Getting Our Kicks On Route 66!

A difficult Internet connection at our July 4th and 5th Campsite allowed us to veg out. We watched fireworks, went to a dance, and laid poolside perfecting our tans. It seems a conspiracy of standing, riding, walking, and medicine is making my legs and feet swell. I figured a couple of lazy days were in order and Dr. Scafuri is adjusting my medicine to help mitigate the problem. Ahhh, relaxation. Sweet!

This morning we packed up and headed down historic Route 66 to Oklahoma City. 66 is considered the "Mother Road" and it certainly has it's share of history. Today we had fun checking out the many strange signs, shops and sights from the saddle of the Honda.

We stopped in a dozen or more places and enjoyed everyone we met. Maybe most of all a couple of random GIs we saw shopping at Outdoor World. Our sleeping bags, although new and in perfect condition, were not very comfortable; maybe it's my size. We decided to give them away to the two soldiers, just back from Afghanistan, and bought ourselves some new, larger bags. They accepted the gift graciously and we felt a bit of a glow that we could do a small thing for them who have done big, difficult things for us.

More sightseeing...

After the new sleeping bags were stowed in the camper we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. This was one of the most emotion provoking experiences we've had in a long time. The museum starts you at the time just before the blast, then re-creates the sights, narratives, and turmoil of the event when a rented Ryder truck full of explosives detonates in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killing 168 innocent people. There are many moments in the telling of the story when you just can't keep a dry eye. In the lawn, where the building stood, are 168 chairs. Then you notice some of the chairs are small, about half size, representing the kids killed in the day care center. That realization hit me like a punch in the gut. The names of the perpetrators of this senseless act should be lost to history so I will not say them here, referring to them only as shitheads. Shithead number one was put to death, while number two was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. I figure they got off about 168 times too light.

More sightseeing... Bricktown, the Capitol Building, the Cowboy Museum, then we pointed the Gold Wing in the direction of Colorado stopping in Kingfisher, Oklahoma for tonight's rest. Tomorrow, Kansas, the by the weekend we will be high in the Colorado Rockies.