I'm not going to lie--hopping back on a plane two days after getting back from our epic 15-1/2 hour roadtrip was a LOT. I sometimes go five years between airplane trips, and this time it was less than a week. It was mentally exhausting to go back through my luggage and edit the leftovers from last weekend for this next trip. As much as I have been eager for this trip in particular, my brain was really struggling to get on board. I think the exhaustion, the work stress, missing Carter (again), and the unknowns with Jacob (both his ankle and the teenage attitude) all conspired to make it hard to work up the energy for this round. We had another late night before our flight, which only made matters worse. Jacob had his year-end dinner for Varsity basketball at 6pm, but it was a bit of a flop because he couldn't eat at the restaurant, parents weren't invited, and he could only stay a little while anyway because he had practice from 7-9. Once he got home from practice, he still had to finish packing, ice his ankle, and do his leg therapy with this giant boot contraption he uses. I knew getting him up would be hard, and it was. But even I struggled to drag myself out of bed...but I guess that's not unexpected at 3am.
We got going a little later than would have been ideal, but still got through security just fine. This plane was our smallest yet, with one seat on one side and two on the other. Jacob really had to duck to get into the plane and he was seriously unimpressed with that flight because the plane was tiny and didn't have WiFi. That first flight on our last trip--with screens and WiFi--really spoiled him. We took off before dawn, and this was the view once we were up in the air. Thick blanket of clouds and the approaching sunrise.
Those clouds were the leftovers from yet another rough round of weather. It rained a bunch in Rochester the day before, and there had even been a tornado threat that day, but it ended up being just a lot of rain. The rest of the midwest got hammered again, but luckily it had passed by our route by the time we left. It was a little hard to get my bearings once we were in the air because of the clouds, but then we caught sight of the Great Lakes as the clouds began to clear. I saw both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, but I think this was the eastern side of Lake Michigan. It looked so huge and ocean-like from above.
I could only grab a picture of Chicago itself from across the aisle. It always amazes me how big it is.
We ended up having a slightly longer layover than expected. Our flight was never listed as delayed, but it took off more than a half hour late. That flight was a bit of a mixed bag--it was two seats per side, so a little bigger but not big enough for Jacob's tastes. It did have WiFi and entertainment options, but no screens, and it's pretty uncomfortable to look down at your phone that long. I managed to watch a movie I've wanted to see for years, "Crazy Rich Asians", so that was cool and it passed the time nicely. But I was really eager to get off the plane, get our car, and get this show on the road.
This cowboy statue greeted us as we left the airport and headed to the rental car lot.
There were also oil wells on the airport property en route to the rental car lot, so it was pretty clear we were officially in Oklahoma! We were fortunate to get an upgrade on our car due to a shortage of smaller cars (GPS, SiriusXM, and a sun roof!) and headed out for lunch in our new ride. We once again did Chipotle, this time in Norman, OK. We picked that one because it was down the road from the University of Oklahoma, which we decided to check out while we were down in that part of the city.
There were also oil wells on the airport property en route to the rental car lot, so it was pretty clear we were officially in Oklahoma! We were fortunate to get an upgrade on our car due to a shortage of smaller cars (GPS, SiriusXM, and a sun roof!) and headed out for lunch in our new ride. We once again did Chipotle, this time in Norman, OK. We picked that one because it was down the road from the University of Oklahoma, which we decided to check out while we were down in that part of the city.
That campus ended up being really impressive. The stadium was huge! This is just one angle but hopefully you can see how high the seats go.
The training center across the way was also huge, and they had statues along the road.
We passed the basketball arena...
And marveled at how giant the baseball stadium was. It looked like a minor league stadium! Even the smaller softball stadium was impressive.
This was the other side of the football stadium. So huge!
The campus as a whole was interesting. It was very well branded...right down to the water tower!
There were a bunch of older buildings, a bunch of newer ones, and a handful of in-betweens. The older ones were lovely and looked a lot like this.
Jacob was somewhat obsessed with the frat houses because they all had basketball courts outside! Some of the houses near the campus were impressive, and the area around it was an older but classy part of town. We considered trying to find other colleges that afternoon, but figured out they were all too far away, so we headed back north to our hotel. Once again we stopped at a nearby Walmart to grab snacks and kill time until check in. We settled in for a bit and then eventually tackled the dinner decision. We decided to go to a pizza place down the road that had great gluten-free reviews. They specialize in Detroit-style pizza, which was a new one for us. We started with some breadsticks which were surprisingly good...and they were so filling that once our pizza came we could only eat one slice each!
Pretty sure Jacob can't remember a crust this thick, ever! It was soft and fluffy in the middle, with a perfect crisp on the edges.
The pizza was different with the sauce being on top, and probably not our preference, but it was still amazingly good. Crispy pepperoni, and a crust that defied its gluten-free state. Plus, we got to write a review on the gluten-free app and get a free order of cinnamon breadsticks to go! Those were really good, too. The place was cool--one of a few places surrounding this little courtyard for outdoor dining and lawn games--and the owner was so nice. He has Celiac himself and was determined to do good pizza. What a cool find...and a nice break from our usual top four!
The training center across the way was also huge, and they had statues along the road.
We passed the basketball arena...
And marveled at how giant the baseball stadium was. It looked like a minor league stadium! Even the smaller softball stadium was impressive.
This was the other side of the football stadium. So huge!
The campus as a whole was interesting. It was very well branded...right down to the water tower!
There were a bunch of older buildings, a bunch of newer ones, and a handful of in-betweens. The older ones were lovely and looked a lot like this.
Jacob was somewhat obsessed with the frat houses because they all had basketball courts outside! Some of the houses near the campus were impressive, and the area around it was an older but classy part of town. We considered trying to find other colleges that afternoon, but figured out they were all too far away, so we headed back north to our hotel. Once again we stopped at a nearby Walmart to grab snacks and kill time until check in. We settled in for a bit and then eventually tackled the dinner decision. We decided to go to a pizza place down the road that had great gluten-free reviews. They specialize in Detroit-style pizza, which was a new one for us. We started with some breadsticks which were surprisingly good...and they were so filling that once our pizza came we could only eat one slice each!
Pretty sure Jacob can't remember a crust this thick, ever! It was soft and fluffy in the middle, with a perfect crisp on the edges.
The pizza was different with the sauce being on top, and probably not our preference, but it was still amazingly good. Crispy pepperoni, and a crust that defied its gluten-free state. Plus, we got to write a review on the gluten-free app and get a free order of cinnamon breadsticks to go! Those were really good, too. The place was cool--one of a few places surrounding this little courtyard for outdoor dining and lawn games--and the owner was so nice. He has Celiac himself and was determined to do good pizza. What a cool find...and a nice break from our usual top four!
The next morning we planned to get a good breakfast because Jacob found a place that had gluten-free French toast, a rarity. The place was just a little bit down the road, and we were shocked how busy it was when we got there. It was Good Friday, so maybe more people had off, but the place was packed. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, but it was worth it!
The food was amazingly good. I had an eggs benedict, and Jacob had really lovely French toast with fruit, whipped cream, and maple cream.
We loved our meals and wished it was feasible and affordable to go there every day! As we sat there, Jacob said that he decided he wanted to go to Tulsa after all. Originally if we had stayed the full week we were going there on our way to OKC. When our plans changed I figured we probably couldn't go, but once we got our Sunday schedule I figured it might be possible to cram it in after our only game that day. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was probably better to do it Friday, because we had more time and it wouldn't leave Jacob sitting idle in the hotel room for hours after our planned shorter day in the city. It was a huge sacrifice/risk for me, because I have been hellbent on getting to my sightseeing spots on this trip--even booking us an extra day--and putting it off could potentially put that in jeopardy if things didn't go as planned for the remainder of the trip. But I decided to just have faith and give it a shot because Jacob finally showed an interest in something touristy! So, we wrapped up breakfast and hopped in the car for an impromptu drive to Tulsa!
The food was amazingly good. I had an eggs benedict, and Jacob had really lovely French toast with fruit, whipped cream, and maple cream.
We loved our meals and wished it was feasible and affordable to go there every day! As we sat there, Jacob said that he decided he wanted to go to Tulsa after all. Originally if we had stayed the full week we were going there on our way to OKC. When our plans changed I figured we probably couldn't go, but once we got our Sunday schedule I figured it might be possible to cram it in after our only game that day. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was probably better to do it Friday, because we had more time and it wouldn't leave Jacob sitting idle in the hotel room for hours after our planned shorter day in the city. It was a huge sacrifice/risk for me, because I have been hellbent on getting to my sightseeing spots on this trip--even booking us an extra day--and putting it off could potentially put that in jeopardy if things didn't go as planned for the remainder of the trip. But I decided to just have faith and give it a shot because Jacob finally showed an interest in something touristy! So, we wrapped up breakfast and hopped in the car for an impromptu drive to Tulsa!
We went via Stillwater, about 50 minutes away, which is the home of Oklahoma State University. Once again, there was an assortment of impressive stadiums. This was the baseball stadium.
This is the football stadium. It was not quite as grand as the University of Oklahoma's, but it was still really huge and nice.
The rest of the campus was less interesting. Not too many fancy buildings or statement pieces, but still nice. One of the cooler things about the town was that two locations of a collision shop on either side of town have giant 20-foot Transformer statues outside. One was Bumblebee, one was Optimus Prime. I didn't get pictures but Google it! So cool!
We moved on to Tulsa, and stopped first at the University of Tulsa. This campus was...odd. Part of it was bland but pleasant. Similar looking buildings, sort of boring but very nice-looking nonetheless. Almost a little Stepford-wife-ish, if that makes sense. The front quad was immaculate.
The stadium was the least impressive we'd seen, but still not small.
The basketball facility could have used some branding or wraps outside the building. Jacob was shocked at how little Tulsa branded stuff there was.
This building appeared to be a performing arts building, and it was pretty grand with the arches.
The most interesting part of the campus were the two streets of Greek housing that looked like they had been plopped there randomly. Each house was different, from little cottages to mid-century to more modern split levels, each one a vastly different style than its neighbors. It was sort of quaint but Jacob found it unimpressive (of course).
This is the football stadium. It was not quite as grand as the University of Oklahoma's, but it was still really huge and nice.
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| The basketball arena was attached to the back end of the stadium, effectively blocking the open end of the stadium. |
The rest of the campus was less interesting. Not too many fancy buildings or statement pieces, but still nice. One of the cooler things about the town was that two locations of a collision shop on either side of town have giant 20-foot Transformer statues outside. One was Bumblebee, one was Optimus Prime. I didn't get pictures but Google it! So cool!
We moved on to Tulsa, and stopped first at the University of Tulsa. This campus was...odd. Part of it was bland but pleasant. Similar looking buildings, sort of boring but very nice-looking nonetheless. Almost a little Stepford-wife-ish, if that makes sense. The front quad was immaculate.
The stadium was the least impressive we'd seen, but still not small.
The basketball facility could have used some branding or wraps outside the building. Jacob was shocked at how little Tulsa branded stuff there was.
This building appeared to be a performing arts building, and it was pretty grand with the arches.
The most interesting part of the campus were the two streets of Greek housing that looked like they had been plopped there randomly. Each house was different, from little cottages to mid-century to more modern split levels, each one a vastly different style than its neighbors. It was sort of quaint but Jacob found it unimpressive (of course).
This was a pretty view near the chapel on our way out.
We stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A after that. There was one nearby (of course) and we needed to eat before our big stop--Oral Roberts University! Jacob has followed Oral Roberts basketball for a while and he really wanted to see their campus. That one really needs its own post, as this one is already pretty long and that campus was out of this world (almost literally...you'll see what I mean). Stay tuned for more!
We stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A after that. There was one nearby (of course) and we needed to eat before our big stop--Oral Roberts University! Jacob has followed Oral Roberts basketball for a while and he really wanted to see their campus. That one really needs its own post, as this one is already pretty long and that campus was out of this world (almost literally...you'll see what I mean). Stay tuned for more!
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