Day zero of the Oklahoma Freewheel
is when you ride the bus from Tulsa to Durant. The bike ride on Saturday is optional: from Durant south to the Oklahoma/Texas border and back: roughly 40 miles. Of course, you want to do that, so you can say you have gone across the WHOLE state and not just all the state except 20 miles!
Here's the route:
Durant to Border
I got up super early and made it to the bus pickup at 6:15. Thanks to Jeff Maness for lodging and drop off.
I promptly met a couple of freewheel novices who I have hung with most of the time. One is an 18 year old homeschool graduate here with his great aunt. I kept up with him on the ride for a while and then he was gone.
Also rode some with a guy more my age from Ponca city.
We arrived by bus in Durant (DOO- rant) at 10.30 am and got registered. Then I picked a place for my campsite just past the endzone off the "savage storms" stadium in SE state university.
It looks like some freaky refugee camp housing the persecuted bike people fleeing their homelands.
Oddly enough they did not arrange shower facilities so we set off on our 40- mile ride at noon knowing there might be no shower until tomorrow when the shower truck arrives. Turns out they had 2 garden hoses for us back behind the bleachers which we used in our cycling shorts.
I was pleased with the ride, even though it was 97 F, the riding was good and the hills nothing compared to those in Norman.
At the border, we crossed a one- lane metal frame bridge over the Red River so we could say we started in Texas and went all they way to Kansas.
There is good camaraderie on the ride, a sense of sharing space, watching out for each other's stuff and well being. Even shared exhaustion and shared discovery.
I've been reading some books on rediscovering ancient practices, and brought along one on "the sacred journey" ( pilgrimage) by Charles foster.
He says God had always favored those who wander, who live on the edges of society, removed from institutionalized authority. Think of the children of Israel, Abraham, Moses, Jesus...
The journey is as important as the destination. We are just commanded to follow. I'll try to remember that at 6.30 as I ride out for 65 miles.
is when you ride the bus from Tulsa to Durant. The bike ride on Saturday is optional: from Durant south to the Oklahoma/Texas border and back: roughly 40 miles. Of course, you want to do that, so you can say you have gone across the WHOLE state and not just all the state except 20 miles!
Here's the route:
Durant to Border
I got up super early and made it to the bus pickup at 6:15. Thanks to Jeff Maness for lodging and drop off.
I promptly met a couple of freewheel novices who I have hung with most of the time. One is an 18 year old homeschool graduate here with his great aunt. I kept up with him on the ride for a while and then he was gone.
Also rode some with a guy more my age from Ponca city.
We arrived by bus in Durant (DOO- rant) at 10.30 am and got registered. Then I picked a place for my campsite just past the endzone off the "savage storms" stadium in SE state university.
It looks like some freaky refugee camp housing the persecuted bike people fleeing their homelands.
Oddly enough they did not arrange shower facilities so we set off on our 40- mile ride at noon knowing there might be no shower until tomorrow when the shower truck arrives. Turns out they had 2 garden hoses for us back behind the bleachers which we used in our cycling shorts.
I was pleased with the ride, even though it was 97 F, the riding was good and the hills nothing compared to those in Norman.
At the border, we crossed a one- lane metal frame bridge over the Red River so we could say we started in Texas and went all they way to Kansas.
There is good camaraderie on the ride, a sense of sharing space, watching out for each other's stuff and well being. Even shared exhaustion and shared discovery.
I've been reading some books on rediscovering ancient practices, and brought along one on "the sacred journey" ( pilgrimage) by Charles foster.
He says God had always favored those who wander, who live on the edges of society, removed from institutionalized authority. Think of the children of Israel, Abraham, Moses, Jesus...
The journey is as important as the destination. We are just commanded to follow. I'll try to remember that at 6.30 as I ride out for 65 miles.
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