Day 21 (5/14/22) A Lovely Second Century

Start:                  Oklahoma City, OK

End:                    Tulsa, OK

 Mileage:             101 miles

Elevation:           3,273 feet

This was likely my longest ride of the journey, but it was not the most difficult.  I can think of 4 already that were more exhausting.  Thursday’s route—at just 76 miles—was much more difficult because of the non-stop and very steep undulation and a heavier wind.  Today had hills, but they were more rolling and stretched out over longer distances.  There was clearly less elevation gain over longer mileage owing to the fact that today’s route was all on state roads, whereas Thursday was on less-well-maintained service/frontage roads. 

The 3 elevation guides I have were off by a factor by more than 2.5 for Thursday’s ride, which made me very concerned about potentially a 6,000 foot climb today over 100 miles.  The guides were off for today’s ride, but luckily only by a factor of about 1.5.

Elevation aside, it was once again a beautiful ride.  More beautiful farmland.  More deciduous trees than I’ve seen in years which also provides something I just don’t get in California—shade.  It was in the mid-90s most of the afternoon, but a very slight wind made for a nice breeze with very little impact on performance.  Overall, just a super ride.

Observations

• Oklahoma’s towns along Route 66 are by far the best of any I’ve seen so far.  Chandler was just beautiful and Bristow was delightful.  They’re vibrant which just wasn’t the case for so many of the towns along Route 66 in CA, AZ, and NM. 

• I stumbled into Chandler’s homecoming parade and Bristow’s Spring street fair.  Slices of Americana, but perhaps more important, its campaign season, and most politicians running for office entice you to hear their speal with free ice-cold bottled water.  In both towns, I told them I couldn’t vote for the candidate but hoped they would help a parched cyclist.  When I told them of my journey, they gave me two bottles.  Score!

• Oklahoma must lead the country in roadkill—both in terms of volume and variety.  Skunks, armadillos, snakes (lots of snakes), turtles (yes…turtles), dogs, cats, birds.  They have been the main obstacle on the shoulders.

• Ate at Billy Sims BBQ tonight.  Pictures of Sooner football and Barry Switzer all over the place.  I’ve tendered my resignation to the Penn State Alumni Association.  Wish the food hadn’t been so good.

• Speaking of food, any health benefits I’ve gained from the ride so far were wiped out with yesterday’s dinner which consisted of croissants drenched in honey butter, fried cheese curds (I don’t even like thinking about it), and chicken fried chicken.  I had a salad as well, so maybe it was o.k.

 What I’m Grateful for Today

Some days, I know exactly what I’m going to write about before I start riding.  Mother’s Day was obvious, as was my Dad’s birthday.  Today, I had no clue.  Then, as I was pedaling through Chandler, I came across their marching band warming up for the homecoming parade and it became clear that today it was time to talk about music.  Our music director, Mr. Turturiello (Mr. T…not Vinnie…won’t go there), had a birthday yesterday, so it was just perfect.

I still get chills up my spine when I hear a marching band warming up.  It happened this morning.  I can just feel their anticipation building.  It brings me right back to the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Blue Raider Marching Band along with all of the other aspects of the music program (Moonglowers/jazz band, wind ensemble, orchestra)

 I wrote about my Liberal Arts education the other week.  My involvement in music in high school was the other most important element of my education.  I did gain an appreciation for many different types of music, but more importantly, it taught me so much about self-discipline, teamwork, collaboration, time management, listening, and leadership.  Mr. T. was instrumental here. (See what I did there?).  Specifically, he was the most influential teacher I’ve had, and as I’ve told him several times, I used the skills I learned from him and his program every day in my career.  Who’d have thought a trombone could have such a big impact on a person’s life.

P.S.  Happy 11th Anniversary to my niece and nephew Jen and Tom.