Boot Quest, OK - 11 AUG 2010

This week I was in Oklahoma City and thought I would shop for cowboy boots. There was a boot store across the street from my hotel but their prices seemed a bit high. I told my class I was thinking about driving back to "Steppin' Out" to look for boots and I got a couple of local recommendations. One, took me to the tourist town of Stockyard City. Old-style clock outside of a bank.
The whole town is registered as "Historic".
This is where Oklahoma National Stockyard company began its public livestock market. In the early 1900's this place was home to several major meat packing companies.
Guess they don't want anyone walking off with this Bison.
Many businesses in the area date back to 1910.
I was told me to check out Langston's Western Wear. The building was originally a dance hall/bar with "hotel" rooms upstairs. My student said she once got a tour of the upstairs that still holds the original rooms which she described as being very small, only large enough to hold a single bed...just enough room for the "ladies" to do their business.
Langston's may have over 15,000 pair of boots, but I was ready to move onto my fourth store...Sheplers, which another student told me would have better prices than the tourist trap. I was side-tracked by this strange vehicle parked at a bar next door to my destination. Is this an Okie-style custom van? Vanity plates:Custom paint job:
A few pin-ups on the side and you're good to go!
If you noticed TW wasn't in the previous pictures, that's because it was so hot, she refused to go shopping. However, I did find my boots:
Across from my hotel was this interesting restaurant:
This 12 foot Kodiak bear greets you in the lobby:
The backwoods fishing lodge atmosphere is created using all types of dead animals:

I liked the idea of creating a picture frame from wood chips:This reminded me of my doctors office waiting room when I was a child. It was a small dark room with large overstuffed chairs and the trophy heads of many animals Doctor Bunker had killed over the years. It was such an eerie place to sit that it took my mind off the inevitable penicillin shot I would always receive.
When a friend and I bought a vacation cabin in the mountains 30 years ago, the one thing we agreed on was no dead animal parts.