Jimmy Byrd and students
This was not to be a fund raiserride, but two things changed that. First, due to drought, we must build a water tower for the school and second, the Richard Mascarello family has offered to match any donations up to the total number miles ridden. So keep the water flowing for the kids and hit the donate button.

Also, instructor Kevin Lee is a auctioning off a 2 week paragliding course in southern Oregon to support the school.

See it here.


TO READ THE FLORIDA TO CALIFORNIA LEG CLICK here or go to lostboater.blogspot.com

Thursday, May 27, 2010

We left the "Bates" motel and continued east.  I still was not feeling better, but I wanted to get in a long day today. The first 50 miles was so straight and flat, there was not even one no passing zone. The road continued long and straight and was either flat or a few rolling hills with almost no occupied houses and no one to stop and visit. I did have some long conversations with people a Guyman and a couple of gas stops.  The day just droned on until we came to the top of a hill out side of Buffalo.  Dawn and his side kicks stopped everyone, well me, a car, a Harley and a truck in the half hour I visited with them.  A tractor trailer had turned over down the hill and they were sending everybody back or on 15 mile detour which had 8 miles of dirt road.  I asked them if I could go down and ask the patrolman if I could push Scoot around on on the shoulder.  They totally rejected that idea.  The detour was down the hill, so we rolled on by, ignored the bypass, asked to Highway Patrol if we could slide around and he said sure and bring those two pickup trucks with you.  I have always had a problem with people telling me "no" to a sensible solution.




In Buffalo, we got gas an met Kelly Smith.  Kelly is a pipeline welder from Georgia and was riding around the midwest until a new pipeline job starts next month.  Then rolled in the Harely that took the by pass.  They were from Tennessee, a husband and wife.  The detour was not to bad until a truck passed them and they ate his dust for six miles.


I saw the Harely couple again in Alva eating at a gas station as there seemed to be no restaurants open this late.  I pushed on down the road to a BBQ joint that had a parking lot full of flashy motorcycles.  They left as I came in.  There was one left when I finished and it belonged to a couple from Wichita who were just out on this beautiful day riding around.

US64 took a turn to the right and it had no hotels at the distance I wanted to stop today, so I continued straight ahead on OK11 to Blackwell.  By the time I got there and checked into a very comfortable Comfort Inn my strep throat was killing me.  I called my Dr., Saint, Stan and he called in a prescription to the Hutton Drug store in town. Blackwell is another town that Walmart killed, but Mr. Hutton was hanging in there.

I am going to take a lay day here and see if the medicine works.  If not I might have to load Scoot and a truck an make the next 1220 miles on 4 wheels.
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