The Chesslers have come to see the total eclipse of the sun in Dallas, but via Oklahoma City. Let me explain. April 8, 2024 will be the last total solar eclipse across portions of the U.S. until 2044, and many are anxious to see it. Dallas is solidly in the path of that solar eclipse. Therefore, flights and hotels to and in Dallas cost multiple times what they usually do. Your standard economics. And when you book a little later than you should (us), the sticker shock rattles you and you move to Plan B. Plan B for us was to fly to Oklahoma, then drive to Dallas. So, here we are in OKC.
No time for lunch, but just the right time for BBQ. Samuel found Bedlam BBQ for us, right on U.S. 66, with the "best patio in Oklahoma." The BBQ was excellent too, somewhere between Kansas style and Texas style. We arrived in time to hear Edgar Cruz, "OK's full time guitarist for over 40 years." We sat next to a blazing outdoor fireplace and listened to some well performed cover songs. You can text Edgar your song requests (he hands out a brochure before performing).
Then it was time to see the state capital, just a few miles away. Completed in 1917 without a dome, one was finally added in 2001, and according to my Google search, was the first state to have a capitol building featuring an American Indian sculpture on its dome. It also has a tribal flag plaza, featuring a number of tribes of the area - Comanche, Shawnee, Choctaw, Seminole, Cheyenee, Cherokee, and others, less well known. And perhaps, not seen at other state capitals, it also has two oil wells on the 15 acres that comprise the capital park. This seemed unusual to me, and Google confirmed it. The Oklahoma State Capitol is the only capitol in the world surrounded by working oil wells. That makes sense, , with oil drilling and gas extraction, gasoline and petroleum wholesaling, and hospitals being the largest industries by revenue in 2023 for the state.
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