We made a trip to Tuttle, Oklahoma, five hours away, a 3 day trip. We first got off route to travel along highway 88 and took the back roads among beautiful pastoral land and old farms. We stopped in Pine Ridge, Arkansas at the Jot 'Em Down Store made famous by Lum and Abner, local boys from Mena, who were so popular on radio in the 1930s.
Then when we arrived in Mena we stopped to check out the campground at Queen Wilhelmina State Park, but decided we would keep traveling west. We went into the lodge for a cup of coffee and a little desert not knowing about the desert buffet!!! From there we took the Talimena scenic drive across Rich Mountain. It is a designated as a scenic byway. We were surprised to find that some of the trees had already begun to show their fall colors.
Once we were in Oklahoma we changed our plans again and connected with I 40 to stop in Okemah for a little Oklahoma family history research. The Franks had moved from Arkansas to Oklahoma in the early part of the 20th century. We spent the night at a restaurant alongside I40. It would have been a great choice had the noisy 18 wheeler not parked right beside us.
After visiting the cemeter
y the next morning we drove into Oklahoma City. We planned to stop at Bass Pro but instead found ourselves at the health department gathering death certificates for the Bowcocks. Then we had two more cemeteries to visit as well as old neighborhoods. We were in a revitalized area of OKC known as Bricktown, also the area where the family had lived and worked. One family member worked at the Oklahoma Paper Company which was replaced by this ball stadium.
y the next morning we drove into Oklahoma City. We planned to stop at Bass Pro but instead found ourselves at the health department gathering death certificates for the Bowcocks. Then we had two more cemeteries to visit as well as old neighborhoods. We were in a revitalized area of OKC known as Bricktown, also the area where the family had lived and worked. One family member worked at the Oklahoma Paper Company which was replaced by this ball stadium.We also spent a few hours in the fabulous new Oklahoma History Center before driving south to Tuttle. We had a great visit with Josh and Kala and spent the night at their place. We drove back into Oklahoma City for dinner and where did they want to eat? Bricktown!
The next day we drove home, making a few stops in both Oklahoma City and Okemah which left no time to do research in Sallisaw. But that is only 3 hours away. We should be able to make that only a 2 day trip!
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