Billboard Hides Famous Round Barn

A giant steel billboard is being erected just a few feet from one of Oklahoma's most notable landmarks- the Round Barn in Arcadia. Visitors traveling Route 66 call it an eyesore. If approaching from the east, the sign almost completely obscures the view of the barn from the historic highway.

But fans of the Mother Road and the unusual barn aren't keeping quiet. They're voicing their complaints and, for now, may be winning.

Construction has been temporarily halted. But there is no guarantee the sign's owner, Zoom Media LLC, won't eventually proceed. Members of the Arcadia Historical Society promise a court battle if the construction continues.

We met Mister Sam on our very first episode...



Image courtesy of KFOR-TV

Road to Upper Spavinaw

Local Ride
When you only have time for a quickie.

If you have a favorite ride you'd like to share contact us for details on how you can submit it.We showed you some highlights along Highway 20 in our second episode. The riding around Salina and Spavinaw is well know as some of Northeast Oklahoma's very best. But the next time you're cruising the Copperhead Trail look for this lesser known road that runs between OK-20 and Kenwood Road.

N4559 is better known as Eucha Road or Eucha Dam Road. A couple of years ago the Cherokee Nation repaved this stretch, and the result is a perfect road for a Sunday ride, with wide sweepers and awesome views of Lake Eucha (aka Upper Spavinaw). The road runs from the small town of Eucha, or New Eucha technically speaking, past the Spavinaw Widlife Management Area, under the Upper Spavinaw Dam and on south to the small community of Kenwood.

Try making a loop from Salina up through Spavinaw, then back south through Eucha and Kenwood.



View Eucha Dam Tour in a larger map

2010 Cannonball Endurance Run

The next time you hop on that modern bike, thumb the starter and point off to the horizon without a worry about your trusty (insert favorite brand of motorcycle here), think about trying this in 1915. And suppose you had decided that instead of a leisurely ride, you had entered a race with your trusty Flying Merkel or Excelsior. And it was a race across the country.

Wyman with his California

After that has sunk in for a while, remember, these pre-1916 motorcycles were generally rigid framed, single speed, leather belt driven, rear only clamp type or coaster brake with a blazing carbide lamp in front to light the way.

Getting in Touch with My Roots

A recent Sunday ride found us traveling the Cookson Hills near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Passing through the community of Park Hill reminded me that I had never visited the Cherokee Heritage Center. As a lifelong Okie, and card-carrying member of the Cherokee Nation, it was a little embarrassing to admit I'd never visited this historic site.

So Jackie and I veered off US-62 and I prepared to get in touch with my Cherokee heritage. All 1/8th of it.

The Cherokee Heritage Center is located about 6 miles south of Tahlequah in Park Hill. The location was once the site of the Cherokee Female Seminary, a progressive institution of higher learning that opened in 1850. A fire destroyed the original building in 1887 and all that remains are three brick columns. Today they stand at the entrance of the Cherokee National Museum.

The best known attraction here is the Ancient Village. Once known as Tsa-La-Gi (which is Cherokee in, well... Cherokee) this "living history" concept took shape beginning in 1966. The Ancient Village offers us a glimpse of what Cherokee life was like hundreds of years ago. Based on factual accounts and historical records, the exhibit features tribal members making stone tools, playing stick ball and practicing their skill with a blow gun.

Built in 1974, the museum serves as a genealogy center, art gallery, gift shop and exhibit space. The museum also houses a permanent Trail of Tears exhibit that documents the ruthless eviction and removal of Native Americans from their homes in the Southeast. It's an emotional display featuring interactive exhibits and first-hand accounts written by survivors of the ordeal.

Famous Tulsa Landmark Burns

Yesterday fire engulfed an iconic Tulsa landmark. A little before 2:00 p.m. the immense screens of the Admiral Twin Drive-In caught fire. 60 years of memories were reduced to ashes in less than half an hour. Initial reports indicate an electrical fault ignited the wood structure.

The unique shape of the Admiral Twin
was a familiar landmark on I-244.

Flames shot high into the sky, and the smoke could be seen for miles around. The heat was so intense passing cars caught on fire, and the nearby interstate had to be closed.

Less than an hour after the fire was extinguished, hopeful fans set up a Facebook page dedicated to rebuilding the famous drive-in. That evening a steady stream of cars drove past the site hoping to get a final glimpse of the remains. Optimistic employees used the occasion to sell their last t-shirts and promised to rebuild. The owners had no insurance.