#40 Oklahoma & Austin, Texas 11-16 thru 11-19 2008

We wanted to go to Oklahoma and see a little bit of that state, so we left Branson and went west to see what the state of Oklahoma looked like. The "corn wasn't as high as an elephants eye," because it had all been harvested in the summer! We were warned not to take Hwy 69 because it is really a rough road. We stopped at the tourist information center right on the border and asked if the road had been repaired. The lady behind the counter told us that this summer when they took their boat down to the lake to go fishing, the road was so rough it broke the bracket that holds the motor and they almost lost thier motor while driving. So we decided to take an alternate route. The Indian Nation Highway is a toll road and a little further west, but to save wear and tear on the motor home, we drove the extra few miles and paid the tolls. It was well worth it. The road was good and smooth. Just before we crossed over into Texas we stopped at a state park. Lake Hugo.
Because it is winter, and very close to Thanksgiving, we had the place to ourselves. We parked right on the edge of the lake. Looking out the window it seemed like we were on the lake instead of beside it. The day was cool, but not freezing. We really enjoyed our night there. Very peaceful and quiet. No trains!Our first stop in Texas was the capital of Austin. We stayed there three nights. We took a tour in a van. The lady driver took us out to the west side and we saw some of the mansions built by the corperate techs. Austin is home for the Dell computer. The tour was very interesting.
After the van tour we took the free tour of the capitol building. It is a beautiful building and has been restored to its original look. Because the government of Texas is bigger than it was when the original building was built, there had to be an addition. That addition is four stories--down! They built it below ground level so the asthetics or the original capitol would not be ruined. We are in the tunnel, which is covered with sky lights, looking out to the capitol building. Very unique. So where I am standing taking this picture, I'm underground.
Inside the main capitol building we were able to go up to the 4th level and look down and see the main floor below, and see the mosiacs on the floor. The state of Texas is very proud of their star. All the door knobs have the star right in molded in the brass.

The hinges on the doors were made special for the capitol. They are really pretty, so I had to take a picture.