Gone But Not Forgotten

Day 29

Amarillo, TX to Oklahoma City, OK (268 miles, 5,231 total) 

We were back at it mid-morning to start the four hour drive through the balance of the panhandle and into Oklahoma. Though there were certainly more miles of grass to lull us to sleep along the way, there were times where the monotony was broken up by some fascinating roadside views. As Jon had been missing the heavy Jesus influence of Santa Fe, he was thrilled to be greeted by this sight while we drove through Groom, Texas.

It made him feel very welcome.

About an hour later, we took a slight detour off of the interstate to explore a stretch of historic Route 66 that ran through Shamrock, Texas. Though the town is fairly run-down today, it seems that it was abuzz in the middle decades of the 20th century. 

Our first stop was the Conoco Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café, a magnificent Art Deco building constructed in 1936 as a stopping point for motorists along the bustling Route 66 prior to the opening of I-40. Though it's the home of the Shamrock Visitor Center today, you can imagine travelers pulling in to gas up their chrome-bumpered Roadsters and grab a quick bite before continuing on.

A few blocks away, we paid tribute to another ghost of Route 66, the Magnolia Gas Station from 1929.

Shortly after this trip down memory lane, we crossed the state line into Oklahoma. While the gigantic cross in Groom had warmed Jon's heart, what made me get the warm-fuzzies was the road sign along I-40 announcing that "Hitchhikers May Be Escaping Inmates." Thrilling.

We finally pulled into Oklahoma City around 5:30pm and, before hooking up at the Twin Fountains RV Resort for the night, we stopped at the Oklahoma City National Memorial to pay our respects to the victims of the 1995 bombing. It's hard to believe that this horrific event in American history took place twenty-five years ago.

We were moved by the memorial, which perfectly captured not only the immensity of that day's loss but also symbolized the abrupt break in the trajectory of the American experience that this event represented. At either end of the memorial are the "Gates of Time" - the East Gate reads 9:01 and the West Gate reads 9:03, framing the moment of destruction at 9:02. This part of the memorial is meant to represent the innocence that came before and the healing that began immediately after. I found this part of the memorial to be particularly impactful as I have vivid memories of being home from school for Easter break, watching the breaking news banner flash across the television screen. My twelve year-old self couldn't process such a violent attack taking place in the heartland of America - things like that weren't supposed to happen there. 

The Field of Empty Chairs occupies the footprint where the Murrah Federal Building once stood. Each of the 168 chairs represents a life lost that day, arranged in nine rows that reflect the floor where each of the victims was located. The nineteen smaller chairs represent the children that were murdered.

A great symbol of hope and perseverance, The Survivor Tree stands just a few yards away. The nearly century-old American Elm survived the bombing and represents the resilience of the people of Oklahoma City today.