Route 66 - Day 8
This morning didn't start so well, but once I got onto the road this song came to mind. It's the first song that I ever heard Mary Chapin Carpenter sing and it's still my favorite.
OK, the story behind the song for me. I awoke about 6 am to the sound of rain beating on the top of my little teardrop camper, and I mean beating. At that time of day my bladder was full and the sound of the rain was not helping. Although I was parked near the campground restroom, I had left my umbrella in the car. Really, who would have guessed that rain was in the forecast after all these sunny 90 degree days. Probably someone who watches weather reports, but that's not one of my strengths.
So I braved the pouring rain, I think it's called a gully-washer here in OK, and grabbed my umbrella and made a mad dash to the restroom. I was soaked by the time I got the umbrella, it was kind of silly at that point. Now the temp was down to about 70 degrees and it felt cold. I had to crawl into the camper, cold and wet, and getting my bed all wet. So going back to sleep was out of the question and I thought that i had better take a look at the weather to see if it was going to rain all day, and if so, to come up with a plan. Because he was born and spent his youth in Arizona, Bungie was not about to go out in the rain to do his business. He doesn't care much for rain or cold weather.
To my relief, the forecast according to the Weather Channel app on my phone told me that the rain was going to end at 8:15 am and, son of a gun, it stopped about 8:10 am. I thought I would get Bungie out, pack up and hit the road. Of course putting on dry clothes and getting the camper ready to go caused it to start raining again. I had taken my wet eyeglasses off at some point, but could not find them anywhere, without wearing glasses. I really could not imagine crawling back in the camper again, so I threw Bungie in the car, hooked up the camper to the car, put on my spare glasses and took off.
Before I even left the campground, I heard a terrible noise behind me, looked in the rearview mirror and saw the camper swerving back and forth. Dang it, I had not connected the camper securely to the tow thing. So the rain was pouring, I know that I was feeling pretty disappointed in myself, and the camper tow connector was stuck under the bumper.
And then my knight in shining armor came to my rescue. Well, it was really a ball cap and brown sweatshirt, but he saved the day. He made it look so simple and did such a great job of trying to make me feel less incompetent. I think I would have thought of something better than a handshake to thank him if I was 30 years younger.
And that's why I was thinking of the song, "I Feel Lucky."
After finally getting back on Route 66, it rained off and on all day long. The first place we stopped was the world famous Blue Whale in Catoosa.
This morning didn't start so well, but once I got onto the road this song came to mind. It's the first song that I ever heard Mary Chapin Carpenter sing and it's still my favorite.
OK, the story behind the song for me. I awoke about 6 am to the sound of rain beating on the top of my little teardrop camper, and I mean beating. At that time of day my bladder was full and the sound of the rain was not helping. Although I was parked near the campground restroom, I had left my umbrella in the car. Really, who would have guessed that rain was in the forecast after all these sunny 90 degree days. Probably someone who watches weather reports, but that's not one of my strengths.
So I braved the pouring rain, I think it's called a gully-washer here in OK, and grabbed my umbrella and made a mad dash to the restroom. I was soaked by the time I got the umbrella, it was kind of silly at that point. Now the temp was down to about 70 degrees and it felt cold. I had to crawl into the camper, cold and wet, and getting my bed all wet. So going back to sleep was out of the question and I thought that i had better take a look at the weather to see if it was going to rain all day, and if so, to come up with a plan. Because he was born and spent his youth in Arizona, Bungie was not about to go out in the rain to do his business. He doesn't care much for rain or cold weather.
To my relief, the forecast according to the Weather Channel app on my phone told me that the rain was going to end at 8:15 am and, son of a gun, it stopped about 8:10 am. I thought I would get Bungie out, pack up and hit the road. Of course putting on dry clothes and getting the camper ready to go caused it to start raining again. I had taken my wet eyeglasses off at some point, but could not find them anywhere, without wearing glasses. I really could not imagine crawling back in the camper again, so I threw Bungie in the car, hooked up the camper to the car, put on my spare glasses and took off.
Before I even left the campground, I heard a terrible noise behind me, looked in the rearview mirror and saw the camper swerving back and forth. Dang it, I had not connected the camper securely to the tow thing. So the rain was pouring, I know that I was feeling pretty disappointed in myself, and the camper tow connector was stuck under the bumper.
And then my knight in shining armor came to my rescue. Well, it was really a ball cap and brown sweatshirt, but he saved the day. He made it look so simple and did such a great job of trying to make me feel less incompetent. I think I would have thought of something better than a handshake to thank him if I was 30 years younger.
And that's why I was thinking of the song, "I Feel Lucky."
After finally getting back on Route 66, it rained off and on all day long. The first place we stopped was the world famous Blue Whale in Catoosa.
I met some nice ladies at the gift shop who said they have been seeing more single women and teardrop campers coming along the Route. And of course, I added to my keychain collection. The Rock House on the way to Tulsa is a good example of the rock structures I referred to the other day.
Tulsa felt enormous, much bigger than I expected or maybe it just seemed that way because I kept circling around trying to stay on the route and off the interstate. Some of the sites included:
I have since learned that Tulsa is the 2nd largest city in OK and 47th most populous in the country. It looks like there are plans to expand their Route 66 presence.
Now somewhere in my travels in the last week, I met a nice couple who were curious about the teardrop camper and I gave them the tour. I learned they came from Sapulpa, OK and I went through there today. Home of the world's largest gasoline pump.
I skipped the Ozark Trail (lost Route 66) because it was raining harder but some of the sites, like the Railroad Underpass, were visible from the newer Route. The Bristol Historical Depot and Town Square was a pleasant surprise. For such a small community, they have invested in this restoration.
The Rock Cafe in Stroud was another example of a rock building, not a branch of the Hard Rock Cafe. I did pass an enormous Hard Rock Cafe Casino earlier today. I got a kick out of this town, every thing in town was named Stroud_______ (fill in the blank).
Davenport has preserved several block of the brick portion of the old Route. Very picturesque but pretty darn bumpy pulling a camper.
This museum and Meremec Caverns barn were seen in Chandler.
One of the ladies at the Blue Whale told me to be sure to stop at "Pops." I wasn't too sure what to expect until I saw this.
This is the wildest place. They have glass bottles of every flavor and type of soda pop available. I was so overwhelmed, I bought a 20 oz Diet Coke. They also have a restaurant and souvenirs, so I got a keychain.
About this time, I realized that I needed to make a plan for the night. So I made a plan to stop at the next KOA in Geary, assess the weather situation, find a campsite or stay in one of their cabins. I thought it was a good plan, but they didn't have any cabins available and the rain was still coming down.
Not wanting to struggle with the camper in the rain tonight, I set off for the LaQuinta in Clinton, OK. Knowing that they accept dogs and calling ahead for a reservation, I was happy to have another plan. I jumped on the interstate and headed on down the road. Hopefully there will be sunshine again tomorrow.
Ok I checked the weather. It's calling for rain until tomorrow evening. I will reassess again tomorrow. Hanging out in a hotel room with fast internet, TV, a chair to sit at a desk = good things. What's that song? "I Feel Lucky!"
I've been enjoying reading your posts and am now wondering what it would be like to travel in a teardrop as you are doing!
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