The road to Amarillo.

 Spotted at breakfast.  A Heep Cjerokee.

I spent a long time on the road today (relatively speaking) - nearly 500 miles - Driving from Fort Smith in Arkansas, all the way across Oklahoma to Amarillo in Texas.  There are lots of photos in today's post.

Today I got up and went for breakfast.  Virginia guy and his wife were there.  He struck up conversation with me again as he'd had a chance to check out Camry when he had come back from his dinner last night.  I think he had decided that my road trip was now more interesting.  He made a couple of welcome suggestions for things to see, including visiting Santa Fe tomorrow night instead of Albuquerque as they are both about the same distance from Amarillo.

He asked if I was planning to visit the Grand Canyon once into Arizona or Nevada and I confirmed that was in my plans.  I asked if he thought I'd be able to find an airfield with sightseeing flights, he said that I almost certainly would.  His wife suggested that I should stay away from light aircraft because they are dangerous, but he countered this by saying that if I was prepared to drive 3500 miles in a 1993 Toyota Camry, then my attitude to danger could clearly stomach a sightseeing ride in a light aircraft.

He also suggested after his brief inspection of the car that Boston was probably the only American city where one should own 2 cars - one for keeping on the street and driving in the city and another for when you want to go somewhere.  Camry has clearly been used for the former more than the latter for much of its life.

They wished me a safe trip and we finished breakfast and went our separate ways, although they are staying in Amarillo tonight and Albuquerque the next night, so we may well yet cross paths.


 

Fort Smith is right on the Oklahoma border.  I quickly crossed in to the OK state.

First rest stop of the day was the Oklahoma Welcome Center.  A staffed tourist information office with Oklahoma's themed Teepee picnic benches.  Rest stops within a state seem to have themes, or at least be of similar design with the same toilet block and picnic tables scattered around.

Hoppy sounds like a real good guy.  News of his passing has made me slightly sad.

Oklahoma is flatter than Arkansas.

On the road again.

This guy was just walking down the central reservation.  Normally there is a car or truck parked on the hard shoulder somewhere nearby but I couldn't see one.

 Compared to earlier in the trip, there is very little between towns out here, so I just took pictures of things. 

I thought the town of Checotah had quite an onomatopaic name and should be spelled with an exclamation mark.

 

69 Business - Checotah!

Perhaps it gets very wet sometimes in Latawatah.

I didn't get a photo of it, but I passed a Christian themed gas station somewhere along the way.  I think it had a crucifix with prices per gallon on etc.  This advert will have to do.

Roadworks are boring.  I had a chance to squeeze some blackheads and tidy up the car a bit ready for my first self portrait of the day...

There I am!  Yes, my head is touching the roof, but it's more to do with the saggy headlining than my giant-like stature.

I stopped for gas and this little abandoned house was across the road.

 Pivo, my Native American Czech comrades!

Tecumseh was a Shawnee leader, but also a manufacturer of fairly terrible 2 stroke lawnmower motors which I remember spending many happy hours of my youth trying to pull-start then giving up and using a power drill.

 Kickapoo.  It shouldn't be funny, but it is.

I drove past Tinker Air Force Base outside Oklahoma City.  They have some Aeroplanes kicking around.

 Downtown Oklahoma City from Interstate 40.

I stopped for some lunch at a Gas Station

Bottom right is a warning: "Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Risks To Your Health".  This implies to me that it didn't used to reduce risks to yout health.  The Tobacco industry is pretty mad, but I think the US Government is giving it a harder time than the UK Government.

 I sat and watched the shiny pickup shop across the street.  They don't seem to sell many new cars, only trucks.

Homestead with Hosses.

That is a sign with the 3 towns on this road documented.  Noteworthy is that it's worth signposting something that is 215 miles away. Sat Nav was telling me there was 240 miles till the next turn-off at one point today.

Our survey suggested that Oklahoma cattle prefer Rolex (tm).

 I don't know what this is, it was in the middle of nowhere though, and was quite big.

 These are also quite big.  Nice to see America on the bandwagon although I think we need a good way of storing and transporting electricity large distances before it will really take off.

 A lorry load of Drill Pipe.  We're getting into Oil country.

 Howdy, Texas!

Roads become straighter.  It is also uphill just about all the way from the Oklahoma Border to Amarillo.

 More Homestead.  Less Hosses.

I wondered what the hell this thing is with all the pulleys hanging off of it.  I couldn't see a Klan hut anywhere, but there was a huge line of them so I figured it's an electrical cable pylon.

 A scene from Little House on the Prarie.

 A sign with 'Route 66' on it.

 I thought other places were flat.  True to form, Texas top trumps them and is flatter.

Another self-portrait at the Texas Welcome Center, which is 100 miles inside Texas.  They want to be sure you're committed before welcoming you.  

The view was pretty impressive.  So it should be, we're at about 3000ft at this point.  I have never been somewhere so flat that is so high.

Danger - Rattlesnakes.

 Texas Welcome Center was quite delightful.  It also serves as a Howff for county Sherriffs.

It has a little information station with a bit about the Native Americans and Ranchers who have lived here over the years.

 Texas themed fence.

I can feel the nationalistic pride of the contractor who's cutting machine landed the job of making these little stars for the railing oozing out of each and every one of them.  Looks like they got inmates at the local Prison to do the welding though...

 Racing to Amarillo before sundown.

 Wobbly water tower.

I don't relish driving around in the dark.  I suppose it will be quieter, but I prefer to get my travelling done during daylight.  Today was the longest driving day I plan to do.  It wasn't as hard work as I thought it might be but I am glad it's over with.

The cars in this Motel are all from Iowa, Michigan, Misouri and Idaho.  I guess we're into territory afflicted by the Route 66 Mystique now, and I'll happily admit to having spent some of the day trying to find a convenient sign which proclaimed 'Route 66' to park Camry under and take a photo.  They don't seem as polite as some others, impatiently weaving through what little traffic there is on the roads, and not holding doors open for you in Gas stations and restraunts.

Tonight I thought that as I am in Texas, I would try to find somewhere that serves Steak.  There are a couple of restraunts down the street so I thought I would just walk rather than spend a stressful half hour negotiating the Interstate and subsequent 1 way street to get there.  I walked about 100 yards and decided that I was out of my comfort zone again on an unlit sidewalk, I turned round and on my way back to the Motel, 2 Police cars Jammed on their brakes and drove by very slowly when they saw me walking, probably pondering on whether I was committing some sort of public order offence by being on foot after dark.

So, I went to the establishment right next door to the Motel which bills itself as a 'Japanese Steakhouse'.  The Maitre D who must have been about 17 just looked at me blankly as if I was speaking french when I asked to see the menu.  On closer inspection of the menu it turns out it's a Sushi restraunt.  I had a look and thought that eating Sushi in Amarillo, Texas might actually be quite entertaining.

I was shown to my table in the part of the restraunt clearly demarkated for foreign devils.  I was presented with a large fork along with my chopsticks and in front of me at the bar was the fattest man I have ever seen move under his own motive power.  It became clear from his conversation that he had been seated at the bar because his frame was not capable of being fitted under any of the tables on offer.  He was loud and fairly obnoxious.  He queried the price of everything, took and made phone calls and every so often, heaved himself off the stool and performed the closest thing to Pilates moves someone weighing close to 200kg can make.

There was a family of 3 sitting across the bar, and some other diners trying to subtly observe him without being too obvious and there was lots of Asian chatter and pretending not to speak good english among the staff which was transmitted in the straight-faced manner which makes it clear exactly what they are talking about.  New Non-white diners were ushered quickly to the other side of the screen to minimise exposure to Johnny McTexas and cause the proprietor too much embarassment.

The food I ordered was fairly ordinary in taste but perfectly palletable.  The service was fairly ordinary.  I left after some soup and fishy-ricey things.  People watching made it brilliant.  Glad I came.

Back to the motel and there is still a faint smell of cow manure in the air.  Welcome to Texas!

My Motel room has a balcony, but it may kill me.  I'll stick to Camry driving and light aircraft thanks very much.

Night night.