2,600 miles on a Honda - part 5

Thursday, 3 December 2009

After two nights of camping, i was ready for a night in a motel, hopefully with a little time to work on the bike. By the time i got to Garth Brooks' home town of Yukon, Oklahoma i had ridden around 1000 miles. A little later the highway turned into a turnpike so i decided to take route 66. 10 miles down that road i came up to this really strange looking building. It had an awning that kinda reminded me of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars and had a giant metal pop bottle by the road.
The place is called Pops, it's a gas station with several hundred kinds of pop from all over the US. So i filled up with gas and had a Fritz's orange soda. It tasted a lot like Faygo, meaning it was great. In the parking lot there were dozens of motorcycles and after talking to some people, it turns out that on the weekends Pops is the the main hangout place in the area. They said on friday nights there usually isn't a place to park a bike it's so busy.

Then like always people ask me where i'm headed. After i tell them Michigan they ALWAYS say "WOW...you're a long way from home huh? Well good luck and stay safe" The first few days it didn't bother me but i've already ridden 1000 miles, how can i still be a long way from home?

Route 66 was great. Perfect speed with cool little towns every 20 miles or so. I stopped at a motel on the east side of Tulsa and started working on the bike. Changed spark plugs again, realigned the rear tire and tightened the chain. All set for another 1000 miles.

The next day i hit the 20,000 mile mark on the motorcycle. It seemed like a really big event at the time so i stopped and took a picture.
Then at the border into Arkansas i talked with a guy selling oranges and blankets with pictures of Elvis and wolves. I didn't buy any oranges but looking back wish i had got that Elvis blanket.

That night i camped at Bull Shoals State Park. It was on a river near the Bull Shoals Dam. I'm still amazed at the number of people that camp out that time of year. Although i was the only one in a tent, the rest of the people had RV's or campers. This time i used dead leaves as padding under the tent.

I also forgot to mention that back on day 3 in New Mexico i was talking to an indian guy at a gas station. He saw the bike and asked if i was doing some "long traveling" I said i was headed for Michigan. He said "oh ya you are doing some long traveling alright. Well i hope you make it. Be safe." I had never heard that phrase before but after thinking about it while riding a few hundred miles, i started to really like the term "long traveling."

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2,600 miles on a Honda - part 4

The next morning i woke up and headed back into Amarillo for breakfast at The Big Texan. Which is the place where if you can eat a 72 oz. steak in an hour, it's free. However when i pulled into the parking lot it was packed and a line had formed out the door. It was Thanksgiving morning and i didn't feel like waiting in line for breakfast so i left.
I also stopped at this leaning water tower. I'm not sure why it was leaning, but i think the town did it on purpose???
The whole day i would be on I-40 which got a little boring so i decided to see how many miles i could ride no handed. I made it 21 miles without using my hands then had to stop as i crossed into Oklahoma to take a picture. Then i rode another 28 miles no handed before having to get gas.
I planned to camp at Foss Lake State Park for the night and as i was getting gas i talked to a guy and his wife. They said they had camped there before and suggested a good spot. Then the guy tried to give me $20 for gas and stuff. I guess i must have looked poor and dirty and couldn't afford a hotel room. Or maybe it was just a nice gesture on Thanksgiving. Anyways i said no but thanked them for the camping advice.

I rode to the lake and it was great. Camping was free and the only one other family there was in their RV. They had spots right by the lake with electricity, running water, a fire pit and picnic table. I picked the best spot by the lake, set up my tent then grabbed soap and shampoo and went for a swim/bath. The water felt like it was about 40 degrees.

I decided to have a fire that night and while i was collecting wood, a cat started following me. I assumed it was from the RV since they were the only other people out there.
When i got back to the tent i started the fire then had freeze dried lasagna with meat sauce for Thanksgiving. It was really good.

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