Top 5 Things for Sale at the Choctaw Welcome Center

Previously:

Top 5 Things For Sale at the Sam Noble Museum Gift Shop

Top 5 Things for Sale at Cherokee Trading Post

Top 5 Things for Sale at Cloverleaf

Crossing state lines is typically celebrated by a quick stop at the "Welcome Center."  These can range from surprisingly elaborate to disappointingly drab.  Typically, the beckoning of free coffee and pamphlets are more than enough to press pause on the road trip but occasionally a place will go above and beyond...like the Choctaw Welcome Center in Colbert, OK.  So lets take a look inside to see what souvenirs we can take with us along the ride.

5.  Fry Bread Recipe Magnet

The traditional Native American treat is great to make tacos with or to pour some honey on.  And this magnetized beauty will guarantee that you always have the recipe on hand.  It's definitely a uniquely Oklahoman keepsake.

4.  Sports Related Feathers

What stands out here is the selection between OU Sooners and Dallas Cowboys.  The Welcome Center is right on the Texas border so it makes sense to include America's team but the exclusion of the OSU Cowboys?  Maybe they're sold out?  Regardless, these add a great Oklahoma flair to any sports fan's decor.

3.  Achukma Pecan Oil

Seen any good Fry Bread recipes lately?  If so, you'll probably need some oil.  These guys are made by a company called "Native American Specialty Products", which I'm REALLY hoping is not some subsidiary of a huge corporation owned by white dudes but rather a mom & pop operation staffed by a hard working native family.  Either way, I'm not going to try to find out.  I can't handle another let down.

2.  Vienna Sausage & Cracker Snack

I don't know why this appeals to me so much but I love it.  I spend a lot of time on the road and a lot of time eating road food from various gas stations, so when someone puts even the smallest effort into offering a different kind of snack I really appreciate the effort.  This comes with a side of small town Oklahoma charm.

1.  Bigfoot Charm

I've said it before and prepare to hear it again, but Oklahoma does NOT take enough advantage of the Bigfoot sightings that happen throughout the state.  So of all the handmade "charms" available, this is the one that caught my eye.  And, yes, I choose to believe that it's made from authentic, genuine Sasquatch hair.  Prove me wrong!  (Please don't)

Frasier's Dog is Not Buried in Oklahoma

The best parts of many road trips involve stopping along the way at some of the more unusual attractions.  Oklahoma is full of these kind of stops, not just along Route 66, but across the state.  You never have to look too far to find some roadside wonder to brighten up your travels.

But one thing you won't find along the back roads in the Sooner State is a monument to "Moose," the canine actor who played the role of "Eddie" on the long running NBC sitcom "Frasier."  Why would anyone even expect to find such a thing?  That's all thanks to another sitcom...

On a season 4 episode of The Mindy Project, two of the characters ("That Guy From That Thing" and "That Other Guy, I Know I've Seen Him in Something") decide to do a Road Trip Episode™.  Soon enough, the boys find themselves in Catoosa, Oklahoma.

Of course, it's a real life Oklahoma town along the Mother Road but the episode would have you believe it's the final resting place of "the dog from Frasier."  The prop department even whipped up a nice monument (which I wish I owned):

In my research I couldn't find the actual grave of Moose which leads me to believe there's just not one.  I'd like to think he was cremated and his remains were divided into lockets worn around the necks of the cast and crew of Frasier every single day.  It just feels right to me.

After reading this, if you are now in the process of canceling your plans for a Catoosa road trip, then allow me to talk you back into it.  You don't need a dead dog when you can have a giant whale:

The Blue Whale makes his home in Catoosa and travelers come from all over to walk into his big smiling face.  Unfortunately the only pic of him I have handy is this one of me shooting video of him several years ago.  At least it helps to give a little perspective of how big he is.

I'll head out there again soon to get some betters for his own blog entry.  And speaking of which, there is a grave of a famous TV animal in Oklahoma for your viewing pleasure but you'll have to head out to Tahlequah to see it:

But Mr. Ed's grave is a story for another time...to be continued?!?