Once we left Arkansas....

Our original plans had been to return to Branson after our little tour of Arkansas, get a room at the same motel we'd stayed in Friday night, and see a music show, perhaps Mickey Gilley or the Baldknobbers (If you're from the UK, don't laugh; that name doesn't have the same meaning here that it does there.) On the bike on our way back into Missouri, though, we recalled how foggy it had been that morning. We had a meet-up scheduled with some of Cliff's cousins in Sedalia, Missouri, at noon on Sunday. Would we make it on time if fog or some other unexpected occurrance delayed us? So we decided skip the music shows and at least get on the other side of Springfield; this would cut an hour off the travel time on Sunday morning. We got as far as Buffalo, Missouri, drove past two undesirable-looking motels, and stopped at a Quality Inn. Sixty-nine dollars plus tax seemed a little steep for a small town overnight stay to me (why can't they just tell the price including tax to start with?) and when I told them we'd go check out those smaller ones, the lady cut $10 off the price. OK, that was fine. After all, there was Internet and a microwave and coffee in the room and breakfast.

Anywhere in south Missouri, it seems that bargains can found on motel prices. The sagging economy has cut down on travel, and proprieters would rather cut the rate a little than to have empty rooms.

This fellow biker from Iowa was staying at the Buffalo motel too. He took time to tell us about some of his favorite runs; he likes Wisconsin roads and scenery best.

Cliff and I have already decided that next time we want to ride in Arkansas, we'll skip Branson entirely. Why fight that crowd for nothing? I have a good friend in Arkansas that I met on the Internet years ago. She has a guest room we've stayed in before, and if we time it right, we can spend a night with her! It would be good to see her anyhow.