Abbreviated poker run, but lots of visitors

------The Crew -------

Once again, the weather interfered with activities at Afton Station, but not too much this time. It rained all night, but today turned out to be quite nice, although apparently not nice enough for most of the drivers of the custom cars who had signed up for in Darryl Starbird's poker run. Of the 40-something cars which were entered, only five actually showed up. So, handing out playing cards to the entrants turned out to be the easy part of our day. There were lots of others out on the road, and in total we visited with 30 people today (maybe more... I lost count after a while.) Ron M., Tattoo Man Ron, and David were all there to help out, which was very nice.

Guests hailed from all over the map: Edmonton, Alberta, Topeka KS, Maple Valley WA, Eudora KS, Lee's Summit MO, Billings MO, Branson MO, Springfield MO, Dallas TX, Houston TX, Bella Vista AR, and Vero Beach FL, as well as several local folks. Some were on motorcycles, some in classic cars, some in the family vehicle. That red, white, and blue beauty is Tattoo Man's '56 Chevy. The other car is visiting. David's dog Black Jack made a new friend when some of the local Afton kids came in with their weenie dog!

Since we had several visitors come in just as we were closing, we got a late start coming home. Tomorrow I'll be going back early to meet Kara Dean, a new friend from the Route 66 Yahoo group who will be passing through in the morning. I look forward to meeting this young woman, who has done her homework before taking to the road.

I need a nap like Tulsa needs Viagra.

I really feel exhausted today, and I have way too much to do to even consider taking a little rest. But maybe tonight I'll be able to go to bed early. Yes... that sounds good. Meanwhile, don't expect any great writing here today. I'm just too tired to be particularly literate (or even to proofread, if you must know).

I didn't have time to blog yesterday, but I wanted to mention a few things. First, when I got to Afton Station yesterday I found several business cards in the mailbox from traveling Australian folks. They had been there on Wednesday when we were closed. Well, you know how much that upsets me, so I started the day in a foul mood. However, about an hour after I opened, in walked Australians.... the same Aussies! Since we were closed Wednesday, they decided to spend the night in Miami so they could come back in the morning!! Boy, that's one way to elevate my mood fast! They were two couples in separate rented cars, doing the eastern part of Route 66 since they did the western end last year in a larger group. They were pleasant people with a tremendous interest in Route 66. One of the men was especially interested in old cars, so David, who was there all day with me, gave him a careful tour of all the cars, including opening many of the hoods and even starting some of them up for him.

Next, my Route 66 friend Larry Kinsey from Kansas City appeared, on a trek from his home to Texas for a family gathering. He stayed for over an hour as we caught up with each others' lives and, of course, a helping of Route 66 gossip. He's begun to learn to play the Indian flute, and he got me very interested in that. I might have to check them out on line later.

Over the course of the day, we were also visited by a trucker from Aurora MO, and two guys from Florida. I was closing up when in walked Darryl Starbird. In case you don't know who he is, he's the proprietor of the Darryl Starbird Rod and Custom Museum near here, a nationally renowned pilgrimage destination for hot rodders from all over the world. His official address is Afton, although his museum is about 20 minutes from mine. Nevertheless, I often get visitors who are looking for his place, and he told me that he has occasional visitors looking for mine, too. He dropped by to ask if I'd participate in the Poker Run he's sponsoring this weekend, and of course I'm thrilled to be one of the stops. If the weather is decent (which is actually not promising), he said I should expect 50 or more hot rods to stop by on Saturday. Fun! Check out his site:
Welcome to Darryl Starbird's Rod & Custom Hall of Fame Musuem

Finally, an interesting (and none too flattering) tidbit of information about Tulsa: This came out yesterday.
"The list of the 100 U.S. cities that are most in need of Viagra puts Tulsa at the top, according to the April edition of Men's Health Magazine". 'Nuf said. Tulsa World: Tulsa top in study's Viagra need list