My Oklahoma City Trip, Conclusion

My friend Mary arrived a few minutes after 6 p.m. Wednesday, transported by the Biltmore's airport shuttle. I was waiting in the lobby and we hugged, looked each other over, and got her checked in.  Then we walked across the street to Louie's, a sports bar recommended by Mike, my taxi driver.  We got caught up on personal, friends, and family news, and laid out plans for Thursday.  I called Mike and apprised him of our plans, and he agreed to pick us up at 9:30 to deliver us to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.  Then I crashed.
  Mary and I had breakfast at the free buffet in the Biltmore, and, after a hearty breakfast, we awaited Mike in the lobby.  When he arrived, a few minutes early (as usual), he drove us out to the Museum, with the agreement that if we didn't call him sooner, he'd pick us up at 5, when the museum closed.  -  He picked us up at 5, and we hadn't seen even half of all the exhibits there.  -  Mary and I love the old Western movies that rolled out so frequently from the studios before, and after, we were born.  Being a horse-crazy kid, I got my equine fix by watching Westerns on TV.  (Before my fifth birthday, I can remember watching The Cisco Kid, The Roy Rogers Show, The Gene Autry Show, and Hopalong Cassidy; as well as riding every other weekend at the King's Ranch riding stable.)  We didn't receive an ABC television station while I was growing up in Florida, but I saw every CBS and NBC western that aired as I was getting taller, along with any western movie that was offered.
  The contents of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum more than exceeded my expectations. There are statues both inside and out; the Native American exhibit was overwhelming - covering both Eastern and Western tribes; the Cowboy Hall of Fame was staggering;  the paintings and bronzes on display were awesome.  Seeing a Frederic Remington bronze, "Coming Through the Rye," I was amazed at the amount of detail shown in such a small piece - then stepped outside, only to see it replicated in life-size.  It was fantastic.  I've always loved cowboys - and seeing items used, owned, and donated by my childhood heroes on display was very gratifying.  Saddles, chaps, hats, suits of clothing, guns and holsters, rifles and ropes used by such icons as John Wayne, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Lash LaRue, Dale Robertson, Joel McCrea, Tim McCoy, Tom Selleck, Gary Cooper, Richard Boone, Sam Elliot, and many more are there for your eyes to feast on.  The small restaurant inside the museum serves up scrumptious food at very good prices...  There is just too much to see inside this place in one day - I'd need three to see all that I wanted.  I had a fantastic time in this Museum.  Please visit their website at  http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/  to see everything this museum offers.  They have a small 1890s town, shown at dusk, in one wing, so one can explore the town, plus there is an interactive area for children called the Children's Cowboy Corral, where they can dress up like a cowboy, and sit around a campfire, listening to cowboys tell their tales.  I highly recommend a visit to this marvelous institution!
  Mike picked us up Friday morning at 9, and drove us around the State Capitol building, and by the Governor's Mansion before dropping us off at the Oklahoma History Center.  As my plane was leaving OKC at 5 p.m., we arranged for Mike to pick us up at 2, so I could return to the Biltmore, retrieve my luggage, and get the shuttle to the airport.  Because of the time constraint, our visit through the OHC was rather hurried, and I could, again, easily have spent more than a single day looking at the informative displays.  Before the Center opened, Mary and I walked along the 1/4 mile Red River Journey, looking at historic markers and photos, and observing local flora.  We didn't have time to visit the Oil Field outdoor exhibit - the Center is on 18 acres, and has tons of outside displays and views. (See:  http://www.okhistory.org/historycenter/index )  We saw the Oklahoma @ the Movies exhibit, and spent a lot of time in the ONEOK Gallery, in the "We Are Who We Were" exhibits, that represent the ways of life of the 38 Native American tribes now living in the state.  We also were able to visit the Noble Foundation Gallery, which shows the early history of the state, and has a sod house, a 1930's house, and a 1950s pink, ultra-modern kitchen.  I just about fell over when I opened a cabinet, and saw the salt and pepper holder, in the shape of a burro carrying baskets, that I grew up with.
   While I was eager to get home and sleep in my own bed, and cuddle with my cats, I was still unhappy about leaving Oklahoma City.  There was just so much to see and do that I didn't have time for.  It was a fun, happy, good vacation, and I returned home in high spirits and a bounce in my step.  I have resolved to return to OKC to see what I missed the first time around - but I believe that it will take me another three weeks to see all that I want to see!