October 30, 2010

Independence, MO and Oklahoma City, OK

Happy Halloween, everyone!!  Keep it safe and fun.
We are covering many miles as we make our way back to California.  But first, let me finish up on our stay in Iowa City.  Have to post these pictures of our visit with my friend, Mary.    
Jerry with friend, Mary, about to enjoy Jerry's dinner on the coach.

Mary and I having our Starbucks in Barnes and Nobles. 
We have spent many hours over the years in bookstores with our coffee. 

Boy,  did we get out of Iowa just in time! But, we had to put up with the high winds for two whole days of travel.  Decided to stop in Independence, Missouri to visit the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. See http://trumanlibrary.org/. Having read the book Truman by David McCullough, I really wanted to visit this Library.  There were very few visitors to the Library at this time of year.  Here are some of the pictures we took while there.

Copy of the Liberty Bell with Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in background

Jerry standing in front of Truman statue

The burial sites of President Truman and his wife (Bess)

Front of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum

Official portrait of President Truman

The replica of the Oval Room as it looked during President Truman's terms

Thomas Hart Benton Mural painted in the entrance lobby of the Museum

After leaving Missouri, we stopped to look at the Newell RVs.  Haven't really checked them out before.  What beautiful RVs they are!!

We picked up Route 66 and continued on to Oklahoma City where we spent one night at the Twin Fountains RV Park. 


Parked at the Twin Fountains RV Park in Oklahoma City. 
This is such a beautiful RV park that we expect to stay here
longer the next time we are traveling through this area.

We just had to see the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.  Can't believe that it has been 15 years since the bombing of that Federal Building.  See http://oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/.  The Museum lets you take a chronological self tour through the story of what happened on April 19, 1995.  Everything is so realistic, with the clock stopped exactly at 9:02, portions of the actual damaged building and the Ryder truck differential that landed on another car a block away on display, and the stories of the 168 people that died.  The front lawn contains 168 individually crafted bronze and glass chairs (with 19 smaller chairs for the children that were killed).  We were both emotionally affected by the experience.  Here are some of the pictures we took.

Plaque in the lobby of the Memorial

Personal items of loved ones lost on that day posted outside of the Memorial

The chairs named for each person lost and placed
in the row of the floor they were on when the bomb went off.


Reflective Pond

Reflective Pond and Chairs

This Oklahoma City Memorial is something that should be seen by everyone.  It is so powerful!

As we were leaving Oklahoma City, we stopped to pick up a Starbucks to go.  Jerry was having a hard time trying to find a place to park the RV.  This is one reason we were having this problem.  Looks like this mall (which includes Walmart) doesn't want any vehicle over 9 feet to park in its parking spaces.  Is this the way Walmart is saying "no" to RVers???   

Every entrance into the mall's parking lots was blocked with 9 foot bars.

After Oklahoma City, we drove for two days (spending last night at a truck stop) and are now in Albuqueque, New Mexico where we will stay put for the next four days, especially to be at a place on Tuesday, the Election Day, to watch the results on TV.  Our plan is to leave here next Wednesday and head back to Pismo Beach, California.

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