Woke up in Arkansas, and realized that I wanted to be in Durango by Friday. Figured I'd knock off as much of Oklahoma as possible, and leave the more scenic drive (Route 160 from Trinidad through the Rockies into Durango) for Friday. Got in the car and started driving. Kept driving. Drove some more. Then there was some more driving. After that, I had to drive more. Long story short, Oklahoma is really, really big. and flat. The state was not big on activities or shenanigans, but it was truly huge. The sense of space, especially for someone with my background (born and raised in manhattan) was almost indescribable. You can see to the horizon 360 degrees, and the horizon is anywhere from 100 miles and up. Rolling plains, mesas, it really looks like the old west. More so than Texas, at least to my recollection.
I keep on finding myself just in awe of the country. I try to imagine what the first people (I'll shy away from the the native american political discussion) to see these places must have thought. I have some perspective and expectations, from magazines, movies, etc - so what I'm seeing corresponds to my preconceptions and expectations. And even I'm left speechless at the sheer size of the country and its beauty. Someone seeing this for the first time must have just been overwhelmed.
The only thing of note that happened to me in OK was that I hit something doing about 80. I'm pretty sure it was a chupacabra. Could have been a pheasant, but if you think about it, chupacabra is the much more likely scenario. At any rate, I now have a sweet dent in my hood. I rationalize it by thinking that it could have been high and come through the windshield, or it could have been low and gone through the radiator. But then again, it might not have hit me at all. That wouldn't have been an altogether crappy scenario either.
So without crazy experiences to share about OK, i will put some thoughts down from the trip so far.
- I had a wobble in my steering wheel which I attributed to my U-joints, my tires, my steering stabilizer, etc... Chased it down for a long time, got it better but not perfect by rebalancing my wheels a few times. Finally pulled over and figured I should check my tire pressures. I was about a pound and a half off from side to side. Equalized them and the wobble is pretty much gone.
- I gave them a chance, and no - I still really don't like spiders. Got in the truck after Arkansas, and there was a spider crawling on the brim of my hat. As in, 2 inches from my eye, and seemed like it was aobut 4 feet big to my unshowered, half-asleep perception.
- It takes about 2 days to develop a wicked trucker's tan (left arm dark, everything else not so dark)
- if you try to remedy said trucker's tan by using spray sunblock, keep in mind that you're still going 70, your window is open, and most of the sunblock will go into your eyes and make you blind.
- Brake fluid is good for a number of things, not least being that it makes your hands seem cleaner than they are. Then it's good for taking the painted symbols off of the buttons on your stereo.
- Carb cleaner is good for cleaning carbs. Also for going into your eyes and making you blind.
- My truck treats power steering fluid the way a college freshman treats light beer. Lots goes in, lots comes out.
I will leave you with pictures of Oklahoma. It really is a beautiful place, although 700 miles of it in a day gets taxing.
The damage done by a chupacabra - particularly annoying, because it wasn't done on a trail or in any sort of cool fashion.
Chupacabra feathers:
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