Oklahoma Trip - October 1998

On September 30, 1998, Ray Suelzer and I went to Guthrie, OK, for the Oklahoma Bluegrass Festival. I worked that morning, and was ready to go when Ray arrived at my house about 12:15. He had already ridden over 200 miles from his home in Valparaiso. We rested for awhile, then gassed up at Fast Jacks. When Ray went inside to pay, a guy he had been talking to came over to me and asked what size my bike was. Then he said, "What’s your buddy’s, about a 1500?" When I told him it was a 650, he couldn’t believe it. We then hit the highway, and were on our way to Lawrenceville, where we got on Highway 1, which we followed to Highway 45 at Norris City. It was a warm day, partly sunny, and we were making pretty good time. At Vienna, we caught Highway 146 West, and were on our way to Cape Girardeau, MO. We stopped for gas at Jonesboro. It was starting to rain lightly, and Ray was tired from having ridden so far, and was also feeling a bit of a sore throat. We decided to not go as far as planned, and looked at the map for the closest campground. We were very close to the Trail of Tears campground in the Shawnee National Forest. We followed a couple of blacktop roads until we finally found the campground, high up a single lane gravel road. No water or toilets. We thought about just camping in the picnic area, which was nicer, but thought better of it when we saw a Ranger drive by. There was another campground several miles north, so we headed there. It was a typical federal campground, very nice sites, nice pit toilet, but no electricity or water. We set up, then headed for Wolf Lake, a very small nearby town, to find some water and snacks. We found a tiny store, where two young women were working and were fascinated by our bikes. We returned, and actually got a good fire going with leftover firewood in nearby sites. I cooked beans and rice, and had a bagel with water. Ray found his new stove would not work, and ate his soup out of the can. He determined that a washer seemed to be missing from the fuel cap. We talked quite awhile, I smoked a cigar, then we turned in.

We awoke Thursday morning, packed quickly, and were on our way South on Highway 3 towards Cape Girardeau. We crossed over the Mississippi, and were in Missouri. We quickly took Highway 74 West to 77 South, then 25 West. We then had breakfast, and it was close to 11:00. It seemed like we hadn’t come very far, and it was raining some. We hit the highway to try and make some good time. We were on Highway 160 until we gassed up at Alton. Here we took a good break at a small gas station operated by one older man. It was getting warm, and we shed jackets. We decided to change our planned route, and drop south into Arkansas instead of staying up in Missouri. We took Highway 19 South to 9 in Arkansas, where we caught 412, a road we stayed on clear into Oklahoma. We kept plugging away until we were in western Arkansas, and started to think about where to stay the night. We rode on to Huntsville, where we took Highway 23 North to Willow Springs State Park. The campsites were right along the road, but had water, and a bathhouse with showers just up the road. Ray’s throat was bothering him quite a lot. We set up, and I went to take a shower. I cooked my last pack of rice and broccoli, and I don’t think Ray ate a thing. We turned in pretty early, and I was hoping the extra rest would make Ray feel better tomorrow.

We had a little light rain during the night, but awoke to fair weather. We packed, donned rain gear, and headed back to route 412 to head west again. At some point, Ray’s rain pants ripped up the side, and as it looked like possible rain, we stopped at a Walmart in Springdale (I think), where Ray bought a new rain suit, cough syrup, and talked them into exchanging his bad fuel valve for a good one. I bought a vinyl repair kit, as it seemed my air mattress was not holding air. We took 69 South once in Oklahoma, to 16 West. Again it seemed to me that we weren’t making very good time. On 16 we started to be able to really fly, then when we got on 33, which took us in to Guthrie, we were riding at freeway speeds almost constantly. We finally rode into Guthrie about 3:30. I made one wrong turn in going to the campground, but was starting to get my bearings. At the campground we were met by about three people, who were apparently glad to have something to do. They were fascinated by the fact we had ridden so far on motorcycles. Unfortunately, they told us, no bikes were allowed in the campground area. We didn’t argue, but were not pleased. They said we could unload, and they would take our stuff in by pickup truck, and we could park the bikes by the trailer where admissions were handled. We continued telling the man who seemed to be in charge how we hated to leave the bikes where we couldn’t see them, and that we kept a lot of our stuff on them at night. He finally called someone, and got the OK to let us take the bikes in. We found a high place on a corner - there was mud everywhere from a 6 inch rainfall the day before. After setting up, we rode out to the cemetery where Bill Doolin is buried, and took some pictures. It was starting to rain, so we hurried back, then took the bus into town, where we walked around quite a while, finally stopping at a Chinese restaurant for a beer and a good meal. We returned, sat around and talked awhile, then walked over to the stage where the free nightly show was about to start. We watched a solo singer whose name I can’t remember, but who was quite good. Then Mountain Smoke came on, a group from Oklahoma that had been together for about 25 years. They had lots of former members, so there were maybe 15 people on stage at any one time. They started a little after 11:00, and played until 2:15. They were great. We both started wanting to get to bed, but hated to leave such good music. We headed back to the tents just as they played their last song or two.

We awoke Saturday morning to blue skies and heads that still throbbed from too much music and lack of sleep. We went over to the church on the corner, where there was a pancake breakfast. As usual, I ate about twice as much as Ray. It’s easy to see how he stays so slim. When we left, it was cloudy once again. With nothing else to do, we decided to head into town, even though nothing much started until 11:00. When the Oklahoma Territorial Museum opened at 10:00, we were there, ready to go in and see the Bill Doolin outlaw exhibit. We saw that and everything else, then headed for the Masonic Temple auditorium, where many of the afternoon acts we wanted to see would be. As we went in, I was told my wrist band was the wrong (yesterday’s) color. I could not talk my way in, and had to go back to the campground to straighten this out. This explained why Ray and I had paid different amounts for the same thing. We went back, I paid two more dollars, and got the correct wrist band. We got back in time to see the end of Billy Joe Foster Band’s set. John Hartford, who wasn’t even listed as performing today, was sitting in on the last song. When the set ended, he came down into the audience, and sat right behind me. By now we were sitting in the second row, right near the center. I wanted to ask for an autograph or talk to him, but didn’t want to bother, as he was obviously very into the music once it started. He turned down a couple people who asked, saying "I’m trying to listen to the music, please don’t make any noise". We watched Kevin Burke, an Irish fiddler. Hartford was very impressed, and shouted approval after each song. Ray and I could see he was a great fiddler, but most of the music wasn’t that interesting to us. When he finished, Hartford left. Robin and Linda Williams were next. As far as I’m concerned, they were the highlight of the festival. Great playing and incredible harmonies. The Dillards were next, and naturally, I was getting very excited. I must admit though, that I didn’t find them nearly as good as last year. They did many of the same songs, and just didn’t seem as "on". After this was a tribute to Bill Monroe, led by Byron Berline, John Hartford, and many of the former "Bluegrass Boys" who used to play with Monroe. They all told a story about him, many of them pretty humorous, and played some great Bill Monroe songs. When it was over, we were ready to get up and move, so we walked downtown. I could see Ray still wasn’t feeling too great. The good news was that he hadn’t become real sick, as in needing to see a doctor. We decided to eat at a small café that looked OK, but turned out to be really bad. The service was terrible, and the food barely passable. We then went back to the tents, and both of us took a nap. I got up about 7, and prepared to go over to the ball field, where the Dillards would be appearing again, right before Emmy Lou Harris. Ray said the rest was doing him a lot of good, and decided to stay and rest. I took the bus to the ball field, and the Byron Berline Band was still playing. I never had really satisfied my appetite, so I got in a real long line to order an elephant ear. By the time I finally got waited on, the Dillards were about to start. They played about half an hour, and did many of the same songs and jokes they had this afternoon. Very disappointing. I hadn’t brought my chair, so I was having to stand or sit on the ground. I waited a while for Emmy Lou to get set up, then listened to several of her songs, all familiar, all done well, but not especially exciting. I then headed back, and quietly went straight to bed.

Sunday morning I heard the sound of zippers from Ray’s tent about 6:30, so I got up and started getting ready. I first went over to the bath house and took a shower. Thank goodness I carry Kleenex for emergencies, as the toilet paper supply was exhausted. It looked like possible rain, so we both put on rain suits, and headed out. We gassed up at the last station before leaving town, the same on I gassed up at last year in the pouring rain. We made good time on 33, just as when coming in, except the wind was blowing very hard from the south, and wearing us out.. We then caught Route 99 North, then 20E to Hominy. We stayed on 20 until Claremore, where I planned to catch 66. There didn’t seem to be a 66E, so we stopped to study the map, and decided to stay on 20 until Pryor, where we would get on 69 North. However, we somehow missed 69, I guess we must have gone under an overpass without noticing. Somewhere about here, my left highway peg fell off. I had noticed earlier that it was loose, but neither Ray nor I thought it could come off. After it fell, I stopped, turned around, and very quickly spotted in on the road. I had just stopped along the shoulder, and was about to go pick it up, when a van came speeding by, hit it, and immediately blew the right rear tire. I wasn’t quite sure what to do - I wanted to help the guy, but thought he might be mad at me for causing his problem. Ray agreed, and we rode on. We ended up staying on 20 until we got to the Arkansas border, where we took 90 E to 59 N to 71 N, which finally took us to I44, which would take us all the way home. Once on I44, Ray took the lead, and we made great time the rest of the day. Somewhere after Lebanon, we stopped to look at the map, and find a place to stay the night. There was a campground symbol in the Mark Twain National Forest, about 40 miles up the road. We got off once at the wrong place, back on, then off again and stopped several times. Finally we were sure we were on the right road. When we arrived, it was a picnic area, not a camping area, and even had a "No Overnight Camping" sign. However, it was almost dark, and we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, so we decided to camp anyway. We had met several local cars on the way, and Ray started having "Deliverance" fantasies. Also, we had tried to find a phone at the exit of the highway with no luck, and now my cell phone wouldn’t work due to being too far from a tower. We actually debated packing up, riding away, and getting a motel on the highway, but didn’t. We laughed a lot (nervously) about what might happen. I was also quite worried about Carla wondering why I hadn’t called. Otherwise, it was a nice night. We ate the cold pork & beans we had both bought, then turned in early.

At about 4:30 I awoke an noticed lightening and thunder off in the distance. At 5 I heard Ray stirring, and asked him if he thought we should leave. It was raining lightly, so we packed quickly, trying to keep ourselves and our gear as dry as possible. We headed out, and were soon back on I-44. I saw a rest stop within the first hour, and we stopped, called home, and utilized the facilities. Now we both felt a lot better. The rain had stopped. We headed on towards Rolla, where we stopped at the same Shoneys I had stopped at last year for the breakfast buffet. We gassed up, and hit the road. Shortly before St. Louis, we stopped at a Burger King, where we were offered free coffee (senior benefit - Ray legit, me they gave a break). This is where we would be splitting up. We said our goodbyes, and then back on the road. Within a mile, I took I270S and Ray got on I270N. I was soon in Illinois, and the weather was getting warmer and looking more sunny. I got off of I-64 onto Route 50, and on to Salem. I gassed up, removed rain pants, and headed up to Kinmundy to see Dad. I arrived there at 11:30, had a quick lunch of spaghetti and salad, and was on my way by a little after 12:30. The rest of the way went pretty quickly, and I was home at 2:10. I opened the carport, greeted the puppies, and waited for Carla to get home from school.