Back Out On The Road

So a very busy 3 weeks back on the road.  We had a timeshare week to use or lose so we decided to stop by Branson Missouri and use it up.  Really bad condo, but they let us park our RV on the premise while we stayed in the room.  I like MY home on wheels better.  We attended one of those wonderful timeshare/vacation demos - not because we like to be tortured but because we're cheap and took the 4 show tickets that came with the torture.  The Hughes Brothers (a huge multi generational family show), Six (6 brothers) both were awesome. Also, Grand Jubilee and The Haygoods - they were OK.  We also went up Shepard of the Hills Inspiration Tower and drove the Ozark Mountain Christmas light display.  My mother used to frequent Branson on a bus tour, and there were dozens of buses everywhere.  We loved driving around and finding the "other" places.  Downtown Branson, Lake Taneycomo, fish hatchery, the dam, and Table Rock Lake.  The fly fisherman were out in droves, fun to watch.
As we travel and need a quick stop, we usually choose Wal Mart parking lots for those quick 1 night stops.  But after being in the south we learned that Indian casinos can be a great place to stop.  They may or may not have a camping area with hookups (electric, water, sewer) and it's FREE.  Then you go inside and get a players card, which can include $10 up to 100 of free play.  So we play their $10, entertain ourselves for a few minutes up to hour (if were lucky) and then spend the night in their lot.  Some even have 2 for 1 or reduced price buffets with the players card.  So they let us have a nice, safe spot to stay, entertain us, and feed us.  We spent the night at the Cherokee Casino in Oklahoma.
Just east of Oklahoma City we took the hospitality of the Kickapoo Indians and stayed in the casino campground for 5 nights (FREE), played with their $10 players card, and ate at their buffet.  It also allowed us to visit around the area. 
We went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.  It was great.  History of the Cowboy, artist display, tack, town reproduction, Indian heritage, and cowboy movie display.  Love all those old cowboy movies.  They had memorabilia from many famous cowboy actors and their movies. Rodeo history too.
We also stopped by the Oklahoma City Memorial, in memory of the OKC bombing in 1995.  It was really moving.  I had traveled through in 1998 and a lot of the building was still there, as they couldn't demolish it because of the trial.  I am so glad they build the memorial on the same grounds.  There is also a museum but it contains personal information and video of all of the victims.  Too much for me so we opted out.  A reflective pool is in the making. 
Lunch was spent in the Stockyards, were the states beef pass through on there way to the market (but don't tell them).  The famous Cattleman's Cafe has not changed in the 100 years of service, not from personal experience, but from historical information.  We had the absolute BEST steak ever.  It is one of those restaurants where people were walking in and the waitress would say "the usual Fred?"  A step back in time and an awesome experience. 
Onto Lawton Oklahoma.  Home of Fort Sill Artillery Army Camp.  We were honored to be invited to the boot camp graduation of Jasmine Reuteler.  Her father is a good friend of Randy's for decades (and mine for 1 decade plus).  He was the best man in our wedding.  So we spent a week in Lawton going to Army graduation events and visiting with the family.  Really neat to see all of the Army routine and events.  We got to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the base with the Reuteler's and about 200 other service people.  So thankful for their service and commitment!  Having had 8 uncles and a father in the military, this whole experience was really neat. Joy of joy's, it snowed while we were there too.  I thought we left that "stuff" back in Wisconsin. 
We took a driving tour of the Wichita Mountains, just outside Lawton.  Beautiful views on top of Mount Scott.  There is 59,000 acres wild life preserve to restore the long horns and bison on Oklahoma. Elk are there too but we did not catch one in view.  On the way is the Holy City.  The USA longest running Passion Play with a replica of Jerusalem and area. Cobblestone everywhere.  The area is known for cobblestone everything.  Beautiful.

Onto Amarillo Texas for a quick 2 night stop to see the sights and then head to Roswell New Mexico. Randy's really excited to see a few relatives!