Soccer….Family Style

Oklahoma is NOT OK, but Alert Sporting KC, We are in Kansas!

Confession: I don’t book hotels in advance on my road trips. I feel like it’s bad luck. If you book a hotel, you might not make it to that city (the one stop I was going to book ahead was the one we broke down, so there you go). I’ve only gotten caught by my lack of planning twice, once in France during the World Cup (when we needed a hotel last minute due to travel plans changing) and once last night.

Due to road construction in Kansas, we were driving all the way across Oklahoma, instead of our original plan to just nick the pan handle. It was my first time in Oklahoma, and I was excited to pick up a new state and check it out. But at every gas stop, people would stare at my Iowa plates and New Jersey stickers with looks that were neither amused or friendly, growing my sense of unease at every stop. In addition, there were no big chain hotels as we went, but by 2 AM, I was ready to take any shady no-name motel I could find. Trouble is, some big oil rig had booked every hotel and motel for hours.

The highlight of my night was stopping in Alva at 2:30 AM to call my husband to enlist his help and internet connection in finding a hotel (I’m pretty sure communist countries have better WIFI than Oklahoma). As I was backing out of a gas station parking lot, there was a guy staring at my car’s front bumper, I thought at my plate, but when he flagged me down, I thought maybe I had a light out. But no, this 20-something oil splattered guy said “Hey, is there anything going on in this town? I’m shipping out to Iraq tomorrow and I’m just looking for some fun.”

WOW. Really? My 40 year old mom of two, t-shirt and yoga pants “look” is really doing it for you? My response may have been stating the obvious, but what else can you say: “I’m just passing through, but seeing as my husband is on the phone (shakes lit smart phone) and my two kids are asleep in the back, I’m probably not your girl.” And then I left that town, because even there was a hotel room in that town (there wasn’t) I did not want to stay there. Two hours of driving and several “No Vacancy” signs later, we crossed into Kansas and found a room.

So Oklahoma, it’s been real, and it’s been fun (I stopped in Hooker, OK and took a photo of their welcome sign….that was fun) but it definitely was not real fun. Next time, I’d stick to the pan handle and face construction traffic. The good news is, we are in Kansas, got 7 hours sleep, and have only 3.5 hours drive to Livestrong Park. An easy (sheesh…I hope!) trip to our first Sporting KC game, the Open Cup Final vs Seattle Sounders, our last stop on MLS Road Trip 2012.

Can’t wait to meet you, KC Cauldron supporters!

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