Day Two of Spring Break 2022
8:00 a.m. was our target time to leave Weatherford Saturday morning. We had free breakfast at the hotel to the sounds of a screaming toddler (although I daresay I am getting to the age where I am like BTDT and think ‘those poor people’ rather than getting aggravated!) followed by a stop at Starbucks and then hit the road.
Wind turbines were plentiful as we drove down the interstate towards Texas – as far as the eye can see in some places. And the eye can see quite far in Western Oklahoma. Trever loves the unbroken landscape with the horizon often appearing to be a figment of one’s imagination, while I find myself feeling a bit untethered in that type of environment, with nothing to ground me to my spot on the earth. We also saw quite a few cotton fields – the puffy balls of white that remained on the stems hanging on for dear life in the western Oklahoma wind.
Before we drove on into Texas we took a detour for “Trever’s Tour of Erick, Oklahoma.” Erick is a tiny community that barely qualifies as being in Oklahoma, only 6 miles from the Texas state line. Home at times to both Roger Miller and Sheb Wooley, its location on historic Route 66 has contributed to times of modest prosperity. Trever lived there from 1985-1989 and he graduated from the high school, one of a class of 28. The small town has fallen on hard economic times in the past few decades and although there is still a school and a few businesses, places such as the football field where he played eight man football are now abandoned. That abandoned field, the empty lots, and the boarded up storefronts seemed to summon more ghosts than the peaceful local cemetery that we went to before we left town, so that he could visit the gravesite of a friends father.
We pressed on toward our destination after lunch, arriving in Amarillo sometime around 2:30 p.m. The rental wasn’t ready when we drove into town so we had yet another tour of Trever’s years in Amarillo (where his family lived before Erick). Finally, we were able to check into our little VRBO house. Located on the outskirts of town, but still on a main road, the one room home is very cute, and would be perfect for a couple, although there are adequate sleeping arrangements for all of us. Abby is sleeping in the loft, with only a ladder for access! No one else will attempt the climb.
After relaxing for a while, we did have to go back out and pick up a few groceries and find dinner. I would caution against Cajun takeout in the Texas panhandle. Lesson learned (maybe it was just a poor choice of restaurant). After dinner, we sat outside and took in the views, and caught the sunset going behind a row of houses.
The only thing we didn’t accomplish on this first full day of vacation is finding Kate and Ringo, the two resident cows who live on the property. After contacting the owner of the home, he told us that if they were in earshot of someone banging on the gate of the property they would come running. We tucked this information away for the next day and retired relatively early.
-Karri Temple Brackett
March 19, 2022