Route: Red Lick, Texas to Idabel, Oklahoma (Bypass Church of Christ)
Distance: 60.3 miles
Riding Time: 4 and a half-ish hours (darn, erased computer again! :)
Average Speed: 15.0 mph
Max: 26.0 mph
Weather: Ok, so maybe I'm just crazy but it really-truly-honestly felt less humid today! Wahooo for heading North-ish! Also it was kinda windy... but mostly that worked in our favor and I got to do some quality sailing today. High in the low-90's?
Highlights
- Slept in until 5:30. Breakfast at 6:30. On the road by 7:30... or a little later. Short day today.
- As Alex shared this morning, we have been in fancy gyms and megachurches across the south by now and, by far, the people of the Red Lick First United Methodist Church were some of the kindest people we have met yet. Donna Owens and co. made sure to give us each a good morning hug before breakfast and another tearful hug before we creaked onto our bikes and out of the driveway.
- Our first stop for a break was at an elementary school in the tiny town of Malta, TX. It is a pre-K through 6th grade with just over 100 students total. When Nadine stopped by to check and see if it was ok to park the van and trailer out front, the school superintendent of the school said that of course we could park there and furthermore we could use the bathrooms and then she pulled out her wallet and gave us a hundred dollar bill on the spot. This is amazing. This also happens every day (sometimes several times a day) on this trip. I feel so privileged to be able to see some of the very best of humanity on this trip.
- I think I could safely say that we are now out onto the prairies. It is pretty flat. Also pretty beautiful. Also just a little windy. Oh well.
- Got to the church with plenty of time to spare for catching a little nap, taking a long shower and taking advantage of the free wifi to do all the "grown-up things" that must be tended to even in the middle of an epic adventure. (Grrr. Oh health insurance, why must you be such a pain!)
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| Miss Donna Owens (on the left) and her friends at Red Lick have to be among the kindest and most generous folks we have met yet... and we have met some seriously amazing people along the way so far! |
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| Goodie bags for the day from Red Lick |
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| Ben and Alex untangle a wire from Alex's derailleur. |
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| Yup. I'd say it's gittin' flatter. |
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| Wind. |
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| Riding into Oklahoma with Ben and Steve |
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| Little Hopper on the bike trailer. |
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| Sun in the cottonwoods. |
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| With a name like that, they have to be good! I ate like 10 to make sure they were ok. Off-brand Oreos rock. So does my dad. |
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| Gift from Red Lick on the back of my bike. |
Good day Kristi. I just finished reading all of your posts. I am looking forward to the next installment. I wish I could give you and your compatriots massages to help you on your way.
ReplyDeleteI rode up Sabino and thought of you. Happy trails, Beryl
Thank you so much Beryl and thanks for reading my ramblings! Gosh, and I would probably bike to Tucson right now for a massage if I could. That sounds absolutely amazing!! But as it is I'm trying to do lots of stretching and muscle rolling in the meantime and I'm sure it will end up alright. Sigh... That was so great to ride Sabino with you! Keep those pedals spinning, girl! You are awesome! Enjoy that dry desert heat for me! :-)
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