Vinita, Oklahoma comes up in my conversations at least once year. When Justin posted the photo of the world's largest McDonald's in Vinita, I once again thought of Vinita with a smile.

I spent a few days there the summer after I got out of the Peace Corps. In true traveler fashion one of my friends and I did a cross-country trip mostly on Greyhound and Trailways busses. For three months we stayed with friends, family, friends of family and family of friends--anyone who agreed to have us. Neither of us knew the family we stayed with in Vinita who owned the dairy farm, but they were friends of friends, and what I call "good folk."

Besides their wonderful hospitality, luckily for my friend, there was a wonderful small town doctor who figured out why my friend kept getting boils-not all at once, one at a time. This doctor in Vinita was about her fourth medical visit that summer, and the one who figured out she had some sort of infection that could be cured with a high dose of antibiotics. Problem solved.

So, whenever I think of Vinita I remember nothing but good thoughts and the evening we had before sunset swimming in a lovely lake. If you head there, take some time out to slow down and enjoy the slower pace of small town life. As you meander along, besides stopping in the world's largest McDonald's for a hamburger, look for the Will Roger's monument. It's in the restaurant. There's another Will Roger's monument next to Route 66. This one was the first historical marker to be placed in Oklahoma. Here's a link to other area attractions.

Filed under: Stories, North America, United States