Edmond to Stroud, OK 05-04-2026 Day 24

We had a wonderful visit with the Jungers, but we like to get out early before the winds get too strong. Today, it was mostly cross wind, but we did get some tailwinds at times as well. The day was filled with lots of landmarks and murals. Just outside of Edmond we came across two of them.

Wile there were lots of landmarks, we had our share of pointless ups and downs.

As always, we saw all kinds of things when riding the edge of the road. Flattened armadillos, opossum, some unrecognizable critters, and the proverbial fork on the road. Besides the crutches, we even saw a ball hammer.

Too bad this place was closed at the time we went by. It has motorbikes from around the world, movie memorabilia set amid Route 66 scenery.

There were a lot of murals as we went through Chandler.

This one went all around a bend in the road.

And of course at least one preserved gas station

Unfortunately, the Interpretive Center was closed at the time we were passing through.

Adding to my shield collection.

I try to get a shot of us at our endpoint. I will see a timer on the camera and set it up on a little tripod I brought along. Here’s the behind the scenes look.

Stroud had some good murals, parks, shops, and open spaces.

I have seen little box “free libraries”. I think this was a similar idea for food items. These communities do a lot to support each other.

We ate at a great restaurant – The Five Star BBQ and Steakhouse. We should have known it was good because when we walked in at 5:15, we got the last table that had been cleared in our honor. Service was prompt, friendly and the beer was cold. The food was reasonably priced and we were quite satisfied when we left.

However, the absolute best thing about Stroud is the Skyliner Motel and its proprietor, Cody Paige. It might not look like much on the outside, but it was a fantastic experience staying here. I’ll start with the check in. We made the reservation 36 hours in advance and we had email with all the pertinent instructions. 24 hours before we arrive I got an email with my room number and a code to get in the door that would let us get in at 3 PM. We got there early and tried the code at 2 PM. It didn’t work. I went to the office which was empty, but clean. There were instructions and a phone # to call if we had problems. I called and got Cody without waiting on hold or a voicemail greeting. He said the code was not active until 3, but gave us a different number to use to get in now. I tried it and we were in.

Understand that we have been to several places where we arrived early and would be charged an extra $50 to get in 30 minutes early. We always waited. Not here. Ron noticed the toilet paper holder was loose on the wall. A previous guest must have abused it in some manner. As I was searching for ice cream down the street (unsuccessfully) a few hours later, I got a call from Cody saying he learned from his housekeeper that the toilet paper holder was broken. He apologized, said he knew it wasn’t our fault, and if we wanted he would come out and fix it immediately. I said, don’t bother. From our standpoint, the room was clean. Though it was originally opened in 1960, all the plumbing fixtures seemed brand new, the towels were thick, and the WIFI was working great. For me that’s the difference between completing the blog in 1.5 hours (good) or 3 hours when the WIFI cuts out.

I had taken over the hotel “office” as my workspace to write the blog. While I was doing this some guests might wander in and assumed I worked here, so I just pointed them to the directions on a table. Later a young man came in and said hi. I said, I don’t work here. He introduced himself as Cody and said he was the owner. We had a wonderful (half-hour?) conversation about how he and a partner bought this place in 2025 and restored it to its current glory from a much sadder state. It was so great to meet a man of such character, perseverance, and dedication to excellence. If you get anywhere near Stroud, OK on Route 66, you MUST stay at the Skyliner. Book direct at their website.

There’s always more to write about and stories to tell, but I need to get to bed. We could have headwinds tomorrow, but today was amazing.

The Ride Stats are here. The 3D video is here.

The Not So Lone Rider