Temp at departure: 74 degrees

Wow! We just finished our first 240 mile day! As you may have guessed, the roads have gotten more straight since we entered Oklahoma this morning.

We left Alma, Arkansas at 7:10 A.M. this morning headed northwest. We continued traveling within the Ozark

Mountians, and the scenery was still very good.

Since we left Tennessee, there has been a persistent haze that has given the landscape a smokey look. We haven't been able to find out whether its just high humidity or smog or what. In any case, the haze persisted today.

We saw many deer before 11 A.M. I think we saw more today than any other day, maybe 8 or 9.

Around 10 A.M., the hills began to wane and the land changed from mountains to rolling plains, interspersed with rock outcroppings along the road we were traveling.

Luckily, the temperatures were still fairly low, even up through lunchtime.

 

By lunchtime we came to the town of Salina, Oklahoma, a town of 1100. Unfortunately, we arrived right as all churches were letting out.

We stopped at the first cafe we saw. Now, I don't know how many of you have ever seen the movie Easy Rider(in the movie, the two main characters are traveling cross country on motorcycles, and are jeered at all the hick towns), but when we entered the restaurant, I think you could've heard a pin drop. I swear, if I had walked in and said, "Jesus was a homosexual", the room would've not been any quieter.

We were the youngest patrons by at least 40 years, and I realized that the people were mostly scared of us. I guess it's a good thing my hair isn't long. Long hair is probably against a city ordinance in Salina.

After our lunch, we were on the road again moving northwest. The land began to flatten out and the western sky began to open up. It is nice to see the horizon again, after not being able to see it for a while.

As always, when you're on the Great Plains, the wind will blow. And it did today.

By 3:00 P.M. we began to come to our destination of Bartlesville, OK.

When we hit town, the thermometer read 98 degrees. We were ready for some air conditioning.

Tomorrow we hope to make the town of Alva, OK.

See you down the trail!

Daily mileage: 241

Total mileage: 1476

Money spent: $128

June 12