April 28: Route 66

Tonight I am at a Cracker Barrel in Arkansas so that tomorrow I can get my bus to a front end specialist who can, I trust, repair the damage driving on the worst roads ever. Miles of washboard dirt, cracked pavement, and washed out gravel. The slope to get into places was often so steep my under bus storage boxes are beat up and no longer close all the way so that everything inside is wet and moldy. I am hoping to find someone to do body work one of these days.

There's been some lightening and it's beginning to rain ... conditions that are predicted the next two days. Oklahoma, and I presume Arkansas as well, get some sever weather. Fortunately, we've not gotten the worst of any storm, just wind, rain, and lightening (and the hail out in the field). Alarms go off on the phone for tornado watches a dozen miles away, which is all new and scary to me. There was deadly flooding about 200 miles south and west of us over the weekend. My only flooding so far are the disposable turkey pan under my air conditioner and the bottom step.

The two nights at Hi-Way Cafe in Vinita, OK were my intro to Route 66. It's crazy, but the huge statue of a Native American chief looked familiar. It's because he is!! In 2023 the 20-foot tall statue known as Big Chief was relocated from the Route 2 in Charlemont, MA where it stood for 49 years along the Mohawk Trail, at the Big Indian Shop, now the Native and Himalayan Views souvenir shop. He joined Muffler Man.

The Cherokee Cultural and Welcome Center, also on Route 66, was not as impressive as I'd hoped. There was a pottery display, two showcases with local history, a gift shop, and a slew of Oklahoma destinations.

More than 1,000 events are taking place May 1, only one of which is anywhere near where I am now ... and none on the map for where I'm headed when Karmalita is fixed. I may have to settle for a virtual gathering.