The World According To Guitarguy

All right, I give !

Yep, The more I thought about having to cross two or three states worth of hot, flat and windy terrain, the more I liked the tiny little tree symbols on my map of upper east side Oklahoma .

That meant that there were forests and hills up that-a-way !

So my friends, a new course has been set.

I will save the wild west for a time when I’m better able to deal with it, like maybe with a fellow biker and some camping gear to help out if something goes awry .

I’ve always travelled by my gut feeling and every decision I’ve made on this trip so far has been a good one for me as far as routes that I’ve ridden .

Today’s was no exception.

My overnight stay at the Bullet Proof Inn (aka Economy Lodge) in McAlester was not the best, but to be fair, it was not the worst either .

The room was relatively clean and if you don’t mind long freight trains passing by on either side of the motel that you’re sleeping in, blowing very loud horn blasts four or five times an evening, well there you have it.

The good side was that I had a cool neighbor to chat with who was also a biker.

We shot the bull for awhile this morning about each others bikes.

He even gave me a motorcycle magazine to take with me for the ride .

Before leaving with his wife, he said, “I wish I was going with you” .

I’ve heard that a lot on this trip .

I gave myself a haircut before showering, utilizing my professional “Wahl Super Taper” electric shears that I brought along so as not to give the impression that bikers are an unkempt lot.

Packing completed, I then ventured downtown in search of food, seeing that the Economy Lodge wasn’t offering any fare.

Backtracking my route towards route 270, I spied a breakfast nook in downtown McAlester called “What About Bob’s” . (A Bill Murray fan perhaps?)

It looked friendly enough .

I parked my scoot in the HANDICAPPED spot so I could keep an eye on it, being it was fully packed.

I didn’t figure anyone would give me a hard time about it not having specialized plates, seeing that I had shorts on and prosthetics in full view mode. 

Breakfast was good, bacon, eggs sunny side, sourdough toast and hash browns smothered in Tabasco sauce !

While eating, I noticed a man that I had seen earlier behind the counter, (that would be Bob) curiously eyeing my bike over .

We made eye contact and he wandered over to my table to chat .

Bob was a biker too it seems .

I told him all about my trip so far and of my concerns of heading any further west and he gave quite a few pointers of where and where not to go and so on .

Bob wished me well and then went to talk to a couple Harley guys at another table .

I stopped by on my way out to inform him of my final decision to head northeast on route 31 .

He approved and when I went to pay my bill, handed it back and said, “Take this with you as a memento”.

Honda used to have a slogan in the sixties that went, “You Meet The Nicest People On A Honda” and they weren’t just-a-kiddin’ !

Route 31 was another hidden gem of a road, not in the best condition, but making up for it in a scenic sort of way .

I kept spying turtles in the middle of the road, some living, others not so lucky .

Normally I will stop and lift the little buggers off the pavement and deposit them safely on the other side, but with no shoulder to park on and traffic speeding by at 70 mph, let the gods do their bidding.

I took 31 as far as the town of Kinta and then turned north on route 2, all the way up to major route 40.

It seems I was heading east on 40 at the very same time that my sister Sheila and her husband Louie were going west on it !

They are on a six week journey around the southwest and back .

(kind of like what I had originally planned)

They’d stayed overnight near Salisaw Oklahoma, the same town I was heading toward before turning northward on scenic route 82 this morning.

I talked with her this evening via cell phone and I do believe we probably passed each other by somewhere along the way, because you know…………….It’s a small world after all.

Route 82 North zig zags it’s way close to the Oklahoma, Arkansas border .

After a brief jaunt on the route 62 bypass it connects to 10 north and eventual 59 north, which will eventually lead one to 60 east. 

59 winds through mountains, lake regions and forest lands in Cherokee country where the temps were much cooler than what I would have dealt with down in the flatlands . (Sheila was quoting 87 degrees where they were)

At one point I crossed two rather long cement bridges both spanning Grand Lake , which consisted of choppy , brown water , busy with motor boats and jet ski’s .

Though I had started to entertain the idea of bunking down for the night and the motels were many in the area, I figured them to be a little too high brow for my needs.

Hell , they even had casinos !

I can see it now………..”Sir , How much credit can I receive for a insect riddled 2006 Honda Silverwing full of dirty laundry”?

“Oh,  well then in that case…………put everything on 31 black to win”

Once on route 60 East, I hauled ass right to where I sit now, in a Best Western Inn, located in the town of Neosho Missouri.

The taste of Taco Bell still fresh on my palate, my laundry done and a KING SIZED mattress with my name on it .

Life Is Good !