You may recall that about a year and a half ago I did a blog on our visit to Oklahoma and the great riding in the eastern half of the state around the Tulsa area. I wrote a piece about that for Motorcycle Classics magazine and you can get to most of it online here. You can pick up a copy of the latest issue at your local newstand. Better yet, subscribe to Motorcycle Classics.
Your two blogmeisters (yours truly and Joe Gresh) have been published in several motorcycle magazines and other publications both in print and in the digital world. You can get to a partial compendium of our articles by clicking here for me and here for Gresh (or by clicking on either of the above photos).
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The best barbeque in the world. Trust me on this. It’s in Spavinaw, Oklahoma.
There’s barbeque, there’s good barbeque, there’s Oklahoma barbeque, and then there’s barbequed brisket from the Bradford’s Barbeque in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Simply put, it’s the best barbequed beef I’ve ever had, and I’ve been all over. Like that Johnny Cash song goes, I’ve been everywhere, man. You might want to argue the point about the best BBQ, but I’m not your guy. You won’t change my mind. I know. It’s Bradford’s.
So, to back up a bit, Sue and I spent a glorious week in Oklahoma, and part of the mission was to find exciting new places to visit and roads to ride. And boy oh boy, did we ever! On the advice of a good friend, we headed east out of Tulsa on Highway 412 and intentionally got lost in eastern Oklahoma’s lake country. It was north on the 82, and we let the meandering begin.
Tulsa is about 50 miles to the left on this map. The fun starts as soon as you turn north off Highway 412.
As we rode north along the eastern shore of Lake Hudson (formed by a dam on the Neosho River), we saw little towns with names like Locust Grove, Pump Back, and Hoot Owl (hey, I can’t make this up). The road was grand and the scenery and greenery were even better. It was a Friday, and there were literally hundreds of motorcycles on the road. I told Sue there had to be a motorcycle event somewhere to draw out crowds like this, but nope, it was the riding that draws the crowds. It’s like this all the time out there.
Then we hit a stretch of roller-coaster twisties in the hills, and a great road got even better. Think Glendora Ridge Road with extreme vertical undulations, except much greener and much more exciting. Take a peek at a satellite photo:
Yep, it was grand. The twisties and curves look gradual. They weren’t. It was fun.A glorious day on Oklahoma Highway 82.
The road was impressive, and it’s one I’ll visit again. We were enjoying it immensely when suddenly we found ourselves at a huge dam backed up by an even bigger lake. “Dayum!” I thought. We had to stop for a few photos.
Susie at the Spavinaw Dam. I know: I married way above my station in life.
We took a few photos, we walked around a bit, and then we were back on the road for the few hundred yards it took to get to Spavinaw. Spavinaw is a small town, and as we entered it we saw that sign at the top of this blog for Bradford’s Barbeque. It was noon, and I suddenly realized I was hungry. I looked at Sue and she nodded. Bradford’s Barbeque it was, and it was fantastic.
Actually, it’s pronounced “Jeet jet?” The answer when I shot this photo was no, but we would soon change that.Buck Bradford, Proprietor and BBQ chef extraordinaire, and Amber, a lovely young lady who is also a photographer. I asked Amber if there was a motorcycle event nearby because of all the bikes we saw. “No, it’s always like this around here,” she said. I can see why.Bradford’s beef brisket. Buck smokes the meet himself, and it was fantastic. That’s mustard cole slaw (delicious) and the best baked beans I ever had. It was a wonderful lunch, the stuff of legend.
I could have spent the entire day chatting with Buck and Amber, and it was like we had known them for years. Oklahoma is like that. It’s a fun place to visit, but as much as we were enjoying the conversation, it was time to get back on the road again. Amber suggested we stop at the Disney Dam, so that’s what we did.
A stitched-together, 180-degree view of the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, upstream of the Disney Dam.The road across the top of the Disney Dam.An abandoned motel in Langley, just south of the Disney Dam. There are lots of photo ops in Oklahoma.
We continued east on Highway 28 in Disney. Well, generally east…actually we continued east, north, south, east again…you get the idea. Eastern Oklahoma’s twisties were magnificent. Then it was Highway 20, then 59, and then we were back on the 412, and it was twisties and scenery the entire way. It was a perfect day with perfect weather, and it was a perfect road for a motorcycle ride. We were in a rental car. But there’s always tomorrow. And tomorrow for me means a return to Tulsa, on a motorcycle, to experience this part of the world the way it was meant to be experienced.
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We were in Oklahoma last week and it was awesome. It was an opportunity to visit with a wonderful friend and see the sights. And folks, Oklahoma has them. One of our stops was the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. It’s an amazing place with a collection of Native American artifacts, rodeo trophies, art, sculpture, firearms, and more. The guns on display were impressive, and one of the firearms that caught my attention was John Wayne’s Weatherby.
John Wayne’s Weatherby, chambered in the mighty .300 Weatherby Magnum cartridge, on display in Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
I’ve always admired John Wayne, and I love Weatherby rifles. This particular rifle was of interest for several reasons, not the least of which was John Wayne’s connection to Weatherby. I remembered seeing John Wayne in Weatherby ads decades ago, and I knew he appeared in at least one of the magnificent Weatherby full color catalogs. I found the photo I remembered in my vintage Weatherby catalogs, but it didn’t show Mr. Wayne with this rifle. Then I did a search on “John Wayne’s Weatherby” hoping to find a photo showing him holding the rifle you see in the photo above, but I did not find it. Wayne appeared in several photos and advertisements, though, like the one you see here:
An early ad showing John Wayne with a Weatherby rifle. It’s not the rifle I saw in Oklahoma City.
The Weatherby in the Oklahoma City National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum was interesting from several perspectives beyond the fact that it belonged to John Wayne. Take a look:
This is very early Weatherby, built on a Mauser action. Weatherby used Mauser and other actions before he designed his proprietary Mark V action. Note the dark finish on this rifle.Optional extrended checkering with a fleur de lis, skip line pattern. Note the scratches and dings; this rifle was not a safe queen. John Wayne rode this one hard!Extra-cost fancier-than-stock checkering on the fore end. Some of the dark finish is worn away near the rosewood fore end tip. Did Wayne pay Weatherby to have a darker finish applied, did the rifle darken from too much oil over the years, or ???A shot of the Mauser action and an early proprietary Weatherby four-power telescopic sight. Note that the windage and elevation turrets are in line on top of the scope, rather than today’s practice of placing elevation on the top and windage on the right of the scope barrel.An ivory or maple stock inlay, darkened along with the rest of the stock. The inlay was almost certainly done in Weatherby’s custom rifle shop.
So there you have it: John Wayne’s Weatherby at the Oklahoma City National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. We enjoyed our time there, and I’ll add more photos from the Museum in subsequent blogs. If you’re in the area, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is a spot you won’t want to miss.
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