Monumental

Ron M. and I drove up to Miami this morning to check out the new Ribbon Road monument I first mentioned on Tuesday.   It's done, firmly implanted in the ground, and looking great.  Here it is.  Remember, you can click on the photo to enlarge it so you can more easily read the text. 

We rushed back from Miami so we could be there in time to open Afton Station but that turned out not to be necessary.  For one thing, Marly and Phil were already there and had opened up for me.  And then, after Marly and Phil left to do other things, Ron and I ended up sitting there with no visitors for the first two hours.  It was almost noon before our first guests arrived, this couple from Thurold, Ontario, Canada.  We had a very nice chat about several subjects such as Niagara Falls (they live close to it, and I used to), the US/Canada exchange rate, and their frustration with some aspects of their Route 66 trip.  Although they're having a great time, they have struggled with losing their way a number of times.  I let them know that they'd be just fine in Oklahoma, where it's fairly easy to negotiate Route 66 with the help of a good map or guidebook.

Our next visitor was also quite interesting.  A young man, a recruiter for Northeastern State University of Oklahoma, was taking advantage of a free hour before heading to Afton High School to try to interest some of the seniors in his fine institution of  higher learning.  After touring the Station, he sat with us for a while and I found it interesting to hear his tales of how the recruiting "biz" has changed over the years.  College expenses are higher (but I guess we all knew that), the kids are less interested in what he has to say, and many of them depend on their parents to fill out their applications, apply for loans, etc. Nevertheless, he hopes to nudge at least a couple of motivated Afton kids toward NSU.  

Next, a couple of guys from Claremore OK, right up the road, stopped by for a second visit and a half hour of drooling over the old cars.  Finally, the couple from Rochester, IN who visited on Tuesday came back for a second time.  They'll be in the area for another couple of weeks, visiting their son's new farm in the Afton area, and plan to return a few more times before they head for home.  He loves the cars, and she is great fun to chat with.  Looking forward to seeing them again.

There you have it.  Only 7 visitors today and Robin visited with only 6 yesterday.  I guess it's time to admit that the season is winding down and it's time to reduce my hours.  Therefore, I hereby declare the following:

BEGINNING THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, WE WILL BEGIN OUR WINTER HOURS:   OPEN WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY.  CLOSED MONDAY, TUESDAY AND THURSDAY UNLESS WE ARE CONTACTED A COUPLE OF DAYS IN ADVANCE, IN WHICH CASE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE TRAVELERS ON THOSE DAYS.   Remember, this schedule doesn't start for a few weeks.