Oklahoma City.

We stopped in Oklahoma City for two nights.  After we got set up in the campground, we went downtown to find a local place to have a bite to eat and found this place. 

We had a locally brewed stout that was very good.  I had a double grilled BBQ burger.  They make two grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread and put a bacon burger and BBQ sauce between them.  It was delicious. 

 

These are some of the beers brewed on site. 

After dinner, we walked over to see The Oklahoma City Memorial Garden . 

 

 

 

This is the fence where people still place items in remembrance. 

 

 

 

The chairs represent all the people that lost their lives that day. 

 

A view from the rear of the chairs looking across the reflecting pool to the museum.

 

 

 

The chairs are lit at night along with the rear wall that is the only existing wall from left from the Murrah building.  when they are lit, the names of the victims can be seen on the front of the chairs.   

 

 

 

The 9:01 represents the last minute of calm that morning.  The wall on the opposite side of the pool says 9:03, the minute the healing began.   

 

The next morning, we returned to tour the museum.  It is housed in the Journal Register Building that was also damaged in the explosion. 

 

 

 

This was written on the wall by one of the rescue workers. 

 

 

 

This is the survivor tree.  It is an American Elm that was heavily damaged in the blast yet survived. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The museum is self guided and laid out chronologically, from early that morning through the trials of McVeigh and Nichols . 

 

Vickie best described the museum as "chilling". 

 

 

Our next stop that afternoon was the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. 

 

 

We spent four and a half hours in this museum. 

 

I've seen many pictures and statues of this over the years and finally got to see the original.   

 

 

 

 

We weren't allowed to take photos in many parts of the museum due to the damage photography can do to the art and displays. 

We were able to photograph some things, though.

 

Vickie and The Duke

 

 

 

 

Vickie trying out a sidesaddle.

 

 

 

 

This mural is over 100 feet long. 

 

 

 

We move on tomorrow.