Oklahoma

July 23

Joplin, MO to Vinita, OK: 61 miles 

Today was "ride date" day: we randomly picked a person to ride with out of a hat. I had a ride date with Nick. We had route meeting outside at 6:30 AM and the temperature was already in the 80s. you could feel the thick humidity immediately after leaving the air conditioned building. I was drenched in sweat by mile 2. At mile 4, we entered Kansas and were welcomed into the state by a large hill. I thought Kansas was flat - I don't know what to believe anymore.

At mile 14, we entered Oklahoma!

For lunch, a group of us went on a triple date to the Green Country Cafe, a diner that we found around mile 43. We decided we needed an air conditioned restaurant to cool down instead of doing the usual, eating lunch from the van.  

We arrived at the host with hopes of using the pool that we were told was a short walk away. As we put our bikes away, the temperature suddenly dropped and the winds started to pick up. A woman at the church warned us that a storm was traveling quickly from Kansas and that a trip to a pool may not be wise. We decided to stay and cooled off by lying on the pavement and letting the wind blow across our bodies. The clouds above us were traveling fast. I watched as one grey cloud moved directly over us, pouring rain. We took advantage of the rain by running around in it, jumping in puddles, and taking gutter showers. Several other ride groups were still on their rides and had to seek shelter due to a tornado warning. The host provided us with a great meal with hotdogs, hamburgers, and different salads.

July 24

Vinita, OK to Tulsa, OK: 64.7 miles

Volunteers at our overnight host prepared a great breakfast spread with egg casseroles and fruit. We met outside for route meeting at 6:20 AM. The air was much less humid than the previous day. We were destined for Tulsa, 64.7 miles away. We have been cherishing these "short" days following three high mileage days through the rolling hills of Missouri. I rode with Jess, Benson, Lucas, Dan T., and Hetong. The ride continued along Route 66. I really enjoy riding on this historic road because there are several cool gift shops, Route 66 murals, and other small attractions.

Around mile 56, we stopped at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium because we were offered a free showing at the planetarium after members from our group shared our story with the production manager there. The production manager, Colleen, had a very warm and friendly personality and was excited about our cause. The planetarium show was an interesting and informative documentary about constellations and Mayan civilization. Unfortunately, this exciting opportunity to learn more about these subjects turned into an opportunity to catch up on sleep, the soft leather chairs and cool air providing a level of relaxation I had not attained for weeks.

We got back on our bikes with a few miles left to go. Making our way along a bike trail, we could see the city skyline in the distance. 

Around 4 PM, my group arrived at our host site, Powerhouse - a very nice community center affiliated with the First Presbyterian Church a block away. Members of the church prepared us a delicious dinner with pulled pork, beans, potato salad, and cole slaw. The dinner was preceded by an appetizer spread with some of the most delicious sausages and bologna (which one member of the church jokingly dubbed "Oklahoma tenderloin," I have ever had. It was impossible to walk away from it. I enjoyed chatting with the church members, especially one man who told me about several cycling trips he has done overseas. In the evening, many of us explored the downtown area and saw live music.

July 25

We spent the day working with the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Tulsa. Our job for the day was to chip off lead paint on an old house, so that it could be repainted the following day. The house was inhabited by a disabled man and his family who make an annual household income of about $24,000. Because the paint contained lead, we were required to wear hazmat suits and masks. The temperature was rising to the mid 90's, so covering our bodies in unbreathable material was not exactly desirable. On the bright side, we looked pretty great wearing them.

July 26

Tulsa, OK to Chandler, OK: 69.71 miles

We left Tulsa headed for the small town of Chandler, OK. About 38 miles into the ride, we reached our lunch spot which was conveniently located at our halfway mark across the country! As my ride group rolled in, we were bombarded by water balloons and the sound of "Livin' on a prayer" by Bon Jovi blasting through the speakers. Unfortunately for those groups who had reached lunch up to an hour before us, this was their twentieth time hearing the song. 

The spot was at Bristow Lake, which was a great swim spot. The hosts that night provided us with a great pulled pork meal with salad. Lucky for us, a rodeo was taking place in town just a half mile away. Many of the locals sported cowboy boots and cowboy hats, which made our group look out of place with our track shorts, flip flops, and well defined tan lines. We got to see several traditional rodeo events including bucking horse riding, lassoing calves and cows, bull riding, and barrel racing, during which one man hilariously got sandwiched in between two hay barrels and subsequently got plowed as other men kept on rolling them. 

July 27

Chandler, OK to Yukon, OK: 63 miles

En route to Yukon, we stopped for lunch at a place called Pops which is famous for having 500 types of sodas, including some very strange flavors like sweet corn, teriyaki, and pickle. I opted for a honey cream soda and a pineapple, coconut, and nutmeg soda.

My selections:

Not my selection:

Writing this post several days later, I can't remember what the ride was like but one thing that was memorable was the host. 

Three miles out from the host site, we spotted signs that said "Bike and Build" and directed us with an arrow. We passed about 8 more of these signs guiding us to the host. Upon arriving, we were greeted by a friendly woman who offered us an ice cold towel that she pulled out of an ice bucket. Placing a cold towel on my face was unbelievably refreshing after a day spent in the Oklahoma heat. 

This pampering was followed by snacks AND chocolate milk! As if all of this wasn't already over the top, the hosts had called a local bike shop and brought in two bike mechanics to fix and tune up our bikes. In the downtime before dinner, we went swimming in a private pool that a family close to the church offered to let us use. For dinner, they prepared steaks for everyone. Every year, the church hosts an ice cream social for the community based around Bike and Build. There were about 100 people gathered in one of the church's halls. People from the community brought homemade ice cream - I sampled many of the flavors, my favorite being the banana chocolate chip. I was on dinner crew that week so my crew had to give our usual presentation about Bike and Build to the audience. The volunteers, the church members from the community, and the pastor (who was an avid cyclist) were some of the nicest people we had met. 

July 28

Yukon, OK to Cordell, OK: 84.5 miles

The ride was very scenic through the plains of Oklahoma and my group stopped a few times to take some fun hay pictures.

The lunch spot was one of our best - it was located at Salyer Lake, where we were given permission to use the water slide that was stationed at one end of lake. It was a blast. 

We continued to our destination of Cordell, using the water tower in the distance as a reference point for miles to judge our proximity to the town. The town had an attractive town hall, but only a handful of stores and not much to explore. We had a nice healthy dinner with marinated chicken breast, green beans, and salad.