Day 21
Shamrock to Elk City --58miles
It does not matter what time I start now, it is getting hot and staying hot. At 7am this morning the tempter was 75 degrees when I left. To my advantage the wind is a cross wind from the south cooling me off with a little comfort. The hills are rolling so the road are rollers and although not steep can be challenging in maintaining a consistency in pace. There are portions of the ride where visibility is great giving you a look down road of at least five miles ahead of you. The land is brown where wheat has been harvested and many areas with green trees and grass growing down into the small valleys on both sides of the road. The simple beauty of the land allows the mind to separate itself from the burning pain while climbing the many short rollers. There is good shoulder to ride with six feet of space between me and the car lane to my left. The truckers have been very courteous in their passing me on the lane closest to the medium. My first stop is for breakfast in Texola which is half mile after crossing the Oklahoma boarder. By the way Happy Fathers day to all you men with children. After having my three eggs, toast, cottage cheese and a bowl of oatmeal, I am off again and start feeling my comfortable groove with my spirits riding high. But that was not to last long when I feel my rear wheel going soft and starts to fish tail. I have a flat tire, a rear one at that. So I unclip my bags and turn the bike upside down. The rear wheel comes of easily and taking the tire off is no problem. I find the varmint that found its pleasure in halting my journey for a short spell. It is a fine piece of wire used in the casing of the big rig tires. I did not do a very good job in avoiding the big rig tire debris a couple miles back. Fixing a tire is not so bad but to have to do it under the basking sun with no shade is not fun. Having fixed the tire I continue along with sun rising and getting hotter. I pass a pasture with a herd of black and brown cows, they raise their heads still chewing and stare as I ride by. I make a mooo call and must have said something important because they all began walking and then running in the same direction I was riding . ”STAMPEED”, MOVE THEM OUT, HEAD THEM OUT, RAWHIDE, CUT THEM OUT, RIDE THEM OUT, RAWHIDE. It was really something to see these dossal animals in a run. Good thing they were fenced, had they not been it would have been steak I-40. WHAT FUN. I get into the small town of Sayre where my next stay would be, but decide to just have a good lunch at the truck stop and leave with a couple of hours to get to Elk City. For a while I was feeling the heat and of course regretted my hasty decision to continue in this heat with low humidity. Fortunately I stopped at the Route 66 museum where the reception was kind enough to call the local hotels and set me up at the most friendly one in town. I had to ride another four miles to the Hotel Clarion off the I-40. I must have looked pretty beat because the first thing that was said to me was “sir, are you ok, would you like something to drink?” I replied yes, a very cold beer. Unfortunately the bar was closed and I settled for water. The receptionist Erica was absolutely wonderful and Rhonda who asked where I was from turned out to be originally from Sacramento, Ca. herself. Both made me feel that this was where I was supposed to be. After settling in and rehydrating myself, I sat in the Jacuzzi for a few minutes and rested in the atrium with no one else around. This place is huge. It has an open area with a miniature nine hole golf course, an area with electronic games, full size shuffle floor game, ping ball table, and table settings around a water fall with lots of tropical plants. There is restaurant which is very cozy with seating out in the atrium. I am told that the hotel is mostly used by the community for family reunions, corporate functions, and school activities along with passing visitors. Very family friendly. Still in my swim trunks and long sleeve shirt I had dinner in the restaurant before returning to my room. To my surprise Rhonda greeted me with a menu and said you may sit where ever you would like. She was very warm in her presentation and I felt the sincerity in her doing everything to make my meal enjoyable. During my stay I was able to start this journal, rest and most importantly talk with the staff. They treated me like a celebrity being introduced to staff and others when in the dining room or just in passing. Rhonda and I talked most. She shared her life experience with me while I was having my meals and she tending other guest. I with my small not book at my table wrote as much as possible. After sitting a while listening to Rhonda’s life story I felt this stay was meant to be more than a rest stop. Rhonda speaks of her co-worker very fondly and says they are my family. She says she has family back in CA. but never hears from them and gave up when she never received any replies form her letters to them. The last time I went to CA to visit my younger son, I did not call any of them until the day I left. They managed to get together and proceeded to scold me for not letting them know of my arrival sooner. It was then that I told them of my efforts to contact them with no reply back from them and that I had just resigned from any more efforts to be part of the family and that I recognized it was more important for them to be more involved in acquiring their place of importance. So I have not heard from them since. Before writing this I asked if she did not mind me using her experience as part of my journal which would be read by the family and friends keeping track of me. She replied “you are the only one that I have shared this with, no one here knows what I have told you.” But if will help others to understand the reason for hard choices, I do not mind. Rhonda was born in Idaho and raised in CA and after while moved about as youth as many of us have, experiencing life. I asked Rhonda how long she had been in OK. She stated that she left CA in 1996 after living homeless for six months under bridges and other homeless camps. I chose to live that way after my son took to using drugs. I tried everything in getting him help but found that I was enabling him by providing him with home, food, clothing and a few dollars all too often. I got to the point where I was losing everything so I sold what I had left and packed what I thought I would need. When he came home for the last time I was waiting bags in hand and first thing I said was “well do you like what you see now, I am going to live with you now”. He said nothing. I went with him to where he hung out with other homeless and I became the one of them, it was my choice. I learned a great deal of survival, utilizing the food banks and other community services. I found myself doing things for other’s homeless I was living with. It is just my nature to help other people. It was getting colder and I believe that it was more than my son wanted to continue to live with knowing I was living this way to get him to see his own demise. I had been to OK. a few years back and liked the area and people, so I decided I had enough and found work saving enough money to get me back to OK. My son decided to leave with me and has been clean since. It was a new start and not being around the so called friends changed him. He married and has three beautiful children that visit often. It is cheaper to live here, I rent a nice a three bedroom home with a nice size living room, a very comfortable place at four hundred a month. I believe my son would be dead now had I not made that frightful decision back in 1996. I realized that we are not here to accumulate things but to nurture people with many sacrifices along the way. Every day I wake up with a prayer for everyone to be safe, I dress for work and before leaving the driveway I say to God “let’s get there and get them” I ask what she means by that. She replies “I work and meet many people, some very unhappy. Those that are unhappy try to strike at me and that’s when I try very hard to reverse that unhappy feeling their feeling so they might not lose to many wonderful moments of life. I do not have much in possession but I do have peace and love working here. I have a good life. Throughout all this Rhonda smiles with her eyes bright and a solemn expression of humility. Not often do I meet someone whose life demonstrates a brave stance on what is right for her without interfering into other lives quite the opposite of hers. I watched her with other guest making them feel important and respecting their request while doing whatever it takes to put a smile back on to their face, most leaving in better spirits than when they walked in. Rhonda speaks gently in replying to questions from co-workers and always ends with ” it will be ok”. Kim Haas, the pub manager is walking around talking to the staff, she is bubbly and smiling while conversing. This is her off day but decided between yard work and other shores she would stop by. Everyone is at ease with her and never misses a beat of what they are doing before stopping to talk with her. She says that the Hotel has been through several owners, the present one is out of Los Angles. The most memorial are Bob and Anna Redaelli who owned and operated it for fifteen years. They made it a family environment. It is said that many of the patrons stop by just because of the marquis off the highway which said “Bob and Anna welcome you”. They also made their presence in greeting and conversing with guest. I thank Kim as she leaves and inform her of the wonderful service, but most all the sincerity of the wonderful staff I have experience during my stay. The staff that are still present thank her for stopping by, their demeanor is that of family and yet of respect for the consideration and concerns she immulates as manger for the hotel. This is be another place I recommend a stop that is worth the time to visit. Once again my many thanks to Rhonda, Kim, Erica, Shelia, Brent, Wanda, Kendra (Bobbles), the maintenance staff and of course kitchen staff for the great service, food and the opportunity to have befriended OK hospitality.
I understand there are difference throughout our nation but our problems as a whole seem to be consistent in our need to survive as a family maintaining the strength to endure a unity of the people, for the people, and by the people. The unity of cultures.
Tomorrow Weatherford
Take care and Lv ya all
Old man emericed in the joy family
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