[stonewallpoke]

The very first image I get when I hear Oklahoma (where I have never set foot) is a flat, wide land -- I guess I think that it's where the "amber waves of grain" come from.

It is flat, I'll give you that. But the eastern half the of the state is Green Country (well, the northeast quarter of the state is anyway), and it can get pretty hilly. But hilly is really what it is; mountains don't really crop up unless you count the near 1000 foot hills in south central Oklahoma.

There's a serious, taciturn guy with a cowboy hat in the image.

Love it.  ;)

I don't think Oklahoma feels like it is always at the center of actual events that epitomize red-state usa.  For instance, Oklahomans never seemed like Arizona's Sheriff Joe, or Texas's "secede from the union" chatter.  But I do sense that some of those stories about this or that school district or school administrator limiting this or that use of the concept of "Evolution" in schools, I think some of that is in OK.

Nobody in Oklahoma cares for Texas much. Texas treats Oklahoma like the USA generally treats Canada. So the "secession" thing is a uniquely Texan trait. As for the red state stuff, it's pretty much one of the most conservative states not in the Deep South, but I've never heard any anti-evolution stuff crop up. I learned about evolution in high school in a north-central Oklahoman town of 5200 people, so these stereotypes don't always hold even when it seems like they must. However, it's hard to be a Democrat/liberal type in Oklahoma. Even those running as Dems in Oklahoma would pretty much be Republicans by ideology in any swing state. You get the expected pockets of liberals in the college towns, but nowhere near a majority. But I was one.

I think I heard that there might be wind come rushing down the plain, but that is probably a stereotype.

I'll tell you one thing, if I could take a good long road trip in Oklahoma, I'd do it right now and chill out in a diner in a small town. Long overdue for a good American road trip.

The wind sweeping down the Plain is definitely not a stereotype. If the average wind gust in a given day is 20 mph there, it's probably a pretty calm day. I won't even mention the tornadoes.

I hope you make it out to Oklahoma someday. It's pretty much an ideal dose of the Midwest, Southwest, Old West and South all at once.  8)

[stonewallpoke]

The very first image I get when I hear Oklahoma (where I have never set foot) is a flat, wide land -- I guess I think that it's where the "amber waves of grain" come from.

It is flat, I'll give you that. But the eastern half the of the state is Green Country (well, the northeast quarter of the state is anyway), and it can get pretty hilly. But hilly is really what it is; mountains don't really crop up unless you count the near 1000 foot hills in south central Oklahoma.

There's a serious, taciturn guy with a cowboy hat in the image.

Love it.  ;)

I don't think Oklahoma feels like it is always at the center of actual events that epitomize red-state usa.  For instance, Oklahomans never seemed like Arizona's Sheriff Joe, or Texas's "secede from the union" chatter.  But I do sense that some of those stories about this or that school district or school administrator limiting this or that use of the concept of "Evolution" in schools, I think some of that is in OK.

Nobody in Oklahoma cares for Texas much. Texas treats Oklahoma like the USA generally treats Canada. So the "secession" thing is a uniquely Texan trait. As for the red state stuff, it's pretty much one of the most conservative states not in the Deep South, but I've never heard any anti-evolution stuff crop up. I learned about evolution in high school in a north-central Oklahoman town of 5200 people, so these stereotypes don't always hold even when it seems like they must. However, it's hard to be a Democrat/liberal type in Oklahoma. Even those running as Dems in Oklahoma would pretty much be Republicans by ideology in any swing state. You get the expected pockets of liberals in the college towns, but nowhere near a majority. But I was one.

I think I heard that there might be wind come rushing down the plain, but that is probably a stereotype.

I'll tell you one thing, if I could take a good long road trip in Oklahoma, I'd do it right now and chill out in a diner in a small town. Long overdue for a good American road trip.

The wind sweeping down the Plain is definitely not a stereotype. If the average wind gust in a given day is 20 mph there, it's probably a pretty calm day. I won't even mention the tornadoes.

I hope you make it out to Oklahoma someday. It's pretty much an ideal dose of the Midwest, Southwest, Old West and South all at once.  8)