Garmin Stats and Maps
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| Purple monster at the Starliner Motel |
Video of the ride to Tulsa
My stay at the Starliner Motel in Stroud was very interesting. The motel was run by a woman who was very nice and generous and extremely religious. She had a huge bible open on the check-in desk that was obviously well-read. I think I was the only regular paying customer. Everyone else was a hard luck case that the owner was helping out. While I was waiting to pay she was on the phone with someone explaining that a guy was probably going to stay at the motel for a few nights. She was waiting for him to get a blue card from the police that would verify he didn't have outstanding warrants or was wanted by the law.
The motel room was shabby, worn out, and not very clean. The room was also too small to get Myrtle inside. The owner's helper and son gave me a motion alarm that I used with my own lock. Luckily, there wasn't a strong wind because the wind triggered the motion alarm. This wasn't an ideal situation, but there wasn't anywhere else to stay.
After I got settled, a truck with a trailer loaded with a giant purple monster pulled into the parking lot. They wanted to show the monster to the owner but she had gone to an aunt's 87th birthday party. The whole thing was so odd. I, of course, came out to take a look. This is the point of the monster in the trailer. Strangers come around to look at the monster and then the monster people swoop in to talk about the bible. Apparently, they have a fleet of trailers with different monsters on them.
The motel room bed wasn't comfortable and I used my own sleeping bag on top of the bedspread instead of getting into the sheets. I didn't sleep all that well either. In the morning, I got the trike and trailer hitched up to, again, ride down Route 66. Today's ride was long-almost 70 miles. I had been invited to stay in Tulsa with a friend of a Facebook friend. I love how people are reaching out to me on this tour. Especially people I have never met before. Robyn couldn't host me but roped in a neighbor friend, Deni, to open her home. Deni is a professor at the University and enjoys hosting. Robyn and Deni live a few doors from each other. I was amazed at how quickly this connection happened. Deni and Robyn live in a beautiful, historic neighborhood of Tulsa and my stay was very comfortable. Robyn and her boyfriend took me out for dinner and Deni offered a tasty breakfast in the morning. Deni's dog, Ruby, stole my heart.
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| With Robyn and Deni |
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| Bundled up in the morning |
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| Deni with her sweet dog, Ruby |
The next morning, no surprise, the temperature was freezing. Again, I had to wear my raincoat, rainpants and put plastic baggies over my feet for warmth. There were some unusual Route 66 signs on the road leaving Tulsa.
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| Route 66, Tulsa |
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| Route 66, Tulsa in the road |
The highlight of today's ride was visiting the Blue Whale of Catoosa. This attraction may be the highlight of Route 66. This giant blue whale in a pond was built by a man as a surprise anniversary gift to his wife who collected whale figurines. It is now owned and maintained by the city of Catoosa.
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| Blue Whale of Catoosa |
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| At the Blue Whale entrance |
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| My favorite attraction along Route 66 |
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Video of the ride to Claremore, OK
I stayed at the Will Rogers Inn in Claremore. This is another family-run hotel. The front desk lady gave me a break on the room price when she heard I cycled from California. She told Pops about my ride and he was completely unimpressed - until he saw the trike. He especially liked that it has an electric assist motor. Again, I couldn't get the trike in the room because the door was too narrow. There was a set of stairs to the 2nd floor right outside my room that had a hidden alcove. No one could see the trike and that's where I locked Myrtle.
Video of ride to Afton
The temperature in the morning was brutally cold. There was also a strong headwind. I went through a lot of battery just to keep my average speed above 10 mph. I was also working hard. The ride was actually flat but the wind was so strong it felt like I was climbing a 5% grade all day. This ride was a true suffer-fest.
Roadside mural
I had a very wide shoulder on Route 66. But still, 2 diesel-fueled pick-up trucks decided to roll coal on me. Or at least attempt to roll coal. This is where 'very, very small men' decide to spew thick diesel exhaust hoping to envelope unsuspecting cyclists. The wind was so strong I think the car behind them got all the exhaust. I'm hoping it was a neighbor.
Along this road, Route 66 becomes Hwy 60.
I ended the day in Afton at another Route 66 Inn. This time I stayed in the exotic safari room.
Sorry you are having so much trouble. The trip sounds like a nightmare so far.
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