Good Morning from Tulsa
It is May 24, 2009 and the morning finds us - Chris my riding partner is this adventure - in Tulsa, OK. We left Lexington, KY at sunrise yesterday and after 751 wonderful miles we rolled into Tulsa, OK at sunset or shortly thereafter.
It was a joyous day filled with great sites and smells. leaving Lexington in the early hours, I could smell the fresh cut grass and the dew was till on the ground. The air was cool and there were a few clouds. Upon hitting I-64, i noticed my front brakes were gone and we did a quick repair to tighten the brake valve and all was good with the brakes working. We made a brief stop at Dale’s HD in Mt. Vernon, IL to pick up brake fluid and we were ready to roll.
As we rode down I-64, I could smell the rain and we were hit with a few drops and nothing that required rain gear. There is a difference between the smell of impending rain and standing river water and we encountered both. As we rolled through the country side - I was reminded how beautiful the country is and the allure of open space. I was listening to the Grateful Dead and I must admit the Dead and open space - an awesome combination.
South of St. Louis we stopped for lunch with an old friend Robert Rogers. Robert and I had not seen each other since 1996. Riding allows for such impromtu connections. The people we met along the way, reminded me of the good nature of people as all were helpful, friendly and wanted to discuss our trip or provide helpful suggestions. The other cars and trucks on the road were courteous and mindful of our space on the road.
When we entered OK we discovered the openness of the country as exits were spaced 10 to 20 miles apart - it paid to have a full tank of gas which we did. Route 66 for us in the first 700 miles consisted of I-44 with a few side detours and we did miss the world’s largest rocking chair.
Today we will head further south and at a minimum make it to Amarillo, TX and potentially Tucumcari, NM.
To all - safe travels!