A leisurely drive across Oklahoma, west to east, after setting out later than intended yesterday, brought us almost to the Arkansas border by 5pm.
The late spring countryside, freshly green and lush, red and yellow wild flowers on the roadsides, was a pleasure to behold. For entertainment we listened to a mix of Golden Oldies and NPR news via the car radio.
NPR news was mainly concerned with another golden oldie - Rev Wright's diatribes and Barack Obama's outrage. I must be feeling ultra cynical after the overload of politics we've been experiencing lately, but I find there's something decidedly fishy about recent events. The scenes don't fit the story so far. Why did Wright do it - again? Why now? It certainly provided a helpful platform for Senator Obama to do his denouncing bit, more clearly than on the previous occasion, and at a useful point, just before more important primaries. Veeeery Int-er-esting !
We decided to stay overnight in a town called Poteau - Fench name, but the town is pure Okie. Booked in at Best Western "Traders' Inn". The Mexican restaurant where we ate, next to the motel, tried dutifully to join in with the multi-cultural flavour of it all.
We're informed by tourist blurb that "You can see Sugar Loaf Mountain to the east, Winding Stair Mountain to the south, Cavanal Hill to the west and the foothills of the Kiamichi's where Talimena Scenic Byway is located. Various races of men have known the region throughout the centuries. Mound Builders, between 500 and 1300 A.D., built their temples and burial places in what is now the Spiro area, just north of Poteau. Mayan Indians pressing up from Mexico and Central and South American, clashed with the Mound Builders hundreds of years ago."
We look forward to the views on the way out of town. We're within a few miles of the Arkansas border, should reach Hot Springs by lunchtime, if not sideracked by the need to investigate antique stores or discover other distractions. But first, we need to recover after a night disturbed by the electric clock at bedside waking us twice with an unholy mix of very loud rap music. A previous guest must have left on the alarm, and himself inadvertantly hit the snooze button to get rid of the cacophony, which really was deafening. Fifteen minutes later, dozing off nicely again, we had an encore. Very anniversarial!
Off soon to find a nice down-home diner for breakfast. I love having breakfast out -never did do it in the UK. It's one of the many pleasures of life on the road in the USA
The late spring countryside, freshly green and lush, red and yellow wild flowers on the roadsides, was a pleasure to behold. For entertainment we listened to a mix of Golden Oldies and NPR news via the car radio.
NPR news was mainly concerned with another golden oldie - Rev Wright's diatribes and Barack Obama's outrage. I must be feeling ultra cynical after the overload of politics we've been experiencing lately, but I find there's something decidedly fishy about recent events. The scenes don't fit the story so far. Why did Wright do it - again? Why now? It certainly provided a helpful platform for Senator Obama to do his denouncing bit, more clearly than on the previous occasion, and at a useful point, just before more important primaries. Veeeery Int-er-esting !
We decided to stay overnight in a town called Poteau - Fench name, but the town is pure Okie. Booked in at Best Western "Traders' Inn". The Mexican restaurant where we ate, next to the motel, tried dutifully to join in with the multi-cultural flavour of it all.
We're informed by tourist blurb that "You can see Sugar Loaf Mountain to the east, Winding Stair Mountain to the south, Cavanal Hill to the west and the foothills of the Kiamichi's where Talimena Scenic Byway is located. Various races of men have known the region throughout the centuries. Mound Builders, between 500 and 1300 A.D., built their temples and burial places in what is now the Spiro area, just north of Poteau. Mayan Indians pressing up from Mexico and Central and South American, clashed with the Mound Builders hundreds of years ago."
We look forward to the views on the way out of town. We're within a few miles of the Arkansas border, should reach Hot Springs by lunchtime, if not sideracked by the need to investigate antique stores or discover other distractions. But first, we need to recover after a night disturbed by the electric clock at bedside waking us twice with an unholy mix of very loud rap music. A previous guest must have left on the alarm, and himself inadvertantly hit the snooze button to get rid of the cacophony, which really was deafening. Fifteen minutes later, dozing off nicely again, we had an encore. Very anniversarial!
Off soon to find a nice down-home diner for breakfast. I love having breakfast out -never did do it in the UK. It's one of the many pleasures of life on the road in the USA
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