It's struck us during the trip so far, that there is an awful lot of roadkill about, We've seen far more creatures dead than we have alive. We've encountered deer, raccoon, skunk, squirrel and even armadillo, either flattened or otherwise 'resting' in or at the side of the road. Today we came across what appeared to be a tortoise, my quick reactions, once realising it was a live creature, saving it from joining the list. A few miles further on, we came across another, stationery, a foot from the verge. We stopped and after taking some photos, moved him/her off into the grass, extending its life a while longer.
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| Shy, considering I just saved his life! |
Today was a long day and quite busy, with the number of sights on the agenda. After a couple of railroad related stops and an old bridge, we found ourselves at the Rock Cafe, in Stroud, the perfect stop for our brunch. A 1930s cafe, it is lucky to still be in existence, having survived a tornado and a catastrophic fire. My root beer gave me a souvenir cup, which irked Catherine a tad, as she'd only had water. No pay drinky, no cup freebie!
Running on an old and unpaved section of the Route for a while and taking in a motel in Chandler, we came to the Seaba Motorcycle Museum. I particularly wanted to stop here as I had read about a Triumph they had on display. There are a lot of interesting motorcycles, collected by the two guys that run the museum but the Triumph I wanted to see, I couldn't really because it's is still in the plastic wrapping and crate that it was in when it left the factory at Meriden. It is a 1979 Bonneville, least that's what it said. I'm not expert enough to argue. It's not a big place but well worth a stop for bikers.
A couple of more minor stops and we were at the Arcadia Round Barn. This is a fully restored, 2 storey round barn, originally built in the 19th century, so well ahead of Route 66. Ground floor is an exhibition and souvenir shop, whilst upstairs there is a huge open space, with a raised podium in the middle, presumably for a band, as it is used a lot for dancing, weddings, etc. Interesting.
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| The Round Barn, Arcadia |
Heading into Oklahoma City, we stopped at the memorial site of the bombings back in 1995. A very tasteful memorial to the 168 who died that fateful morning. A triangular grocery store with a giant milk bottle on top, another bridge and a couple of service stations ticked off and we were at Fort Reno.
Reno was established during the trouble with the Indians (Native Americans, whatever you want to call them) back in the 19th Century and you can visit a number of the old buildings. Reno was the home of the Buffalo Soldiers (remember Bob Marley's song?), who were an all African American Cavalry Regiment. There's one painting depicting them in action but little else. Reno was used as a POW camp during WW2, housing German prisoners. It seems they were treated very well by the Americans, as they built a chapel, to show their gratitude! If I'm honest, I was a little disappointed in this place but Catherine seemed OK with it and it had been a stop of her choice, so that's what matters.
As we left the scorching (100 degrees) Fort Reno, we were heading towards some very dark clouds. A storm had been predicted, so it wasn't totally unexpected. I recalled the last time I was in Oklahoma, when they had the worst storms on record, with Oklahoma City flooded and our bike group having to detour past flooded roads and take shelter in a diner. It wasn't half so bad today but it was remarkable how the temperature dropped, right down to 73 degrees!
As we approached the Cherokee Trading Post, a stop so Catherine could see the live buffalo on site, a sand storm blew up and I could barely see where we were going. I managed to negotiate the junction and get us in to the car park safely though. As quick as it had started, then it was gone, so we could get out to see the buffalo in the pen. I wonder if they are the same two that were there 5 years ago?
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| Ugly brute! |
We ran across the 38 span 1933 Pony Bridge, just up the road, before making another old gas station stop. Then it was on to our hotel for the night. The Hampton Hotel in Clinton is another in the Hilton chain, so another that Catherine approves of. Tomorrow we are back to period and the Cactus Inn.
We took a run up the road to find somewhere to eat, veggie friendly but in the end had to settle for Montana Mike's Steakhouse, across from the hotel. Not perfect for Catherine but she managed to down some cheese stuffed mushrooms and a baked spud. Not gonna be any easier for her tomorrow I fear, in Texas!
Until tomorrow then.
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