I just had to share my amazement with someone - I bought gas today in
Oklahoma City for $2.49!  I haven't seen such cheap gas in ages - I don't
know what's going on in this town.  Okay, most places here are more like
$2.60, and there was a line where I bought it, but hey, $2.60 is really good
these days too!

I also stopped at an amazing place the other day, Chickasaw National
Recreation Area, in south-central Okla.  It's a magical place full of
streams and springs and pools and woods - used to be a place where Indians
from all different tribes came to take the waters. They'd all leave their
weapons behind and overlook their differences while they were there, so
everyone could enjoy how lovely it is and get whatever medicinal benefits
were to be had from the minerals in the water.  There are lakes, too, warm
enough to swim in at the moment, and at this time of year the whole place
smells like honeysuckle.  The Chickasaw tribe eventually sold the whole
place to the government for a national park, to prevent white folks from
just developing it or overrunning it with cattle after Oklahoma became a
state.  I'm learning things here, too - Rodgers and Hammerstein didn't
explain all the problems created by Oklahoma statehood, they just wrote
glorious songs about it.  But an awful lot of the history of Oklahoma seems
to be about getting rid of the Indians so they whites could take their
resources.

Chickasaw would actually be a lovely place to hold a VW event (VANAGON
CONTENT ALERT!), if one wanted a place in the middle of the country.  Not in
the summer, though, I gather it's really hot and sticky.  The National Park
staff said it's delightful when the leaves change color, too.

So in case anyone is in the middle of the country and looking for a nice
stop and cheap gas, try Oklahoma, and definitely walk out to Antelope
Springs at Chickasaw!

Joy

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Joy Hecht
and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon

For musings about life and the vanadventures:
http://www.joyhecht.net

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