Not a very nice night spent in the motel. The red carpet in Edmond. I know I’ve moaned about the standard of budget motels before, but this one should be avoided. There wasn’t a door on the bathroom and the position of the toilet was in direct view of the bed, no where else to sit. So not to be crude about it whilst one was doing their business the other had to turn the tv up and lay with their back to the loo.

The room was unclean and the bed had obviously not been changed from the last inhabit. I slept on top in my sleeping bag liner. And the carpet was sticky and stained yuk.

The best thing about the motel was it was directly opposite a laundry that offered a complete cleaning service. We bundled up all off our clothes and sleeping bag liners and dropped it off. We then went off for dinner at a Wendy’s. I still haven’t found a pillow so we also wondered around a store. I can’t find a camping pillow so I’ve got to the point that any thing small and light will do. I found a pink poo.

Our clothes were now ready for collection professionally cleaned and pressed lush. The weather is hot we don’t need the warmer stuff so while it’s clean we are going to send them home. A mile from the motel is a Ups office. They packed everything up for us, we filled in the paper work paid up and sent it on it’s way.

We’re late getting on the road and it’s a hot one up in the 90’s. We’re both tired, Mikes still fighting off his man cold thing so we decided only to cycle 20 miles or so. At least we’re still moving in the right direction.

Not much in the way of road side attractions. A nice refurbished, 1924 still truss bridge lake overholser in Bethany.

And one of the highlights for Mike a sign to inform us that Yukon is the home town of Garth Brooks the legendary country singer. We decided to stay here next to a road called Garth Brooks boulevard.

The new motel. We checked in at reception and was given the key to the room. Opened the door. What a dump it’s worse than last nights. Promptly shut the door, back to reception and demanded our money back. No way can we stay here. I said to the owner that it was filthy and looked like the bed hadn’t been changed. She just shrugged and said that she catered for locals and that’s what they like, if you’re traveling then you should stick to the brand motels. Joke she’s just exploiting the poor that can’t afford anything better. Disgusting.

We didn’t want to go any further and we passed a motel about a mile back so decided to head that way. On the way a car pulled up next to us at the lights and asked us where we were going. We told him LA he laughed and said we were going the wrong way. After explaining why, he told us that there was a motel just next to Arbies.

Cycling into the motel he was in the car park waiting for us. We chatted some more and he invited us out for a meal and drinks that evening. We arranged to meet him at 6 in the green chilli a restaurant next door.

The motel is much better basic and clean I made a point of before paying to look at the room and at the risk of being rude I asked if the bed sheets were clean. They assured me that they were.

We are next to the Yukon flower mill it’s neon sign was restored 1989.

At 6pm we meet Fenton and he’s wife Linda. We had a enjoyable evening, good food and great company. We tried strawberry margaritas on Linda’s recommendations delicious. Fenton is a lawyer and former judge. Mike had to ask did they know Garth Brooks. They did mike is now seriously impressed. It turned out that their daughter went to school with him, they knew him and his parents well. Both parents have died and are buried in the local cemetery but Garth has moved away now.

Fenton and Linda paid for our meal. So nice, we are complete strangers. A chance meeting in the street and they made the effort to come back out to listen to our story and pay for a meal. I’m blown away with people’s kindness.