Oklahoma's 'Space Capsule' Started As Anniversary Gift

The internet was all atwitter last week about a roadside find in Arizona. Someone had decorated an abandoned cement mixer to look like a space capsule.

Well, you can get down off your high horse, Arizona; we've had one of those space capsules for a long time.

2/8/2016 Related Story: Hold On, Arizona. Oklahoma Has Had A Cement Mixer/Space Capsule For Years

My first contact with this accidental roadside landmark was in 2008, back then it had a flag design, and it was a highlight on the daily commute for Heather and Barry Thomas.

And they imagined what it could become.

“For our fifth, my husband got all the supplies and friends and family together and we threw a huge party our here and painted it and decorated it," Heather said.

They've spent the last five years maintaining it. They've created a Facebook page for it and it's a tourist stop.

"We are on some virtual tours of America, walking tours of America, some scavenger hunts, geocaching sites…Roadside America has got us as a stop," Heather said.

You can even find the thing on Google Maps.

Carolyn Estes of the Oologah Lake Leader newspaper, who was out here with us, said the thing's been there a long time, maybe since the 50s.

It's been lots of things, but its life as a space capsule is the most memorable.

Rick: "So this was an anniversary gift?"
Barry: "This was our fifth anniversary gift."

So, the moral of this little tale is very simple, according to Heather, "When you tell your husband you want something big and shiny for your anniversary, you need to be real specific."

Wanna see it? Winganon Road, also known as 300 Road in Rogers County, is north of Talala on Highway 169. Turn east toward Chelsea, and it's on the north side of the road.