Muskogee                                 Nov 6, 1999          390 miles
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I was sour this a.m. Problems at work spun in my head and gut. Ordinarily, a trip in my Jeep would be what the doctor ordered, but my luck at BBQ rib places has been notorious here in Oklahoma. Still, the latest tip about a place in eastern OK was enough to push me to try. Keeping off the Interstate would let me see more of the real Oklahoma. And so I planned to head out Hwy 62. Crossing town and going down I-35 to connect with Hwy 62 brought my first omen. Construction had closed the 62 exit and I was forced to circle around and catch it further east of town.

I proceeded through Midwest City and Choctaw, and by Harrah my favorite radio show CarTalk had started. This cheered my spirits as I traveled past changing trees and a variety of road kill, from squirrels, to possum, fox, skunk, armadillo and a rare deer. Little did I realize bigger game was afoot. Going through Prague at only 25 mph I approached the traffic light in town center. It was green and was to stay green a while. Still, an old man walked across the street in front of me. I stopped in the middle of both intersections and he looked at me and smiled as he proceeded without pause or care. Eventually, he'll be on the side of the road with the other lame or stupid critters.

It was sunny and 70 as I reached Okemah and headed north on Hwy 56. Farm and ranch land turned to forest, hills and lake in Okmulgee State Park. It actually started to rain brown leaves from all the trees, a rare event for someone recently from west Texas. And just the day before there had been a hard freeze in central Oklahoma, so as the day warmed to 80, we had the beginnings of Indian Summer.

Living in Oklahoma has me pause and think about things differently. Like what is Indian Summer. According to Webster's dictionary, it's a noun dating back to 1778 meaning either a period of warm or mild weather in late autumn or early winter; or a happy or flourishing period occurring toward the end of something. Sure, we all knew that, but what is the significance of the word Indian in Indian Summer. Luckily a weather historian has searched this out. You can read his full report on Indian Summer.

Briefly, he says the term "Indian Summer" is generally associated with a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions. Several references make note of the fact that a true Indian Summer can not occur until there has been a killing frost/freeze. The earliest usage appears to be from St. John de Crevecoeur in a letter dated "German-flats, 17 Janvier, 1778". It's possible it refers to the hunting practices of American Indians at this time of year. However, it may also have originated with certain shipping practices in the Indian Ocean.

I arrived in Muskogee 3 hours and 165 miles from my apartment. I quickly spotted the Veterans Administration Hospital, as they always have the high ground. A new addition was added last year and my obligatory tour of part of the facility (to oversee the 20 miles surrounding the town) was enjoyable. Finding Slicks was harder as it had minimal signage and I missed it twice. A shack own by an African American family, they have been serving pork ribs at this same location for 40 years. [24th St & Shawnee Bypass Rd a.k.a Hwy 16/62] Four ribs are served on white bread, with a slice of tomato and onion on the side. A paper thimble full of potato salad and a pickle wedge finish the presentation, which is served on butcher paper. Squirt bottles of BBQ sauce are on the table. In a word - terrible. I left hungry as well as disappointed. I did inquire how the town is pronounced "Mus Koe Ghee".

Muskogee is a pretty town, and my view from the hospital enticed me to travel farther east. I got back on Hwy 16/62 and went past a very large OG&E coal burning electric power plant sitting on the Arkansas river. Things only got prettier as I progressed nearly into Arkansas and the foothills of the Ozark mountains, finally coming to Tahlequah (you're on your own in pronouncing this one). Here was the highlight of my trip as the town has an interesting university and an Indian history.

Northeastern State University is located here in the Ozark Mountains, with hills that roll gently across the land, offering a panorama of natural scenery filled with pines, oaks, and dogwoods with redbuds that blossom each spring. Nearby runs the Illinois River feeding into Lake Tenkiller, a lake of deep crystal green with a shoreline of beautiful forest and spectacular rock bluffs. The countryside, river and lake create an ideal area for a wide variety of outdoor activities.

Within this natural setting is the city of Tahlequah, capital of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, where the tribes western migration ended in 1839 after a quarter of their members died along the "trail of tears", a forced march from Georgia and North Carolina. Having rebuilt their civilization after their relocation, the Cherokees established a progressive system of tribal government and public education. Their heritage is celebrated with Native American art, crafts and the drama of the Trail of Tears performed in an outdoor amphitheater at the Tsa La Gi complex which also houses the Cherokee Village and Cherokee Heritage Center.

In the midst of Tahlequah resides NSU, a 200-acre campus founded in 1909 on the grounds of the Cherokee National Female Seminary. Three hundred full-time faculty help 7000 students (2/3 women; 2/3 white, 1/4 Native American) towards degrees in a number of majors including a doctoral degree in Optometry; MBA; masters of arts, education, and science; and bachelors in the same plus art education, business administration, science education, science in nursing and social work. NSU has campuses in Muskogee and Tulsa (an hour away).

After my leisurely tour, I headed back west along Hwy 51 through an area called the nursery capital of Oklahoma (for all the trees and plants commercially grown in this lush region). I crossed the Grand River over a large sturdy bridge, and saw pleasure boats and barges, gulls and cranes. I was north of Muskogee and well into the Ozarks. But entering Wagoner shocked me out of my Indian Summer daze as they had big-time Christmas displays at every city building, street corner, business front and lamppost. However, by Coweta things were back to Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Having the option to go further north to Tulsa, I turned south at Coweta and connected with Hwy 16 to Bristow. There I joined historic Route 66 as it paralleled Interstate 44. I was disappointed as Depew, Stroud, Davenport, Chandler, Warwick and Luther had no trace of Rte 66 nostalgia. Finally in Arcadia a gaudy "Hillbilly" restaurant and shops played it up.

Reflecting, Oklahoma doesn't have any unique plants (like sunflowers and wheat in Kansas), nor special animals (like buffalo or bats), nor dramatic geography (like snow capped mountains or vast desert), nor extreme climate (like.. oops, yeah tornados), nor outstanding cuisine (like BBQ or blue crabs). It's a vanilla state. Which by itself is actually a surprise since it has such poor PR. But when done right, vanilla can be very good. Vanilla has gotten bad PR from the chocolate companies.