Day 5 Mon Jun 4th - Rolla to Tulsa

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Today was a long ride - 320 miles from Rolla to Tulsa, a day that we see us in three different US states - Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Total odo reading - 920

We were up at 5.30, had the complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel, loaded at 8 and wagons roll at 8.30. The first thing to do was to fuel up. Fortunately the gas station was very close and we made it to the pump, albeit with the bike coughing and spluttering. I took the opportunity to get some cash out of the ATM there as I was down to my last few dollars cash. This was the first time using an ATM here, but the Zero card worked perfectly, and the ATM dispensed to me 10 x $20 bills.


While we were waiting these three lovely old cars came in to fill up. (see above). 
below: view down the road from Rolla, you can see one of the few roundabouths that we encountered on the trip here.

Riding on...

This morning I was trying out my mini DV cam for the first time on the trip and I had it taped to the side of my helmet. This came out good, and I ended up a 56 min avi file, just need to decide what to do with it - edit and put on youtube maybe and then embed the clips in the blog -but  that'll have to wait a bit.

Continuing on the old Mother Road this morning we passed through a number of towns and past countless derelct  and abandoned gas stations, motels and cafes. We rolled through Devils Elbow, Lebanon and Marshfield before our lunch stop at Buckinghams in Springfield, MO. This is what they call a BBQ Restaurant. As usual most things on the menu come as huge portions, so we ordered baked 'Taters' with 'pulled pork'  filling. After about half an hour the manager cam out to appoligise - the kitchen staff had messed up and put the jacket potatoes in the deep fat fryer!. Anyway if worked out because he offered us to make another choice off the menu, all on the house.

After lunch we were back, getting more kicks, riding through Halltown, Paris Springs, Spencer and on to to Carthage, MO, where we stopped for gas at the Crapduster filling station.

 

above: The Crapduster at the Crapduster fuel stop, Carthage, MO. Click to enlarge.



 Moving on we took a detour though the town of Joplin, which was hide by a tornado more or less one year ago (see wiki). We round through the streets where the major devastation occurred, completely wiping parts off the town out. Now rebuilding is well under way but there's still lots where all that's been done is clear the sites. We didn't stop, just rode slowly through and on out of Missouri and into Kansas.

Route 66 only passes through Kansas for 13 miles before it enters Oklahoma so today was a 'three state' day.

Whilst in Kansas we stopped at the Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge (Riverton, KA) where we met what I'll call a 'Route 66 Celebrity' by way of Dean "Crazy Legs" Walker He is President of the Kansas Historic Route 66 Association and is credited as being the personality behind Mater the tow truck in the Disney/Pixar animation film 'Cars'. Dean's party trick what he did for us was to turn his feet to face backwards! er, yes, he's 'crazy' all right.
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The last town in Kansas we went through was Baxter Springs. Then we into Oklahoma, through Miami, Afron, Vinita, Chelsea, Claremore to our final stop of the day which was at Cartoosa, at the Blue Whale.


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After leaving the Blue Whale we are soon at our hotel for the night - The Best Western plus Tulsa Inn & Suites, arriving at 7.45.

The hotel had laid on a special welcome reception for us in the lobby, and a welcome pack was there for each of us in our rooms - a very nice touch and much appreciated.

above: Graham with the Best Western welcome pack.

For our tea tonight, as it was getting late, and we weren't over hungry I just popped across the parking lot and picked up some take-a-way from McD.

So endeth our 5th day, the longest day of the trip with some 316 miles covered. Odo 920 miles., milage since lunch today - 252
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