Off to Oklahoma Again

Renee decided she would fly to Oklahoma and spend a few days there, so she worked it out so that she was there for her and her mother's birthdays.  That seemed like a good reason to take a road trip, so I made my plans too.  The biggest problem was trying to find a route to Oklahoma that I would find interesting.  I've made the trip a few times and it's getting harder to find a route that I haven't used and still make decent time.  I wanted to make the ride out in two days, so interstates were inevitable, but I still wanted to see something new.

I booted up the computer and went to work on finding something between here and there that would be worth a quick stop.  The return trip was planned for three days, so I had more flexibility on it. One of my favorite websites when I am planning a road trip is Roadside America (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/).  It lists all kinds of weird attractions all over the U.S.  Between that site and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (http://www.flavortownusa.com/), I can usually find something to capture my attention.

I dropped Renee off at the airport to catch her flight, then made a beeline back home to jump on the motorcycle and head the same direction.  I took my usual route across West Virginia through Elkins where I refueled the bike and had breakfast.  I ordered an Egg McMuffin and a large coffee.  Needless to say, I never finished the coffee.  McDonald's makes the coffee so hot you can't drink it quickly, so I had to toss most of it and get back on the road.

This statue sits outside the Hiawatha Trading Post in Elkton, WV - I didn't have the heart to tell them Hiawatha was a male. It's a good think I didn't say anything because I found out later it is Minnehaha, the wife of Hiawatha.

The temperature hovered around 60 degrees most of the way across West Vriginia, finally warming up in Weston.  I read about a guy in Weston who had a large stump in his front yard (Roadside America).  During the last Presidential election, he decided to turn the stump into a symbol of free speech by placing steps up to the top of the stump and inviting people to climb up and say what was on their mind.  It was his own little version of the "stump speech".   

Unfortunately, he must have decided in the last four years to eliminate the ease of free speech in his front yard.  The stump was still there, but instead of an invitation for jumping up and voicing your opinions, it now serves as the home to several vases of flowers.  I didn't bother for a picture, but did get distracted enough to pull out in front of an oncoming pickup truck when I pulled into the street.  I hate it when I do stupid stuff like that.

My next scheduled stop was at a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Triple D).  The restaurant was the Smokey Valley Truck Stop in Olive Hill, KY.  I use a GPS on the motorcycle, but the mapping software in it is pretty out of date.  It took me into Olive Hill, but to the wrong area.  I decided to blow off the stop and as I headed out of town, I noticed a place right by the interstate (like you would expect of a place called Smokey Valley Truck Stop).  The place looked closed and since I had already wasted more time than I wanted, I kept going.  I went and checked on the Triple D website and they recently updated the listing for Smokey Valley Truck Stop as "rumor closed".  I think I can confirm that for them.

So, I was only a few hours into my ride and had missed on two of my planned stops and my primary two websites had let me down.  So much for making it a more interesting ride.  On the upside, I decided it was time to haul butt and get further down the road.  One of the nice things about Kentucky is the various parkways they have.  They're not interstates per se, but they give you the same speed and limited access that the interstates do.  Each one is named after a prominent Kentucky politician as best as I can tell.

I took the Martha Layne Collins (first and only female governor of Kentucky) Blue Grass Parkway out of Lexington with the intent to make good time.  I had a motel room booked in Bowling Green, but I knew if I could get there quickly enough, I could cancel it and get further down the road.

My next stop in Kentucky was Cave City which sits just outside Mammoth Cave National Park along Interstate 65.  There were a few sights in the area that I had on my list.  Mammoth Cave wasn't one of them because I didn't have time, but given the tourist attractions in the area, there were plenty more.

Here's what I did find. 

Wigwam Village Inn #2 - This is a motel where you sleep in a wigwam.  It's a throwback to the old travel lodges that used to be on all of the old highways in the US.  This one caught my attention because I had also visited the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ (see the blog entry on that ride at http://irregularramblingsofaregularguy.blogspot.com/2010/07/las-vegas-arrival-fisher-house-ride-day.html) a couple of years ago when I made my ride out to Las Vegas, so I thought, why not visit this one too.

"Rooms" at the Wigwam Motel in Cave City.  Their catch phrase is "Sleep in a wigwam tonight".

From Wigwam Village, I headed into the heart of the tourist traps, Kentucky State Highway 70.  KY 70 is the main road off I-65 to Mammoth Cave National Park, so it is lined with RV parks, Dinosaur World, pink elephants (advertising something to do with the lottery).  In other words, all kinds of junk.

Yogi Bear at the Jellystone RV park entrance.

The entrance to Dinosaur World. They had a cool Pterodactyl swooping over the gate at the entrance, but I didn't get a picture of it.

Rickety old carriage on the side of the road advertising the antique/souvenir shop next door.

Not sure what a pink elephant has to do with the lottery, but I saw this one along with cows and other animals outside the various establishments that sell lottery tickets.

I was ahead of schedule so I canceled my motel reservation in Bowling Green and decided to continue down the highway a little further.  I set my sights on Clarksville, TN.  As luck would have it, I got to town a little before sundown and found the Midtown Inn had a room available.  Plus, there was a Hooters directly across the street from the Midtown Inn, so all was good.  I finished the day with 724 miles and around 13 hours of travel time, including stops.  Not too bad.

The next morning I got up and headed out for what I knew was going to be a long day just because it was going to be mostly on I-40 across Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.  But, I started my day with a good breakfast at the Dover Grille in Dover, Tennessee. Two eggs, two pieces of bacon, two sausage patties and toast for $4.99.  What a deal!

A guy came in after me and asked about my motorcycle.  After that we spent the remainder of the meal talking about bikes and rides we had taken.  He rode a Honda Gold Wing and had traveled all over the U.S. too.  It was refreshing to have a conversation with a stranger about motorcycles that didn't include a story about a cousin who was killed on a motorcycle or a friend who was maimed. That seems to be the conversation of choice from strangers who walk up to you when you're riding a motorcycle.

On my way out the door my waitress asked me if my breakfast was good.  I told her it was great and she said, "Good. It better be. I cooked it."  It was and if I ever find myself in Dover again, I'll be back.

The Dover Grille - Not much too look at, but good food and friendly service.

My next stop was a visit to the Fort Donelson National Battlefield that sits just outside of Dover.  Actually, Fort Donelson was my real reason for even being in northwestern Tennessee.  I love visiting the battlefields of the Civil War and Fort Donelson was a significant victory for the Union Army.  The formal surrender of Fort Donelson took place at the Dover Hotel, also called the Surrender House, which was only a few blocks from the Dover Grille and now part of the National Battlefield.

On the morning of February 14, 1862, Commander Andrew H. Foote's Union gunboat fleet, consisting of the ironclads St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Corondolet, and the timberclads Conestoga and Tyler, came sailing up the Cumberland.  For one and a half hours they exchanged "iron valentines" with the eleven big guns at Fort Donelson. The Confederates wounded Foote and forced the gunboats to retreat. At this point the southern soldiers thought they had the upper hand.

The Confederate Fort Donelson was located on the Cumberland River and provided protection to Nashville.  If it fell, Nashville would fall too, dealing a blow to the Confederacy. While it did a fantastic job in defending the Cumberland against a water assault, it ultimately fell to ground forces led by Ulysses S. Grant.

Brigadier General, Ulysses S. Grant was assembling his infantry.  He was receiving reinforcements daily and had surrounded Fort Donelson to the west and south pinning the southern troops between his infantry and Hickman Creek and the Cumberland River.  On the morning of February 15, the Confederate soldiers attacked the Union right hoping to break through and make their way to Nashville.  The two armies basically fought to a standstill initially with the Union Army retreating late in the afternoon.  The Confederates had a chance.

However, as a result of confusion and indecision among the Confederate commanders (Brig. Gens. John B. Floyd and Gideon J. Pillow) they failed to capitalize on their success.  Grant launched a counterattack and closed the Confederate escape route.  Floyd and Pillow managed to escape to Nashville and left Brig. Gen. Simon B. Buckner in command of Fort Donelson.

On the morning of February 16, Buckner sent a note to Grant asking terms of surrender. Buckner and Grant had been friends when they served together in the Army in California. Buckner had even loaned Grant money when Grant was forced to resign his commission in the U.S. Army under accusations of alcoholism in 1854. He was counting on their prior relationship to afford Grant the opportunity to offer him acceptable surrender terms.

Buckner was wrong.  Grant's reply was pretty simple, "No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted."  Grant's reply earned him the nickname of "Unconditional Surrender Grant".

I love the language used in the Civil War and Buckner's reply to Grant's surrender terms captures it so well.  "SIR:—The distribution of the forces under my command, incident to an unexpected change of commanders, and the overwhelming force under your command, compel me, notwithstanding the brilliant success of the Confederate arms yesterday, to accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous terms which you propose."  In other words, "Screw you Grant, but I don't have any other choice but to agree to your terms."

The two generals met at the Dover Hotel to formally execute the surrender.  The Dover Hotel was built in the early 1850's and accommodated riverboat travelers before and after the Civil War.  Brig. Gen. Lew Wallace was the first Union general to reach the hotel.  He ordered his men not to gloat over the Confederate situation and told his brigade commanders "to move the whole line forward, and take possession of persons and property . . . [but] not a word of taunt—no cheering." An estimated 13,000 Confederate soldiers were loaded into transports and sent to Northern prisoner-of-war camps.  In September 1862 most of the prisoners were exchanged.

The Dover Hotel / Surrender House was my first stop as part of my visit to the Fort Donelson National Battlefield - Note the awesome looking Road Glide in the background!

The Dover Hotel sits on a choice piece of property alongside the Cumberland River.  It was a beautiful location and extremely peaceful on a sunny Thursday morning.  It is the location where Grant and Buckner formalized the surrender of Fort Donelson.

The fallout from the fall of Fort Donelson was tremendous in the scheme of the Civil War. Within days of the surrender, Clarksville and Nashville fell to the Union. The Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, and railroads in the area, became vital Federal supply lines. Nashville was developed into a huge supply depot for the Union army in the west. Grant was promoted to major general and his subsequent victories at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga ultimately led to his appointment by President Abraham Lincoln as commander of all Union Armies. 

There is also a National Cemetery at Fort Donelson that was established in 1867 and is the final resting place for Union soldiers and sailors initially buried in the Fort Donelson area. Today the national cemetery contains both Civil War veterans and veterans who have served the United States since that time.

The National Cemetery at Fort Donelson. The building you see is Cemetery Lodge and was built in 1877 and served as office and quarters for the cemetery keeper until 1931.

I had one more stop in mind before I drove onto I-40 and began my uninspiring interstate ride across Arkansas.  This stop was planned with Renee in mind.  She keeps bugging me to take her to Paris, so I couldn't miss out on a chance to visit Paris on my way to Oklahoma and rub it in when I got there.  I even got a picture of the Eiffel Tower to prove it.  Granted, it was Paris Tennessee, but hey, they have a replica of the Eiffel Tower there and I visited it, so I'm counting it!

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Tennessee. At 60 feet tall, the tower is a nearly perfect 1:20 scale replica of the original in Paris, France.

After Paris it was a mere 60 miles and I entered I-40 headed west toward Memphis.  Unfortunately, I had burned up a lot of time at the battlefield, so I had to scrap a couple of ideas for stops in Memphis.  I needed to make up some time.  Still, when your riding a motorcycle cross country, your butt usually dictates the stops and after another 60 miles or so on I-40, I needed a break.

I picked a spot in Cordova, TN that I found on Roadside America.  It's the location of what is billed as the World's Tallest Three Crosses of Calvary at Bellevue Baptist Church.  It actually was a nice park-like area where I could rest in the shade, so it turned out to be a good spot.

The three crosses at Bellevue Baptist Church sit just off I-40 at exit 15 (Appling Road).  The center cross is 150 feet tall.

While resting I remembered I still needed to get Renee a birthday present.  She's a huge Elvis fan, so I figured since I was so close to Graceland maybe I could swing by and get her something.  Luckily for me, I discovered Graceland Harley-Davidson and decided to make it my next stop.  I picked out a tee-shirt for her (and one for me too) and was soon on my way.

I crossed the Mississippi River and got a good view of how much the river is down right now.  It was the lowest I can remember ever seeing it.  Several portions of the river are either closed to navigation or restricted.  Seeing it that low really drove home how critical the drought situation has been in the middle of the country this year.  Hopefully the rains from Hurricane Isaac will help replenish it.

West Memphis, AR is a trucking mecca with the intersection of I-40 (running east-west) and I-55 (running north-south).  This is where I found my small self squeezed in with tractor-trailers in front of me, behind me and on both sides.  It was one of the safest spots too because I can trust the truckers to use their mirrors and actually take more care not to run me over.  Still, cruising at 75 MPH with the wind buffeting you and tons of steel all around can be a little stressful.

My plan was to take I-40 across Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma for the remainder of the day.  But, shortly after crossing into Arkansas, I saw one of those large electronic highway signs with this message, "Road construction in 75 miles. Expect long delays. Consider alternate route."  Holy cow, this is the equivalent of granting me permission to get off the interstate.  Don't mind if I do, so alternate route, here I come.

I pulled off the interstate at exit 242 and fueled the bike just outside of Forrest City.  US-70 runs south of and parallel to I-40.  It was the most obvious choice of an alternate route, but more than likely the alternate route of choice for everyone bailing off I-40.  So, I decided not to go that way.  Instead, I pulled out the map and looked for a route that would get me north of Little Rock where I-40 makes a 25 mile swing to the north anyway.

It was a great ride through St. Francis, Woodruff, Prairie, Lonoke, and Faulkner counties where farming was the primary industry and all I needed to do was dodge tractors and pickup trucks.  It was a nice change of pace from the interstate.  The only downside was the temperature was approaching 100 degrees and I was riding west with the hot afternoon sun cooking me every mile.  The additional time was also putting me closer to losing my race with the sun and riding in the dark.

I was back on I-40 in Conway.  The day was wearing on me hard after 700-plus miles the day before and I honestly began to think about stopping for the night even though I still had a few hours of daylight left.  Instead, I rode a little harder with only two stops between Conway and my final destination of Bristow, Oklahoma.

I found a good country music radio station that stayed with me most of the way across eastern Oklahoma.  The only problem was they had a slogan of "continuous hit country".  The problem was that the display on my radio shows eight characters at a time with a pause between scrolls.  So, it seemed like every time I looked down, this is what I saw.

This is what "continuous hit country" looks like when only eight characters can be seen at one time on a scrolling display.

I passed through Checotah, home of American Idol's Carrie Underwood, or so the welcome sign said.  The sun was setting as I exited I-40 to Okemah, OK.  Okemah is the hometown of Woodie Guthrie and had a couple of sights that I wanted to see.  The first was a statue downtown of Woodie with his guitar.  Woody Guthrie was a folk singer and songwriter from the 1940's and 50's.  His best-known song is This Land is Your Land and he was Arlo Guthrie's father.

The Woody Guthrie statue in downtown Okemah, Oklahoma.

Also in Okemah are the three water towers that stand side-by-side.  What makes them unique is that one is labeled "Hot", another "Cold" and the last "Home of Woodie Guthrie".  Gotta love that small town humor.

Hot and cold running water in Okemah as well as a claim to fame.

I rode the last 25 miles or so with the sun below the horizon.  But, I made it to Bristow in one piece and spent the next few days hanging out with Renee and her family.  Plus, my oldest son Jeremy and his wife Casey made it to Bristow from Texas on Saturday night to hang out with us for a couple of days too.  It was a good visit.

We met up with friends from Virginia on Saturday and had lunch at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill in Oklahoma City.

The tour bus sticking through the wall at Toby Keith's Bar and Grill.

Another view from inside Toby Keith's place.

I also made sure I got a shot of the famous Route 66 Shoe Tree.  The story says that the former resident used to see people walking down Route 66 back in the day and if they needed shoes, he gave them a pair.  Over time, people have thrown shoes in the tree.

The Route 66 Shoe Tree just east of Stroud, Oklahoma on the famous Route 66 that ran between Chicago and Los Angeles.

I will post highlights from my return ride later this weekend.  It includes another Civil War battlefield as well as a few other odds and ends.  See you soon and thanks for reading.