Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We did 2 states today! :) We started in Oklahoma City, OK, Rode up to Kansas, through a little bit of Kansas, and then on into Missouri. We are currently in Joplin, right in the SW corner of Missouri. (Its pretty ordinary...)
And today was really tough. We did 280 miles, but it was as hot as the desert (109F) and at least 100% humidity. It just meant we were dripping wet all day and it was very draining.
The countryside was so impossibly green today. We rode in some very beautiful countryside, gently undulating, gently curving roads, good surface.. pure motorcycling nirvana! :)
Last night we went out to eat just near the hotel. OK City has a canal which is lined with restaurants and pubs, and is very picturesque (as you'll see in a couple of photos). We went for Tapas last night which was a pleasant change from steak or ribs :) Ted made a good point when he said OK City reminded him of Melbourne as it has the major sporting venues (one outside our window) and the entertainment district all mixed together to create a real 'vibe'. :) A very pleasant surprise.
Today we hit the road about 10 and immediately it was green and lush. The contrast to the desert could not be more stark. I took some video just for the 'compare and contract' lecture series that I'll be giving soon. :)
There were lots of old roadside cafe's, or gas stations, or car repair places (some of which you will see in the photos) which were very iconic of the Route. We are all really enjoying small-town America, so we stopped in a small town called Sepulpa and ate at the Boomerang Cafe (nothing to do with Aussies, they just "want their customers to come back" ... I asked :)) It was full of locals and had a real buzz about it. Really down to earth and 'real' again.
The waitress, working her tip up, was asking where we were from and what we were up to and of course guessed Rt66, and then ran away to get a guide that the Oklahoma Route66 Organisation had put together on the route for their state. In that Ted spotted a T-Shirt that had Route 66 and a Harley Logo all melded into one. We had to have one.
Luckily it was in Tulsa, which was our next city. Sepulpa is actually almost on the outskirts of Tulsa. Little did we know it would ytake 40 minutes of riding to get to the bloody T-Shirt place! But we made it, absolutely drenched.
Inside was HOG heaven (HOG = Harley Owners Group)... merchandise coming out their ears. And also oh-so-cool (air-conditioned shop) :)
I yet again bought way too much stuff, and somehow managed to cram it into my saddle bags. :) Hey, we're only here once! I need a lifetime of memorabilia! :)) And gifts. :)))) Yeah, mainly gifts.
By the time we tore ourselves out of the Harley joint it was probably 3pm and we still wanted to do another 100+ miles. The roads become much straighter after lunch, but the heat and the humidity were just as bad. We saw lots of interesting sights, but not really interesting enough to stop and take a picture of every one. Stuff like old abandoned motels that you just can't capture in a photo (I've tried), or cute houses, or a great scene of countryside. Absolutely wonderful to see as part of the whole scenery of the trip, but boring for you at home or in photos. So we just zoomed on by, rubber-neckiong our way across the contryside. (I think I stioll took more photos today than Ted has taken all trip - 39 :)
We ended up doing about 140 milesa after lunch / Harley-town and arrived in Joplin around 730 tonight. It took a bit to find the motels as the place is basically two long streets that cross each other, and the hotels were on one of the two bits we didn't need to ride to follow Rt66 (of course). Ted asked for directions at a Servo, and Robert's your mother's brother.
We are staying at a La Quinta, which I have never heard of before. Its even got full-on semi's parked in the car park. We also managed to do some washing! :) The jeans that we each have been wearing for 10 days finally got a wash! :))
We're all now fed and watered, and my two room-mates are currently snoring their heads off (greeeeeeaaaaaaaaat.... :)
Tomorrow apparently holds a 50% chance of rain (the first of our trip if we get it), and the map says that Missouri holds some of the most picturesque parts of the route, so I hope we can get capture them in photos!J
At the rate we are going, we will be in Chicago a day or two early, so we are keeping up the pace in the hope of a day off! :)
PS. 1 more video up: Ted doing battle with the shower in Santa Fe. None of us could figure out how to turn it on! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNJim7ZJvE
- comments