Day 10

Ok so Barton has had the day off today so Mrs Pakes is having to fill in. We had a nice lay in and then got up and opened my birthday cards.  My friend Jill very kindly sent me some dollars so I was able to go on a spending spree. After a lovely lazy start to the day, sitting in the shade reading my book, Mr Pakes went off with some of the group to a firing range to shoot pistols.  He had a great time and fired off 100 rounds. Meanwhile I went shopping with one of the girls and bought a hairclip and some earrings to match, thanks to Jill.  In the morning when I was asking where there was a bookstore somebody said, come and look at the horses, so I went outside and there was a parade of horses going down the street, something to do with Santa Fe day!

Any way we had a lovely rest day and I enjoyed my birthday, rang mum tonight which made her day!  Barton will be back tomorrow after a well deserved rest (he spent the day in bed). Off to Gallup tomorrow.

Day 9

We woke to a fine drizzle this morning , so I decided to travel in the truck with Graham.  

Mr and Mrs Pakes put on their waterproofs and we rode on down to the cadillac ranch which is just outside Amarillo.                             

You can just see me sitting next to a gonk which was left on one of the cars.  We then went on to the midway cafe where we had some warm pecan pie and ice cream, which was delicious.

  We stopped an hour later for lunch and the sun had come out by now so Mr and Mrs Pakes were able to take off their waterproofs.  We had a quick walk around the town which had quite a few buildings left from the original route 66.  After that we rode on our way crossing into New Mexico where the scenery changed quite dramatically from quite flat to rolling hills and valleys.  We had to stop for petrol on the way and arrived at our hotel at 7.30. The room is very nice with a separate lounge and bedroom. Tomorrow is a rest day so we are planning to have a lie in which will be lovely.

Day 8

When we woke up it was raining, which we found lovely because the temperature was down to 67 degrees farenheit (20 degrees celcius). we stopped off at Clinton and went to the Route 66 museum where I waited to be served with a milkshake.

We then stopped off at another museum and had our photos taken under the biggest route 66 sign in the world. We carried on down the road and rode down a section of the route that is closed to traffic and rode under the trees, which was great.  On down the road we met Harley and Annabel, who you can see on Billy Connolly's trip. They were great!  We carried on and were soon in Texas where we had a photo shoot with all my friends. I've made a few now.

We then went on the motorway and stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the Texas prairies, which seem to go on for miles but doesn't look like it in the photo. We were also warned about rattlesnakes so I didn't go off the path.



When we got to the hotel we were told to go to the restaurant over the way which served a 72oz steak. If you could eat it within an hour you didn't hve to pay. Several people tried but they all failed.

Day 7

Tulsa to Weatherford, only 200 miles today.  We started the day by having to go to the Harley Davidson dealer for some running repairs. This meant that we started our journey an hour late.  We started off and went to a place called Seaba where they had a, wait for it, motorbike museum! So while I went in with Mr Pakes, Mrs Pakes sat outside with some other ladies and took photos of a swallows nest. We saw some lovely old bikes including a Triumph Bonneville which was still in it's crate since 1979. We also saw this C.H.I.P.S bike.

We then went for lunch at the Rooster cafe where we had a chicken fried steak, which was actually beef. We then carried on our journey but had to miss stopping at the round barn because there was a storm brewing, we had just ridden through some dust clouds blown across the fields and the temperature seemed to cool. Next we went to the Cherokee trading station where I met a buffalo.

We also saw some real ones!

We left the trading centre and went down what is called chiropracter road by our tour guide. It is a cement road with joints so is a bit bumpy. On the way we went over a bridge that is almost a mile long.

From there it was just a few more miles to the hotel. Again the temperature was seen to be 94 degrees farenheit (34 degrees celsius)

Day 6

From Rolla to Tulsa 320 miles!  We were up early again but had to take our breakfast back to our room as there weren't any seats left in the foyer which doubles up as the dining room. We started off driving down some long straight roads through Missouri, along through Joplin,which last year was it by a tornado, then along some twisty, hilly roads that eventually led to Kansas. 








In Kansas we stopped on the Rainbow curve bridge where we met the man who inspired the character Mater in the film cars.

We then continued on down the road to Tulsa, Olklahoma, stopping briefly on the way to see the whale that was once part of a swimming pool, which was closed a few years after it opened.

After that it was a few short miles to the hotel.  On the way today we saw several thermometers with the temperature ranging from 86-94 degrees farenheit (30-34 degrees celcius)  Mr and Mrs Pakes went out for a meal later and when they came back they said that going ouside after eating was like stepping into an oven!  It is going to be hotter tomorrow but we don't have quite so far to go.

Day 5

We got up early again, had a quick breakfast and went on our way.  The first picture shows the landscape as we left Springfield and the lovely weather.



We went through several towns one of which had an original square and lots of the original buildings. Mrs Pakes saw lots of big birds flying overhead and Gary the guide said they were turkey vultures. Mrs Pakes then got very excited for some reason! We carried on our way and we rode down what was said was a dead end road but turned out to be the Chain of Rocks bridge which we  rode over with special permission from the trust.



Here I am on the bridge which goes over the Mississippi River!

We stopped for lunch at a Cracker Barrel diner but soon found out that in the bible  belt after everyone has gone to church they go out for Sunday lunch, so we had to wait a while to get a table. When we did the  food was great.

We then headed on to the Meramac caverns which was once a hideout for Jesse James.  Here I am in his hand.  They also sold 28 flavours of icecream which we had a taste of, very good.

Tomorrow we head for Tulsa which apparently is our longest day covering over 300 miles. Mrs Pakes is not sure how she will cope with the distance but doesn't really have a choice! Tee hee.

Day 4

We travelled approximately 280 miles today.  From Milwaukee to Springfield, Illinois. No we don't think this is where the Simpsons live.  We had plenty of stops on the way so it didn't seem too bad but I did spend the afternoon travelling in the truck, so nice to be out of the wind.  We drove back down to Chicago and saw the city skyline but unfortunately Mrs Pakes didn't have the camera so we didn't get a shot as we went by.  We drove past the spaceman who is massive.

We then went and had dinner at Pete's diner which was lovely, and then on down past an original garage which has been renovated.

Our last stop on the way was a small town called Atlanta which has some original buildings and a man holding a hotdog.  

We got to our hotel just after 7 o'clock and had a quick wash before going to the barbecue cafe for ribs and chips, very tasty.  Then back to the hotel and to bed ready for the early start again tomorrow.