Oklahoma is OK!

Yes, that is the license plate motto in Oklahoma. We visited to the National Weather Center in Norman. It is on the campus of OU and houses the school of meteorology as well as the government offices. Our tour included bespoke storm-tracking vehicles, the NOAA and NWS centers along with the classroom area and top floor observation area. There is an interactive display in the lobby where there are a bunch of interesting storm data screens. There is a small display of tornado information gathering equipment from the movie Twister, and a seven screen display to play with a very detailed level of Google Earth. A local artist weathered pieces of metal in every county in Oklahoma and then created a great sculpture of the state. They have no need for a gift shop…they offer a gift vending machine. We also went to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. The exhibits are terrific and there are many docents available to offer more details and some hands on activities for children. This museum is the proud owner of the largest dinosaur head (Pentaceratops) ever discovered. This head is more than ten feet tall. Oddly, the skull was boxed and under the OU stadium in storage for many years. Recently rediscovered, the museum and the community are thrilled to have this amazing piece of history on display. Downtown Norman pretty much caters to the university crowd with tasty bistros and breweries. We stayed a little east of town at a bed and breakfast and vineyard. It is always astounding to find a vineyard where you would least expect it. Turns out this latitude is great for growing grapes. The places where we stayed does not produce wine, they only sell their grapes to be part of blended wines. Too early in the season to see the corn fields or the severe weather, Oklahoma is OK.