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I couldn't bear to leave her... September 28, 2008Leave a comment ;)
There she was, just sitting on the side of the road looking so forlorn. Lost and alone with no one caring for her. I rode by her once, turned around. Took a photo of her and pedaled away, only to turn around and give her a place of prominence on my handlebar bag. She will have a front row seat for the remainder of my trip. And she's a quiet little traveler too! Once again, I was awake before sunrise and packed my stuff as the light started to filter into my room. I found a small cafe in Buffalo where at least twelve local farmers were huddled together discussing the price of wheat, serving themselves coffee because the waitress wanted to be anywhere else but here. An omelet with cheddar cheese that couldn't melt because the eggs were too cold. Other than that, my breakfast was pretty good! I headed out of Buffalo toward the south. The wind was minimal and the temps were hovering just below 60 degrees. I started to climb numerous hills as I rose up the bluff close to Fort Supply, OK. The hills are covered by a huge wind farm with towers stretching as far as the eye could see. The sun was just in the right position to highlight the enormous blades as they stood quietly still in the Oklahoma morning. The last time I came through this area, the wind was howling out of the south and I parked my truck and listened to the "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" as the blades turned in unison. No such sound today. Just the occasional screech of a pair of red tail hawks that seemed to be following me from power pole to power pole. I rode through Fort Supply and eventually wandered southeast of Woodward. I have traveled this road so many times from CO to OK from my childhood until as recently as July of this year. It has not changed that much over the years. Since I would not be able to reach Watonga by nightfall, I made a point of finding a place to stay as close to 80 miles away. It seems like most of the hotels (and there are not many) are being occupied by wind farm construction crews or people associated with the oil drilling in the area. I did find a small hotel in Taloga, OK and which would take me about 10 miles off my track toward Watonga, but I did not have any other options. The landscape changed dramatically as I rode down the hills into the South Canadian River valley. Taloga sits in the base of the valley, in a large lush plain. I pulled into The Taloga Inn and was met by the owners, Mike Jackson and his wife. Mike asked me to hurry and get my bike put away so that he could show me the way out of town that I will use tomorrow. Rather than climbing back up the hills I just rode down, Mike wanted to make sure I knew the locals way of winding through the Canadian River valley. A beautiful paved road that winds around and over the river for about 14 miles, meeting the diagonal highway that will take me directly into Watonga. Nice to have the help of the local folks. To show how small this world is (once again), I asked Mike where he was from in Oklahoma (can't miss the drawl). He said he was from Elk City. So I asked if he knew a very good friend of mine, Bill Khourie. "I've know Bill since I was a little boy." Bill and I work together for the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority and he has been a strong supported of aerospace in the state. It is a small world, yesiree! For today's problem, let's talk velocity, specifically the velocity of my bike. If I was traveling at 10 miles per hour and I had to reach Watonga, 100 miles away, what time should I start pedaling if I want to reach Watonga before the sun sets at 7:30 pm? More Images: ;)
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6 Comments
Sep 30, 2008 11:04 am - Johnnie Sue Todd wrote : Sorry you couldn't find any place to stay in Woodward. Got your traveling information from Kip. Did you make it to Watonga on time? There's not much there anymore. Thanks for the picture and autograph from the July 4th Edmond Parade. Kip made sure I received it. We are very proud of you. Good Luck! A-ho!
Sep 29, 2008 6:47 pm - Mark Bishop wrote : Good Evening John, I've heard a bit about you from Jim G. He was kind enough to send me a link to your site so I can see what you're doing. May God bless you and keep you on this journey. I'll be checking in regularly. : Mark
Sep 29, 2008 9:25 am - Bill Ingalls wrote : Better to be remembered as Tom Hanks in 'Castaway' than Tom Hanks in 'Forest Gump' running across the USA! : Great stuff yet again John!
Sep 29, 2008 6:53 am - Don Lange wrote : John, What happened to your tent and sleeping bag? All this moteling? Your not getting soft now are you? I know you sent it home but a campground is a good place to stay whe nothing else is around. Just givine you a hard time. I love reading where you are and seeing your pictures. Take Care and Keep Safe. Don
Sep 28, 2008 11:38 pm - Dave Atala wrote : John, It's good that you're meeting the good people on this trip. Because I think you're starting to remind me of Tom Hanks in 'Castaway' with the little souvenirs you're finding out there!! Hahaha, Dave. Add a comment: |
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Hi John, Been with you since the beginning it's been quite the ride. Great photo's. I think you could auction off the little hitch-hiker on e-bay when you're done, what a great way to sponsor a scholarship for a student. Did you just leave the little tiger on the road? Poor little feller... Montana is still in the sunshine, It's been a great fall. Ride Safe.