All good things must come to an end

Day 15 - September 27, 2014
KC - OKC

After some breakfast,  I got my bike set up for the day and headed out. I chose to head south through Missouri instead of what google said was the ~30 mile shorter route back through Wichita for 2 reasons: 1) hadn't seen Missouri countryside, and (this one is the important one) 2) it avoids going through Kansas (if you are curious, check out my earlier post :) ).

Missouri was nice. Just trees and farms and small towns the whole way down 49. At Joplin, I change to 44 and head west and into Oklahoma. This is where I found out that maybe I had just been spoiled with all my traveling on interstates previously, cause the road from Joplin to OKC was 2 4$ toll roads (Joplin - Tulsa, Tulsa - OKC). Just kidding, add Oklahoma to the list. The parts I saw were indeed prettier than Kansas, but I feel as though main thoroughfares that are most likely paid for with tax dollars from the federal government should not be toll roads. The beltway here in Houston I understand cause you have options for the most part. I digress.

 I finally get into OKC and meet my host for the night, a medical resident with family and one in the oven. They are a few years older, and pretty cool. He seems to do it all; father, husband, doctor, motorcyclist, home brewer, etc. They are a very friendly, warm family that after we meet and I drop my stuff off, invite me to their neighborhood pot luck. I accept cause hey, free food, and I can talk to them some more. After we eat (we told a lil white lie about our friendship as they thought it best living in a more conservative neighborhood), we come back and drink some beers. The first one I had looks like an IPA, but upon tasting the malty, chocolaty, flavors I am utterly confused. Turns out the beer is called Casper and it is a white stout from Wisconsin. Pretty interesting. We proceed to shoot the sh*t and have some other beers, one of which I was bringing home for some friends, until it decided to spill into my saddlebag and I decided it wouldnt keep (an apricot au pouive belgium beer aged in chardonnay barrels - those who know me know I have been on the lookout for wine barrel aged beers). It was a very tasty beer with the flavors going from apricot semi-sweet to pepper savory (black pepper not spicy peppers) to chardonnay dryness. It was a fun drink, which made me upset it didnt make the trip as the guy I was bringing it for, loves au pouive steaks. We continued to talk bikes, life, beer, etc. until it was my bed time.

This is the second exceptional person/experience I have had with couch surfing. Both experiences different as can be, but I have really appreciated meeting these people. Tomorrow, home sweet home :)