Day 10: Ramblings from the Road

Rode 320 miles, Posted by Dennis

I spent a little time this morning scouting south Wichita for a Starbucks and a place to wash the bugs off my hog. The front of my bike had become a virtual morgue for countless insects that met their end colliding with 900 pounds of Harley. I found a carwash and five bucks in quarters later my bike was clean. By the time I got back to the hotel the rest of the crew was ready to hit the road – or at least Starbucks.

We headed out of town around 8:30, hoping to beat the heat as we headed southeast to Tulsa. (You can tell you’re in Oklahoma by the constant tolls.) I-35 in Oklahoma looks amazingly like I-75 in north Florida sans the billboards. Guess they don’t allow them. By 10:00 am the temperature had already risen to near 100 degrees.

We had plans to meet Terry Law, Bug’s spiritual mentor, for lunch at noon. Behind schedule and with 100 miles to go, we sped towards Tulsa, while the mercury kept rising.

When a man is on the open road in 100 plus degree temperatures, his mind tends to wander and his “off” sense of humor goes even further off than usual. If you know me, you also know I find humor in most everything – or at least I try. We rolled into a toll plaza and there was a si gn that read “The Best Toll Collectors in the World Cross Here,” and I visualised a Successories Turnpike Edition catalog, where toll booth supervisors can buy motivational signs for their employees. Then, we rode past a sign that read “Cushing Oklahoma,” and I clucked to myself as I inflated one of the bladders on my seat to make it more comfortable – Barcalounger reigns!

Arriving in Tulsa after 175 miles of grueling heat, we met Terry Law, as well as General Georges Sada, former commander of the Iraqi air force, for lunch. The subsequent conversation was surreal, alternating between questions about our trip and discussions of the fate of Iraq and the Middle East. General Sada just returned from Iraq 3 days ago, having met with the Prime Minster and Cabinet, whom he still serves as Assistant National Security Advisor. (Jim says the guy could be president if he wanted. He’s one of the most trusted men in the country.)

After lunch we decided to take a break before pressing on to Fort Smith. Again, we found refuge in a movie theater where we saw Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in “Rush Hour 3.” Let me save you $9 by saying it was basically the same movie as Rush Hour 1 and 2. Personally, I didn’t really feel there were any unanswered questions in the first installment that warranted a sequel, let alone two, but I’m no Hollywood producer. But the stunts were great and Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker play well off of each other.

We hit the road around 6 pm as the temperature hovered around 103. By the time we crossed into Arkansas my wristwatch thermometer read “only” 99. It’s amazing how cool a frying pan can feel when you’ve just come out of the fire.