It’s been just over a month since we’ve posted anything to the travelogue. It’s not that we don’t think about it…there just hasn’t been any travel!
Indi and I both started our new jobs on May 3rd and have been working 8-5 Monday-Friday ever since. Weekends have been time for catch-up and reflection. I tell you, as the days go by I miss the open road more and more. I see Facebook updates from friends abroad and wonder what it would be like to experience new places…or even old places in new seasons. The heat is finally starting to set in here and I’m looking down the barrel of another Oklahoma summer. Speaking of Oklahoma…
I was in the kitchen a few minutes ago, minding my own business and putting away dishes when the dog started going bananas. I looked over and noticed the front door was closed. “What’re you going crazy about, dog? You can’t see anything!” I figured it was a weird sound or something. Mike (Indi’s brother and our roommate) looked up, at the small window in the entryway, and said, “No, she can see SOMETHING.” I walked over and looked out the window to see this:
Yes, friends, there were three horses on my property. One of Mike’s friends (+2) had been out riding nearby and thought they’d say hi. The exact sight I saw when I looked out the window was the horse’s backside up next to my glass storm door. Evidently, they were trying to ring the bell with it. Mike and I walked outside to greet our guests and talked for a few minutes. I couldn’t help but gawk at this strange sight of Man on Horse (and Woman, of course) next to it’s replacement, the automobile. They were so tall and regal. There was also a sense of uncertainty. After all, it was a living creature. If it wanted to take off in a gallop, well, it just might. It was exciting.
After a few minutes of “OMG” and neighbors starting to come out to see the show, our guests took off on down the street. It was nice of them to drop by. The sight of the three of them clomping down the asphalt road amidst suburban cookie-cutter homes was surreal. The rhythmic sounds of their hooves echoed off the brick and siding. I watched until they were out of sight.
I want to travel again. I know I’ve said this. Monetarily we should be able to afford a little R&R soon, even if it’s just a road trip to a small local town. Anything to get my camera back out in the wild and the experience of walking ground that I am unfamiliar with. Home is nice and comfortable, but that is not what life is all about to me anymore.
Rhys Martin is an author and photographer from Tulsa, Oklahoma. His love of travel was awakened in 2009 when he sold all of his possessions and left the country. For ten months, he lived out of a backpack and explored southeast Asia and Europe. When he returned home, it was with fresh eyes for his home state.
As he drove the back roads of Oklahoma, Rhys discovered the significance of historic Route 66 to the greater American story. He has traveled all 2,448 miles of the Mother Road and continues to seek out the quiet Main Streets of the Midwest.
Rhys's travel writing and photography has been featured in numerous publications, including Tulsa People Magazine, This Land Press, ROUTE Magazine, Nimrod Journal, The Oklahoman and Tulsa World. He wrote the book Lost Restaurants of Tulsa, which features the stories of nearly 50 iconic eating establishments from the city's past. He has also been a contributing author to multiple Route 66-based travel and history books.
Rhys is the President of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and serves on multiple boards and commissions related to the Mother Road and its upcoming Centennial in 2026. He loves to connect with people and share his experiences.
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Rhys' Pieces 