Oklahoma OK!Day 20

Cimmeron, New Mexico, to Woodward, Oklahoma

369 miles

4853 total miles

The Kit Carson Inn in Cimmeron is the closest think to the Bates Motel (remember Anthony Perkins in Psycho) we've stayed in yet. Aside from a generally dingy aura, lumpy beds and the lack of a working heater, the TV was manufactured before the advent of the remote control. It actually had a volume dial. Your travelers are spoiled. No doubt.

We now realize that there's always a price to pay for the good things in life. Do you remember the mountain passes, gorges, mesas, canyons, sweepers, twisties, high plains, switch-backs and vistas we've raved about for weeks? They came at a price. It's called the Oklahoma Panhandle.

After leaving Cimmeron, we began our descent into the great plains. The final 100 miles of New Mexico began the process. The mesas became smaller, the open spaces became larger and the roads became straighter. After a brief, 20 mile foray into Texas (just so we can say we went there), we turned into Oklahoma. By then we were out of the old west and into modern farm country.

Been there. Done that.

Millet ready to harvest in OK

At one point, we drove an 80 mile stretch that required us to actually steer our bikes a total of three times. We don't mean turn our bikes - we mean steer them through a slight curve.

Now this is flat. The road goes on forever!

Neighbors here can keep an eye on each other. If you lived here, you could step out on your front porch and look over and wave at your neighbor. The thing is he would probably be 20 miles away. It is flat land with little on it. Kansas looks like downtown New York City in comparison.

If you look at the map, you'll notice that the panhandle is a long, narrow rectangle that sits atop Texas. It had no interstate and no major roads. This land is as isolated as anything we've seen short of Alaska.

We decided to face the mind-numbing straight-aways head on and put some serious miles behind us. The 369 miles we did on Day 20 gave none of the joy of Colorado. We did enjoy, once again, being on our bikes driving down the road.

Interesting collection of 50's cars inside a NM truck stop.

Today we plan a short, 200 mile trip to Oklahoma City, where we plan to visit the Oklahoma City Memorial and the National Cowboy Museum.