Ada                                    Nov 1, 1999             200 miles
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Today turned out to be an opportunity to mix pleasure with business. I go to a clinic in Pauls Valley each month, a 60 mile drive down I-35. Today, the Neurology resident came into the office with laryngitis and the flu, so I went alone. Saw 20 patients and still got out early. So I headed east on Hwy 19 to Ada where I had called ahead to make sure Bob's was serving ribs.

Along the way I past many ranches, but one had a herd of buffalo and elk. The 30 miles went quickly despite the rain and clouds. It was cool and hazy, the trees rolled up and down the gentle hills, leaves turning yellow on one hill, red on another. I could imagine I was in the foothills of some east coast state.

Bob's place was north on Broadway and easy to find. Getting there between lunch and dinner avoided the crowds, and the only other customers were all native American Indians. Ada is surrounded by towns called Wewoka, Seminole, Tecumseh, Konawa and Shawnee.

I had only a pear for breakfast and a small portion for lunch, so I ordered the full 5-rib dinner. Texas toast, fries and hush puppies added their share of grease to greasy ribs, and I should have clogged an artery on the spot. Slaw and brown beans finished out the selection. Bob's special sauce had a favor I couldn't identify and was a brown liquid, half oil, in a little bowl. I used the squirt bottle with standard BBQ sauce most of the time for flavoring as the ribs, although well cooked and coated with a rub, had little taste.