June 30, 2007
Time of departure: 7:20 A.M.
Temperature: 73 degrees
Elevation: 432 feet
Total Mileage: 220
“What ‘cha doin on them there bikes?” said the redneck.
I looked up from my cheeseburger to find a short, stubby, grubby, grinning, toothless, rebel flag wearing, ATV riding, tobacco chewing, Toby Keith listening, fellow, grinning at me in that way that says, “what are you ‘feriners’ doin in our town and how fast are you going to leave?”
I had to choose my words carefully.
“Well, we’re just passing through. We’re riding across country” I said.
“Across the country!” he exclaimed, in a tone that really said, “What’s a country?”
“Well, then you need to be carrying a piece!” he went on.
It didn’t dawn on me at first what he meant exactly. I opened my mouth to ask, “a piece of what?” But, then realized he was talking about a firearm.
I said, “oh, really?”
“Yea, no tellin who will bother you around here.” he sneered, with that grin that said, “and I’ll be the one doin the botherin.”
I thanked him for his concern and got out of town as soon as possible.
We had landed in Salina, Oklahoma at lunch time.
We had left Alma, Arkansas in the morning and had ridden northwest. For the first 40 miles we rode through the western edges of the Ozark National Forest. Once again, the foliage was very green, and the ride was very good.
At one point, we rounded a bend and, off to the side of the road, were two very large whitetail deer. We estimated them to be 8-10 point.
We moved out of the Ozarks and into Oklahoma by mid-morning. The land flattened some.
We soon crossed the Illinois River, where many people were enjoying canoeing and rafting. The river was up from all the recent rains.
Rivers and creeks here in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma have a very pretty blue hue.
After our encounter at lunch time, we moved on towards our destination of Bartlesville, OK. The further west we traveled, the more water covered many of the roads. We crossed water, covering the roads, on numerous occasions.
By 3 P.M. we arrived in Bartlesville. Our route tomorrow may be altered to accommodate the high water. Time will tell.
See y’all down the trail.
Ron and Meredith
