Praline(disputed by the French) and of course Stuckey's Pecan Log Roll. There however has been little recognition of the Moon Pies little bastard brother, Uncle Al's Lemon Planks! Appropriately, in Shreveport,Louisiana outside The Soap Opera laundramat Dr Clair had the opportunity to sample this regional delight and is happy to report that it will likely remain a regional delight! Whoever chose the descriptive "planks" obviously tried this pastry(?) before settling on such an appropriate name, realizing that "Lemon Particle Board" would probably adversely impact the already limited sales! Dr Clair was quick to wash this dessert down with Resurrection Anti-Hangover Energy Drink(seriously) before deciding to stick to his regular diet of his own making on this trip, a Little Debbie Snack Cake with a Red Bull chaser! Connoisseur of fine food this trip, he's not!

The Oklahoma City National Memorial

The Oklahoma City National Memorial on the site of the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City is without a doubt one of the most moving memorials that Dr Clair has personally experienced. The magnitude of what took place on this spot ensures that people speak in hushed voices and carry themselves with the respect due the gravity of this site. Dr Clair has been there during the day and on this trip had the opportunity to see the Memorial as it is lit after dark. The gorgeous reflecting pool appears to double the number of chairs representing each individual lost in this senseless act of domestic terrorism. Having previously visited the National Museum and spent nearly an entire day learning more about this site, Dr Clair was free during this visit to just walk about and linger when and where he felt the need. It was nearly impossible to choose an image from the many pictures captured to summarize the site, but Dr Clair finally settled on the quote over the archway leading to the reflecting pool. Feel free to visit the Picasa Web Albums to see more striking images of this incredible site.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

Dr Clair has been to the Cadillac Ranch before, in fact on that trip
he actually made a 900 mile(!) sidetrip just to see this famous
roadside attraction! Today we only had to backtrack 16 miles to see
this neat oddity! There are absolutely no signs directing people here,
nor anything at the spot other than 10 classic Cadillacs buried
nosedown in the Texas plains. People bring along spray cans of paint
and are actually free to paint their name or some witticisms on the
cars! Bye now! PS Sorry for all the wind noise, which is really everpresent in this part of the country!

Jurassic Park? No, Boise City,Oklahoma

The only photos of the massive Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus sculpture were taken after sunset but the profile of the great dinosaur seems even more intimidating when only the outline is visible blocking the horizon! Pretty cool sculpture, now I'll have to do a little digging and sleuthing on the web to see the tie between this part of the West and the great dinosaurs of the Jurassic era!

Say What? Brontosaurus Crossing!

Dr Clair has travelled quite a bit over the years and has amassed quite a collection of road signs warning of various animal crossings from turtles and snakes to bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope but this road sign he encountered outside Boise City, Oklahoma definitely takes the cake for off-the-wall animal signs! Not quite certain of the significance of the warning sign, we nonetheless had to have a photo. Didn't really notice the poor condition of the sign with all the rust until posting to Blogger so maybe the sign has been around since the Jurassic era? Just down the road a bit from this warning sign however there was a massive life-size steel sculpture of the Brontosaurus, now known as Apatosaurus. There are large Apatosaurus sculptures throughout the West as the Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus is used by the Sinclair Oil Company as their company logo. Since Dr Clair was in a hurry to get to the Colorado border before dark, he failed to get any really good pictures of the sculpture itself and only has photos shot at sunset!? Sorry!