Head West Young Man

It’s day 3 and I’m still traveling too fast. 1500+ miles in three days traveling through Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. Still traveling faster than I’d like, but I’m excited to go west. I rode past my quota of Dollar General stores for this lifetime, so maybe I just need to get to a place that has a unique personality.

I passed through Hot Springs National Park - Hot Spring, Arkansas and then onward for a ride through Quachita National Forest. I would have liked to spend more time in Hot Springs, but I felt the magnetic pull of the west. Plus, the deluge of rain and thunderstorms while I was heading to the Ozarks and Eureka Springs was pushing me west as well. I decide to head west and ended up in Shawnee, Oklahoma at the end of day 3. I have a strong desire to put the miles on and find a new rhythm to the trip. A few more days on the road before I settle in and find my rhythm. New surroundings and new energy on the horizon.

Day 4 continued with a literal straight-line east to west through the middle of the U.S. I spent most of my day on the Interstate, I40 going west. There are few bends in the road and straight is the direction. The landscape is desolate in many areas but every so often it’s marked by population centers like Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas. There’s a smattering of small towns leftover from when Route 66 was the way to travel east to west. I stopped in Elk City, Oklahoma where the Route 66 Museum resides. Elk City has the feel of a once thriving Route 66 town, before the Interstate was built. More “progress.” The small towns of America and their personality were built as a result of the railroad stops and great roads like Route 66. Commerce was brought to these areas by routes that went right through the center of town. These cities and towns sprung up and grew to support those using the roads of America. These places depended on commerce that literally came rolling into town. The Interstate highway system changed all of that and the causalities are many. Fortunately, it’s still possible to find an oasis that has mom-and-pop shops and restaurants. Places that are uniquely their own and can’t be mistaken for somewhere else.

As I rode through the vast plains and prairie along I40 and Route 66, I thought about those brave crazy souls who crossed this terrain coming from the east coast and heading to a new life out west. Wagon trains! So much history and pioneering spirit that built this country. Twisting the throttle on the motorcycle and plugging in on the GPS the next gas and lunch stop, I remind myself that my adventure is a bit tame in comparison. Nonetheless, it’s still an adventure for me and I’m doing my best to channel their pioneering spirit.

Pioneers of the past traveled slowly. What took them weeks and months, now I’m passing through in hours and days. It’s amazing that in a day’s time the landscape can change so dramatically. The terrain, the color of the land, what grows, and what animals roam are all noticeably changing. Buttes, mesas, and plateaus are erupting out of the plains as I approach and enter New Mexico. One thing that isn’t changing is the constant wind out of the north, which requires me to lean the bike to maintain a straight-line. I’m energized and excited to continue the journey and to see more, to experience more and to feel immersed in the natural beauty of my surroundings. Tomorrow I’ll get to Santa Fe and will begin a new phase of the trip. I feel it’s a big milestone to have reached New Mexico on day 4. It’s a gateway to the next level of my experience on this journey and I’m ready to take it all in.