– Part 1
“A man’s daughter is his heart. Just with feet, walking out in the world.”
Mat Johnson
A few years back, I was blessed with the opportunity to take a road trip with our youngest daughter, Marigrace. In the interest of brevity, I’ll call her MG. This dad and daughter road trip began with some free tickets to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field in Chicago. I have previously written, more than once, about our baseball adventure. But we did more than watch the Cubs play. Our trip was memorable. It was special, as time with your kids always is. In the mood this week to remember one of our escapades, I thought I’d share some memories. What follows is a chronicle of our travels, documented here for your enjoyment (or tolerance)…
Since we would be driving through much of the Midwest (Texas to Chicago), MG and I decided to make some meaningful stops along the way, turning our trip into a combination family history tour and baseball adventure. First stop on the road was McAlester, Oklahoma. This is where my dad, MG’s grandfather, grew up. I had driven through Oklahoma a number of times but had never visited my dad’s hometown (he grew up on a farm outside of McAlester and would tell stories of riding on top of the cotton wagon headed into town to sell their crop each year). MG and I enjoyed our stay. The highlight of our brief stop (including an overnight stay at the Economy Inn – clean rooms, but no A/C, and bath towels the size of gum wrappers) was a drive by the “Waggin’ Tails Dog Wash” (open 24 hours), and the Brad Pitt look-a-like who was working the breakfast shift at the Sonic Drive-In the next morning. To clarify – I am not interested in Brad Pitt - just thought it was kind of funny to see him (or his twin) working at Sonic on Monday morning in McAlester, Oklahoma. We took a few pictures on our way out of town and continued our journey.
Our second day on the road took us to Claremore, Oklahoma, hometown of Will Rogers (am counting him among my list of favorite Americans). Will and I share the same birthday, almost (he was born Nov. 4, me Nov. 3), we are both part Cherokee (his grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee, my grandmother was ½ Cherokee). He was a humorist, entertainer, writer, and cowboy. Me, I like to make jokes, work at writing a bit (as I sit here now and pound out these words – first draft – on my 1946 model Royal portable typewriter, I am reminded that Will used one too) …and I wish I was a cowboy.
In Claremore we found the Will Rogers Memorial and museum. MG and I enjoyed our visit there. Later, we stopped at the Rogers’ family home and ranch in Oologah, Oklahoma. This was a great place to visit and ended our history lesson for the day.
Day three found us in Missouri, where we stopped at the famous St. Louis Arch. Without thinking, I made the mistake of wearing a Cubs ball cap into St. Louis Cardinals territory, eliciting more than one comment and scowl from angry passers-by. MG and I decided to take the ride to the top of the arch for a grand view of the city. This entails slouching and squirming through a 48-inch- high opening (I am 6’ 3”) and crouching/curling into an almost fetal position inside a fiberglass “capsule” with up to four other people. It was kind of like folding yourself into a shoe box for the six-minute ride to the top. Once there, you can view beautiful St. Louis through matchbox sized windows along with 60-70 other people who are up there for the same purpose. This was fun, but I don’t think we will do it again.
By the way, visiting the St. Louis Arch involves a TSA-like screening/search, which forced me to discard my ever-present pocketknife in order to gain entrance. My knife was hidden, nestled nearby, among the branches of an ash tree overlooking the Mississippi River. We retrieved it when finished.
Next stop was Springfield, Illinois, and the home of Abraham Lincoln. If you have never visited Lincoln’s home, this is a must see. The home is preserved and decorated as it was when Lincoln lived there. Admission is free, and the guided tour is fascinating as well as enjoyable.
Day four found us in Chicago in time for the Cubs game against the Giants. We first found a room north of the stadium in Skokie, Illinois. The game that night was great, if a bit cold with a biting wind coming off Lake Michigan. Cubs beat the Giants 5-4.
To be continued next week in part 2…
© 2024 Jody Dyer
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