Day 2: Carthage, MO through Kansas to Stroud, OK – 300.9 Miles of Close Calls, Quirky Giants, and Pure Americana
July 3rd gave us another beautiful sunrise in Carthage. We fired up the bikes and pointed the front tires toward Joplin. Pushing through this stretch requires concentration—there are tons of turns and stop signs to navigate if you want to stay true to the historic Route 66 alignment. We cruised past the giant Coke sign, made a quick pitstop at Casey’s for fuel, and packed the coolers to the brim with ice and water. The heat was already rising, and we had a massive day ahead of us.
Kansas: A Quick Run and a Hairy Situation
Before we knew it, we crossed into Kansas and rolled into Galena to find the famous drive-through Route 66 Sign. Just as we were pulling in, things got a little too exciting. A guy was walking across the parking lot when his massive dog broke loose and charged straight at me. He almost plowed right into my bike. It was a hairy second there—I genuinely thought I was going to hit the dog and lay the bike down.
Once the adrenaline dialed back, we took our pictures at the sign and walked over to the Cars-inspired Luigi truck. Tyler and I took some crazy photos with him wearing a mechanic’s hat and holding the air hose like he was wrenching on the rig.
From Galena, we headed down to Riverton, passing the historic Country Store, and made our way to the original Rainbow Bridge. We snapped some great group photos and did a couple of riding passes across the bridge. Just down the road, we hit a local roundabout and—feeling a bit like the Griswolds in National Lampoon’s European Vacation—we circled it three or four times just to be funny.
Next was Baxter Springs, the town that famously inspired Radiator Springs in the movie Cars and holds the historical records that birthed the character Tow Mater.
Slow Paces and Big Lunches
We planned to grab a bite at Waylan’s Ku-Ku Burger, but the iconic spot was closed up tight. We kept moving down the street, passing the famous “EAT” sign with the awesome Conoco mural painted directly across from it. We pulled over for a quick pitstop to swap out the camera batteries.
Just up the asphalt, we spotted the Hi-Way Café in Vinita, Oklahoma, and decided that was our lunch spot. Looking at the clocks, it was hilarious: we had left at 7:00 AM, and by 10:45 AM, we had only managed to cover 78.9 miles. That is the magic of Route 66—you don’t measure the road in miles; you measure it in stops.
[ Carthage, MO ] ——– 78.9 Miles (Nearly 4 Hours!) ——–> [ Vinita, OK ]
Right next to our lunch table sat a car that once attempted the Guinness World Record for the most stickers on a single vehicle. Outside in the parking lot, Big Al (a giant statue holding cooking spatulas) and a massive wooden Indian stood guard.
Totem Poles, Handcrafted Fiddles, and Familiar Faces
Back on 66, we caught a glimpse of a yard to our left sporting a ’71 Corvette Stingray and a custom airplane painted to look exactly like an A-10 Warthog. Shortly after, we passed the historic pedestrian underpass that cuts right beneath Route 66 in Chelsea, Oklahoma.
Our next major stop was Foyil to see the towering Totem Poles built by Ed Galloway. He also had a small workshop on-site called his “fiddling place.” Galloway didn’t just whittle, though—he hand-built fiddles. The man created over 300 different fiddles, each one crafted from a completely different type of wood. They were absolutely stunning pieces of art.
As we walked back to the bikes, we ran into a fantastic coincidence. We crossed paths with Matt, Phoebe, and their dog Mookie—a couple we had actually met the day before! They were in the middle of moving from Chicago to Los Angeles. They boxed up all their belongings, shipped them ahead, and decided to drive the entirety of Route 66. Since we’re all heading the exact same direction, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing them again down the pavement.
Will Rogers and the Pac-Man Bike
We continued into Claremore, the hometown of the legendary Will Rogers, and stopped at his library. Inside, they have an incredible display dedicated to Lynn Riggs, who wrote the screenplay for Oklahoma!. They have the actual wagon with the white fringe on top—the Surrey—along with several dresses and props used in the classic movie.
When we walked back outside, a local motorcycle was parked near ours, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his breather cover—it was custom-painted to look exactly like Pac-Man.
The Blue Whale and a Fuel Scare
From Claremore, we set our sights on Catoosa to visit the iconic Blue Whale for our official 2026 challenge coin. As we were nearing town, Tyler piped up and asked when we were going to stop for fuel. We asked him how much gas he had left, and he calmly replied, “None.” Needless to say, we made a very sudden stop for fuel!
Gas tanks topped off, we made it to the Blue Whale, grabbed our milestone coin picture, and watched dozens of turtles swimming out in the water while we walked along the structure.
Tulsa: Gold Drillers and Cosmic Figures
We pushed into Tulsa and made a bee-line for Tulsa Harley-Davidson to check-in, log our mileage, and get our H.O.G. stamps squared away. Leaving the dealership, we rode right past Talley’s—a diner we had eaten at exactly six years ago. It brought back memories of our waiter who told us a long joke about a “donkey man.” I still can’t remember the setup, but the punchline stuck: “He aw… he aw… he aw… He always calls me that!”
Cruising through downtown Tulsa, we parked the bikes in front of the massive Golden Driller statue for some photos. I’ve always loved that giant landmark. The first time I ever saw it, I went home, and a week later, the show Tulsa King premiered, and I remember thinking, Hey, I was just standing right there!
Next up was Buck Atom’s Cosmic Americana, which is an absolute paradise for giant Route 66 fiberglass figures. We took photos with the Rocket Man, Rosie the Riveter, a metallic Cowboy, Stella, and more.
The Rock Café and a Proper Farewell
We finally rolled into Stroud, Oklahoma, and pulled into the Skyline Motel. We dropped our gear in the rooms and immediately ran over to the historic Rock Café for dinner.
Our waitress, Destiny, was working her absolute last shift before heading off to college. She brought over the official restaurant guest book for us, and we signed it proudly on behalf of the Stator Haters. We slapped down a group sticker, handed her one of our chapter challenge chips, and told her the story of how our riding crew got started and how we had eaten at the Rock Café six years prior. She absolutely loved it and promised us she would keep the chip in her special keepsake box.
Neon Bottles and Close Call Number Two
We returned to the motel for a quick pre-ride brief for tomorrow’s leg, then jumped back on the bikes for a night run to Pops 66 in Arcadian territory to see the world-famous giant neon soda bottle. We passed the historic Round Barn on the way there, and Blake managed to capture some phenomenal night photos of his bike, perfectly matching the shifting neon colors of the giant bottle.
On the ride back to the motel, the darkness settled in, and the road threw us one last curveball. Out of nowhere, a dog darted straight out onto the asphalt right next to Tyler. Tyler scrambled beautifully, and the dog panicked, cutting back into the ditch. If the dog hadn’t turned, it would have come right across my front tire. That made two incredibly close canine calls in a single day. Way too close for comfort.
We cruised back through downtown Stroud to take in the vintage neon glow, snapping some final photos and videos of the town before parking the bikes back at the Skyline Motel.
Just as I kicked the stand down, I ran into Steve, who was out walking his dog. Ironically, Steve stayed at the Boots Court Motel last night too! We stood out in the dark and had a great conversation about where we’ve been, where we’re planning to go tomorrow, and all the incredible things we saw tonight.
Tomorrow, kickstands are up at 7:00 AM sharp as we point the Harleys toward Texas. 300.9 miles for the day, and it was an absolutely awesome ride.
