More fun at Afton Station

First of all, to the huge number of folks who can't handle a day without my blog (that's a joke, people!), I apologize for not posting yesterday, but I was just having too much fun. I got up earlier than usual and stayed out later than usual in order to maximize the fun time, so I beg forgiveness. And here's what made up my fun day. . .

When I read my email before leaving for Afton, I was terribly disappointed that the Run 4 The Relay that was supposed to stop by Afton had made some changes in plans and weren't going to be able to come. They got a last-minute invitation to tour the Cancer Treatment Center in Tulsa, and since they're traveling to raise money for cancer, I certainly had nothing bad to say about the change, other than that I was very disappointed. I shot back an email to that effect, and I guess the fine folks on the Relay sensed my disappointment in a big way, because they altered their schedule once again, thus surprising us by showing up at Afton Station after all! Many thanks to Eric Jones, Rodger Fox, and anyone else who made the decision. There were about 45 people in cars, trucks, and motorcycles who poured into the Station, much to the pleasure of Ron M., Betty, and I. They stayed about 45 minutes, so I hope they didn't get too far behind on their schedule. (The entire Run 4 The Relay will involve many more people, but since they're going all the way across Route 66, people join and drop out all along the way. Good luck to this group!)

Unfortunately, the vehicles in the Run 4 The Relay were strung out all along Route 66, so I couldn't get a great picture of them. Here are a few.

My much-anticipated guest, Cort Stevens from Elgin, Illinois arrived in the early afternoon. Cort and I have been communicating via email for quite a while, and it was great to get to know him in person. He's a lovely man who's the same age as my daughter (ooohhh, I feel SO old!) who has an abiding love of Route 66 and has done lots of studying for his first trip, which will extend all the way from IL to CA.

While Cort was there, I had a visit from my friend and MAJOR Route 66 icon, Bob Waldmire. I just love it when he shows up, but since he travels without much technology, one never knows when he'll arrive on one's doorstep. Bob, for those who don't know (which is nobody who reads this blog, I'm sure) is the very well-known artist and self-described "aging hippie" who has property in Arizona, complete with none of those niceties we all enjoy (like running water), and spends a great deal of time on the road in either his ancient VW Bus (which just happens to be the inspiration for Fillmore in the "Cars" movie) or his beloved Mustang. Gee, it's always so great to see Bob!
Here's Bob, putting a cute little illustration in the guest book.

We also had visits from folks from Anderson IN, Lansing MI, Lansing NY (cool coincidence), Waverly KS, and Dallas TX.

Cort and I had made plans to have dinner together in Tulsa in the evening, so the plan was that Ron M. would drive my car home and I'd ride with Cort so I could show him everything between Afton and Tulsa on Route 66. He loved it! (So did I!) When we got to Tulsa, we checked out the venerable Desert Hills Motel for him, since he really wanted to stay in a mom 'n pop rather than a chain, and we're definitely short on mom 'n pops in this town. Unfortunately, all we've heard recently proved to be true. He asked to see the room first, and it was far below acceptable. There were also some lost souls wandering around the parking lot, and the smell of smoke in the non-smoking room was overwhelming. So, very reluctantly, we found a chain which suited him perfectly well. I'm quite disappointed about the Desert Hills. It could have such potential. Let's hope there's some improvement in the near future.

Cort and I had a nice dinner at Ollie's Station restaurant on Route 66 in West Tulsa, and then I took him back to the motel. At dinner, we discussed the remainder of his trip, and I have a few tips on "must sees" along the Route. I know he's going to have a fantastic time, because his enthusiasm is infectious. My only disappointment is that I was having SO much fun that I didn't get a good photo of Cort.

Waldmire, moi, and the back of Cort's head

Hey Cort, if you're reading this, how about sending me a picture of the front of your head. LOL!)

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This cow was about to step out into the road, and he wasn't a bit happy that we stopped to take a picture. Farmer, mend thy fences!