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!