Day 5 – 1744 Miles from Home

EDMOND, OK to CARTHAGE, MO – 283 Miles

Nope. We’re not in Kansas anymore!

In fact, I don’t think we spent more than five minutes in Kansas. We hit three states on day 5, so let’s mosey on back to Oklahoma and fill you in!

Man! What a glorious day! I love the clarity after a good rain.

I’m so glad we didn’t push through to Stroud the night before and miss all the great 66 stuff in the dark. If the Kingman/Seligman leg is the crown jewel of the west, this Edmond/Joplin leg is the jewel of the Midwest. So much to see! And the majority of the day was spent on the two-lane Mother Road cutting through some of the prettiest terrains in the country.

Arcadia, Oklahoma

First stop came just outside Edmond at the big round barn in Arcadia. We pulled over on the side of the road and I whipped out my phone to snap a pic…

Then Brian took off!! I quickly put the phone away and took off after him, but couldn’t see him up ahead. Yikes!

So I pulled over again and dropped him a text. He’d done the smart thing and simply moved into the parking lot of the barn. Thank goodness for cell phones! I could’ve been lost forever! Anyway… I’m sure glad he stopped. The barn was amazing. Best part? When you stand in the middle and speak, it amplifies. So cool!

We’d been super excited to see the Seaba Motorcycle Museum in Warwick, but sadly we picked the one day a week they’re closed! We’ll have to hit ’em on the way back.

We did get to check out their nice toilets. Hee Hee.

A short bit down the road we came to Stroud’s Rock Cafe, built from the rock’s unearthed during the construction of Route 66. Burgers were terrific! If you’re a Cars fan, the creator supposedly based Sally on the owner.

Along the way, we explored a few older alignments, like the one that veered up through Depew… An abandoned Main Street that looks as If they shut off the lights and walked away… And this little concrete stretch paralleling the current road.

We haven’t hit too much road construction, although this one came at the perfect time. We’d been on the bikes quite some time and both needed a stretch.

There was this bridge near Riverton Kansas…

And Galena Kansas that looked like Winslow’s twin…

A fantastic dinner at Wilder’s Steakhouse in Joplin…

And a gem of a Route 66 Motel in Carthage Missouri. At dinner we were trying to figure out where to stay and Brian remembered reading about the Boots Motel.

A couple of sisters bought the place and are bringing it back to the 1940s. They have four rooms completed, and Wow! Are they doing it right! Hardwood floors, chenille bedspreads, period correct antiques.

We walked into our room and the vintage-looking radio (they had to go with reproduction to get FM) was playing big band jazz. The room is spacious and the details are perfect. Clark Gable even stayed here several times! I absolutely love this place. If you’re ever in Carthage Missouri, it’s a must stay.

I know I’ve probably left stuff out but I’m sure you get the gist (and this has gone on too long already)! It was a super swell day! Reckon I should drag my rather sore butt outta bed and start day 6!

Later gators!

And be sure to check out Brian’s blog. He brought his G camera and has some mighty fine pictures. www.66motorpalace.com