Driving Adventures: Day 2

Today we set off around 830 am from the hotel in St. Louis. From there we continued down Missouri to get to Oklahoma. Around 12:30 pm, the group arrived at Sonic in Marshall, Missouri for some lunch. Soon we realized that the van was too tall and so we had to stand outside in front of the screens to order. It was a good laugh for all those who passed by. Also, we filled the bus up with gas that was only $1.79 this time. You may think that is a bargain until you get to Norman and see a sign for only $1.59. It is a truly incredible thing. What is even better than cheap gas though is great weather. We had nothing, but clear blue skies while driving down. Oklahoma may be flat, but the landscape is breathtaking. You can look on both sides of the road and see cattle everywhere. We arrived a little earlier than the people who flew so we just had to do some sight seeing. The group decided to go to downtown Oklahoma City to see the bomb memorial and this quaint little candy shop we saw on a brochure in Brick Town. It was an adventure to say the least.  Bob the bus driver got us around safely even with 2 different GPS systems going at once. The girls decided to buy the boys some candy treats, which they enjoyed immensely. Afterwards, we finally picked up the rest of our group around 6 and checked in at the church around 6:30. Here, Samaritan's Purse was quite generous and gave us a whole new wardrobe for the week. I do not think anyone can get lost on this trip when wearing the neon orange shirts on the job sites fortunately. Little did the group realize though the true challenge for the week..... finding a place to have dinner. We wandered around for about a good half an hour trying to find the right place and only caused a traffic jam once in turning around the great beast of a bus. Our final choice was the Saltgrass Steak House. It comes highly recommended. Now, we get to take time to just hang out and go to bed soon. Tomorrow the real fun begins and the hard work. I hope everyone had a great day even if it was a Monday!

Sincerely,

Andrea Grada