1/10 down

I am now in Siloam Springs, Ar, home of John Brown University where I went to college. I am going to be here a couple days visiting and taking a break. I am now between 1400 and 1500 miles and on state number 5. I have a new pair of tires coming here in the next day or two to hopefully fix whatever is wrong with the current ones. I rode 250 miles without a flat after Wichita and was very excited, only to get another one, but only one. I beat a major storm into town last night and pulled in right as the lightning started. Then I went and ate and while I was eating it started to dump and when I was ready to leave, the streets were flooded. My friends, the Carrolls, who owned the restaraunt gave me a ride to my friend Jon Lintz's place and stored my bike at the dairyette. The rain continued to at least after midnight.

My ride from Wichita was very quick. I was planning on meeting a friend from Norman, Ok in Tulsa on Saturday. Brian Fischer gave me a ride to the southwest portion of town to make it easier for me to catch 81 south, which probably saved at least a couple hrs of riding. I then headed to Ponca City, Ok, 95 miles away. The ride was fairly normal except when I got the the junction of I35 and hwy 177, where I found 177 was closed a couple miles ahead. I called the DOT and found I could navigate around the construction and avoid the interstate. This detour added about 6 miles of gravel to ride and push through, but ended up giving me a tailwind into ponca instead of a crosswind. My mom had found the only campground in ponca and I had to try finding it on poor directions and poorer signs, but eventually made it. I then called Nathan Cozart in Tulsa and double checked my stay there and found out where they lived.

I got up early the next day because the ride would be at least 100 miles if I went to Tulsa. I wasn't sure if I could make it after the previous days ride. In Pawhuska there was a biker gathering and when I went through a few people gave me a look like: "Are you lost? That's the wrong kind of bike." It was rather funny, but most of the bikers waved and admired my rig. I was going to stop and chat a bit, but I was wanting to still hit Tulsa if I could and I had a ways to go, so I pressed on. The map said the next road would be nice and wide. It was not super nice and there was no shoulder. It was a very scenic ride, but I had to pay careful attention to what I was doing with traffic, so I couldn't fully enjoy it. I eventually made it to Tulsa at rush hour and drove down a main street, but the traffic was respectful and made the ride fairly peaceful. I pulled into Nathan and Valerie's drive at 5:30, showered, and then we went downtown with another friend. We ate at Joe Mama's and the waiter was great, which made the experience enjoyable and had us taking one of every course.

Saturday I hung out with my friend John Stewart in the morning and then took it easy in the afternoon. Nathan and Valerie had some friends over later and we ended up playing Monopoly. The next day I went to church with them and then we worked on their flowerbed in front of their house. Then we went and ran for an hour with another one of their friends cuz they were training for a run. After that we took the day easy.

Every time I stop and visit friends I get the urge to stop and settle down for awhile. Sometimes it takes some good effort to leave. I enjoy the road, but after so much time alone on the road and in Wyoming the last year, I feel like stopping. I'm sure as the trip goes on this urge will not be as strong, but right now it's fairly apparent.