(Double click picture to enlarge, back arrow to return)Hello Family and Friends:
What a trip we had from Hot Springs Ar. To Lawton, Ok. After checking out of the Arlington Hotel and getting our bike packed we rode over to The Pancake Shop for one more good breakfast. We parked our bike right in front of the main window. We walked in dressed in our full black motorcycle riding gear, helmets and all. Everyone looked up, they had watched us park our bike out front and could see our New Jersey license plate. Soon they all wanted to ask questions about our long ride and adventures.
What a trip we had from Hot Springs Ar. To Lawton, Ok. After checking out of the Arlington Hotel and getting our bike packed we rode over to The Pancake Shop for one more good breakfast. We parked our bike right in front of the main window. We walked in dressed in our full black motorcycle riding gear, helmets and all. Everyone looked up, they had watched us park our bike out front and could see our New Jersey license plate. Soon they all wanted to ask questions about our long ride and adventures.
After eating we left Hot Spring at 12:30 PM. A late departure as usual (a Chriss thing.) We are planning to go as far as Ada, Ok before stopping for the night. Our trip started in high spirits with sunny skies. We had a scenic ride through the Quachita National Forest and it's mountains and curvy roads.
A good trip so far but as we got close to Ada, Ok the skies looked cloudy, with rain brewing for sure. We called home for help. Once again we asked for someone to go online with their PC and look at the weather sites. Between Chriss’s daughter Laura and my grandson Devin we were able to discover that there was a front with heavy rain coming from the west moving towards us and Lawton Oklahoma, our destination. The forecast for Sunday night and Monday morning said there was a 70% chance of rain. It was expected to rain for the entire next week. We had to push on, driving straight through or we would be forced to hold up somewhere for a week waiting for the rain to stop.
We decided to push on and drive straight through to Lawton, Ok. A 9 hour ride including stops we spent over 11 hours on the bike. We stopped only to get gas or take a short break to get a hamburger at a Sonic drive in. All the way we watched the weather in the distance as clouds sometimes in front of us and sometimes to our north side grew dark with rain. The rain was closing in fast on us from our right side. It was now dark, Chriss kept the speed up 85-90 MPH and we were able to skirt the storms closing edge. I don't know how he rides at night with a dark face shield. He say's he must keep his image, that is a rider all dressed in black. He does look good in black and is nicknamed "The NightRider." We just kept going and arrive in Lawton at 12:30 AM 12 hours on the bike, a record for us.
We pulled into Daryl’s drive and there was our motor home all hooked up and waiting for us. The rain started as sprinkles on our face shield as we pulled into the drive and then the heavens opened up as we were unlocking our RV's door.
Daryl's parents, Mal and Evelyn had also arrived earlier in their motorhome and parked right behind ours. Evelyn heard our motorcycle arrive and stuck her head out of the window and handed us two breakfast bars and a bottle of cold water. This was just what we needed. She then gave us a big welcome to Oklahoma. Such a nice welcome. We quickly stripped off our riding gear, took a shower and went to bed - Very Tired. See the picture with Carol holding up the clock showing our arrival time.
Oklahoma has some very flat straight roads but is very dark at night. It rained all night here and is still raining now. We can see a state road from where we are parked and the cars and pick up trucks that go by throw us a cascade of water as the road is flooded. They say it was been very dry here and that water is rationed, so I guess they need this rain.
We plan to stay here for a few days. Daryl and Jennifer have been so kind to us and hoped we would stay for a while. Mal and Evelyn (Daryl’s Parents) were here before when we sold and delivered our other bike, a Triumph Rocket lll 2300cc (2.3L) down to Daryl last May. This explains why our motorhome and motorcycle trailer is here waiting for us.
It is really nice to visit with Daryl's family. Jennifer’s birthday is tomorrow and they asked us to go out for dinner with them to celebrate. So those are our immediate plans. As long as we are here I have an Internet hook up but once we start traveling it may be difficult to write to our blog everyday. Love to all, Carol & Chriss
Chriss writes........... The last leg was a very long grueling ride. We had all kinds of terrain and road conditions. The weather and darkness made for a very difficult "scramble to the top." I write this to give myself the opportunity to say how proud I am of Carol. A real trooper she was, full of support and encouragement, never a complaint. This trip was for her and when I know she is happy and satisfied then it warms my heart. Happy I am. Carol is quite a companion.
Chriss
Daryl's parents, Mal and Evelyn had also arrived earlier in their motorhome and parked right behind ours. Evelyn heard our motorcycle arrive and stuck her head out of the window and handed us two breakfast bars and a bottle of cold water. This was just what we needed. She then gave us a big welcome to Oklahoma. Such a nice welcome. We quickly stripped off our riding gear, took a shower and went to bed - Very Tired. See the picture with Carol holding up the clock showing our arrival time.
Oklahoma has some very flat straight roads but is very dark at night. It rained all night here and is still raining now. We can see a state road from where we are parked and the cars and pick up trucks that go by throw us a cascade of water as the road is flooded. They say it was been very dry here and that water is rationed, so I guess they need this rain.
We plan to stay here for a few days. Daryl and Jennifer have been so kind to us and hoped we would stay for a while. Mal and Evelyn (Daryl’s Parents) were here before when we sold and delivered our other bike, a Triumph Rocket lll 2300cc (2.3L) down to Daryl last May. This explains why our motorhome and motorcycle trailer is here waiting for us.
It is really nice to visit with Daryl's family. Jennifer’s birthday is tomorrow and they asked us to go out for dinner with them to celebrate. So those are our immediate plans. As long as we are here I have an Internet hook up but once we start traveling it may be difficult to write to our blog everyday. Love to all, Carol & Chriss
Chriss writes........... The last leg was a very long grueling ride. We had all kinds of terrain and road conditions. The weather and darkness made for a very difficult "scramble to the top." I write this to give myself the opportunity to say how proud I am of Carol. A real trooper she was, full of support and encouragement, never a complaint. This trip was for her and when I know she is happy and satisfied then it warms my heart. Happy I am. Carol is quite a companion.
Chriss
