The group here planned an excursion to the state aquarium in Jenks, a little town on the edge of Tulsa. We left about 11:30 and stopped at a diner/restaurant/bar/nightclub for a late breakfast. Breakfast was delicious, service was lacking, but the coffee was just right. After we left the restaurant, the real journey began.
Oklahoma is using their stimulus package to rebuild the highway system looping Tulsa – my tax dollars at work. In North Carolina, and in most other states where I have encountered roadwork, closed roadways were marked with “DETOUR” signs which direct you to an alternative route. Not in Tulsa! They slash big orange “CLOSED” signs across the overhead highway signs…and that’s it! So when my buddy, TomTom, directed me to one of those exits, I requested an alternative without that segment. We made a couple more blocks, turned again, exited, and prepared to turn again to get onto the the highway at a different ramp. “CLOSED” also. After trying for 30 minutes to get onto a highway, I chose the option of avoiding highways, and we eventually arrived at our destination via city streets.
Getting back to Stillwater was a breeze…no construction on that route. But I was still perturbed when I returned, so I sat down and wrote a scathing email to the Oklahoma DOT concerning their lack of concern for those of us not familiar with their cities. I also sent it to the Governor. And the Office for Tourism. Maybe Monday I’ll send it to the newspaper, too. I feel better now.
And BTW, Oklahoma has a lovely aquarium for a land-locked state.
The email to the DOT? just came back undelivered. Sheesh!