So long Indiana, Illinois and Missouri! As I mentioned in an earlier post, we are taking a more southern route home. This was our view of The St. Louis arch as we cruised by it yesterday.
We don't have bridges like this in San Diego...but then again, we don't have rivers like the Mississippi either!
It has been very interesting to see the different terrain along the way. We drove a long way on roads that were cut through the mountain, like this one in Missouri.
The traffic is a bit different than we we are used to too!
Late in the afternoon, we crossed the state line into Oklahoma.
By the time we got into Oklahoma City, it was getting pretty late. I had one place in mind that I really wanted to stop and see, so before heading to our hotel, Hubby obliged and took me to the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
It is a very beautiful tribute and memorial.
"We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial off comfort, strength peace, hope and serenity."
These are fences along the outside of the memorial, where even today people come by to leave tokens of remembrance. There are pictures of lost loved one, notes, cards, stuffed animals, medals from memorial runs, etc. It was good to see that even after 16 years people have not forgotten.
Pickle took a ribbon from her hair and tied it onto the fence near the picture of a 17 year old girl that was killed in the blast because she had stopped by to pick up some children she was going to babysit. Every story was tragic, and every death was senseless.
168 lives were lost that April day in 1995. Each life is represented by one of these chairs, with smaller chairs representing the 19 children that were lost.
There is a long, beautiful reflecting pool, bordered by "the Gates of Time" - these twin gates frame the moment of destruction. The East Gate, pictured here, represents 9:01am on April 19, 1995, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate, mirroring this one at the opposite end of the reflecting pool, represents 9:03am, the moment things changed forever.
It is hard to explain the emotions one feels when visiting a place like this. It is, to say the least, a very sobering and somber experience. I am very glad that we were able to go by, if even for a short time. If you are ever in the Oklahoma City area, I highly recommend you take some time and visit this National Memorial. If you are interested in learning more about the memorial, please visit www.OklahomaCityNationalMemorial.org
So, after about 13 hours in the car, and 822 miles behind us, we were happy to get to a comfortable hotel for the night.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad as we are crossing from Texas into New Mexico.
1 comment:
Wow that is an amazing Memorial... and so sad too.
I hope your trip home is safe.
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