Green Sherlocking In Oklahoma
By Don Hobbs

Now that gasoline prices have tumbled back to around the two-dollar and some change price per gallon, the temptation to take a road trip has reared its head. How does one justify driving more the 500 miles in a single day in the name of Sherlock Holmes? According to my wife Joyce, it's okay if it's done green. So, I asked her, "You mean like keeping the memory of the Master green?" No you ecological dummy, green like in conservation, as I paraphrase her. She said if there were at least three reasons to do a single trip, it was green enough for her. Since it is her opinion that counts, I went with it.

Well, I already had my three reasons to travel from Flower Mound to Oklahoma City, roughly 250 miles. The first reason was  the presentation of the Oklahoma City Theatre Company's "Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles" a play adapted for the stage by Harvey Mackie. The performances were from October 17th through November 8th, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and a Sunday Matinee on November 9th at 2 PM. Since I was not available during the first weekend and would not be around during the last weekend, Saturday, October 25 was the perfect date for me to attend.

Baskerville Hall set.

The second reason to venture to the North Country of Oklahoma was to take a photograph of another Oklahoma State Highway 4 road sign. The OK-4 taken during the Great Whimsical Sherlock Tour of Oklahoma and Texas seems to be an extension of the Arkansas 4. The one outside of Oklahoma City appears to be more official. It has the state's silhouette while the other one was  a round circle with the number 4 in the middle.

Mustang, OK

The third and most important reason was getting to see my fellow Sherlockian, Dean Clark. Dean and I have been getting together quite frequently as of late. Our trip to Houston last month was still fresh but more importantly was that on this trip I would get to meet Betty who is Dean's 90-year-old mother. Betty lives in Norman, Oklahoma located south of Oklahoma City. Dean covers high school sports on Friday nights for a Tulsa newspaper so he was not able to head west until Saturday morning, the same time I headed north from Flower Mound.

Dean & Betty Clark

There was yet another non-Sherlockian reason for my trip, which gives me a fourth and even greener reason to drive the distance to Oklahoma. There is an eatery in El Reno, west of Oklahoma City,  called Sid's that is famous for onion burgers. I timed my drive from Flower Mound perfectly arriving at Sid's at exactly 11 AM, the magical hour when they switch from serving breakfast to serving lunch. In an extreme moment of self-decadence, I ordered a deluxe onion cheeseburger, vanilla shake, and 1/4 order of fries. This might have been the very best $7.60 I ever spent. Full of cow and ice cream, I drove south to Mustang, Oklahoma on OK-4. I made a u-turn in Mustang and headed north to Piedmont, OK.

El Reno, OK. Sid's Famous Onion Cheeseburger, Shake, 1/4 order of fries

Dean and Betty were meeting me at Sherlock's Club in western OK City around 5:30, so I had several hours to kill. Driving around the city streets, I found Sure Lock Loans. This was an excellent photo-op. It spawned the idea for a new Sherlockian photo-essay, which for the moment is top-secret. I found a few antique shops and managed to kill off the afternoon and make it to Sherlock's Club in time for the arrival of  Dean and Betty. Betty and I hit it off immediately as if  I were a long lost son. We made it inside and ordered drinks before we discovered that  they did not serve food. We managed to find a place to eat and still make it to the theatre on time. The adaptation was condensed but kept all of the basic elements of the entire story. I found it very enjoyable with only a few minor flaws. The play was  not overly clichéd in dialogue although Holmes kept his deer stalker and Inverness cape on in every scene.

Sure Lock Loans, OK City, OK.

Over all, I kept the memory of the Master green and kept my trip green according to the Joyce-O-Meter.

Sherlock's Club, OK City, OK

Happy Collecting!!