Dallas Bound: KC to OKC

Friday October 6th dawned bright and warm, unseasonable. I was not complaining, as Michael and I were off to Dallas. We were travelling in "the Mercedes" as he always says, making sure everyone knows it is more than just a car. Being a convertible one, the weather was most appreciated.

The morning was also a bit strange. I had taken Puggles to the kennel..I mean the Royal Limo had taken her to the spa for the weekend; a nail job was in order. It seemed spooky without her around. I packed, checked thrice for "Tix, Tux and Black shoes" the three required items, anything else could be compromised.

We loaded up the Mercedes and off we went topless, the car that is. It was a bit cool for my taste but I enjoyed the open air as we quickly crossed in to Kansas and headed south on I-35.

I had taken that road many times, and it had not changed much. Soon we were to Emporia, the last civilization in the Flint Hills. Sparce, lonely and treeless, the Flint Hills are spectacular in their desolation. Undulating treeless hills, vast vistas, distant herds of cattle were the norm for many miles. We soon found ourselves passing by a lonely spot where in 1931, football legend Knute Rockne died in a plane crash; the wooden Fokker F10 Super Universal breaking up and hurtling to the ground in Chase County. Remenants of the plane are still there. There is no public monument, but I had a Chase Countian show me the spot a few years ago. You have to know where you are going.

Wichita zoomed by, we did not stop. Wichita had a contest years ago for a city song. The "Wichita Lineman" song was not about the city at all so it was not useful to them. Unfortunately, like Orange, nothing much rhymes with Wichita. Thus no song was selected. A couple unsuccessful entries leaked out such as:

"I Lost my Pa so I Went to Look for Him in Wichita"

and my personal favorite:

"Come on Down to Wichita, Where Folks Don't Bitch-At-Ah'"

Oklahoma soon appeared, looking little different than Kansas. Oklahoma City was the next civilization. I was last in OKC on May 3 1999. Also driving to Dallas with a colleague from Beverly, we stopped for gas in Moore, OK on the south side of town. I told Ron then that the clouds looked like a storm was brewing. 45 minutes later the station and most of Moore was obliterated by an F5 tornado. I did not want a repeat and we safely passed. The spot was marked by a new shopping development.

The weather was fine, the top still down and I had not killed Michael. So far so good!

Tomorrow: OKC to Dallas: The Okies Invade