I was riding west all morning with the sun on my back. I was concerned that I would get a serious sun burn on my neck so I stopped at a western wear store and bought a cowboy bandana. Now I look like a real badass. I lather up with sun screen every morning but I've got a hell of a tan going already on my face and arms.
I have to be careful to stay hydrated so I have been stopping every hour and slurping back the Gatorade.
Around noon I decided to do a search for the Oklahoma City KOA campground. Once I had the address I punched it into my GPS and off I went. It had me arriving at about 5:00 pm which was perfect. I have had my issues with GPS directions in the past but today was the worst ever. Following it's directions I turned off the highway and proceeded along a secondary road. After about 5 miles the pavement ended and I began to worry. The GPS said I still had a few miles to go. At this point I should have turned around but I remembered a similar situation in Newfoundland that turned out to be correct so I kept going. The road was getting worse and worse by the mile. It had obviously rained hard some days earlier because there was dried up muddy ruts and the road would be impassable if it was still wet. The earth was rust colored just like PEI (Prince Edward Island). Here is a couple of shots at a point of no return.
I was seriously lost. It was hot. I was tired and I wasn't ready for any dirt biking with a Harley and a trailer. Without getting into all the crazy thoughts running through my head, I eventually got out of this situation and found my way to the correct address for the camp ground.
It was 6:30 pm when I finally pulled into the KOA camp site. After getting the camper set up I poured a couple of stiff ones and collapsed
You did an about face then? I want to know ALL the crazy thoughts that run through your head!! Its entertainment that I don't have to pay for! LOL (yes, I know, there's no such thing as a free lunch -- I will have to scoop cat scat later this month) but DO elaborate when you have the energy...
ReplyDeleteKing, I was mad at myself for actually thinking that the GPS was taking me to the KOA campground. I was starting to question my sanity for pushing on along these red clay dirt roads that kept getting worse every mile. How could big motorhomes and trailers ever negotiate these muddy rut filled roads? I finally got to a point where it was no more than a cow trail and decided this was definitely not the right way. I needed to turn around but there was no room. I had ridden 350 miles in sweltering heat and I was tired and frustrated but I had to get out somehow. I only wished I'd taken a photo at this stage. You would not have believed how bad it was. I tried to drive up a slight grade so I could roll backward and jacknife the trailer and somehow get turned around. As I was attempting this I almost dropped my 800lb. bike which made me wonder if I would be able to pick it up or was I going to have to sleep on the cow trail? Ultimately I was successful through shear will power but it was very close to a disaster. I trust you got some entertainment value from my misadventure. I appreciate your comments so don't stop now.
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