We Make Our Getaway

The chapter in which we escape Lawton:-

Actually, we had the alarm set for 05:00 in order to make an early start and by shortly after 6 we were away from the house picking up coffee. Rolling down the road as the morning dawned found us well away when I glanced at the clock. As you can see it is 8:00.

Well then if it is 8:00 this must be Texas. Just as I was thinking this thought a sign hove into view.

Texas in all it's vast glory welcomes us yet again. It truly is like a whole 'nother country. Wide open spaces abound.

To put everything in perspective here is a visual aid. Sometimes even I lose the quantitative analysis and need to see a picture for it to truly sink in.

We stopped in Memphis to top off the gas tank. While Love's is not always the cheapest fuel in town, their employees are cheerful, their washrooms are clean and they seem to have every type of snack, gewgaw and jim-crack to help you part with those pesky dollars you've been carrying around. Just the gas today thank you.

Some pictures simply demand to be taken. You may remember in a much earlier blog post a picture I got of a Mission Style Rest Area in Southern California.

This is the Texan equivalent. The architecture is Frontier Style. The overhang, the second story veranda; it looks like it was lifted straight out of a Western Action Novel. This shot was a must, even if we didn't stop to get interior pictures.
 

A little further on in Amarillo I got the opportunity to document another true Texan institution. This is the Texan Steak House. Their big claim to fame is that they offer a Steak diner absolutely free of charge if you can eat it in one hour. Did I forget to mention the steak in question is 72 ounces!!!! That's four and a half pounds of meat, along with a Side Salad, Baked Potato and Dinner roll.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread and my idiocy quotient is not high enough to prompt me to try it. A recent movie with Barbara Streisand called
"The Guilt Trip" has a scene in which Babs actually tackles and vanquishes this challenge. Cinematic license I am sure.

There is a motel adjacent that is dressed up to look like an old western town. Perhaps it is for those who are defeated by the challenge and need a little lie down.

 This character greets people pulling into the parking lot. He appears to be some sort of cowboy boot wearing dinosaur. Why? I don't know!

There is also a stable of Cadillacs equipped with Longhorn hood ornaments. These no doubt see regular usage in adverluxury functions.
  

Leaving Amarillo we crossed the Oklahoma panhandle and entered Colorado. The fellow in this GMC motorhome put his hazard lights on as we left, so we wheeled back around to see if we could assist. As we pulled up behind him he took off. Hopefully everything is ok.

We passed the tiny little Stage Stop Inn. Seems quaint. (This is a word real estate agents use to describe something almost impossibly small).

 There is a pioneer woman standing on the corner with a parasol. Perhaps she waits for her beau to arrive with the carriage. Taking into account her level of rust, I feel sure that she must have been waiting a long time.

This is the Baca county courthouse, built the year after my father was born. It stands in pretty good shape considering it's over 100 years old.

As we roll north we enter the land of giants. I am always humbled by the size of these windmills. Day after day they generate power. Can't raise cattle due to drought? Have you ever thought about farming the wind?

We ended up back at the same hotel we patronized on the way down. They were happy to see us and had a room ready. I am exhausted and it's only 6 p.m.

We will be back with you tomorrow. Cheers!

The L'il Rascal Steps out

As you know, the reason for our quick trip to Oklahoma was to retrieve our scooters and bring them north to Canada, their place of registration.
Our intention is to sell all including the trailer except Raspberry, and perhaps I will get another "fiddy!" 

Since we have been here a few days now, and my ankle has shrunk down to "softball" size, I started with the most logical choice. Since some regular maintenance is required prior to loading up, I disturbed Rascal from his slumbers and wheeled him out of the laundry room and into the sunshine.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Honda CH line I have included some Elite/Aero information here. In a sea of sameness during the middle 1980's Honda set off on a bold and distinctive styling trend well outside the boundaries of convention. This culminated in the release of the Honda CN250 Helix, which was widely regarded as the Cadillac of Japanese scooters for the era.

Okay okay, enough of the history lesson. Let's get with the eye candy already!

The distinctive square prow, which while unconventional is very efficient in minimizing drag while providing a stable ride, even in vicious crosswinds. Believe me, I have ridden in vicious crosswinds in Oklahoma and the ride is stable albeit at an exaggerated angle when viewed from the rear. The degree of lean would result in a sharp corner if no wind were present.

This little workhorse punches well above it's weight. I am by no means a tiny guy, tipping the scales north of 255 pounds. Even so, this frisky iron pony totes my ponderous bulk along at highway speeds, even qualifying for freeway entry if traveling in the slow lane. I won't have to worry about passing anyone other than farm implements. See you later John Deere!

I am not entirely sure if the model designation refers to owners, who join an elite fraternity when mounted on this sturdy beast, or whether the scooter itself know it's status and isn't afraid to display it for all to see. Regardless it really is an Elite ride compared to the half dozen others others I have ridden. It is akin to riding a well upholstered easy chair around town, and almost as effortless.

A quick glance at the dashboard shows that we are almost at 5,000 km. That is just under 3,000 miles in 'Murican. As you can see in spite of her age (over 
30) she is a relative youngster.

I wanted to make sure this Little Rascal didn't run off during the evening hours. You know how these young folks are, sneaking off when least expected with mischief on their minds.

Having secured my little beauty, I covered him up and allowed him to drift back to his slumbers. Sleep well my carnelian beauty, "schlafen sie voll" as the Germans say.

I don't know why I like this little fellow sooooo much, yet I profess an unreasoning affection for it. Still, I won't let my feelings deter me from passing it along  to another happy owner. You can probably deduce from my expression that I truly am a Scootard. I get retarded in the brain whenever I am around them, riding them, or looking at others doing so.

I will bid you cheerio for now and remember, pin that throttle and ride!!!

Nous Arrivons- We Be Here

We left Lamar CO this a.m. at 06:14 and rolled south towards the Oklahoma line. This was an unusual day since we would pass through a total of 4 states, but actually only be in three states.

I will explain. We went from Colorado into Oklahoma and then crossed the Panhandle and entered Texas, at the Texas Panhandle. Then we left Texas and entered Oklahoma...again for the remainder of our days journey.

In short order we arrived in Amarillo TX.

The downtown area was very quiet and I took the opportunity to grab a couple of pictures. Amarillo is a fairly large city.

Amarillo National Bank seems to have grown from it's humble beginnings.

The current Amarillo Town Hall is located on the same block as the original Potter County Library. The library was not relocated when the new hall was built.
  

This is the original Amarillo Federal Building. It is built in Spanish Colonial Style. I find it very appealing.

Across the street you can do some financial business. I do not know if utilizing this institution makes you happy, or whether your money is happy. I suspect that the people who run the bank are the happy ones if you choose their services.

We passed through Clarendon TX. As you can see Clarendon is quiet today. I suspect that might be the case most days.

The next town on the hit parade was Memphis. In Memphis there is another financial institution that gives me cause to wonder. Is this where you save your catch? If you withdraw do they pay out in Herring? Perhaps the tellers are hard of herring? Say what? You decide.

We pass through Childress. Not exactly inspirational.

Next came Hollis. Sadly a lot of these towns are dying. As Agri-Business gets larger, the number of people working on or owning family farms declines. Most of these towns have lost their population, and thus their tax base. A few people are bravely holding on.

Finally we arrive at our destination, Lawton OK. Time to relax.

copyright 2016 Google Maps - used with attribution and permission.

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Wy not Colorado

When we got up this morning it was chilly. I loaded the bags into the van and we headed out. It was 15F at 6:12a.m....Brrrrrr.  The road beckoned as the first few rays of dawn painted the sky in glorious colors.

The wheels hummed as we chatted quietly and in no time we were 150 miles south in Cheyenne. We got gas and continued south into Colorado. By the time we got to Loveland CO where we were to turn east, it was time for a bite to eat. Here is the Trippin' Sista looking relaxed as we wait for our chow.

I asked if she was ready for some curly fries and she replied in the affirmative. Although we are not overfond of fast food we will make an exception from time to time, and time was up. A Reuben sandwich and curly fries hit the spot.

All the employees seem to be seniors and they have a help wanted sign in the window. Apparently Colorado is hiring.

We drove another hour east to Wiggins, and stopped at a Rest Area. To me it looks like a train station. My beloved disagreed. I stand on my original opinion.

No fuel was required, but it's good to know that had we needed to gas up, some top-quality Dino Juice was just next door at the Sinclair station.

We passed through Fort Morgan. It seemed sleepy and nondescript.

Shortly thereafter we reached Brush CO where we were to turn south.

The road south of Brush was fairly quiet. Well. perhaps fairly was an overstatement of the amount of traffic. This is a shot to the north.

and this is a view looking towards the south.

The surroundings seemed likewise quiet. The only thing moving was the wind. Looking east we see plenty of nothing.

To gain perspective on the true extent of the nothing previously mentioned, we can look to the west and add the descriptor absolutely!

Some three quarters of an hour later we finally come to some civilization. This is a picture as we enter Hugo CO. Hugo is a virtual metropolis by comparison boasting a population of 86

Hugo's main street is, as one can plainly see, a virtual hive of activity. Yeah, not so much. If one were looking for peace and quiet, I could recommend Hugo.

After another hour and a half we stop at Eads CO. They have a grain elevator and rail line. So many of these western towns grew up largely because there was railroad access for shipment of cattle and grain and importation of durable goods.

The grain elevator was not the only reason we stopped at Eads. Fortunately, they anticipated travelers needs. I was glad of it.

There were a number of plaques with information about the area including The Salt Creek Massacre . The next plaque celebrates the halfway point on the The Transamerica Bike Trail . A little too ambitious for my consideration at present.

There is a bronze statue showing three women. One is a native elder, one a young native woman and one a homesteading settler. Although they come from differing backgrounds there is commonality in the struggle women faced in the untamed west. It is titled Kindred Spirits.

Although the tracks are little used, and passenger service has probably been discontinued long ago, the old Railroad Station stands as a mute testament to the comings and goings of yesteryear.

There is a map on the wall that lists areas of interest in Colorado. One could probably spend weeks discovering the history and geography of The Centennial State.

We arrived in Lamar CO around 3;00 p.m.and checked into a Day's Inn that we have stayed at before. The room is immediately adjacent to the lobby. Same as last time. The hosts are very accommodating.

Thus concludes our 4th day on the road. For further video please visit The Trippin' Sista Don't forget to like and subscribe. Your feedback is appreciated, all comments are welcome. Thanks for coming along.