August 19 was a travel day. We mostly rode highways, and managed 413 miles. Our goal was to outpace the thunderstorms that were covering the region.

When we headed out from Branson this morning, we were in full rain gear – and we needed it! We rode further into the Ozarks, and in 20 miles were in Arkansas. More hills, more forest – very beautiful, but we were still trying to get ahead of the weather. We were rained on, sometimes with major gusts, for the first four hours solidly. We stopped for lunch in Springdale, Arkansas – at a restaurant known as Susan’s, on highway 412. The lunch was wonderful! Homemade beef stew for me and ham and bean soup for Rob – and BLTs for both of us. This was all washed down with several hot cups of coffee. When our fingers had finally warmed up, we paid up and hit the road again. I highly recommend Susan’s Restaurant to any weary travelers!

We crossed into Oklahoma without realizing we had. Suddenly we were in the Cherokee Nation. There were turnpike toll roads for various tribes along this route – quite reasonable, and the road was good in these sections (and the speed limit is 75). We flew along, still trying to get ahead of the weather. It seemed to stay ahead of us – just when we’d see a clearer sky, the clouds would move in.

From rich fields to high desert, all in the space of a few miles

Finally, we moved ahead of the pattern – in Enid. We got to be free of our nylon pants and jackets (etc.). We decided we could continue on to Woodward. As we headed west, suddenly the farmland was dotted with mesas and other formations. The soil became a rich red color. And naturally – we ran into road work! We were halted for about half an hour, while the highway was down to one lane for the re-paving project.

We waited, but not too patiently.

Finally, we made it to Woodward. Here we will rest and start out for our new adventure – to New Mexico, perhaps? After all, tomorrow is another day!