Ride across the USA

[Stichill_imp]

Looks like you saw some desolation on your way east, Django.

Yesterday I started out in Cuchara.



If you ever happen to be in that area, ride the scenic bypass highway 12 to Trinidad. It's well worth it if you like scenic and twisties.







After that the landscape became flat,



meeting a train,



even more flat.



In Germany we have a saying, if you are in the middle of nowhere, you are in "Pampa". Here we are:



Yesterday was highway day, riding thru those little morbid towns, partly abandoned. After staying the night at the KOA near Elk City, today was Interstate day and the Ozarks in the afternoon.

Near Oklahoma City the traffic get more crowded.



That's Oklahoma City



and after burning some more gas we enter Arkansas.



The Ozarks I really like! Lots of twisties and no speed limit beside the 55 miles. Arkansas seems not to pamper the traffic like they do in Colorado.



This night I stay in Kingston. Seems to have seen better times, too.

I'm curious. In what sense do you mean this? I don't fully grasp the observation.

I'm curious. In what sense do you mean this? I don't fully grasp the observation.
In Colorado there are much more speed limits before corners or along the passes. In Arkansas there is just 55 everywhere and you are more self responsible to find the right speed in the corners. There are only limits in the villages and neighborhoods. My observation.

OK, thank you. Very interesting observation.

You might have already understood this but the yellow speed limit signs at corners are "recommendations"...you don't have to follow them if you don't want or need to. I believe they are posted as a safety aid to truck drivers and people towing trailers, who might have big problems if they enter such a corner too fast.

The white speed limit signs are the actual legal speeds. Although, the degree of police speed control is variable from place to place.

In a state like Arkansas, most of the traffic is local and knows the roads. And, the state doesn't like to spend a lot of money to put up and maintain the yellow safety speed signs. So yes, anyone who is not local is expected to be self-responsible!

Safe travels!

[Django]

No no, I'm talking about the real speed limits, the white signs!

[Houtman_imp]

Django , I received your PM and send one back , look forward seeing you on sunday and here we can take care of your tires and oil change.

[the Ferret]

The yellows are called "Advisories" while the whites are called "Regulatories" and you must obey the white ones and I would cautiously trust any advisory that says 20 mph or less (25 years in the Highway Traffic sign business finally pays off lol)

[Django]

Some statistics this morning in Memphis:

9,228 km so far (5,735 miles)

overall pure riding time: 5 days 1 hour 36 minutes

average speed: 75.9 km/h

(not that I invest much into getting those numbers, I just noticed it at looking at my tracks and thought it might me worth a posting)

Interesting. If you had ridden from L.A. to Memphis via the shortest route, it would have been 1,792 miles. You've managed to extract almost 4,000 extra miles of fun with your route.

Interesting. If you had ridden from L.A. to Memphis via the shortest route, it would have been 1,792 miles. You've managed to extract almost 4,000 extra miles of fun with your route.
That is really a beautiful country and I really enjoyed those extra miles, most those accompanied by good friends!
Yesterday I found easily my way East out of Memphis, as RLS suggested to me. He helped me to plan the route for that day to Birmingham. Soon I was riding the nice back country roads.



From time to time I pass abandoned gas stations or grocery stores. If that would be beside Route 66, it was a monument, here in Mississippi it just rots.



Passed nice neighborhoods with cute houses and always cut lawn.



Passing small towns.



The lady in that gas station somewhere in Mississippi made me a big compliment: "With your accent you must be from New York".



Finally arrive in Alabama.



Good area to ride south of I22. Many twisties helped me to get my tires back into a more round shape.



Approaching Birmingham from the south was a good idea, not only avoiding the traffic in Birmingham, but also that thunderstorm. I made it just in time to Mscb1100's very nice home. Again I'm overwhelmed by the great hospitality! Thank you very much!



One more check at my list: Barbecue.



Mscb1100 helped me to make my plans visiting Barber's for today. That's what I gonna do this morning, then heading Atlanta.Not that I wanted visit Atlanta, but I have some duties to do there...

[kennyw]

Looks like you saw some desolation on your way east, Django.

Yesterday I started out in Cuchara.



If you ever happen to be in that area, ride the scenic bypass highway 12 to Trinidad. It's well worth it if you like scenic and twisties.







After that the landscape became flat,



meeting a train,



even more flat.



In Germany we have a saying, if you are in the middle of nowhere, you are in "Pampa". Here we are:



Yesterday was highway day, riding thru those little morbid towns, partly abandoned. After staying the night at the KOA near Elk City, today was Interstate day and the Ozarks in the afternoon.

Near Oklahoma City the traffic get more crowded.



That's Oklahoma City



and after burning some more gas we enter Arkansas.



The Ozarks I really like! Lots of twisties and no speed limit beside the 55 miles. Arkansas seems not to pamper the traffic like they do in Colorado.



This night I stay in Kingston. Seems to have seen better times, too.

I'm curious. In what sense do you mean this? I don't fully grasp the observation.

I'm curious. In what sense do you mean this? I don't fully grasp the observation.
In Colorado there are much more speed limits before corners or along the passes. In Arkansas there is just 55 everywhere and you are more self responsible to find the right speed in the corners. There are only limits in the villages and neighborhoods. My observation.

i wonder if Django was confusing cautionary signs like this for the actual speed limit:

i wonder if Django was confusing cautionary signs like this for the actual speed limit:

No, all of the roads we were on in Colorado had the speed limits changing every few miles. Some sections were down to 30 MPH on desolate mountain roads.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Some statistics this morning in Memphis:

9,228 km so far (5,735 miles)

overall pure riding time: 5 days 1 hour 36 minutes

average speed: 75.9 km/h

(not that I invest much into getting those numbers, I just noticed it at looking at my tracks and thought it might me worth a posting)

Interesting. If you had ridden from L.A. to Memphis via the shortest route, it would have been 1,792 miles. You've managed to extract almost 4,000 extra miles of fun with your route.

Interesting. If you had ridden from L.A. to Memphis via the shortest route, it would have been 1,792 miles. You've managed to extract almost 4,000 extra miles of fun with your route.
That is really a beautiful country and I really enjoyed those extra miles, most those accompanied by good friends!
Yesterday I found easily my way East out of Memphis, as RLS suggested to me. He helped me to plan the route for that day to Birmingham. Soon I was riding the nice back country roads.



From time to time I pass abandoned gas stations or grocery stores. If that would be beside Route 66, it was a monument, here in Mississippi it just rots.



Passed nice neighborhoods with cute houses and always cut lawn.



Passing small towns.



The lady in that gas station somewhere in Mississippi made me a big compliment: "With your accent you must be from New York".



Finally arrive in Alabama.



Good area to ride south of I22. Many twisties helped me to get my tires back into a more round shape.



Approaching Birmingham from the south was a good idea, not only avoiding the traffic in Birmingham, but also that thunderstorm. I made it just in time to Mscb1100's very nice home. Again I'm overwhelmed by the great hospitality! Thank you very much!



One more check at my list: Barbecue.



Mscb1100 helped me to make my plans visiting Barber's for today. That's what I gonna do this morning, then heading Atlanta.Not that I wanted visit Atlanta, but I have some duties to do there...

I believe Mississippi is the poorest state by income (2019).

[the Ferret]

with your accent you must be from New York

[suhawk305]

A Brooklyn accent to be more specific.....

[Stichill_imp]

Some statistics this morning in Memphis:

9,228 km so far (5,735 miles)

overall pure riding time: 5 days 1 hour 36 minutes

average speed: 75.9 km/h

(not that I invest much into getting those numbers, I just noticed it at looking at my tracks and thought it might me worth a posting)

Interesting. If you had ridden from L.A. to Memphis via the shortest route, it would have been 1,792 miles. You've managed to extract almost 4,000 extra miles of fun with your route.

Interesting. If you had ridden from L.A. to Memphis via the shortest route, it would have been 1,792 miles. You've managed to extract almost 4,000 extra miles of fun with your route.
That is really a beautiful country and I really enjoyed those extra miles, most those accompanied by good friends!
Yesterday I found easily my way East out of Memphis, as RLS suggested to me. He helped me to plan the route for that day to Birmingham. Soon I was riding the nice back country roads.



From time to time I pass abandoned gas stations or grocery stores. If that would be beside Route 66, it was a monument, here in Mississippi it just rots.



Passed nice neighborhoods with cute houses and always cut lawn.



Passing small towns.



The lady in that gas station somewhere in Mississippi made me a big compliment: "With your accent you must be from New York".



Finally arrive in Alabama.



Good area to ride south of I22. Many twisties helped me to get my tires back into a more round shape.



Approaching Birmingham from the south was a good idea, not only avoiding the traffic in Birmingham, but also that thunderstorm. I made it just in time to Mscb1100's very nice home. Again I'm overwhelmed by the great hospitality! Thank you very much!



One more check at my list: Barbecue.



Mscb1100 helped me to make my plans visiting Barber's for today. That's what I gonna do this morning, then heading Atlanta.Not that I wanted visit Atlanta, but I have some duties to do there...

Wow, that is really an impressive language-skills accomplishment!

Regarding the hobby of finding old gas stations, as you travel east be on the lookout for wooden structures close to the road that (usually) have no gas pumps but still have a large canopy, for example like this:



Be careful around Atlanta...so much traffic!