Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Day 4: Troy, Illinois to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The start of today was similar to that of those prior…freezing cold.

We had to make up for lost time from the day before so our departure from Troy, Illinois and the Rice family was around 7:00 a.m. The night spent there was a blessing, as Mr. and Mrs. Rice graciously opened their home (and pantry) to us.

Our early morning venture through St. Louis once again allowed us to see the massive Gateway Arch from a distance. The first stop came at a small mini-mart of sorts located just off of Route 66 called Wrinks Market (http://www.wrinksmarket.com). Inside we found a few locals who were more than eager to share their stories with us. One of them was a feller by the name of Mr. Delmer Capps (Capps Used Cars if you ever need a car). He’s lived around Route 66 his entire life, first in Bristow and now in Lebanon, Missouri. Mr. Capps moved to Lebanon while still in high school (where he met his wife) because of his father’s work. When we asked him to tell us what he loves most about the town, he immediately shot back with, “the friendly people.” Supposedly years ago when you would enter Lebanon there was a large arch over the road with the words “Welcome to Lebanon, Home of 5,000 Friendly People.”
Another encounter at Wrinks Market was with Mitchell, a third generation to live in the small town, and by far the most animated and outgoing of those we came upon today. He has 6 kids (all of whom have either joined the military or obtained advanced degrees of some sort) and 13 grandkids. In a few weeks time Mitchell is going on a service trip to San Antonio, Texas, to cook meals for wounded soldiers, because he has two boys of his own who have served in Iraq. It’s stories like these that we constantly come across stop after stop.

The rest of the afternoon was spent weaving in and out of all the towns along Route 66. Since we were strapped for time, the ability to stop in all of them was near impossible. However, thanks to the navigational skills of Taylor, we managed to see the location of a home that had been ordered from a Sears catalog in the early 1900’s and delivered by train. There was also the massive whale that swallowed Jonah (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1JR), which we found in Catoosa, Oklahoma.

The last leg of the day we drove through a beautiful part of Oklahoma just as the sun was setting. It was one of the moments when time slows down almost to a halt, and the ability to simply watch the sight reminds you of the greatness that surrounds us on a daily basis.

Our experiences thus far have helped us see beyond the big city of LA, as much of our time is spent observing social and cultural norms along the way. Here are just a few of them…some humorous, and others more thoughtful:

Observation #1
Chicago is really cold…LA is not.

Observation #2
Lambert’s CafĂ© in Ozark, Missouri, has a book about dating in their gift shop that will change your life. Their collection also extends into informational guides about college and arthritis, just to ensure that the 3 big areas of one’s life are covered.

Observation #3
Driving styles, and by that we mean people here actually let you over without giving you a certain finger at the same time (perhaps it’s because we now have that extra hand free in LA that we didn’t have before).

Observation #4
13 hours of driving along Route 66 will net you about 520 miles.
13 hours of driving in LA will get you from campus to the Staples center…on a good day.

Observation #5
While the major cities like LA, NYC, and Chicago often push our nation towards innovation and progress, the constant heartbeat of the US is found in these small towns along Route 66. The values, thoughts, hopes, and dreams of these families and individuals provide a sense of stability that we all take for granted and more often than not find ourselves continually running back to, especially now with all that’s going on in this country.

Observation #6
Values are the currency along this road, and these people don’t leave home without them.

Happy trails to you…

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