Oklahoma is a pleasant place to ride.

[Daniel Kalal]

Yes; it's not Switzerland, nor is it New Zealand or any number of other attractive places.  But, really, if you're east of the Mississippi River and you dread riding across Oklahoma to reach (what you believe to be) better roads, don't give up on Oklahoma.

[oldbike54]

 Thanks Deke , your pics always make me want to ride , or eat ...I travel the stretch of old RT 66 between Bristow and Edmond OK several times a year . Encounter lots of foreign tourists at the MC museum near Chandler , they always seem to be a bit surprised at how green and hilly the Eastern part of Oklahoma is . Guess the "Grapes of wrath" image is international .

  Dusty

[LowRyter]

I'd sure wish you'd label the highway numbers on this photos. 

please.

[MGrego]

Here's a nice stretch of southeast Oklahoma along highway 1, up above the clouds, taken earlier this year.  I wasn't on a Guzzi, but since we were talking about OK....

[jcctx]

YES it is; and thanks for the pics!!!

[M0T0Geezer]

Some maps showing where these beautiful OK roads are located would be great!

Thanks &  Merry Christmas

'Geezer

[oldbike54]

Some maps showing where these beautiful OK roads are located would be great!

Thanks &  Merry Christmas

'Geezer

 Come down for the Okie camp out next Oct and we will show you in person . Bring Testarossa , Longranger , and Mile High with you 

  Dusty

[Gliderjohn]

Dusty and the boys give a great tour. Helped me to round out my Norge tires a bit after too many Kansas miles.
GliderJohn

[oldbike54]

Dusty and the boys give a great tour. Helped me to round out my Norge tires a bit after too many Kansas miles.
GliderJohn

 Does this look familiar John 

 

Here's a nice stretch of southeast Oklahoma along highway 1, up above the clouds, taken earlier this year.  I wasn't on a Guzzi, but since we were talking about OK....

 Thanks ,

 Geezer , this is in SE Oklahoma , just a few miles from where we have the camp out .

  Dusty

[Cool Runnings]

Okie From Muskogee   

[Cool Runnings]

If I could erase one piece of pop culture it would be that really inaccurate piece of bull poopie . We had this discussion recently , Muskogee has no town square , was the center of cannabis cultivation in the era the song was written , and as CJ 750 pointed out , until recently there was no flagpole at the courthouse  Of course , Muskogee does have more than its fair share of rednecks , and not the benign Jeff Foxworthy type  :laugh:Hell , Larry the cable Guy would be considered an elitist snob in some quarters here 

  Dusty

Good song for it's day anyhoo. 

[oldbike54]

Good song for it's day anyhoo. 

 Not if you joined the military not long after it came out and had to endure every  troop from California and NY repeating the lyrics to you as if you had never heard them , not to mention the really stupid questions the song initiated . I still hate the song , hell Merle was from Bakersfield CA 

 Dusty

[Daniel Kalal]

  , hell Merle was from Bakersfield CA

At times, Bakersfield sounds more Okie than Oklahoma.  For many, the mother road really ended in Bakersfield--a hard life in an ugly place.  Buck Owens was Bakersfield too, but like M.H., his voice was pure dust bowl.  It's not quite that today, but Bakersfield once seemed a world apart from the rest of California.

[oldbike54]

At times, Bakersfield sounds more Okie than Oklahoma.  For many, the mother road really ended in Bakersfield--a hard life in an ugly place.  Buck Owens was Bakersfield too, but like M.H., his voice was pure dust bowl.  It's not quite that today, but Bakersfield once seemed a world apart from the rest of California.

 Yeah , the song should have been named "Bumbler from Bakersfield "  Have told thiis before . According to a Tulsa musician that played in Merle's band back in the 1960's , the song was a toss off written while they were traveling down I 40 after passing the Muskogee turnpike exit sign . Took like 5 minutes . I know , there is an official version re the inspiration for the song , but Merle's record company couldn't let the real story stand so they created the more romantic version . Some say Merle actually began to believe the official story , he was prone to consuming large quantities of high proof hooch after all 

  Dusty

[guzzista]

Yeah, pimping BS songs or songs with BS lyrics is not restricted to  Hip Hop or a recent thing in the music biz.  I do appreciate the native son's /I was there narrative, though, Dusty

[oldbike54]

Yeah, pimping BS songs or songs with BS lyrics is not restricted to  Hip Hop or a recent thing in the music biz.  I do appreciate the native son's /I was there narrative, though, Dusty

 Poetic license can be a beautiful thing , not in this case . I know it seems silly to have such strong feelings re some meaningless piece of pop , but Okies deal with lots of ignorance coming from people who have never been here . The good natured stuff can be funny , hell , I poke fun at Oklahoma quite a bit , but we really aren't much different than people from California , New York , or even that bastion of culture ,Texas  It is funny , I basically grew up in Tulsa , a metro area of 400,000 or so at the time . Can't count how many times a service buddy would say something like this . "Man , I have a cousin in Tulsa , you probably know him , his name is Joe Doe " The coast guys seemed to believe there were only 100 0r so Okies and we all know each other 
 One interesting side note , and sorry for repeating this , the Joad family in the Grapes of Wrath were from the Eastern part of the state where the dust bowl never happened . In fact , the real issue for the family was a certain family member's run ins with the law . They did Oklahoma a favor by leaving.