Route 66…day 3 (Oklahoma City OK to Clinton, OK)

Day 3--
We did NOT do well "consuming" miles, but today was a wonderful people day.

The van had its 15,000 mile check-up early this morning.  I was finally able to meet the young man who suffered all my calls--setting and resetting appointments, directing me to the station, etc.  Ethan is a generous stations manager.  He got us coffee, ran over to the other storage area for a part, tried to fix the TV for Matthew, and made us the best deal possible on the cost for the "check-up".  I also met the man who did the work on the RV, Mike.  It was wonderful to know that "our baby" was in such good hands.  It did humor me, however, when Mike declared that she was "clean".  I wasn't sure if he meant that the van exterior and interior were "clean,"or that the oil was"clean," or that the staff had washed the RV…Turns out, part of the check involved hoisting her up and looking at the undercarriage.  The BOTTOM of my RV was clean.  Interesting…
Jumped back onto The Mother Road, and detoured into El Reno, OK.  Here, we visited the El Reno Hotel.  It is a two-story wooden structure that was built in 1892.

Near the hotel, there was a caboose and a few older buildings.  Matt, of course, noticed the caboose, so we stopped.  Turns out that it was a small collection of museums--free admittance at that!  The manager, Judy, showed us around and shared stories of funding issues, collection deterioration, and personal stories of her childhood, marriage, and widowhood.  She, if Matthew and I lived here, would have become a friend.  After two hours, we parted.  She said,"Good-bye.  Hey, stay longer next time."

The interior of the main museum--a very small part…

Matthew's favorite part--checking-out the interior of a cool caboose

We drove onto Clinton, OK.  The plan was to take a few photos, do some shopping, and head on.  Yes, with all good plans…smiles.  

Old motel in Clinton, OK

Although an Indian Store for the tribes of the area, Cheyenne and Arapaho, it was called Mohawk Lodge because it was originally housed in a Dutch Reform church…from New York.  The Mohawk tribe was from that area.

Established in 1892, it is the first and oldest trading post in Oklahoma.

The other people who made our day owned this store--Pat and Charles Henry.  It was filled with "items not for sale,"collections rivaling museum quality native works, small and beautiful pieces for sale, and stories.  Pat and Charles shared their love of history, family, and friends.  With Judy's last words ringing, Matthew and I stayed to hear all they wanted to tell.  We were even invited into their amazing home filled with collections and antiques and Christmas decorations.  Both of us felt very honored to share Pat's and Charles' afternoon.  The four of us closed the store.  Matthew and I went to a local hotel; Pat and Charles went out to yak even more with friends.

Pat and Charles Henry in their store.

We have been beyond fortunate, better than blessed, happier than lucky…the people we have met on this trip are amazing.  Thank you, all of you, for adding so much to our lives!

I should add, we visited Elk City on the way to the Midwest for Thanksgiving.  Here are some of the photos from that visit--

The giant 66 sign
This museum was very informative and interestingly laid-out.

One of the giant Kachina Dolls