The Tour of OKC: A day trip through my own town

Sometimes adventure is right in your own backyard (or just a few miles downtown).  Today I did a 34 mile tour of my city.  I saw some things I've seen before, some things I have not and some things I wish I wouldn't have.
This wasn't a ride about speed or distance, just about getting on your bike and seeing some sights- and taking PLENTY of pictures!!  Distance: 34.4 miles.  Avg speed: 12.1  Not a stellar distance- not a stellar pace.  Just plain fun!
I went with a friend from Stillwater who drove down.  He created this ride using the trails in OKC and linking them together.  We took trails on the way downtown, and rode the OKC Marathon course backwards on the way back up to my house.

Here is my tale in pictures:

Riding along through Nichols Hills we see a mini-carnival:  Earthday Birthday.  

How could we NOT stop for that?

 Sno-cones at Earthday Birthday

 

 We're goin' to the zoo zoo zoo...

 The 45th Infantry Museum.  Very cool artifacts from this most important Army division.  

Think M*A*S*H*

check out this cool old plane, and the amphibious vehicle behind it, and the ambulance to the left behind it, and the jeep... so many neat relics to be seen!

 Then less than a half mile away is the OK Railway Museum.  We got to play with real trains!

I wanna drive this engine

 In the top of a caboose

 

they might be slow as trains, but these were our wheels for the day

 OK, so not so proud of the choice here, but you take what you can get sometimes.
Not eco-friendly for sure- and not even very tasty, but...

I was about to crash from hunger and this was the only thing near. 

It didn't make ME happy, but it made my belly happy to have something in it, so whatever...

OK Land Run memorial statues

 The statues were HUGE.  I'm all up in this horses junk.

a group of people gather outside the climbing gym downtown

probably praying they don't die as they climb the outside of this old grain silo

The monstrosity that Devon Energy is building downtown.  

I don't think it's even halfway done yet.  

It's supposed to be eleventy billion stories tall

Thunder Pride

more Thunder pride

 

downtown art

a big ass boot

while my guitar gently weeps... mostly because I'm playing it

WTH?  Giant penguin...ooookaaaayyyy

beautiful downtown shot

pretty old house along the marathon course

the Asian district

one of the 168 banners that line the Memorial Marathon course with a name of each of the victims of the April 19th attack

So there you go.  A tour of my own city.  It was a lot of fun.  Very relaxed pace and just enjoying all the sights and sounds my beautiful city has to offer.  Rode through very diverse sections of the city:  from wealthy Nichols Hills, to some run down parts of town, to historic downtown, to the Asian district, to major shopping centers, and on back home- to my little slice of the city in The Village.  

Remember that adventure doesn't have to be far from your doorstep.  Stop and explore your own city.
Seeing it from the seat of a bike gives you a whole new perspective and makes it feel like a new place.  Two wheels take you where four cannot.

This eco-cyclist had a blast seeing the sights on two wheels under her own power.  Power to the pedal!

OOOOOOOOKlahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain...

or it comes at you like a quad engine locomotive and slams into you with all the force of a quarter mile long freight train hauling ass across the plains...

Egads, man!  The wind is just crazy today.  It's not wind.  It's crazy, stupid, wind.  Insane.  Outrageous!  I mean, really- is this necessary?  We have wind every single day of the year.  Most of the time it's 10-20 mph.  Ok- I get that.
I don't like it- but I get it.

But this wind.
This wind is just... udderly ridiculous (who can resist a cow joke?).
Sustained at 39 mph, gusting into the 50's.  That's really just not necessary.  Ever!  It's one of those days when I wish we had a wind turbine (or three or a dozen) in our backyard making our electric meter turn backwards- forcing OG&E to pay ME money.  Can I get an Amen???

I rode to work today.  I was sick the last two days.  I had a fever and some kind of bug that didn't let me be awake for more than about 20 minutes at a time.  So after sleeping for somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 hours on Wednesday and another 14 yesterday I was feeling well enough to go back  to work today.  I rode in, and it wasn't half bad (of course, I was riding SE and the wind is out of the NW- so there you go- a brisk tailwind the whole way).

Coming home was a whole other story.  I took the longer way home just to ride on roads I was fairly certain would have little to no traffic.  Why?  Well, I hate cars, but aside from that- I was worried about the wind blowing me into their line of travel.  I had good reason to be worried.  It pushed me around like the too tall too angry bully on the playground.  And I'm no lightweight- but I sure felt like a Raggedy Ann doll out there today.  I take that back- I felt like one of those giant wacky inflatable flailing arm men tubes.  You know the kind.

Just picture that on a bike and there you have my commute.  In a nutshell.

SO I finally get blown home and decided to go outside and read.  Now I know what you're thinking:  why would you go outside?  Well: #1 it's beautiful (temperature wise) and #2  it's beautiful (temperature wise).  I found a corner on my back patio that was sorta somewhat kinda blocked from the wind.  I sat down with my book to read and it looked like this:  Calm and peaceful.  Serene.

But what you can't see is the wind blowing all around like a madman trapped in straight jacket trying to get out.  So although it looks calm- this is what it felt like:

Somehow I knew I wouldn't have peace and quiet for too long before my 4 legged friends found out that I was on the porch.  Once they knew I was there, Kona would want to play ball.  And that's just what happened.  Tearing around the corner came a little brown dog with a ball in her mouth just begging to be played with.  How can I resist that sweet, sweet face?

So we played ball for a little while until I wore her out, then I headed back inside to let my ears take a break.  They felt like I had been sitting next to a jet engine on full throttle.   Oh my!!!

And now the power is flickering on and off while I type this.  Sometimes I can edit and save- sometimes not so much.  The wind is a fickle little guy... and like it or not he's here to stay.

I choose to not let him mess with me.  I shall continue to play outside, ride my bike,  read my books and play with my dogs.  And blog.

Pedal on, my friends!

New name- same old blog

You may have noticed a change in my blog address.  Yes, it's the 3rd name change in the last year, but I swear this is the last name change (unless something better comes along).
This new name better reflects who I am:  an eco-conscious cyclist.  I'm not just a biking fool.  Yes, I am a biker and a fool, but I wanted to incorporate the fact that I'm also an environmentalist.  I've really taken a deeper interest in becoming a better citizen of the planet lately, and have been changing things I've been doing "wrong" to make me feel like I'm doing a better job here.

The Village bringing back curbside recycling has really gotten my engine fired about about becoming mor eco-friendly.  Thank you, Village, for bringing back something so vitally important!  Now that we have recycling back in our lives, I find that I'm taking even more steps than normal towards making my life much more planet-friendly.

One major change in my ways has been to move from Kleenex to handkerchiefs.  I bought some a few months ago, and have added even more since.  I used to keep a box by my nightstand for middle-of-the-night blows, but I have now changed that to handkerchiefs as well.  No more Kleenex for me!  That's one step.  One HUGE step (do you even KNOW how much I blow my nose- it's ridiculous let me tell you).  We recycle so much now we only have to put one 33 gallon trash bag out each week.  Sometimes we don't even fill up one per week and can go two weeks on one 33 gallon bag.  I must say I'm very proud of us (but it's wrong to be self-righteous, so I won't say that).

Baby steps.  Once a week I will vow to make one more eco-friendly change in my lifestyle to bring me one step closer to being a better steward of the planet.  Thankfully I have a husband who plays long with me.  We just cut our cable bill by $30 by cutting out things we don't need.  Yes, we still have cable- but cutting that would require a divorce- and I don't want to go THAT far off the deep end.  TV will stay, but I will watch it less.

My change this week:  I have vowed to make Tuesdays media free.  No internet, no TV, mabye radio and definitely more reading.  Preferably outside on the hammock if it's nice enough. That might not seem like a big change, but for a media whore like me, cutting out one day a week is HUGE! 

So, sorry to change my blog address on you AGAIN, but hopefully incorporating a little more of who I am will make you want to read more.

Cheers!

so is *THIS* what it's like????

to ride with little to no wind??? Is this what "the other side" deals with???

Oh yeah- I'll take a double dose, please!!!!

Today was amazing!  Started out a little chilly, but a light jacket took care of that pesky chill in the air.  The ride to work was speedy... well, except for having to stop and fix my seat post twice.  The day warmed up nicely, and by the time I got off work and headed home- it was GLOR. E. US!  Hallelujah!!!! 
It was so peaceful and clam.  The wind was wasn't tormenting me (I'm so used to writing was, I forgot the n't).  It was just perfect.  Saw lots of runners, walkers and other riders out and about.  Everybody was taking advantage of this marvelous day. 

wheeeeeeeeeeee.....

The sun was shining- the birds were singing (well, I'm assuming they were- I didn't hear any), the people were out and about at the lake, the cars were nice and forgiving, the lake was bone dry. 

WHOA!  WHAT???

Yup- you heard that right.  The lake is dry.  Well, not *totally*... but close.
I'm not even sure if it's possible, but I think that Lake Hefner is about to dry up.  I've heard rumors that it's up to 70 ft. deep in places, but at it's current rate of being used up- I'm doubting that there will be any water left by the end of the summer.  It's scary low.  Terrifyingly low.  Blood-curdling screamingly low.  I'm talking STEPHEN KING scary low!! EEK!

 Wait- there's not supposed to be a beach at the lake...

 Yeah- when you look between these trees normally-you only see water- not brown dirt

So seeing the lake in this predicament is really hard for me.  Normally by the end of summer the lake gets dry at the inlets and it's OK because it's hot and it's summer.  It's been like this since February.  It truly makes me sad in my soul.  It breaks my heart is what it does.  I feel so badly for the lake, because although it's an inanimate object- it still must "feel" things.  It feels the fish moving, the birds swooping down and bathing, the sun heating it up, the cold ice and frigid temps of winter.  It's not just a lake- it's MY lake.  I am here 4-6 times a week.  It's my second home.  I feel like it's a part of me, so when it's in trouble I feel it's pain.  I pray for rain daily and hope that we will see it soon.  We so desperately need it.


OK- so the other SUPER EXCITING thing that happened today is... are you ready for it??? 

Hammock Time!!!!!

u-oh- uh-oh-uh-oh-uh-oh 

 STOP!  Hammock Time!

Oh you heard me- it's time to bring out the hammock from it's cold dark storage spot in the corner of the garage.  WOOT WOOT!!!  I brought out my book that I'm currently reading (No Impact Man by Colin Beavan- excellent read on reducing your carbon footprint, BTW) and jumped in the hammock for an hour or so.  It was DEE. LIGHT. FUL!!!!!

The hammock gets a thumbs-up from me!

 egads, man- those legs are PASTY!!!

So do you know how I know it's spring?  The hammock came out, I enjoyed a beautifully warm (but not too warm) day of riding, and I read outside for an hour and didn't get eaten alive.

Life is good.  Very good indeed!!!!

NOW GO GET ON YOUR BIKE AND RIDE!!!!!

Adventure Cycling launches a new site: Bike Overnights

Adventure cycling has launched a new website dedicated to making bike touring accessible to everyone.  Biking overnight- what a fabulous idea!!  It's the same concept as S24O's (sub 24 hour overnighters).  Get on your bike on day one, ride to your destination, camp out and ride back the next day.  It satisfies the cyclist who longs for some adventure, as well as making it easy to do and doesn't require taking any time off work.

Check out their site:
Bike Overnights

I tried one last weekend and it didn't quite work out.  I'm hoping to try one again sometime very, very soon!!
If you're at all interested in doing a mini-tour, please give this site a look.  It's full of great information, and is a product of one of the best touring resources out there:  Adventure Cycling.


Now go dust off your sleeping bag, seam seal your tent, get your pannier bags out, throw your stuff in that old kid trailer your children haven't fit in for years and get on your bike and go for an overnight camping trip.

Bike49 comes to town (kinda like Santa but without gifts)

Last night we hosted a group of 5 cyclists that came through OKC.
They are a group of 5 from NorCal, right out of college and spreading the news about living healthy and loving the planet.
Their motto:  bike49: pedaling towards a sustainable future

They were VERY cool people!  They arrived in town about 3:00, and made it to our house without incident. They had stopped at the Crest in Edmond on their way in.  They bought supplies for dinner and cooked a SUPER delicious cornbread and also a really savory pasta salad.  Yum!

Just look at this yummy cornbread- the best I've ever had!

We had quite the feast!  It was a scrumptious dinner- and it was great that they cooked for us- what a treat. Score!  Guess I should invite random strangers over more often- especially if they'll cook for me.
We visited a lot during the evening.  They were very kind and entertained me by answering my million questions about their trip and their lives.  They had very interesting stories to share, and provided me with hours of entertainment. I'm like a kid always asking tons of questions.  Here are some tidbits I found out:
Sara has hiked the entire Continental Divide trail (3000) miles in 4.5 months- that's AMAZING!
Tommy and Aaron (I think)  biked the Pacific Coast before this tour.
Matt is majoring in soil science and will be studying amazing new ways to help agriculture.
Allysum is a fabulous photographer- and a botonist.
Sara broke her ankle and was out for 9 weeks so she wrote and illustrated a book about a giraffe that learns to ride a bike and start making his community a bike-friendly place.  The book is FABULOUS!


The next morning we woke them up MUCH earlier than they were used to getting up, and we headed to school to do their presentation.  On the road in the morning:

1st-6th grades stayed for the presentation and seemed to really enjoy their talk and pictures.  They did a GREAT job with the kids, and the presentation was entertaining for the kids as well as the teachers.  I'm so glad they were willing to do this and show the kids alternative vacations/options of seeing the country and showing that cycling promotes a healthy body and a healthy planet.

After their presentation, they headed out west towards Cheyenne and the Grasslands.  It's quite beautiful out there, and I'm certain they'll have a wonderful time seeing that part of the state.  I rode them out of town on good, quiet, neighborhood roads, and took them to Route 66 to head west.  The wind was really blowing fiercely, and I can only imagine how long their day will be fighting this wind.  I had a difficult time myself just pedaling the 15 miles back home from where I left them.
Getting their kicks (or getting kicked by the wind) on Route 66.

It was great to meet them and to hear their VERY interesting stories of the adventures they've had.  I'm envious of their travels (all have been US adventures) and of their free spirits.  Makes me wish I were 15 years younger and just getting started in life- so many possibilities and so little responsibility before you have the career and mortgage, kids, etc.  Not to say that you can't still take these amazing adventures when you have all that, but it just gets harder the more entrenched you get in everyday life and involved in the task of building a career.  Rian and I still have amazing adventures, and we do things that people think are pretty amazing (like backpacking in the Grand Canyon, or doing an Ironman, or taking a week and doing Freewheel).  I think I have a lot of the hippie/wanderer in me that I still need to let loose. :)
After I left them, I headed to Lake Overholser and stopped to have a little snack- an orange.  The wind was so fun, I hardly enjoyed it.  Ate it quickly then mounted my steed to complete the 15 miles back home.

There's wind, and then there's stupid crazy wind.  Today is stupid, crazy wind.  Wind gusts in the 40's.  Sustained winds in the 30's.  It's just stupid.  Crazy stupid.  There were times I was hammering into the wind on a flat and a gust would come and stop me nearly dead in my tracks.

Yes, you read that right: 6.5 mph.  How did I get a picture?  Well, it's pretty easy when you're traveling that slowly.  I was pedaling with all my might.  Then the gust would let up and you'd be flying at 9 mph.  ;)  While waiting at an intersection, some stupid high school boys shouted something out their window at me.  He was leaning out of his car window so far I kinda hoped he would lean just a little more and fall right out.  Why do yelling motorists think we can even understand what they're saying???  I noticed that riding with a group of 5 other cyclists, you get bullied a LOT less by cars.  All cars gave the group of us wide berth, were very courteous and polite.  When I was alone I got buzzed a number of times and yelled at twice.  I guess 6 is intimidating- 1 is not.  I need to ride a tandem with a dummy on the back to keep from being harassed...

It was a great time with the kids from bike49.  They are great, and I wish them well on the remainder of their journey.  I'll  be praying for their safe travel, and living vicariously through them until they've completed their journey.
Happy trails, guys!!