Elk City, Oklahoma to Sallisaw, Oklahoma

THE storm had cleared this morning, much to Charlotte's relief and we spent an hour exploring the old museum at Elk City, followed by brunch at the old Katy Railroad Cafe.

Bill wanted to see Oklahoma City but I have to confess I wasn't that bothered. He turned out to be right. It's a lovely city with a towering business district and music and arts section. The streets are wide and uncrowded. Municipal buildings successfully blend old and new architecture and everywhere you look there is a fountain or sculpture.

The memorial park dedicated to the 1995 bombing is beautiful and poignant.

The highway is much busier now and the regular rainstorms help the farmland look very green. It really feels like we have left the desert behind us. We haven't quite left Oklahoma, so we'll see Arkansas in the morning.

Tonight we replanned the route, sacrificing the Blue Ridge Parkway for Virginia Beach and Chesapeake Bay before Washington DC. But that will be later next week.

Elk City to Sallisaw = 278 miles.