The alarm sounded early, since my coffee date was earlier than I usually get moving. I got ready and found the Flying Star Cafe, the place Dana had suggested. I’d only seen a couple of older photos, but I was sure the blonde with the tall black boots in front of me in line was Dana, and I was right. We sat and chatted for about an hour, me giving a short recap of the adventure I’d been on thus far, and Dana giving me tips on places to visit before leaving town.
She had a class to teach, so our encounter was all-too-brief, but I’m always glad to hang out face-to-face with people I’ve “known” for years online, especially someone so … well, “vivacious” is the most appropriate word that comes to mind. We said our goodbyes, and I headed back to the Motel 6 to pack my things.
I’d been getting more and more tired as the trip wore on, and I was in kind of a hurry to get home, so I ambitiously set Oklahoma City as my destination for the night, a good eight hours or so away. I stopped at Golden Crown Panaderia, another bakery (notice a trend?) that came highly recommended. I’m a sucker for pumpkin empanadas, and bought two to go along with the loaf of green chile bread that was the reason for my visit.
Suitably armed with baked goods, I gassed up and began the long drive toward Amarillo, where I stopped long enough to see the circus that is the Big Texan Steak Ranch, home of the 72-ounce eat-it-in-an-hour-and-it’s-free steak, before deciding that I’d been eating enough beef lately, opting for a pretty tasty turkey sandwich at a nearby deli.
The only things of interest along the drive to Oklahoma City at that time of day were the other giant cross in Groom, Texas, after which the one in Effingham was modeled (I think):
Giant cross in Groom, Texas
Near the giant cross was this leaning water tower:
Leaning water tower
The next three hours were spent listening to old episodes of Beer School and driving through the cool Texas night, before arriving at yet another Motel 6, my last hotel of the trip, where I had trouble sleeping.
