4.17.2011 Ride; Bowie TX - Duncan OK

Yesterday was tough getting the blog updated as we were all wiped out, mostly from the sun.  Even though it wasn't that hot, it wore on us and I didn't drink nearly as much water as I needed.
A great ride today as we had a tail wind of around 24mph almost all day.  It was biking Nirvana.  At one time, I was doing 14mph on a slight incline and I wasn't even pedaling.  Lots of photos, so here goes.

Leaving Bowie this morning, we came upon this S&H sign.  Still in very good shape but the company stopped giving out the stamps in the late 1980s.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign as it brought back memories as a kid of collecting them, pressing them against a damp sponge and putting them in the book.  I think I remember that our family traded our stamps in for a tree pole light, the kind that goes from floor to ceiling and stays in place by pressure.

Because of the wind, we entertained the idea of riding all the way to Lawton, which would have been a 100 mile ride.  The wind made us feel like super bikers.  We would see.  Our route was going to be mostly along US Hwy 81 which had a high speed limit but a big shoulder.  And, taking off early on a Sunday morning, we saw very little traffic.  It was a great morning for biking.

The open country, tail wind and empty roads kept our spirits high and made us feel giddy.

 This unusual stone building including some blue glass rocks.

The grassy shoulders were a PROFUSION of wildflowers.

Flowered stem growing up out of cactus

Close up

Earlier, I had passed some of these cacti that had red blossoms on the top.  It was on a descent and I had just stopped a moment go so I kept going.  I was hoping I would see more blooms down the road but I never did.


We passed several crosses on the road.  The one below really caught my eye.  The interesting thing is that this was placed on a long straight stretch of road which one would consider relatively safe.  I came by another cross that was also on a straight stretch of road.

Definitely oil country.

This plaque is only about 10 x 8 inches wide and was mounted about twenty feet off the road along a fence.  It would have been easy to miss and I was glad to catch sight of it.  I still haven't figured out what it refers to but it seemed to have a lot of history.

Envision herds of cattle crossing the Red River on the Chisholm Trail

...or not.

The Red River is the boundary for Texas and Oklahoma.  The abundance of wildflowers seemed to disappear from theside of the road in Oklahoma but the road was much smoother.  And, very quickly, the terrain changed and became very flat until closer to Duncan.

Originally, before we even started the trip, the plan was to stop in Waurika, OK and spend the night. That would have been a very short ride.  Also, we were a bit concerned with the condition of the lone motel there.

Waurika means clear or pure water.

We stopped for lunch at Nicki's Cafe and I asked our waitress about the motel.  "It's clean, very clean," which were words that we wanted to hear.  We still weren't stopping there today but our plans are such that we may stop on the way back.

Too full to ride?

At lunch, we decided to forego the 100 mile ride idea and enjoy ourselves more.  Thus, Duncan, OK was now our destination.

Yesterday when we were riding, I was struck by the number and the variety of gloves I saw on the side of the road.  I thought of taking pictures of them but dismissed the idea.  Today, I decided to do so.  I did pick up the gloves to discard later, though, I would love to save them for a collection.  On a side note, adding to my pick up at least one piece of litter each day, I decided to try and find a piece of litter to pick up every time we stopped.  this has been fairly successful.

A couple of the gloves that were picked up.

 

I can't remember which small town this was taken in.  Addington, perhaps.

Welcome to Duncan.  Actually, everyone has been very helpful and friendly.  This pistol has a plaque that says "Don't Mess with Texas," but we're in Oklahoma.  I love the little bicycle on the trailer.

And, one parting shot from our elevator door.

Whew!! Too much.  Over two hours to update.  Can't keep this up.

Oh, yes.  I passed the 2,000 mile mark for miles year to date.

Today's Ride:  6hrs. 3mins.  75.38 miles.  51 - 84 degrees.  Tail wind of 24mph.  Miles YTD: 2,062.6