Day 5, The Teacher, The Bus Driver, The Cook
| Miles: | 347 |
| Start Point: | Conway, AR |
| Sun Rise: | 6:56 AM CDT |
| Start Weather: | At 6:00 AM CDT the temperature was 51.2 ° with 82% humidity. The conditions were clear with a wind speed of 3.2 MPH and wind gusts of 5.5 MPH. |
| End Point: | El Reno, OK |
| Sun Set: | 7:54 PM CDT |
| End Weather: | At 6:00 PM CDT the temperature was 57 ° with 87% humidity. The conditions were overcast with a wind speed of 3.4 MPH and wind gusts of 5.1 MPH. |
Table of Contents
It has been a good ride so far with a great bunch of guys. But tomorrow I start riding on sections of old Route 66 and taking photos. I have really been looking forward to this. So check back for the next blog.
This morning was another heated jacket morning. Our first stop was at Honda of Russellville. Some of the riders had made arrangements to have service done on their bikes. One of our riders got his oil changed.
After a little more time on the road our fearless leader led us off to what looked like a great burger joint. But after parking we found that their opening day was April 4. I thought we were going to Arby's across the street but George led us to the local casino. Huh? I've never even been inside a casino. Can you eat there?
Yep, you can. And it was good. And cheap. And the soft drinks were free. I guess they want the old folks caffeinated so they gamble more. It was a great stop. The turkey club was very good.
The day was beautiful until about an hour from El Reno. Then it did not look so good. But the "rush" hour traffic in Oklahoma City helped us out. We were doing 85 MPH through the city and people were passing us. So we beat the rain by a few minutes and tomorrow looks like another great day. Our luck is holding with the weather.
I am in a different motel than the rest of the group tonight. I rode over to their hotel to ride with them to the VFW where a local GWRRA chapter was providing dinner for us. One of my co riders there told me a bus was going to pick us up. And it did. A local school bus.
Nancy was driving the bus. One of the guys asked her how she got a school bus. She said she was a school teacher, a bus driver and our cook for the night. And she just asked her boss for the bus. One of the men yelled out "ARE YOU MARRIED?" She replied "happily for 40+ years and I am spoiled!" It was a hoot.
It soon became obvious to me after Nancy made some tight turns and backed up a few times that she knew how to drive a bus. I asked her how long she had been driving a bus. She said 25 years and she grew up on a farm operating equipment.
The meal was good and Nancy got us back to our motel.
I like striking up a friendly conversation with people and it is amazing how much I have in common with most folks. I have talked with several people in the last couple of days about how as we get older our bodies obviously age and have aches and pains but we still feel young mentally. Everyone says the same thing. They don't feel old mentally. I wrote a blog a few years ago about this subject that many people liked. You can read it here
Preparing to leave this morning
Video
Elevation Changes During the Day
The day started at 300 feet and ended at 1,357 feet. The highest altitude was 1,357 feet and the lowest altitude was 300 feet.