We headed south about two weeks ago to a family reunion. Our destination was Denison, Texas. I looked at the map and figured out that good ole' Tishomingo, Oklahoma was not too much out of our way, and I wanted to make a stop at The Pink Pistol (Miranda Lambert's store) while going through there. I proposed my route plan to Eric and started to get excited... What I didn't plan on was that the area of Oklahoma called the Arbuckle mountains and Turner Falls would get A LOT of rain the night before we left. At 8:00 am on a Thursday morning we loaded up and headed south. I was driving. We were making good time. The GPS told me our arrival time in Tishomingo would be 12:20 pm. Hooray! Just in time to shop at The Pink Pistol and eat some lunch in Tishomingo. I talked with my parents who gave me a little warning about the rain from the night before and told me as we headed south to be on the lookout for high waters and that there was a possibility of some highway and road closures, which could mean we would have to take an alternate route. (They would be headed south to Denison too, but were leaving later than us, so they would be about an hour or so behind us.) I happily kept right on driving south, through Perry, OK, through Oklahoma City, OK, through Norman, OK, then we started to see the high waters... As I drove up and over and through the Arbuckle Mountains I noticed there was no north bound traffic anymore. (We later learned that lane had been shut down completely due to a rock slide onto the road.) Then up ahead I spotted our south bound lanes of traffic were at a stand still. I came to a stop too. And, we sat there, and we sat there, and we sat there. Finally I turned the van off, and we sat there some more. Below is a series of messages that happened as we sat and sat and sat... but, none from me while I was moving/driving.
Me: (12:02 pm) Stuck in not moving at all traffic now. Turner Falls, OK area. Massive flooding and rock slides.
Me: (12:07 pm) Kids are restless. I am starting to have to pee. Wonder how far this is backed up? Are we being filed to one lane somewhere? Will we be rerouted? Will we be spending the night in our van in bumper to bumper with a million others on I-35 near Turner Falls?
Lindsee: Yikes, that sounds dire! You might have to think about re-routing.
Me: (12:10 pm) We can't we are stuck here. Just turned the van off to wait.
Me: (12:12 pm) Mom and Dad, you may want to wait awhile or try to find a different and safe, better way.
Mom: (12:19 pm) We are stopped at a McDonald's in Purcell and checking roads.
Me: (12:20 pm) We just moved about a quarter of a mile.
Lindsee: Is the road flooded?
Me: (12:20 pm) Not where we are at the moment.
Mom: (12:23 pm) Are you south of Paul's Valley and do you know what mile marker you're near?
Me: (12:24 pm) Maybe 42? Yes. South of Paul's Valley.
Me: (12:26 pm) Fighting amongst ourselves is moments from happening, along with everyone putting on one of Silas's diapers.
Me: (12:42 pm) Good thing I have 3 buckets of Chex Mix to sustain us all for a few hours or days.
Me: (12:43 pm) Mom and Dad, do NOT come this way!
Lindsee: Hope its going okay! Keep us updated
Mom: (12:52 pm) We are looking for a different route, maybe east at Paul's Valley heading toward Ada.
Me: (1:17 pm) Now even Eric has turned into a grump. He's singing made up songs super loud about being stuck and it sucks.
Lindsee: That sounds awesome.
Me: (1:23 pm) It's a roller coaster of emotions in this van... Hunger, anger, laughter, confusion.
Me: (2:19 pm) Good news, we are off I-35, no one peed their pants...except Silas. We are now at a bumper to bumper stand still on 53 East. Fun times.
Mom: (2:25 pm) We are on Hwy 3, just passed through Stonewall.
Mom: (3:04 pm) We are now in Atoka heading south on Hwy 75. Where are you?
Me: (3:05 pm) Creeping east on 53.
Me: (3:06 pm) Going over the Washita River now. Flooded major!
Me: (3:09 pm) Eric is photographing. Show you later.
Mom: (4:18 pm) We are in the motel. Where are you?
Me: (4:19 pm) 10 minutes from Tishomingo.
It only took us 4 extra hours to get there due to flooding and alternate routes, but we finally arrived!
Outside we took some mandatory pictures with the Pink Pistol sidewalk decor.
Then inside as we looked around we took some mandatory pictures of ourselves on the Pink Pistol inside decor. Below, Sarah getting comfortable at The Pink Pistol.
Below, on the queen chair at The Pink Pistol... Make yourself at home!
I had two shirts in my hand for myself and was ready to check out when my husband so nicely said, "What, you didn't want to get any boots?" I looked at him in disbelief. Was he kidding me? Ummm, well, I hadn't looked at the boots. I wasn't NEEDING a new pair of boots, but I am usually up for anything... especially a NEW pair of boots, and if he was offering, then YES. YES, I WILL LOOK AT the BOOTS right NOW. So, off I went to look at and try on some boots. Below, are what I picked out and my sweetie of a husband bought for me. Thank you, Eric! And, thank you Pink Pistol!
We looked around for about 45 minutes at The Pink Pistol before loading back into the van and driving south for about 1 more hour to our motel in Denison, Texas.
Me: (6:08 pm) Who we! We are only 5 minutes from the hotel. What a long trip. We should have arrived 4 hours ago. Better 4 hours late than never.
Mom: (6:13 pm) We are in the lobby visiting.
Me: (6:14 pm) See you in a minute.
