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I may be nuts, but something has been bugging me... October 10, 2008Leave a comment ;)
I know, I know, quit typing so late in the day. I'm going just a little bit nutty. Maybe I should pedal less and type more? I think not... ;o) It was a fairly straight ride from McAlester to Heavener (pronounced "He vin er"). Interesting sites. Running the gamut from Alien shaved ice to The Hard Times Festival! I guess it makes sense to take time off from hardship to celebrate it! The shoulders that I praised so much yesterday disappeared and became a passing memory. The road narrowed just after I found the Choctaw Nation's Jones Academy. I didn't realize this school was here, so I took some time to stop by the office and meet with some students. The Jones Academy is an in residence boarding school for grades K-12. Kids from all across the country end school here. They were a lot of fun, I just wish I had known of the school's location and I would have planned a longer stay. At least I had a chance to spend a short period of time. I took a short cut when I left the school and followed a narrow paved road back to the main highway. I've learned that this is the perfect place for a dog. You can roam free and chase bicyclists at will. Gotta love a dog owner that doesn't mind their dog running freely across a major highway. If you are a dog and can read this, pack your bags and move to eastern OK. I'm sure you will be happy! Nice doggie... I wanted to stop at the Hateful Hussy Restaurant, but funny thing, they were closed! Go figure! I tend to find tools on just about every bike ride and today was no exception. A 200 foot surveyor's tape! What a find! I strapped that critter down to my bike and found the first post office I could find. Nine dollars and 10 cents later, the tape was on it's way to my house! What a deal! When I am pedaling along and I see that someone has stopped alongside the road and appears to be waiting for me, I pay close attention. Two motorcyclists did just that today and as I came closer one of them started to wave. Upon closer inspection I realized it was Tony Choate, a journalist for the Chickasaw Times. Tony had just covered my departure from Ada and the Chickasaw Headquarters, but didn't realize I would be pedaling this way. I stopped and took photos of Tony and Stephanie and had a good laugh in the process! Nice to see friends along the road! I made a turn where US 270 turns south near Wister, OK. I followed a winding road around Wister Lake and negotiated some rolling hills populated by the ever present free roaming eastern OK bicycle chasing canine. I think I counted about 10 in the last 5 miles of the ride. None of the dogs came too close, but they were certainly trying. Probably the funniest sight was the bassett hound bounding through the brush, bent on annihilation. Big old ears flapping in the breeze! At least he (she) had some spunk. I'm still scratching my head over how a pair of boots were placed so neatly side by side in a drainage ditch beneath a church billboard. Things just keep getting stranger by the day! One of my friends mentioned in the comments that I should ask how long it took me to fly in the shuttle over the distance I have pedaled. Good idea Dave! If the shuttle travels at 17,500 mph, how long would it take to fly 2975 miles (total mileage to date). More Images: ;)
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2 Comments
Oct 10, 2008 10:26 pm - Dave Atala wrote : Sorry you missed the 'Hateful Hussy'. Would have been a great ballcap souvenir if they had 'em! You must be really getting in some shape...108 avg heart rate? Mine would be double. And then the centipedes would eat me... Add a comment: |
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It's just exasperating how some people manage to do things I've wanted to do my entire life, such as fly in space ride a bike across the U.S. keep peddaling, Bone! I look forward to checking your website often!