Anthony & I just returned from a road trip consisting of five states in five days.
Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma.
Thursday February 3
I left my practicum at noon, we packed up and were on the road soon after.
We stopped at Little America, just East of Rock Springs, WY.
We had also gotten these and were afraid to try them.
They turned out alright.
The remainder of the drive through Wyoming was utterly uneventful.
We couldn't afford multiple hotels so we drove all night.
While Anthony did this
Friday, February 4
Somehow we missed the Colorado sign, but we made it into Kansas!!
I'd never been to Kansas before so I was watching ever so closely for this sign.
It was so dark that Anthony and I weren't visible below the sign, so these are from the next morning when we left the state then turned back for the sign.
When we first got into Kansas I was getting back into the car and I remembered the shoes I was wearing...
Did you know right inside Kansas there is a city called
Kansas and Colorado mixed. I wonder who thought that one up?
I mostly drive with my left hand on top of the wheel and after 9.5 hours it looked all red like this.
Uncrustables for a travelin man's breakfast. Yummy!
We made it into Oklahoma!! I'd never been to this state either. You better believe we sang the song :)
These two houses were about 100 yards away from one another.
Kansas house & inquisitive dog
Oklahoma house
We made it into Oklahoma City and spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon sleeping at our hotel.
Friday night we went to the home of one of the University of Oklahoma (OU) professors to talk with his about the program. He was a very kind and gracious man and we liked him very much.
You should have heard all the comments people were making about "the weather." Apologizing for the snow, saying they couldn't do all they had planned due to the "weather."
The grass is totally visible through the snow. However, Oklahoma rarely has snow so most roads were covered in ice as there were not many plows.
I had a 5 hour energy and did this.
However, we have AWESOME gas mileage on the freeways, and amazing road trip music.
Lokalgrown is THE BEST road trip music
Friday, February 4
Somehow we missed the Colorado sign, but we made it into Kansas!!
It was so dark that Anthony and I weren't visible below the sign, so these are from the next morning when we left the state then turned back for the sign.
I pretended to be Dorothy for a few minutes :)
Kansas and Colorado mixed. I wonder who thought that one up?
I mostly drive with my left hand on top of the wheel and after 9.5 hours it looked all red like this.
Uncrustables for a travelin man's breakfast. Yummy!
We made it into Oklahoma!! I'd never been to this state either. You better believe we sang the song :)
Kansas house & inquisitive dog
Oklahoma house
We made it into Oklahoma City and spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon sleeping at our hotel.
Friday night we went to the home of one of the University of Oklahoma (OU) professors to talk with his about the program. He was a very kind and gracious man and we liked him very much.
You should have heard all the comments people were making about "the weather." Apologizing for the snow, saying they couldn't do all they had planned due to the "weather."
The grass is totally visible through the snow. However, Oklahoma rarely has snow so most roads were covered in ice as there were not many plows.
Saturday, February 5
We got up bright and early to make it to the University of Oklahoma (OU) for a coaching Anthony had set up with his pianist. We wandered around campus for a while and read some of the history of the school and some of the buildings. It was super cool.
We got up bright and early to make it to the University of Oklahoma (OU) for a coaching Anthony had set up with his pianist. We wandered around campus for a while and read some of the history of the school and some of the buildings. It was super cool.
They also had these fun phone booths.
This is the Reynolds Performing Arts Center, where all the performances are held. A lot of the older buildings on campus were this Gothic style, I loved it.
Anthony was not only auditioning to be admitted to OU, it was also the Benton-Schmidt Vocal Competition.
There were 17 other contestants, each had 12 minutes to sing. The finals were later that evening and 6 of the 17 were invited back, including Anthony.
In the end Anthony tied for 3rd place. He won $7,500 to be added to his potential scholarships, grants, etc. if he were to come to OU.
Get this, there were THREE professors/voice teachers that let Anthony know they wanted him in their studio if he went to OU, two of which have sung at the Metropolitan Opera.
The special judge of the competition was Kay E. Holt, executive director of the Canterbury Choral Society in Oklahoma City. Afterwards she was giving Anthony some feedback and said he was tall, good looking and had a "sellable look and voice." I.E. he can go places if he works hard.
This is the Reynolds Performing Arts Center, where all the performances are held. A lot of the older buildings on campus were this Gothic style, I loved it.
Anthony was not only auditioning to be admitted to OU, it was also the Benton-Schmidt Vocal Competition.
There were 17 other contestants, each had 12 minutes to sing. The finals were later that evening and 6 of the 17 were invited back, including Anthony.
In the end Anthony tied for 3rd place. He won $7,500 to be added to his potential scholarships, grants, etc. if he were to come to OU.
Get this, there were THREE professors/voice teachers that let Anthony know they wanted him in their studio if he went to OU, two of which have sung at the Metropolitan Opera.
The special judge of the competition was Kay E. Holt, executive director of the Canterbury Choral Society in Oklahoma City. Afterwards she was giving Anthony some feedback and said he was tall, good looking and had a "sellable look and voice." I.E. he can go places if he works hard.
We had some dinner and custard then headed back to the hotel and went right to bed. It was a LONG day.
Sunday, February 6
We got on the road early and drove over to Yukon to see the Oklahoma City temple.
I was surprised it was so small!
Mom Eversole calls us "Loves" so we had to get a photo of this gas station sign.
Also, with Valentines Day quickly approaching we had to give this handsome fellow a photo-op.
Alright, here's something cool. Have you ever seen the movie "Far and Away" starring Nichole Kidman and Tom Cruise? If you haven't seen it you need to.
The movie is, a great deal, about the Land Rush of 1893 wherein settlers from across the globe, seeking free land, made their way to Oklahoma Territory to stake their claim to a new life.
Sunday, February 6
We got on the road early and drove over to Yukon to see the Oklahoma City temple.
I was surprised it was so small!
Mom Eversole calls us "Loves" so we had to get a photo of this gas station sign.
Also, with Valentines Day quickly approaching we had to give this handsome fellow a photo-op.
Alright, here's something cool. Have you ever seen the movie "Far and Away" starring Nichole Kidman and Tom Cruise? If you haven't seen it you need to.
The movie is, a great deal, about the Land Rush of 1893 wherein settlers from across the globe, seeking free land, made their way to Oklahoma Territory to stake their claim to a new life.
"The Land Rush of 1893 happened on September 16, 1893 at high noon with more than 100,000 participants hoping to claim land. One of the few rules to claiming a lot of land was that all participants were to start at the same time. Those who went too soon were called "Sooners." Sooners were often deputy marshals, land surveyors, railroad employees, and others who were able to legally enter the territory early to mark out choice pieces of land for themselves or others."
"A tumultuous avalanche of wagons and horsemen surging forward all in one breathtaking instant."
"A tumultuous avalanche of wagons and horsemen surging forward all in one breathtaking instant."
As time went on, "Sooner" came to be a synonym of Progressivism. The Sooner was an "energetic individual who travels ahead of the human procession." He was prosperous, ambitious, competent, a "can-do" individual. And Oklahoma was the Sooner State, the land of opportunity, enterprise and economic expansion, very much in the Progressive spirit that engulfed the old South in the 1920s. Hence, the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
Learning about history isn't my favorite, but at times I have an insatiable appetite for historical knowledge. These photo I took in Kiowa, Kansas led me to find the above information.
There is also an Anthony, Kansas.
We made it back into Colorado and I was more vigilant in watching for the sign this time.
The weather in CO and WY was awful!! I was going between 25-40 MPH for a good two hours. At times the wind was blowing so hard I couldn't see ANYTHING and had to stop right in the middle of the road as to not run off.
Pretty cool huh?
There is also an Anthony, Kansas.
He didn't really care, but I thought it was wicked cool!
Also, all throughout Kansas there were these oil pumps, just out in the middle of a field. Some fields I saw had up to six pumps.
Also, all throughout Kansas there were these oil pumps, just out in the middle of a field. Some fields I saw had up to six pumps.
We made it back into Colorado and I was more vigilant in watching for the sign this time.
The weather in CO and WY was awful!! I was going between 25-40 MPH for a good two hours. At times the wind was blowing so hard I couldn't see ANYTHING and had to stop right in the middle of the road as to not run off.
Between Cheyenne & Laramie we came across this Abraham Lincoln Monument.
We made it to Mom & Dad Mills' in Laketown around 7:30am and slept till about noon (thanks again Mom & Dad. The electric blanket was magical after a cold night in the car!) We headed up Logan Canyon, but it was snowing and windy and we were sliding all over the place and had to turn around. Luckily, we hadn't gone back more than a mile when we passed a snow plow. We turned right back around and followed in his tracks all the way out of the canyon and made it home a little after 3:00pm.
Holy cow it looks like you had a fun trip! We loved so many of the pictures! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete