Day 10 was pretty mellow with time spent wandering parts of old Route 66 in Oklahoma. Not much left of the road itself and the lack of signage was a problem. Along the way toward a couple of destinations, we took more than a few side trips.
On one of our meanderings, we came upon an isolated cemetery that included some very old grave sites. Some poor souls had only a rock or concrete marker and one warranted a cinder block. After spending time looking at many memorials, it was apparently a cemetery that was for blacks that must have been from the Harlinsville Baptist Church.
Quite by accident, we found ourselves in Yale, OK. This turned out to have the "Jim Thorpe Home" - one of the residences of the super athlete. It was interesting and once again, our guide seemed grateful to have visitors. The were a couple of facts that we did not know.
One: He won gold medals in both the Decathlon and Pentathlon in the same Olympics - Wow! That's hard to believe.
Two: He is the only athlete that appeared on a Wheaties box posthumously.
Then we headed south with a stop or two planned for southern OK. We found the "Toy and Action Figure Museum" in Pauls Valley. What an unexpected treat. Upon arrival, the place looked dark and closed..... it was dark but not closed. They were having power issues. So, our first run through was pretty light free. Then the lights did return and revealed even more marvels (note appropriate segue to comic book action figures). The story of how this place came to be is a remarkable example of how a small town can plan and have vision to keep people visiting and supporting the future. Many townsfolk got together and found a way to fund and promote something as unlikely as an action figure museum. Very cool!
The place was wild and very fun; impossible to not feel like a 10 year old. Loved it!
Lastly we made it to the GW Memorial Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, OK. It was late but it stayed open until 7pm. This place was heartening, sad and interesting all at once. All the animals had been rescued from various bad situations. There were close to 200 big cats with a waiting list for more. The guide said they could take another lion or tiger everyday. There were many other critters and it was overwhelming. We felt bad for them having to be in cages but they are now being fed and not abused. It really did bring mixed emotions.
That was a good day. We ended up in Gainesville, Texas.
Love,
Wonder Woman and Pinhead
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