Cannonball to Arkansas

After a wonderful night at Palo Duro Canyon, it was time to put down some miles and make some time. But first, we had to backtrack slightly to Cadillac Ranch. We’d driven right by it on I-40 in Amarillo the previous day, but I couldn’t figure out how to backtrack to it through the maze of one-way and two-way frontage roads. Instead, I let Google figure it out for us the following morning since we had to come back to Amarillo anyway to pick up I-40.

I’d stopped here during my Route 66 trip in October 2021, but Melissa had never seen it. As one of the most famous sights on Route 66, I had to show her. I even found a can of spray paint in the trailer so we could leave our marks, which is not only allowed but actively encouraged here. They even sell (overpriced) spray paint on site, so you can join in if you forgot to bring your own.

I made my mark from one of the few bits of solid ground anywhere near one of the Cadillacs half buried in the dirt. Melissa got far more adventurous, flipping off her flip-flops and tromping into the mud and water. We both tried to write something sappy about each other, but our graffiti skills were quite poor since we’d never done the illegal variety before. It’s okay. We know they’re there.

From there, it was eastbound and down I-40 across the rest of the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma. The wind picked up pretty badly, forcing me to slow down so that I at least had a chance of not getting blown out of my lane. It was a white-knuckle drive for me, the type that I try to avoid, but there’s no avoiding winds like this across the Great Plains. The tall van and trailer were basically a sail with a hinge in the middle, and we got blown around a lot. We just had to take our time and get through it.

Our overnight stop was Cracker Barrel in Shawnee, Oklahoma, just east of Oklahoma City. It was a long driving day, but we got there in one piece. After all that swerving around in the crosswind, I was concerned about stuff inside the trailer. While a few loose items had fallen off the shelves, pretty much everything was still in place. The motorcycle was secure, and nothing had fallen on it hard enough to damage it. That was a big relief. Even Melissa was getting nervous watching the trailer sway back and forth in the wind.

Lister, however, seemed more interested in this power transformer than in anything else in the area, even the grass he was starting to see for the first time in months.

The long push through the wind on Saturday paid off on Sunday, with a shorter drive to Arkansas. This was one of the few states in the lower 48 I hadn’t visited yet. That number is now down to four (Kentucky, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota). The process of setting up camp at Melissa’s place was complicated. The plan was to park on top of a hill, away from the house where her adult children live, so we wouldn’t be in their way. However, we didn’t know what the conditions were like getting up there, if I’d fit, or if I could even drive up the grassy hill. So we left the van and trailer at a grocery store she used to work at, with the permission of a manager who was happy to see her again, and we scouted both the hill and the local roads in the 4Runner. She lives on a gravel county road, which can become difficult to drive when it gets wet. However, it was dry and had been recently graded, so even “the hard way” was perfectly passable for my van and trailer.

The hill, however, needed some work. The first thing I noticed was low tree branches. The 4Runner could get under them, but the van could not. Melissa also said that the ticks and chiggers were already out and about, so we’d have to treat the area before we could move in. The tricky bit was the weather forecast. It was supposed to rain Monday night, which meant that we had to get all this done the next day, plus get the van and trailer situated on the hill before it got too slippery to drive it.

It was late in the day, so we headed to an alternate landing site at a friend’s house that they had graciously offered. There was plenty of room to park on flat ground. They showed us the ultimate Southern hospitality, right down to sharing a little bit of moonshine. Okay, maybe more than a little bit. Good times and good laughs were had.

I had to trim branches at my Florida family’s house so that the van could get in and out of their driveway, and Melissa had the same type of tool I used there, so handled that part of the operation while she treated the lawn. That part didn’t take very long. What took the most time was simply driving all over the place, since nothing is close by out here in the Ozarks. It’s beautiful country, and I’m sure I’ll thoroughly enjoy exploring it on the motorcycle, but the distances were a giant time sink.

Clouds covered the sun throughout the afternoon, indicating that rain would be moving in even earlier than predicted. We went back to the grocery store where we’d left the van and trailer a second time (we can’t block the driveway with them due to a neighbor who shares it), then drove the whole kit ‘n’ caboodle back to the house. At the turn to her gravel road, we pulled over into a gravel area. I detached from the trailer, and we hooked it up to the 4Runner instead. I didn’t think I’d be able to tow it up the grassy hill with the van, but the 4Runner has four-wheel drive, plus it’s smaller and much more maneuverable.

All of our planning and preparation paid off. Melissa towed the trailer up the hill in 4-Low with no problem. I walked behind her, radio in hand, to tell her if I saw any problems from behind, but there were none. We found a place to leave the trailer, detached it, and went back to get the van. This time, Melissa followed me up the hill with a radio to give me directions along the way. With the van in “Slippery” mode, which basically reduces throttle inputs to provide more precise control with the gas pedal, I chose the best line I could and made it up the hill with only a little bit of wheelspin in one place that traction control and my limited slip differential solved. It was easy to maneuver into my intended parking space on top.

One of Melissa’s dogs, Bear, was there to help us the entire way. By “help,” I mean walk with us and be friendly. I find it amusing that the two Great Pyrenees dogs I’ve known, Melissa’s and my aunt Betsy’s, are named Bear and Moose, each after other enormous species. My giant van looks like a small SUV next to Bear. His head is even bigger than mine.

At that point, I was wiped out. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening resting in the van, with a quick trip to the house to take a much-needed shower. I’m used to the desert, where sweat evaporates instantly, but that’s not the case in Arkansas. I am, however, greatly appreciating the vibrant green of the grass and trees instead of 50 shades of brown in the desert.

It rained overnight and drizzled most of today, which means the lawn treatment has washed away enough to be safe to finally let Lister outside. He’s been cooped up in the van for a while and appreciates knowing his surroundings. He’s a lot more calm now that he’s explored the immediate area. He and Bear get along wonderfully. Bear is a calm dog and not up in Lister’s face. At their first meeting Lister showed Bear he was the boss, which Bear is completely fine with, and they’ve been friends ever since.

I’ve taken today mostly as a rest day, though I have started to catch up on things and begin the list of things to do when I get to Arkansas. Starlink is up, since there is no cell service here, and my weather station is back on the roof. There’s a Cycle Gear less than an hour from the house, so I ordered a new back tire for the motorcycle to get shipped to the store. I’ll leave the ratchet straps on the front of the bike inside the trailer, then jack up the back, remove the rear wheel, and take it into the store to get the new tire put on when it arrives. That will keep the bike secure and under cover while the wheel is off. When I put it back together, it’s time to start exploring the area on two wheels, which is my secondary objective in being here.