What's Your Oklahoma IQ? Take Ou Ffh/ Question Quiz T the Etched in history as Geronimo's final resting place, one of the Old West's most prominent Army posts is world-renowned for its authentic military re-enactments - and the Fort Sill Museur boasts one of the world's lar* collections of military artifact and mernorabilh R I year-round adventures --I are just a short drive away in southwestern Oklahoma. over 5g,0~acres and 11 scenic lakes in Fort Sill CHAMBER care... 1 to go anywhere. 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Padnered With PREVIEW OPENING OMA Today MARCH APRIL 2003 VOLUME 53 NUMBER 2 FEATURES Are You an Oklahoman? 28 Think you're a know-it-all when it comes to your home state? Test your understanding of Oklahoma history, happenings, and culture with our Fun-filledquiz. It'll have you sharpening your pencil, grabbing your calculator, and racking your brain. You may discover you're an expert-or that you have a little brushing up to do. 7 Great Road Trips 34 With the right attitude-and a tank of gas-any drive can be a road trip. For inspiration, join us for a journey along the Talimena Scenic Byway or a western trek from Woodward to Kenton-and beyond. Any outing of your choosing will be a memorable one when you follow the paths suggested by our seven contributing adventurers. Full Metal Garden 44 Sometimes we learn the most without even tr ing. One writer recalls a youth spent on his grandfatT er's farm and the profound realization it inspired. BY DAMON GARDENHIRE The Story of Wind 46 In Oklahoma, it's a force to be reckoned with, a known quantity, a recurring part of life. We've come to accept that the wheat will be waving, our hair will be blowing, and wind is here to stay. Find out its surprising cultural, geographic, and historic implications. By CHAD LOVE DEPARTMENTS Contributors Editor's Letter Mopping Our Territory Feedback Jeanne Hoffman Smith, John Reid Marketplace Be Jeweled: Queen Bead Calendar The Range Geocaching, Cane Rods Getaway Guide Oklahoma Wolking Tours Events Guide The End I Now Walk in Beauty On the cover: A spring thunderstorm in Woodward County, by Chad Love. Insets: Gene Autry, Okia- homa, sign and Round Barn in Arcadia, by Fred W. Marvel. This page: The Mid-ContinentBuilding's stained glass ceiling, in Tulsa, by R.E. Lindsey. CONTENTS 1 CONTRIBUTORS fticial Magazine of the :ate of Oklahoma ~odaj Since 1756 Where would Okkzboma Eahybe BRAD HENRY. Governor without its editorial assistants?No doubt, readers would notice a ~lethora of errors, and buckets of press releases would go unread for weeks. From left, Ryan MarieMendenball,Heather Harkins, andBmkeDemetz make up JOAN HENDERSON the support staff for the magazine's edi- Publisher tors, worlung on factcheddng, editorial LOUISA McCUNE research, and contributorservice. The Editor in Chief three young women, all fdl-time college STEVEN WALKER, WALKER CREATIVE, INC students, also write and photograph for Art Director the magazine. Enid native Mendenhall STEFFIE CORCORAN, Senior Editor ANDREA LOPEZ, Associate Ediror attends OU, Oklahoma City resident AUDl TOMEK, Designer BROOKE DEMETZ, HEATHER HARKINS, Harkins attends UCO, and Fort Worth and RYAN MARIE MENDENHALL, Editorialhistanrr native Demetz attends OU. CHARLY ARNOLD, Editorial Intern Contributing Edtron RLRKtMKL) BILGFR, SHEIlAll BKIGH'l. RE. Lindsey,whose images regular- ,II)AW Hl'CK1 FY COHEN. ELI Y CROW. BRUCE UGU... ly appear throughout Okhboma hky, ROBERTHENRY,~OHNJERNIW,YOUSEF KHANFAR, TOM LUKER MAURA McDERMOn, J.D. MERRYWEATHER, has been taking photographs since age MICHAEL WALLIS, and MARY LOGAN WOLF six, when his hther taught him to de- MIKE HARVEY, Circulation and Marketin Director velop and print photos in their kitchen COLLEEN MCINTYRE, ~roductiondnager KIM RYAN, Advertising Account EveMtiue darkroom. His childhood hobby now SAND1 WELCH, Advertising GraphicArtin a successful career, Lindsey frequently LISA BRECKENRIDGE, Accountant KATHY FUGATE, GceManager travels the state capturing Oklahoma's TAMMY CONAUGHTY, Curtomer Service Specialist beauty on film,and he says he enjoys J.W. MCBEE, Marketing Intern introducing people to the state through Tourism and Recreation his images. "I love the reaction of JANE JAYROE, Executive Director people when they say, 'I didn't know Tourism and Recreation Commission Oklahoma looked like this."' Lindsey LT GOV. MARY FALLIN, Chair ROBYN BATSON, STAN CLARK, JOE HARWOOD, photographed the Capitol Dome for BOYD LEE, JOE MARTIN, JANIS RICKS, HAL SMITH, the NovemberIDecember 2002 issue, andSIDNEY SMITH which includes his &st Oklahoma To contact Oklahoma To+ staE by em& adve~isin~oklahomaroday~)m Toahy cover. He lives in Sapulpa with [email protected] his wife, Jennifer. edirorial@oklahomatodayYcom Okkzboma T+ awards indude: 2002 IRMA Gold for Best Profile; 2002 IRMA Bronze Awards for Bar Department, - Best Special Focus, and Best Overall Art Direcrion; Since 1991, reporter Galen Culver Sierra Club 2001 ConservationJournalii Award; Three Dallas Press Club 2001 First Prize Honors; has aired more than a thousand "Is IRMA Magazine of the Year, 1991,1993,1994,1996; This a Great State or What?" seg- 1999 Folio Editorial Excellence Award; 1998 Wilbur Award ments on WOR-TV in 0klah;ma City. Culver, an Oregon native, recently took a rare day off to cover the stretch of State Highway 10 he profiles in "Seven Great Road Trips" (page 34). "Every new assignment calls to mind new details and fresh I stories," he says. "This amazing drive gave me feature ideas that should rn keep me busy for weeks to come." Culver and his wife, WOR reporter Tara Blume, live with their two rn daughters in Oklahoma City. 4 / OKLAHOMATODAY. MARCH/APRIL 2003 2501 ExchangeAvenue Suite 146 Oklahoma City, OK 73108 1-888-SAY PORK l~~l~~~lli~~llili~ll~ll~~~~ln~lll~ll~:l~li~1111~I~llil~ ~lil~~l~~ki~l~~~~l~ll~l~lll~~~llllU~~l~l~ I "I've been to every one of these towns on the map. I love my job."-Jay Adams, Oklahoma Department of Transportation mapmaker Ed i tor's Letter MAPPING OUR TERRITORY NAMED MY CATS GUTHRIE AND STILL WATERAFTERTHETOWNS, YES, BUT Ialso for Woody Guthrie, because still waters run deep, and because Still Water has that beautiful American Indian ring to it. My dog Willie's namesake is a certain country and western singer with whom he has a slight- resemblance. Cookie, nee Cook, was named for a relative. I couldn't believe my eyes when, last month, I discovered a town in northwest Okla- homa called McWillie, not far from the Homesteaders Original Sod House Museum. I have two cats who would make the Frontier Country Marketinghsociation proud, and a dog who would be welcome in McWillie. I just about fell out of my chair when, last week, I discovered Cookietown, quietly perched in the 1-7 section of the map, roughly twenty-seven miles south of lawton. At that moment, I realized how infinitely entertaining and endlessly 111of GREAT GLOSSY DRIVE -7 possibility the Oklahoma state map can be for those of us who consider ourseIves ~ ~can inspirei grievous ~ outrage.i ~ orit ~ Okiephiles. My pets, it seems, were destined to live in Oklahoma. - can define our escape and be the measure For many, the Oklahoma Ojicial State Map is a mere trifle or a given, an over- of our independence.Whata full rank of gas looked tool, a casual freebie at theTourist Information Center. Liepublic art, might inspire is limitless.A road trip, whether it's an underappreciated but terrifically useful and visually appealing statement. twelve hours away or twenty minutes north, At Oklahoma My,we use state maps weekly, if not daily, and in abundance. just might be the slice of freedom for which We draw on them with Sharpies, highlighters, and our favorite pens. We study we're all continuously pining. The Glass , them, count populations, pinpoint areas of coverage, factcheck editorial content, Mountains rank high among my top Okla- and score brownie points when we give extras to our friends. Our new favorite homa drives.onU.S. ~ i 412, just~ pas h tool on~ the map ~is the scenic~ route key, indicated by aseries ofdots and im- mensely helpful as we plotted the "Seven Great RoadTrips" for this issue. Created by the Oklahoma Department offransportation (ODOT), in part- nership with the OklahomaTourism and Recreation Department, the award- winning map is widely considered one of the most attractive of all state maps nationwide. From the print quality and paper stock to the sophisticated design and content, the piece is intended to be as much a marketing too1 as an indis- pensable aid for the traveler (althoughreconceived and redesigned biennially, the map is printed with updates every six months). One-fifth of the 1.6million printed are sent out of-state. Like baseball cards, official stare maps are often considered cob By March 1, the 2003-2004 Oklahoma OBcial State Map should be le~cfibles.Oklahoma's first official in wide circulation.