The weather was perfect for our ride around Claremore looking for more interesting stuff along the way. We took a lot of country roads to get where we were going, most of them like this gem of rolling curves.
First stop, just south of Oologah (OO la ga), the ranch where Will Rogers was born.
This house, built one room at a time, was moved to this location
Originally it was 3/4 mile away along the Verdigris River. A lot of the original ranch is now under Lake Oologah. This is the view from the front porch.
Inside is a hall with the master bedroom on the right. Will was born in this room.
Other rooms added later are an office (behind the wall on the left in the top pic), a large dining room, large kitchen, two bedrooms upstairs, and this parlor.
Will’s father was, at one time a judge and held court here, and a senator who entertained guests here. Wills mother was an accomplished pianist and played that grand piano for visitors and guests during weekend dances held here.
In the barn we found two miniature donkeys, two small goats, and this gentleman.
Also on the grounds was a small shed with blacksmithing and woodworking equipment, a 12 30/50 amp electric/sewer rv hookups, (free) and the Will Rogers airstrip.
From the ranch we rode more fun and scenic roads around the lake and east of Rt 66 four miles to see the giant totem pole.
At the top are four Native American chiefs from different tribes. Facing East is Nez Perce Chief Joseph, North is Sioux Chief Sitting Bull, south is Chief of the Comanches Quanah Parker, and looking west is Apache Chief Geronimo. Looking at me is that creepy guy we can’t ditch!
Other sculptures on the property include a couple of tables with chairs, couple of short totem poles,
and the eleven-sided Fiddle House gift shop.
Inside there is an eclectic mix of locally hand-crafted items and tourist kitsch.
I loved this wood inlaid table.
The Fiddle House got its name from the 400 or so fiddles Ed Galloway carved to illustrate different kinds of wood from around the world.
That was a lot of sight-seeing for one morning. We sought fortifications at this tiny cafe, sitting right on Rt. 66
The inside had room enough for 5 four person tables and 2 two person tables. The service was the place was clean, the service was good, Duane’s burger and my patty melt were done to perfection. Annie’s gets two thumbs up from both of us.
After getting our strength back, we flew the Eagle back down Rt 66 west past Claremore to between Verdigris and Catoosa to visit a popular Rt 66 landmark—The Blue Whale. Hugh Davis built the Blue Whale in the early 70’s as an anniversary gift for his wife who collected whales. The whale and its spring-fed pond was a favorite swimming hole for locals and travelers. Davis brought in tons of sand, built picnic tables hired life guards and opened it to the public. No swimming is allowed now, but visitors can walk into the whale’s mouth, climb a ladder to a loft and look out the portholes, walk along the whale’s back and climb up on top of the tale. Swimmers used to slide down the fins, jump off the tail, and climb out of the water onto the whale's back.
The attraction fell into disrepair, but improvements are slowly being made.
The lady volunteering inside the gift shop asked to take my picture. I was wearing my Tolkien tshirt, and she is a fan. She said she wanted to post in on the Blue Whale facebook page. In talking to her I found that her name is Linda G. Ross Hobbs and that she is the author of several children’s books on sale in the gift shop. (Her niece is the illustrator.) The stories are quite good. (They are available from Amazon.) I bought the story of Blue Whale riding with Santa on Christmas Eve. She signed it for me and posed for the blog.
Today we rode rode around a lake, a couple of counties, and several small towns. We wrapped up our trip by following Rt 66 east back through Claremore to our house.
Tomorrow we say goodbye to OK and hello to TX.
Louise and Duane.
1 comment:
Wow...what a fantastic day. I love the giant totem pole. Someone took a lot of time to make that one.
I love hearing someone play a fiddle. Looks like a cool place to visit.
How neat to meet the author and have a signed book. Great day for sure.
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