Crossin' Oklahoma…

Into the great wide open…oops…wait…that's a song!

Day five we leave Tulsa for the wide open spaces of Oklahoma and the great plains. After a quick continental breakfast at the hotel it’s back on the open road. We ride for the first couple of hours driving through more small towns, passing the remnants of the heyday of route 66. Old gas stations, resturaunts, and abandonded motels line the route, some still in business, others nothing more than decaying remnants. Passing them by one can easily imagine them as they once were, busy and filled with activity, people from around the country traveling through on thier way to some unknown destination.

Our first stop for the day is in Chandler to see another small town square, and to visit a local museum with a good route 66 section. After an hour of wandering around town it’s time to get back on the bikes and head off to our stop for lunch. For lunch we stop in Arcadia at Hillbilee’s, a local eccentric diner and hotel, and also the location of the round barn. Probably one of the most photographed landmarks on the route, not to mention one of the most origional barns in the nation. After lunch we get back on the bikes and ride through Oaklahoma city on our way to the hotel in Clinton.
On the way we stop for a chance to ride down one of the oldest remaining sections of the route. This section has been closed for quite some time, but sections of it are still accessable. We stop for a while so everyone has a chance to ride on the road, take some pictures and just plain enjoy the experience. We don’t go too far down the road, much of the road has become overgrown and covered with vegetation, and many of the bridges are either no longer safe or even completely gone. Another of the many reasons why a guided tour is the best way to experience it, driving along at 55 MPH to suddenly realize there’s no bridge would end someone’s trip pretty fast

Before we go to our hotel we’re sure to stop and see the Oaklahoma route 66 museum, which chronicles it’s history through years in the state. A great way to end the day in the nice air-conditioning and only a few block from the hotel. After the museum it’s off to the hotel and a well deserved dip in the swimming pool before dinner. That night we eat at a resturaunt in the hotel and get a good nights rest after a few drinks in the hotel bar. A perfect end to another perfect day on the road!

From the Ozarks to the Great Plains

Rolling Through The Ozarks on Old 66

Day four and back on the bikes. By now everyone has a good feel for riding a Harley, and after a few minor adjustments (clutch, brakes, etc.…) and we’re back on the road. Today we go through the Ozark mountains, through the countryside surrounded by the heavily forested hills. As we drive we’re teased occasionally by the smell of BBQ restaurants smoking their delicious pulled-pork and succulent ribs. The smell is guaranteed to make you hungry for a big plate for lunch. This is also the area we begin to see less agriculture and more ranching. The aroma of cattle and green pastures greets us around the bend and the cows, hearing the deep, throaty rumble of our bikes bolt and run when we pass by.
Today is the day we pass through a small corner of Kansas. When I say small, I mean it, we’re only in Kansas for less than 20 miles. But significant nonetheless. We leave Missouri just after Joplin and enter Kansas via Riverton. After only a few miles we stop again to see the only Marsh bridge left on the entire route, a white concrete arch beautifully contrasting the lush greenery around us. We stop for a brief history of the area and some photos of the arch and then a quick five mile ride on the bikes to our stop for lunch. We always stop at the Little Brick Inn, a very nice cafe (cafe on the route) and bed & breakfast, with a unique history behind it. The café and bed & breakfast is located in a former bank, once robbed by Jesse James. After lunch we take a few minutes to roam around the small town, and then it’s back on the bikes. We continue for another short ride, leaving Kansas behind us for Oklahoma. Less than two hours of riding later we’re in Tulsa for dinner at a 50’s themed diner and to the hotel for the night.