Merle Haggard, dead at age 79. Gone too soon.

The following was written before we'd heard about the death of the man who singlehandedly put Muskogee on the map — Merle Haggard. We're gonna miss ya, Merle.

We have officially done Muskogee, Oklahoma!

If today was anything close to the average of the next 20 days of activity, then we are in for one hell of a ride.

Working on only two hours of sleep, the adrenaline generated by having so much to do and climbing the learning curve in real time has not only kept us awake and alert but a little manic, as well.

Writing while we eat, we expect to settle down a bit very soon.

Nevertheless, our first full day on the road has been a resounding success! We met quite a few people this morning at Anna's Coffee Cup & Café here in Muskogee. Only a few resisted our charms and turned down our request for interviews. But we snagged a number of interviews that had little gems for some of the answers to our questions.

Our friend, Josh Holstead, recommended getting footage of a few places here in town and he didn't disappoint. Not one of the them turned us down for requests film their buildings, exceeding expectations.

It's onward to Benton, Arkansas tonight for a full day tomorrow.

— LSS