4.18.2011 Ride: Duncan, OK - Medicine Park, OK

The morning started off well, though breakfast was a bit disappointing.  However, the staff at the Hampton Inn we stayed at in Duncan was great and extremely helpful.  We had our own private parking garage in the laundry room with 24 hour valet access.

The wind was a bit stiffer than we anticipated to start, but we made our way out of Duncan among the morning traffic and on to a country road toward Lawton.  I wasn't having a good feeling, which usually meant something negative was brewing.  I was hoping the ill feeling was going to be relatively minor and not that one of us was going to be involved in an accident.  About 5 miles out of town, the puzzle was answered.

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This was a sign that no road biker likes to see, particularly a touring biker.  There were no obvious good alternatives to where we wanted to go and it was only after asking six people that we got clear directions to get us back on track.  I was in a melancholy mood even though we didn't have to back track that much.  I think I was probably more tired then I realized and there was a natural let down from yesterday's high riding experience.  We were riding somewhat into the wind but not that bad.

I wasn't in the mood for much picture taking.  However, when we reached the top of one long climb, the fence post with chain appealed to me, capturing my low mood.  Ted and Cliff were waiting for me at a turn just a couple of hundred yards down the road.  After taking the picture, I looked around, taking in the vast expanse around me.  I was having one of those sacred place feelings about that particularly site. The wind and land were all speaking to me in a way that gave me pause and made me feel very fortunate to be there and part of the experience.

Just before we left the country road we were traveling on and about to take on Hwy 7, we came across this ornery fellow.

The worst thing about Hwy 7 was not that it was a divided four lane road with a good amount of traffic.  It was that it was that with a fierce wind in our faces.  Yesterday, I had a decided advantage in the wind on my regular bike as my upright position caught the wind dramatically better than Ted or Cliff on their recumbent bikes.  Today, I had a dramatic disadvantage.  Whereas, normally, I can catch up with Ted on the hills, today I could barely do that.  We had about 12 miles of this on Hwy 7 into Lawton and, for me, it was emotionally exhausting.

Highway 7.  the wind leaves me in the dust behind Ted and Cliff.

There was a picture I wish I had taken back on the country road.  It was of a tire hung in the middle of a red gate.  It was a very simple image with very nice symmetry and I really liked it.  I knew I wouldn't see anything like that again but I came across something close off of Hwy 7.

 

I'm glad we didn't stay in Lawton as originally planned because it didn't seem to be much of a town.  We did have a good lunch at Crockett's Smokehouse and the folks there were very friendly and helpful when we asked about directions.  After lunch, my spirits picked up and I was looking forward to our ride through Fort Sill.

Entrance to Fort Sill

It was a rather cool feeling waiting in line on our bikes with the cars to go through the gate, as if we were entering another country and going through customs.  We were warned that they might check our bags but all they wanted to see was our ID.  My guard didn't seem to think twice about the fact that I was on a bike but Cliff's guard asked him a lot of curious questions regarding his bike,wanting to know if it was hard to ride and how much it cost.  My spirits picked up more riding through the Fort and we ended up on a very quiet road for most of the ride.
Since Medicine Park has no grocery store or restaurant open for breakfast, we stopped at a Dollar General store six miles away to see what we could scrounge up.  Again, we encountered some very friendly and helpful folks.

Dakota at Dollar General

The road on Hwy 49 to Medicine park was a good one with a lighter wind.  I felt as if we were in the mountains with some rock outcroppings rising from the side of the road at times.  Ahead of us, we could catch glimpses of the Wilderness Area.  This was such a contrast to the ride in the early part of the day.

The cabin that we picked out did not disappoint us. A wonderful alternative to the standard hotels we have been staying in: The Wichita Mountain Lodge.  We unloaded our gear and rode into town for a look.

There were several pieces of large lawn art throughout town.

The sign at the town limits says, Medicine Springs, The First Cobblestone Town.  When I first read cobblestone, I thought cobblestone roads.  But it turned out to have a different meaning.

Many of the buildings in town are built similar to the above picture.

Lake in  Medicine Park

This house is built with cobblestone and flat stone.  But it is the bombs on the left and right that grabbed my attention.

Tomorrow, we will ride sans gear through the wilderness area and stay again at the cabin.

Today's Ride:  6hrs. 4mins.  54.66 miles.  65 - 92 degrees.  20mph winds.  Miles YTD:  2,117.26