|
Made it into Nashville last night after leaving Elk City,OK earlier yesterday AM. Before leaving OK
I went to the "Washita Battlefield National Historic Site" where I got a stamp (state stamp #7!) and also
met "Ranger Richard" here who was more interested in asking me about the Strom than explaining the history
of the site:
|
|
The Battlefield is located in nowhereville; however, the county road leading to it was well treed and rather
rolling terrain which was extremely welcomed given my previous 900+ mi were all on straight & flat superslab. I
left Ranger Rich(ard) and decided to go for another stamp in Arkansas at the "Fort Smith Historic Site".
For those of you have haven't ridden I-40 thru the Sooner State (sooner than what?) the East side of OK is very
different from the West.... the Western section is flat, brown, open space -- typical of a "Plains" state; the
Eastern part is rolling hills, very green, typical of a Southern state. It's always a relief for me to get
to the greener side. No offense to you Okies but I don't think ya'll get out much. At least not on
your bikes fully geared up. I walked into a gas station with my pants, jacket, and boots on. There
were 3 guys in their early 20's who were ordering food. They all looked at me when I walked in with the
same look a 4 year old does when they see a Power Ranger. I almost laughed out loud at their expressions
but contained myself. Just before I left one of the guys walks up to me and says with all seriousness (and
I kid you not) "wuz all dat dere fur". I had to ask him to repeat it several times and really only got what
he was saying when he pointed to my gear. I replied, "I'm riding a motorcycle and this is my protective
gear". I was rather shocked these guys had apparently never seen a geared motorcycle rider but soon
understood when as I was pulling out of the parking lot I passed a guy riding a sportbike wearing shorts, tank top,
and baseball hat backwards. I have an observation about gear and geographic region.... the East Coast riders
(of all bikes) wear almost little to no gear compared to West Coast riders. I know this a general statement
but being a CA/AZ resident I'm accustom to seeing most folks wearing full gear. It's not uncommon to see a
rider in full racing leathers riding the street out West. I find it very uncommon on the East Coast to see
a rider even wearing a helmet in a state that has no helmet law. I'm wondering if the difference is because
we can ride year 'round and thus the gear gets lots of use rather than collecting dust as the snow falls outside?
Before leaving OK I was able to add Armadillos to the list of critters that don't like the Strom's air horn
(Click Here!)... in
typical fashion it bolted for dear life away from the bike.
|
Also picked up another stamp in Arkansas at the "Fort Smith Historic Site"...
|
|
I now have 36 stamps total stamps in 8 different states and need 17 more states. AR is noteworthy as
well because it is where I passed the first V-Strom of this trip. Actually, other than the wrecked
Strom in SFran I didn't see a single Strom on that trip either. The Strom I spotted today was an 02
DL1k (silver) and was on I-40 near North Little Rock. Anyway, the journey thru AR was also uneventful
sans more road construction. It was quite a toasty ride but my trusty Joe Rocket evaporative cooling
vest made all the difference. That's the one (and ONLY Twisted Evil ) positive thing for me about
being in the humidity now... my vests stays hydrated longer. Out West with the dry heat the vest dries
much, much quicker.
Tomorrow morning I meet Stromtrooper "SCraig" for a jaunt down the Natchez Trace Parkway then we'll head to
the Opryland area to watch my friend Jim practice for the Gold Wing's Top Gun competition which is Wed.
Lastly, congrats to my Dad, who completed the Basic MSF class today!! I'm still in shock ...it was a
BIG surprise for me to arrive to this information. I went and watched him complete his last day
today. It was a trip (no pun intended) down memory lane for me to go watch him as it was held in the
exact same place, same parking lot where I took *my* Basic class 15+ yrs ago. The students and
instructors alike were kinda awe struck it seemed with my travels and the Strom setup. After a photo
break I wondered if waterwarrior was behind any of the pic requests!
|
Copyright © 2006-2012, All Rights Reserved. |
|
