You can notice, however, in the top photo, all the dead trees on the mountainside. These are not trees that have "gone by", these are evergreens that have been killed by a beetle, a persistent problem in the West.
We made our way into the Texas panhandle the first day, staying over in the town of Dalhart. We asked the front desk person for a restaurant recommendation, preferably one where we could get a glass of wine and a beer, and she directed us to a nice place just outside of town. When we ordered our drinks, the bartender informed us that we were in a dry county, and the only place you could purchase alcohol was in a private club, where you needed to be a member. However, for the small price of $3, both of us could become members for three days! One way for the county to make a little extra money, while still getting tax money for the alcohol. She also told us that the town of Dalhart was in two separate counties- one was dry and one was not- and we happened to be on the dry side.
We were not in a great hurry to get home, so started looking for some interesting sites to see on route. I found a place called Woolaroc, a museum and wildlife preserve, that was just about one day's drive east near Bartlesville, Oklahoma. We have driven through Texas and Oklahoma before, so we were prepared for the FLAT land, the ranches, and the opportunity to see more antelope. The town of Bartlesville, located in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, was quite a bit larger than we anticipated- over 37,000 people- so it was pretty easy to find good places to eat. As I was reviewing the map, trying to figure out where we stayed the last time we were in this area, turned out we had been in this town before!
The next morning we drove out to Woolaroc, about 12 miles outside of town. This section of Oklahoma is considered part of the Osage Hills. We planned to spend the morning there. Woolaroc covers about 3,700 acres, and was designed and built as a retreat by oilman Frank Phillips (of Phillips 66 fame) back in 1925. The drive into the museum was nice- they have some animals that are fenced in, but many others that just come to the area, especially in the fall, to graze and spend the winter. Phillips wanted the area to maintain the feel of the old West, as he remembered it prior to the 20th century. Guests are cautioned to stay in their vehicles because of the free-roaming animals. The woman at the ticket booth told us we should see elk, as they were beginning to move down from higher elevations. We did see elk, as well as a few bison- some fenced and some roaming free, and fallow deer- a small European deer that can be black, brown, or fawn colored with spots. They also had Highland cattle ("heery cooze" of Scottish fame) fenced in near the museum.
The museum covers the history of the West, dating back to some of the earliest Native American inhabitants up to the time of the "oil rush". The 50,000 square foot building has some nice sculptures on the property, and contains an incredible number of artifacts and art pieces, including a couple by Frederick Remington. The gun collection is extensive- though Dale and I spent very little time in that area! It is really almost overwhelming to take it all in.
The last section of the museum focuses on the development of the oil industry, including the history of early flight. Phillips developed the first aviation-specific fuel. In response to a contest to be the first plane to fly to Hawaii from the mainland, they developed and sponsored a small plane, which won the race.
After a full morning in the museum, we headed out to find lunch, landing at a small lunch cafe not far from Woolaroc. We had decided our next stop should be golf related. We had always wanted to play some of the Robert Trent Jones courses in Alabama- and after all, Alabama was right on our way home- so we set a course for Decatur, AL.
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