Trip to the Indy 500, Day 1 – Indian Casinos, McDonald’s Over the Highway and Throwed Rolls

When I started my 900+ mile drive from the Dallas area to Indianapolis, Indiana I traveled north through Sherman Texas and on up into Oklahoma. I had been hearing about the Choctaw Indian casino for a long time so thought I’d go check it out while I was going by.

Choctaw Casino Here I Come!

I’ve been to another Indian casino in Oklahoma that I didn’t like that much, so I was shocked when I got to Choctwa! It was fantastic! I would honestly say its as nice as half of the casinos in Vegas. And it is brand new and gorgeous! And good lord, the Pool area was amazing!

Here are a few photos, taken with the phone since for some reason casinos get nervous when people take pictures. Stupid as that may be…

Railroad Tracks, Abandoned Gas Stations and Burned Out Old Trucks

A little while after I left the casino I was driving through a fairly rural section of Oklahoma when I decided to stop a couple of times to take photos that I thought might turn out to be interesting. First, I stopped to take this photo of some railroad tracks.

Shortly thereafter I snagged this photo of abandoned gas pumps.

And then a little while later I spotted this burned out truck. I’ve never seen a trailer rig with so much damage! This thing was completely destroyed.

McDonald’s Over the Highway

The last segment of my trip through Oklahoma took me on the Will Rogers Turnpike (I44), and almost immediately after getting on it you come upon the McDonald’s Over the Highway. It was once the world’s largest McDonald’s, but now it’s probably #3. Anyway I didn’t stop because I heard it wasn’t anything special inside. But it does take you by surprise when you see it, that’s for sure!

Biggest Bass Pro Shops in the World!

While i was in Springfield, MO I stopped by Bass Pro to see the biggest one in the world. This sucker is over 300,000 sq ft. and it is just magnificent!

Lambert’s Cafe and the Throwed Rolls

When I was getting near Springfield I put out a call on Twitter asking where to go, and several of you guys chimed in (Thanks!). Well, thanks to Travis Putman I stopped by Lambert’s Cafe in Ozark, MO. This is a cafe that is famous for their “throwed rolls”.

When I first heard that I thought maybe it had to do with how they prepared the dough or something. NO! They literally walk around during dinner and throw rolls to anyone who wants one! Not only are they walking around flinging pastries at people, they also hand out all you can eat fried okra, potatoes, macaroni & tomatoes… and God only knows what else. And good lord, did you see the size of the drinks they bring you? The rule here seems to be “No one goes home hungry!”

I had the grilled chicken, and it was OK. Though the candied yams that came with it were devilishly good. And the rolls were seriously off the hook. When they toss you a roll, its hot right out of the oven! Soft, tasty, buttery, and worth making the trip for alone. And I found the service to be genuinely exceptional. There were a ton of employees constantly asking if you needed anything else. All in all, its a must see place if you are nearby.

The Gateway Arch at Night

When I finally got into St. Louis it was nearly midnight. It had also been raining and was kind of foggy. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get shots of the Arch in the morning, so I decided to go get some night shots anyway.

When I got to the Arch it was lit up nicely, and I snapped a few HDR photos. Here is what we got…

That’s it for today. More updates tomorrow as I arrive in Indianapolis! Stay tuned…