Sunday morning and it’s time to go. I roll out at 5am get a shower and head down to move the bike out front. But first, the key. Now where did I put the key? It’s not in the suit where it belongs. You know how it is where you have one place where you put things and that’s where it belongs and if it’s somewhere else, it’s lost no matter where it is? So I’m thinking it might be on the bike in the ignition. I’ve done that way too many times but nope, after walking out there it’s not there. I head back to the main desk and think “oh, when I took my trunk keys out of my backpack where’d I’d kept them, I saw a silver thing which I thought were my fingernail clippers (which is where I do normally keep them); I bet it was the key.” Of course the backpack is in the bottom of the trunk with clothes and a game on top. So I grab a bellhop (or whatever they’re called nowadays) to bring a cart up to my room. When I get up there, I move the saddlebags, tail bag, trunk, and tank bag out. She arrives not long after and I help load up plus put my Aerostich suit on the hanger and put the net, gloves, penguin, and Cthulhu on the cart and quietly shut the door. I get out to the bike and with her watching and chatting, I get the bike loaded up. I tip her and then open up the trunk to break out the backpack and sure enough, it’s in the backpack. I repack the trunk and am ready to go, right at 6am.
I need to be in Tulsa Oklahoma. I should be there by 6pm or so. I follow 70 on west until Terra Haute where it’s time to fill up the bike and take a break.
Following 70 through Illinois. The sun’s coming up and it looks like a nice enough day.
In East St Louis. Just hunting/following the directions for 44 south to Tulsa.
Stop in Cuba Missouri
It’s pretty amazing the number of “Fire Obama’s Lawyer” billboards there are plus the occasional “Wanna Be Dictator” with Obama’s picture (really more of a picture of Obama’s face with a black background) and other such billboards in the state of Missouri. Kansas and Oklahoma (as well as Missouri) had lots of “Abortion stops a beating heart” and “Smile, you mom chose to keep you” among other similar signs, generally posted on someone’s property but Missouri was the only one with so many scary billboards.
And a stop in Lebanon Missouri for gas.
And Sarcoxie Missouri.
And Claremore Oklahoma. This is a toll road so there really wasn’t much of a place to stop. As I got close to Tulsa, I stopped in at a QuikTrip. I got a refund of $.50 from the toll lady as I left the toll road and gave it back when I got back on the toll road. Very odd 🙂
From here I stopped at around 161st in Tulsa just as I entered town and looked up my aunt and uncle’s address, where I’d be spending two nights. I got directions and headed off. I found the place and unpacked the bike after giving my aunt a big hug.
We headed out for dinner at the Rib Crib. Man, what a really bad fast food rib house. The babyback ribs were just dry and hard, like beef jerky.