Well, I guess you can see the Welcome to Oklahoma sign as well as I can. I managed to pull over within three feet of it. So that's two out of three states so far. We passed the 1,000-mile mark just after crossing into Oklahoma. The word for the day is wet. We drove the final 15o miles in rain, and the last 5o of those were in a downpour. It's not something we want to do again, but we will if necessary. Our bodies got fairly wet. However, our waterproof baggage did the job perfectly and did not allow a single packed item to get wet (including my blogging-emailing-teaching MacBook Pro!).
We stopped for a break at the Oklahoma Welcome Center in Sallislaw. A very nice woman named Nancy provided much-needed information about the weather by going to Weather.com and checking the radar. She also showed us around the Center, which was a beautiful celebration of Native America history. I've posted some photos in the Shawnee album, so check them out. The Shawnee tribe is our destination's namesake, and I'm naturally partial to the Seminoles!
The most powerful image there was a mural reproduction of the original "Trail of Tears" painting done in 1942 by Robert Lindneux. The original makes frequent appearances in history books. According to information provided by Nancy, it tells the story of the forced march of the Cherokees from their homeland in the southeastern United States to the Indian Territory in the winter of 1838-1839. The painting depicts the Cherokee's arrival in their new country, which is now northeastern Oklahoma.
You'll also notice a smaller version of a statue of Sequoyah found at his home site in the area. Sequoyah is most famous for creating the Cherokee alphabet by establishing a character for various syllables, 86 in all. It took him 12 years. I also took a photo of Will Rogers, another famous Cherokee-American from Oklahoma. He was a humorist in the vein of Mark Twain, as well as an actor, cowboy, and philosopher.
After arriving in Shawnee soaked and cold, we had dinner next door at Cracker Barrel. I was hoping for some local flavor, but, hey, you can't beat the vegetable platter when it's raining and only ten paces from your hotel. To top off the evening, we took a dip in the indoor jacuzzi and had a cookie or two. Good ol' Hampton Inn!
Tomorrow we are supposed to go 400 miles, so let's hope for drier weather!
Finally, check out my wife's blog I've linked under my profile. She's quite the humorist herself!
327 miles today. 1,117.2 total miles.
7 comments:
Hello Chris:
I just found your blog ... I'm crossing as well in June with my Honda VFR. From Virginia to LA.
I hope the weather improves and you can enjoy a little bit more.
Great pictures, great bikes.
Luis.
Good morning Chris,
Bob and I can't wait to read your blog every morning to hear about your previous day. What a great idea the Blog is. It makes us feel that you aren't quite so far away! Hopefully, your weather is better today (Thurs) on your 400-mile day. We love you, Mom & Bob
Hi Chris and Vance,
Sounds as if everything is going well.Your visiter center visit sounded interesting. To bad the weather is bad. Drive carefully. Bob
Hello, Chris & Vance,
Thanks for allowing us to follow you on this adventure. Sounds very exciting. From one biker to another, be careful and watch out for those crazy other drivers. Take care.
Cousin Shannon
I can't believe you willfully got in the water (jacuzzi) after being in the water (rain) all day.
All is well in B.S.
I love the pictures, sweetie! Good Seminole pic! I'm glad to hear that you and your dad survived the rain. You might be wishing you had a little rain in a few days when you enter the 100 degree desert! I love you!
Hey Chris. Thanks for the posts. Safe travels and hopes for drier weather. Jeff
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