06/01/2026
Howdy everyone! I hesitated to post this after all the bad press that developed after the Capitol Cruise in Tulsa was concluded and learning that we had barely made it in and that many people did not.
When we were given updates on arrival times the folks in charge told us all not to try and be there by 6am but to try and stagger our arrival times. We then planned on getting on the road at 6 am and make our way to the Expo in Tulsa. Stopped to get gas when we got on 21st street and joined the line of cars and trucks headed to the same destination as us, the Capitol Cruise Parade. Now some folks I know, who shall remain unnamed, were smarter and more experienced then us and found a way to surcumvent the gridlock that Rodney and I found ourselves in. We were one of the entries that was stopped on 21st street for a total of 2 hours and 47 minutes.
Most of the drivers took the opportunity to get out and stretch their legs. We all were taking this in stride and milled around in the street talking and visiting with each other with our cars shut off to keep from overheating. Some folks cars still had problems as the stopping and starting took a toll as well as the heat and many of them overheated.
When we were able to move some we had to go around many of these unfortunate ones whose cars for some reason were balking the system. We all thought we were going to be moving and we assumed that someone was directing traffic and we would eventually make it to the Expo staging area.
Rodney and I knew that there was a time set for closing entry into the expo and therefore the parade. I then began taking opportunities to move ourselves a bit closer to the Expo and it worked as we finally crossed the intersection at 21st and Yale to join the cars making their way slowly to the entrance. Then we made it through where we were all hurriedly motioned to keep moving and head on out the back gate where we then made it to the parade starting point.
Then it was over….we made it through the entire parade. What an experience! This was a once in a life time experience! This was a first for me experience of finally having a classic car to enjoy and share with others. I loved it and loved seeing the faces of many of the parade watchers all along the route. They were loving seeing the cars and cheered us all on as we rolled on through and exited the parade route and many of us congregated at the Quik Trip to top our gas tanks off. Oogling and awing over each others cars. The day seemed perfect. We all exited the parking lots and went our own ways, some to other events, some to Sapulpa and others elsewhere.
It wasn’t until later in the afternoon that we heard the news about all the folks that were turned away and therefore missed the parade. My heart was sickened and I lost the joy I had felt earlier while driving in the parade and celebrating a historical, record breaking event and first for Rodney and me and many others like us.
I will be thinking on this for days and wondering the whole time. I could say more but Ima gonna keep it to myself. Yeah, I know, she who has no filters keeping something to herself. That’s funny right there!
The End…for now.
