Southern Swing Day 3

I got an early start this morning, heading first thing to the library in Conway to see if I could get a small bit of internet. As I half expected, the library was closed for Labor Day. So I got out of town, heading north up into the Ozarks. For the first time the entire trip, the weather was cooler and more bearable without blasting the A/C.

While the Ozarks are cerainly more mountainous than the surrounding area, I drive over bigger hills practically every week on the way to Portland. But they were charming in their way nonetheless. While over fifty miles away, I started to see billboards and "information centers" for attractions in Branson, Missouri. These information centers apparenly sold tickets to all the best shows with deep discounts!

So I kept going and was soon in Missouri (state 31). Quickly I found myself mired in traffic, as apparenly Branson is somewhat infamous for traffric and it was Labor Day, after all. I took one of the proferred "Traffic Relief" routes and came around the south and up the west side of Branson, along a ridge above a river and across a dam. Soon I was driving slowly along the main drag. I stopped at a branch of the "Ozarkland" chain for a break, souvenirs, and general amusement.

After my break, I headed through the remainder of Branson on the main street trhough town. This is pretty much a planner's nightmare. Very tourist-trap-y strip development for miles upon miles, all along this one three lane road. No wonder there are traffic snarls! Not my cup o' tea, and I'm not even talking about the country music. Eventually I made my way back to the main north-south highway and headed north toward Springfield. I took a bypass around Springfield and started on my way back west. Near the border the frewway headed into Oklahoma, but I took a smaller road toward the northwest and into Kansas (state 32). I was hoping there would be an easy way to get to the point where the three states meet, but that didn't seem to be the case.

I headed west along rural two-lane highways in the south of Kansas for a while, traveling through a number of small towns. At a decent-sized town called Coffeyville, I drove around a bit in their downtown, then stopped at a small gift shop/information center at a historic mansion. The lady there was just about to close up as it was nearly five, but was very kind. She had visited Portland when her son lived there and liked it very much!

Soon I was back on my way, heading south this time, and quickly found myself in Oklahoma (state 33). I headed south on the highway to Tulsa, where I had earlier determined would be the farthest from Dallas I would like to stop for the night. I decided to press on, however. Tulsa seemed much larger than I expected. Instead of taking the quick way to Oklahoma City via turnpike, I took back highways instead. After getting caught in an inexplicable traffic jam for a while, I eventually made it.

At Oklahoma City, I found a hotel and checked in before heading downtown. I parked near the Oklahoma City National Memorial. I'm not sure what it is like in the daylight, but I found it quite striking at night. It was a pleasant evening and I strolled around the grounds in a contemplative mood. After touring the grounds and some of the surrounding area by foot, I got back in the car and drove around a bit before heading back toward the hotel for the night, stopping for a quick dinner along the way.

September 06, 2004 11:59 PM