Ruth, enjoying the view of the lake at Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Cancun on December 17th!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Oklahoma City

Well that was an expensive day! And busy! It's all good though. We have a list of things we wanted to get done before crossing into Mexico, and Oklahoma City has proved to have pretty much everything we need.

We left the motel in Chandler at about 9:00am and it wasn't long before we found a little country diner where we had some breakfast. It was a little pricey, but we both had full stomachs and we weren't going to need any lunch.

Next stop along the highway was a Walmart SuperCenter. The little blue car needed some tires and I knew that even before we left Canada. But now they've got yet another 1,600 miles (2,600 kms) on them. Figure I've pushed our luck far enough and this Walmart had the tires I wanted in stock. And there was nobody in line.

These tires are done!

The little blue car getting some new boots.

Now that's better!

So, we got four cheap tires for $330, with  new valve stems, installation, and balancing and taxes included. Great deal. By noon, we drove away with four new tires. We headed into Oklahoma City.

Our first view of downtown Oklahoma City.

Wonder what old George would say today...

Of course one of the things that unfortunately put Oklahoma City on the map was the bombing of the Federal Building on April 19, 1995. The blast killed 168 people and injured 680. Now, there is a peaceful memorial on the site.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial.

This chain link fence was installed at the site to keep people out after the explosion. It became decorated with mementos to the people who lost their lives, and they have left the fence to stand. Many of the mementos are toys and stuffed animals because 19 of those killed were children under the age of 6.

168 empty chairs decorate the property where the building once stood.

After that, we wanted to go to the new Outlet shopping mall because Ruth needed some new hiking boots, and we both needed some new sandals. We got some good quality sandals for $40 for the two of us. My sandals were regular $58!! They were on sale for $16.95. Ruth's were even more! Good deals though, so we were happy.

But nowhere did they sell any hiking boots. There's a Columbia sporting goods store, but it's not open yet. So we went to the Bass Pro outdoor store near downtown. Sure enough, they have hiking boots. They had only two models of Merrell boots, and one of them was the exact identical boot that Ruth had bought two years ago. Sold! We don't like buying anything at regular price, but it was hard to argue with the knowledge that Ruth will get another two years out of these new boots. 

The little blue car has new boots, and so does Ruth!

Now it was dinner time, and we hadn't had any lunch so we were pretty hungry! The Bass Pro Shop is right near the "Bricktown" area of Oklahoma City and it's one of these old warehouse areas that's undergoing redevelopment with lots of restaurants and hotels and a nice baseball park. We chose "Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy".

Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy.

Holy cow...how did we eat all this??

Well we didn't...but we sure do have a good lunch ready for tomorrow!

The canal area is really pretty and a nice area to go for a walk or a boat ride. We're going back there tomorrow!


That's enough for today! Staying with new couchsurfing friends Luis and Kevin tonight, and then we've got some more exploring of Oklahoma City to do tomorrow. Did you notice the blue sky? Oklahoma City has beautiful weather!!

22 comments:

  1. Yes ok. City is a great place. My son in law is a weatherman on channel 5, Rusty McCranie

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    1. The downtown and Bricktown area are great. It is a very compact area that is easy to walk around. Too bad we didn't have time to stop in and say hi to your son-in-law.

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  2. South to Texas? You have inspired us - screw it - taking the Bounder to MX this winter! Beers will be on me - we'll probably be Quintana Roo ish...

    Kent

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    1. That's great, hope you enjoy it as much as we do. If you are going to be anywhere near us let us know in advance and we will try to arrange things so we can meet up with you.

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  3. news boots all around - well done...

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  4. If Ruth's boots looked as bad as the little blue car's they both definitely needed new ones. Those little chairs really made me sad when we were there.

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    1. Yes, my boots were as bad as the little car's! We are both smiling now.

      That memorial site pretty much had me in tears. So sad that something like that ever had to happen.

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  5. Wow you guys had a great day in Oklahoma City and the boots and sandals are great.I have been to Oklahoma City but Donna hasn't so we will be stopping there in our travels someday. That Mexican food looks great and as always the portions are enormous.Miss you guys already. I hate to say it but you are like another set of kid's to Donna & I although you are the same age as our oldest son. Please be safe we are here watching you go south. Sam & Donna..

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    1. A visit to Oklahoma City is a must for sure. We really only saw a little of what they had to offer. There were still things there that we would have enjoyed seeing. Thanks Dad and Mom, we'll be careful!

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  6. We are heading for TX this morning will be in Mission late Friday afternoon so if you are going across the border there give us a shout maybe we can meet and and have dinner.

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    1. Unfortunately we will be crossing at Laredo, so we won't be going as far south as Mission. Would have been nice to have met you both.

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  7. Nice to get everything together and stocked up before heading further south. Those tires sure needed a replacement. Travel safe.

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  8. I can't believe you got that far on those tires, you have the best luck! Would you please by me a lottery ticket. :c)

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    1. If we had that much luck, we would be buying ourselves a lottery ticket!

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  9. Soooo glad you got new rubber for the little blue car. We worried about that when you left our place. The Oklahoma City Memorial is very moving - when we visited there the little chairs brought tears to my eyes. The Mexican food looks delish!

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    1. Kevin knew we were good with the old tires but we weren't going to push our luck.

      The memorial site was certainly moving but the museum was even more so. Such a tragic loss of life.

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  10. Ruth looks like she has teeny tiny feet! Those poor hiking shoes have no idea of what they're in for!
    Grace (in Tucson)

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    1. Grace my feet are actually a size 8 and yes, if the hikers knew what they were headed for, they would be jumping back in the box fast. On the other hand maybe they are looking forward to all the adventures and sights they will have the chance to see.

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    2. Yes, Ruth, I hope they enjoy the many miles they'll be enjoying with you!

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  11. So you just couldn't wait until you got to Mexico to have your Mexican food hey.

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