Memorial Weekend

Bryan and I left home on Friday afternoon and headed to Rogers to spend the night with the Chesters. After about an hour I was able to relax and enjoy our ride though the Ouachita mountains. This first leg of the trip took about five hours and was 235 miles. We were ready for pizza and beer! The boys went and watched The Hangover 2, while us girls went and saw Bridesmaids.


For lunch on Saturday we headed over to the Webb household (the kids I babysat in college and who were in our wedding) to get in a little quality time with them while we were in town. I am such a sucker and they had me pitching baseballs bare-foot within five minutes of our arrival. Mid-afternoon we headed out and took the old highway 412 to Tulsa so we wouldn't have to get on the interstate. It was nice, with rolling hills and a slight breeze. Once we got into Tulsa I could not stand the traffic, I just squinched my eyes, stared at the back of Bryan's head and held on tightly. This was the shortest ride, only lasting around three hours and being 110 miles.

Our reason for going to Tulsa was to celebrate the marriage of Josh and Megan (two of B's friends) who had recently gotten married in the Outer Banks. I really wish they lived closer to us, and I am slightly jealous of them living in Colorado. Josh's mom and step-dad are artists who have recently opened a gallery in Key West, where they invited us to come for Thanksgiving! Who knows if we will actually do it, but I'm already dreaming of leaving the cold weather here in the fall and heading to the beach. The reception was at the Stokely Event Center, which was a neat venue full of old signs and memorabilia.


Sunday morning we left Tulsa around 11 am, which was later than we had wanted, but after staying up so late at the reception we needed the rest. All wind that had blown the past couple of days was nothing compared to what kicked up as we were leaving. I swear my knuckles turned white and I was not breathing. At one point my heart was in my throat and I thought we were going to die. Thankfully Bryan pulled over as quickly as possible and we found an alternative route...that made a 45 minute drive take over 2 hours. We drove in hard wind for hours, with it finally slowing down after we were well into Arkansas. The Ozark Mountains were beautiful and I loved getting to ride along the Buffalo River. Rolling into Clinton did not happen until around 6 pm. After 260 miles, we were exhausted, hungry, ready for a glass of wine and ready to give the Stewart's sweet baby Gus lots of kisses.


On Monday we were finally able to head out on the boat (sans little Gus) for a few hours. The weather was absolutely perfect and it was nice to be on the water.


Our trek home started later than planned, and with a few stops along the way we were forced to ride after dark. I think it was close to 10:30 pm by the time we finally pulled into the driveway. We had ridden 206 miles to make it home. Bryan and I were both exhausted. For some reason I cannot find our picture that was taken late-night after the journey's end. In total, we rode 811 over the course of four days. Tomorrow I will tell you my thoughts on the motorcycle ride and show you my super-duper packing skills.