Oklahoma

150 beers
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The weather finaly breaks, it rains and rains and rains.  The temp guage in the car falls below 70 for the first time since we picked it up in early July.  It hits 69 for half an hour between Pickles Gap and Conway.

In Oklahoma City we get a nice hotel with "Managers welcome" Free beer and chicken for two hours which is lovely, as is the hotel pool as the rain stops and the mercury zips back to the 90s.

OK city is another great place and we trolley bus into town to see the Federal Memorial building.  The USA does this stuff really well, it is a fitting and moving memorial to the 169 citizens that died here.

24 hours in Tulsa
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169 empty steel and glass chairs representing the men, women and 19 children killed are ranged on a beautifully kept lawn overlooking a reflection pool set between two black stone monoliths, there are an orchard and the "survivor tree" wracked by the explosion, burnt by exploding cars it stands as testimony to the ability to survive and renew.

We get some "Culture on our asses" at the city art museum where there is a magnificent display of Roman art on loan from the louvre along with some modern glass art which is quite stunning.  Course there's the usual cobblers that looks like someone covered a dog in paint then rolled it on canvas but what the hey.

On the inside lookin' out, Mcalester State Pen
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We then study deeply at the OK city Brew house and it's neighbour which houses 150 (count 'em) draught beers. The brickhouse area here is a great spot where clubs and sporting venues are concentrated.  It's a great place to wander and people watch and try and convince Americans that we're not Australian.

Onto Tulsa, I ask for directions to the Visitor Centre (They usually have free maps guides etc)

"Excuse me sir could you direct me to the visitor centre"

"Sure..... hey, are you from Paris France?"

Mickey Mantles Steak house
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"Yes, that's right"....It's pointless to argue.

Gene Pitney (ask your mum) once sang "Only 24 hours from Tulsa"  We woneder if in fact he meant "feels like 24 hours in Tulsa" after he'd been here 20 minutes. Tulsa looks like a pretty city, all art deco architecture and futuristic looking.  It reminds us of the kind of city that starts to crumble into dust and smoke just as Virgil arrives in thunderbird 1 (ask your dad) However it's a soulless kind of place.  The folk in the visitor center admit "there aint much here y'all"

Oklahoma City
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Our usual tactic is to head straight for the downtown area where we can usually find lodgin's, vittles, stuff to look at and , most importantly Americans to take the pee out of because (i) they can't make beer (ii) they can't tell us from Australians (iii)  It's sooooo easy.

Downtown here though is just office blocks, a discussion with the staff at the center confirms that if you are in a bar, restaurant or place of interest you are at least a 20-30 minute drive from the next one.

We've done some fair driving lately so we check into a nice riverside place on the outskirts, we have pool, sauna etc and a development of restaurants shops and bars with some live(ish) music a 10 minute walk away. We wander up to a very picturesque Tiki bar on the river banks and order a couple of beers...

"Where you from?" the barman asks

"Paris France apparently" we reply

"No, whereabouts in pompey are you from?"

We're aghast, turns out he's from Gosport and recognises the accent! It gets spookier.  His Dad worked for P&O, his office was top floor right end of the building, exactly the same spot as mine sinec we took over the building.  It takes a while to convince US we're not stalking HIM!!

Tomorrow we go to Mcalester high security prison where the inmates take part in an annual bloodletting disguised as a prison rodeo, if we get out, more later...........

It's a pretty feature-less drive to Mcalester and in all fairness Mcalester is pretty featureless itself. Driving through the downtown is a fairly depressing experience.  Hey, ever wondered what happens to all the food that doesn't get eaten in those huge casino buffets??  WE think it goes to "Western Sizzlin"  It's $11 for an all you can eat buffet, the choice seems to consist entirely of regurgitated dog food.

The state pen is a fearsome looking place.  Huge concrete walls and watch towers topped with razor wire. There are god know how many guards around steering the public into the prison grounds, then into the prison itself where there is a large open air auditorium.

The rodeo is pandemonium!!  A mixture of pro riders and convicts bare back bucking broncos, lasoo calfs from horse back and try to stay aboard huge mad bulls.  The favourite event here is "money the hard way"  50 or so male and female cons are herded onto the rodeo ground from a barb wire encllosure from where they've been watching the events.  Then it's all real simple, the convicts simply have to pull a red scarf from the horns of a 2000lb bull to win $100. Guys are hurled 10 feet or more in the air, gored on the ground by these huge creatures, it's amazing no one is killed and it feels a little uncomfortable to watch these guys and gals risking all in front of a baying crowd, it's a little gladiatorial. However we have a few buggers locked up in 4star luxury that probably deserve to have to fight a 2000lb bull ever now and again.