The Day Our Dog Grew Up

Determined to not cross over our footsteps like we did so many times in New Mexico, our first major decision for the next leg of the trip was whether or not to skip Oklahoma’s pan handle. In retrospect, it seems weird that we deliberated so intently on it, ultimately deciding to just shoot straight across Amarillo to Oklahoma. This path took us by Cadillac Ranch, where we pretended to paint some cars and thoroughly painted the inside of our van with mud. It was muddy. But it was also free, so why not?

Our campsite for the evening was nothing special, and we awoke to the usual routine, which involves trying to wear the dog out a bit so she’s not amped up while driving around. Her fetch game is intense. She will pounce aggressively on the fleeing stick as though it fulfills her role to keep evil in check. I’ve often wondered how she manages to coordinate her pounces without hurting herself, but this morning I wondered no more. She managed to get a pretty darn good poke in the back of her mouth from her antics and moped the whole day as a result. The world was no longer rainbows and butterflies for this pup.

Kate and I explored some Alabaster caves while she was feeling the hurt, but she was 90% by the next morning.

On our way down to Oklahoma City, we visited Gloss Mountain state park and took a running photo op. Lots of vultures here. Is this a place of foreboding?

Second Oklahoma state park was Roman Nose, which was named after a Native American chief (go figure). We went on a long bike ride through the windy trails which was nice to see the pedaling legs still work.

My cousin and her boyfriend were great hosts for us in Oklahoma City, showing us pizza and pointing out activities we could do. They even watched the pup for a day as we traveled the city.

We found the famous Skydance Bridge and walked around the Myrid Botanical gardens, which were underwhelming at best. Kate sat in front of some plants.