- Week Sugar Creek Loop-New Years Eve

[Jay547]

We had really poor riding weather all of December. I probably didn’t get in a hundred miles all month. Finally, on New Year’s Eve, we had a decent forecast. I had been wanting to do the Sugar Creek Route. It’s a 122 mile route in the western Oklahoma red dirt. It was put together by a group of overlanders from the Oklahoma Exploration Routes group.

I added several side loops through areas that I wanted to see, which added about another forty miles to it. It was about three hours away so I had to make it an overnighter. I decided to drive up on Friday evening, get a room, then do an all-day ride on Saturday.

I left the motel about 9:15 and had a few miles of asphalt before reaching dirt roads. There were a lot of wind farms in this area. We don’t have much of these around where I live.

What’s cool out here is that the roads are dirt and sand. Back home they are gravel. The traction was excellent. Many of the roads are in deep cut sections, back home they just go over or around the hills.

I followed the bypassed and abandoned Old Hwy. 81 to this bridge.

 

[Jay547]

Salyer Lake Campground.

This is the W.S. Kelly General Store at the ghost town of Cogar. It was the location of the scene in “Rain Man” where they stopped to use the pay phone.

From the movie.

Purgatory Road. This section is the challenge for the four-wheeled guys. It was kinda fun. I rode it three times.

I like country churches, Spring Creek Baptist.

 

[Jay547]

The old school gymnasium in Albert.

The former corner gas station in Albert

A roadside attraction known as “Cowboy Skeleton.”

I ran another abandoned and bypassed section of Old Hwy. 81.

I rode through Binger, the home town of baseball player Johnny Bench.

A long since abandoned gas station on Hwy. 152. It is literally in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Jay547]

A low water crossing into a small pool.

The WPA school in Sickles.

Now I’m in a large prairie area that has numerous mounds with names like Rock Mary and Dead Woman Mound.

This one has a cellar/cave cut into the side of it.

Wagon Wheel Mound.

I like this one.

 

[Jay547]

My new home on the prairie.

Another country church.

Old technology vs. new technology.

I missed a turn, rode past a huge solar panel farm, then ended up at this dead end. It turned out to be a fun road anyway.

A low water crossing with a waterfall.

 

[Jay547]

And another just an eighth mile up the road.

This spot had two waterfalls.

I’m probably the only one who has ridden out to this point.

It was a struggle to get the bike turned around to ride back out.


I rode under I-40 and over to Old Route 66.

This is a curbed section of Route 66.

 

[Jay547]

I left the route and rode into the town of Bridgeport which died when a later alignment of Route 66 bypassed it.

Bridgeport's post office.

Bridgeport used to have a railroad too. Yes, I was tempted to follow it.

Back on Route 66, I stopped at the former Hinton Junction Café and Motor Courts. It was built in 1940 and operated until I-40 was completed in the 60’s, taking the traffic off Route 66. It had a shop, café, 24 hour service station, and a five-room motor court/motel.

My last stop of the ride was at this Route 66 roadside park.

It was a long but very interesting ride. I will definitely do this one again in the spring.

This rig was in the motel parking lot. I should’ve made them a cash offer on the side by side.

 

[klaviator]

It looks like you have some very interesting DS riding out your way. Nice report

 

[Simmons1]

Thanks for the nice report. Looks like a blast.