Wednesday, June 21, 2017, Oklahoma Land Run Monument

Sam had another appointment with the vet at Banfield (drop him off at 8:30 am and they call when he is ready), so we found ourselves in Oklahoma City again with time on our hands. There was so much to explore and with only a couple of hours, we decided our first stop would be 1889 Land Run Memorial highly recommended by our friends Mike and Lorraine.

The territory of Oklahoma needed settlers - what could be a better enticement than free land. The Unassigned Lands were opened through a Land Run with more than 50,000 Americans vying for 160 acres plots or a town lot. At noon on April 22, 1889, competitors rushed in on wagons, horses, foot and trains. Towns were formed and homesteads were staked. The march to statehood had begun. Apparently, some of the folks chose not to wait (cheated!) and hid in bushes near their chosen lot instead. When the rush started they popped up and staked out some of the prime lands. They were referred to as "Sooners" and I guess the name must not have had much of a negative connotation since the entire state adopted the nickname.

This monument went on seemingly forever, and it was not complete - the artist still had 5 more statues to go. There will be 47 statues when it is done.

I was blown away by the sculptor's ability to capture the urgency, drama and movement of the subjects.  The covered wagon losing its load bringing down a fellow traveler, a concerned fellow looking back and losing his hat, the dog next to the wagon in full gallop trying to keep up - all contribute to the conveyance.

The amount of detail was amazing.

The monument crossed a beautifully landscaped waterway and continued on the other side.

A groundskeeper told us that the buckboard driver below was a self-portrait of the artist, Paul Moore.

David noticed the detail of the hoof imprints on the edge of the bank (actually in concrete).

The Oklahoma Science Museum was on the ASTC list, so we thought we would check it out. It was a kids museum, but it was still interesting and one of the largest we have visited.

This museum blew us away.  It was the largest and nicest science museum we had visited so far.  Very Kid centered but with plenty to offer the over-50 crowd, too.  It was packed at midday - go early!

A very large "Wunderkammer" (German meaning "Wonder Cabinet") display sat at the entrance.  This picture captures a fraction of the display.  The poster in the middle caught my eye.  (Does it look familiar, Jon?)

The planetarium presented a journey to the planets that might have kept the kids entertained. I'm not sure because with the extremely comfortable reclined seating I might have fallen asleep for part of the trip.

My rendition of the Star Trek theme on the Theremin below was not recognizable, but I made some awesome random noises.

I suppose the background behind me, below, is a giveaway that I did not really go to the moon to plant a flag on its surface. This was, without doubt, the largest and best presentation of hands-on science exhibits for kids we have seen.

One of the advantages of the ASTC membership is you never feel bad if you need to leave early since you didn't have to pay to get in.  

We could have spent a lot more time in the museum, but the vet called to say Sam was ready. The folks at Banfield said he sat still as they pulled the drains out - I'm just glad I didn't have to watch. He was feeling so much better as he gave me that look that said: "could you just stop humiliating me with this cone?"

Sam's tubes were out and his hair was starting to grow back.  We needed to wait 5 more days before the remaining stitches could be removed.  He was doing so well!