Loaded up my Suzuki DRZ-400 for an overnight camping trip. I have had this motorcycle for 22 years and it still runs strong and does exactly what I want it to do. I have my camping gear pretty well sorted now after all these years.
I decided to jump on my 2002 Suzuki DRZ-400 and ride back roads from Guthrie to Pawhuska, camping in Pawhuska for the night and returning home the next day. I didn’t have a planned route but just wandered and made some stops at interesting locations along the way.
After leaving Guthrie, the first bottleneck of the ride was crossing the Cimarron River. I knew of a long bridge on a dirt road that crossed the river north of the ghost town of Pleasant Valley so wound my way on dirt roads to this bridge. I stopped to get some photos and video of the crossing, then headed north around Lake McMurtry then east towards my first stop, Pawnee.
There are lots of interesting things to do in Pawnee, including visiting the Pawnee Bill Wild West Museum and Ranch just south of town. I had been there many times so skipped it on this trip and instead rode through the Pawnee Indian headquarters area just east of Pawnee, then took back roads to the little-known town of Skeedee, home of a statue that includes Chief Bacon Rind.
After crossing the Arkansas River I rode on to Pawhuska to spend the night. I camped within 2 blocks of downtown Pawhuska.
Loaded up my Suzuki DRZ-400 for an overnight camping trip. I have had this motorcycle for 22 years and it still runs strong and does exactly what I want it to do. I have my camping gear pretty well sorted now after all these years.Pawnee Indian Reservation building southeast of the city of Pawnee.Historical marker about the Pawnee Indians, a plains tribe.Parked my DRZ in front of one of the old buildings on the Pawnee Indian Reservation campus.Like many native American’s, Pawnee Indian’s sometimes used earth or sod huts on the prairie, especially when they had a good food and water source nearby.One of the school buildings at the Pawnee Indian Reservation.One of the buildings used for the Pawnee Nation College in the early 1900’s.A nice new Pawnee Indian Health Center. Indian Health is a complex mix of federal and tribal organizations, and sometimes inter-tribal organizations. I believe this health care center is run by the United States federal government Indian Health Services. Typically any tribal member from any federally-recognized Native American tribe can seek treatment at these facilities. When I was younger, the healthcare was pretty weak, but nowadays the healthcare service is quite good.A 1926 statue of Osage Chief Bacon Rind and Colonel Ellsworth Walters (1866/7-1946), a Skedee resident who was an oil lease auctioneer for the Osage Nation in the 1920s, stands in the main intersection of the town.The town of Gray Horse, Oklahoma was named after an Osage medicine man and played prominantly in the Osage murders of the early 1920’s and is partially documented in the movie Killers of the Flower Moon.Osage council pavilion in Gray Horse, Oklahoma.Osage Nation ranch.I saw a few bison on the route, but they were behind high fences.This looked like a school bus junkyard. Or maybe just a junkyard house.Downtown Pawhuska features Ree Drummon’s Mercantile.This old restored Dodge Powerwagon sits in front of the Mercantile Restaurant and Store in Pawhuska. The food here is fantastic!I camped about 200 yards from downtown Pawhuska for $10 per night.View from my tent on Sunday morning.I created my own custom side racks for my DRZ that specifically fit my Wolf Man luggage. I carried my tent, sleeping bag, camp chair, sleeping cot, camera gear, drone, tools, spare tubes, and clothes on my DRZ.A road closed sign is just an invitation to explore on a Suzuki DRZ-400.This is one of only bridges over the Cimarron River that is dirt and gravel at both ends, hence it is my preferred route when traveling northeast out of Guthrie.The Cimarron River can be wide and flowing, or just barely moving, depending on the time of year and recent rainfall.It is not unusual to see longhorn cattle on the route.This is a common site along the route. These stone houses typically date back to the early 1900’s.Riding through an oilfield in Osage County.My camp spot for the night. I started camping in luxury about 5 years ago when I started packing a camp chair. Now I getting soft and carrying a camp cot.I was unsure what this ball of color was until I got closer. It is a ball of twine used to wrap round hay bales. It is a bummer it was just left out as trash on the side of the road.No low water crossings on this route, but several creeks along the way.Lots of working oil wells in Osage County. The old popping motors have mostly been replaced by quiet electric motors.This is the Drummond Home in Hominy. Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman fame married into this ranching family and refurbished much of nearby Pawhuska.An old WW2 National Guard Armory. Can’t remember the town.The route goes right by Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, where I have done many a lap on my motorcycles. My first trip to Hallett was in 1978, where I crashed my Kawasaki KZ-750 at the Bus Stop. If you get a chance, stop in on motorcycle lapping day.I ran across this bridge abutment near Quay. It was obviously the local high school hangout.Main Street in Quay, Oklahoma.Monument for the first Civil War battle in what was then Oklahoma Territory.Ingalls, Oklahoma, home of a famous outlaw shootout.Bridge abutment over the Cimarron RiverAnother high school hangout.HQ of the Iowa Tribe.I have mixed feelings about this monument. It marks the Indian Meridian, which was used to survey lands in western Oklahoma. Originally Oklahoma was supposed to be Indian Territory, but like usual, our federal government reneged on their promises and sold the land out from under the Indians.The start and end of my loop in in downtown Guthrie, Oklahoma. Be sure and take time to explore this cool town where many movies are made.
