May 15, 2010: "Trade Days" Near Tulsa, and the First Evening in Branson, Missouri

The next day, things were overcast. I visited a couple of "trade days" or "swap meets." These are common occurrences in Oklahoma on the weekends. For the most part there was nothing that I was interested in buying. But it was nice to have the opportunity to meet and talk with people from the area. Many of the people selling items pointed out that while they do want to sell some of their things, the really enjoyable part is to meet people and talk with them.

In some of the booths, people were selling items they had made. The craftsmanship was excellent. I talked with a Cherokee Indian who was selling saddles, knives (he made the handles), and leather knife holders. As they all knew I was from NY, the Cherokee told me I had probably never seen a full blooded Indian before. I explained that I definitely have and that I myself am descended from Native Americans from the Iroquois tribes.

The people were very friendly and so down to earth. They were very welcoming. I felt like I had stepped back into the past by several decades based on the way the people were so friendly. It was really a nice experience. But, then it started to rain so the people began closing up shop.

I had initially planned to visit the Clear Creek Monastery which is in eastern Oklahoma. However, I had not done my research ahead of time for that. This place is outside of town (Hulbert, OK) and the GPS did not like the address. I really didn't want to drive all that way and possibly have a problem with a GPS signal. So, I decided to cancel that destination.

I decided to go to Branson, Missouri, for the evening. I called up Choice Hotels and reserved a room at the same hotel I've used on previous trips to Branson. Getting there from the Tulsa area involved a replay of the route I took in my 2007 trip to visit Fayetteville, Arkansas. Back in 2007, I was not yet ready to drive from home to these places. I flew into Wichita, KS in July, 2007, and planned to be in Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville) that evening. Since I was still a neophyte at traveling back then, I seemed to stop many times and what should have been a four hour drive somehow became a six or seven hour drive. I did not have a GPS at that point. I remember getting so frustrated and not being sure if I had passed the hotel or not. I finally had to call the hotel and the clerk guided me there. I arrived around 2am.

This time, I traveled much of that route (with a GPS) and was able to see the places in daylight that I passed through in the dark back in 2007. I kept moving and got into Missouri. The roads twisted and turned through the Ozarks. This is not something I'd like to try driving in the dark. At one point, the GPS froze. When driving through the Ozarks in Missouri, the GPS always has a problem. It shows me driving off road and recalculates constantly. It's generally okay in the Arkansas Ozarks, however.


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After getting to the hotel, I decided to see a Branson show that evening. I chose the Baldnobbers, which has been going continuously since 1959. It's one of the oldest if not the oldest show in Branson. It's primarily a lot of music, with some comedy acts from three characters dressed in funny clothes who had fake teeth, fake elongated chins, etc. It was definitely a fun time. At one point the show asked veterans to stand, honoring those from each branch of the military separately. There was a song performed for each branch. Then there was a tribute to our beautiful country. At the end of the performance, they sang a song titled "The Cross is our Statue of Liberty." I really enjoyed the performance. This one and the last show (covered in a subsequent blog entry) were my two favorites. The shows in between were okay, but the first and last were the best.