Last July before I broke my humorous in two places I had the OKFree in mind. Dad had told me about the great times he had in 1998. After my fall, I did not think I would ever be able to accomplish this goal. In December I decided that I would at least try. I mentioned it to Dad and then Dan. I think Dan actually drove Dad and I to complete the task by recording his training activity. We had to live up to the expectation. Dan, thank you. I could not have made it without your help.
It was a long ride. There were times when I wanted to quit. There were times when I thought I was way out of my place. But, there were more good times than bad. I think my most memorable moment was during one stretch on Day 4 where I was all alone on the road. All I could hear was the wind, birds, my tires and my breathing. It was at this particular moment that I was able to see the beauty that God has placed on our earth, the strength and good health he as bestowed on me and the privilege to live in the most beautiful and blessed country on earth. I grew closer to my family and much closer to God on this trip.
I will do the Oklahoma Freewheel again. I can't wait for my kids to get a little older so they too can experience the event. Thank you again Lynn for letting me do this. This was on my bucket list...now it's off. Thank you Dan and Lori for coming so far and making this a truly memorable week. And thank you Dad for overcoming many things to join us. I thank God that we all arrived in Kansas safely.
If you're interested in 2010 OKFree we are looking for riders now!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Day 6: Fairview to the Kansas State Line
Distance: 65.89 miles
Time: 5:05:54 hours
Average: 12.9 MPH
Max: 21.8 MPH
This was our last day on the road. We had made the decision to alter the route, cutting out the Alva stop, so that Dan and Lori could fly back to California on Saturday. Since we did not have ride support we tried to stay together in the event there were any problems along the way. Boy were there. About 12 miles out of Fairview we discovered that a bridge was out on our route. Our choices were to detour 20 miles around the bridge, ride through and take our chances or turn around. We decided to ride through. Dad and I were riding together and relaying information back to Lori and Dan to the best of our ability. On approach to the construction site we encountered a large thunderstorm system. We rode as long as possible into the weather but finally decided to seek cover. We stopped at a farm house about 1/2 mile off our route and asked to take cover in their shed. Thank goodness they said yes. The storm was very strong with rain, wind and hail. The hail was mostly dime sized in diameter but toward the end of the storm we had quarter size hail coming out of the back of the storm. When we walked back to the farm house Dad picked up one hailstone about 1.5 inches in diameter. Any of those would have hurt.
The lady was kind enough to provide detour instructions around the bridge. It required riding through dirt roads that were more like sand dunes. I was able to ride most of the way with my larger tires. Dad had to walk much of the three extra miles. I know this was quite difficult. Fortunately, this was the extent of our unplanned challenges of the day. The route was mostly flat with very little wind. It was good to ride with Dad. We were both grateful to see the Kansas line.
Time: 5:05:54 hours
Average: 12.9 MPH
Max: 21.8 MPH
This was our last day on the road. We had made the decision to alter the route, cutting out the Alva stop, so that Dan and Lori could fly back to California on Saturday. Since we did not have ride support we tried to stay together in the event there were any problems along the way. Boy were there. About 12 miles out of Fairview we discovered that a bridge was out on our route. Our choices were to detour 20 miles around the bridge, ride through and take our chances or turn around. We decided to ride through. Dad and I were riding together and relaying information back to Lori and Dan to the best of our ability. On approach to the construction site we encountered a large thunderstorm system. We rode as long as possible into the weather but finally decided to seek cover. We stopped at a farm house about 1/2 mile off our route and asked to take cover in their shed. Thank goodness they said yes. The storm was very strong with rain, wind and hail. The hail was mostly dime sized in diameter but toward the end of the storm we had quarter size hail coming out of the back of the storm. When we walked back to the farm house Dad picked up one hailstone about 1.5 inches in diameter. Any of those would have hurt.
The lady was kind enough to provide detour instructions around the bridge. It required riding through dirt roads that were more like sand dunes. I was able to ride most of the way with my larger tires. Dad had to walk much of the three extra miles. I know this was quite difficult. Fortunately, this was the extent of our unplanned challenges of the day. The route was mostly flat with very little wind. It was good to ride with Dad. We were both grateful to see the Kansas line.
Day 5: Thomas to Fairview
Distance: 55.98 miles
Time: 4:14:51 hours
Average: 13.1 MPH
Max: 35.3 MPH
Here are the specifics of my ride for day five. You can see my comments about the ride in the post titled "An Interlude".
Time: 4:14:51 hours
Average: 13.1 MPH
Max: 35.3 MPH
Here are the specifics of my ride for day five. You can see my comments about the ride in the post titled "An Interlude".
Day 4: Cheyenne to Thomas
Distance: 66.86 miles
Time: 5:08:45 hours
Average: 12.9 MPH
Max: 38.6 MPH
This is the entry as recorded directly in my long on June 10, 2009.
Our stay in Cheyenne was really good. The people of the town did a great job of hosting the OKFree crowd. Dan, Lori and I ate dinner at the Methodist Church. The spaghetti, salad and desserts were just like you would find at home. Asking around camp, it was clear that all the food offerings were just as good.
While we did not take advantage of the service, they also provided shuttle service into town and the local national park, Washita Battlefield. Cheyenne went all out, thank you.
The ride today was my best so far. I felt great from the moment I mounted the bike. Our route took us back through the same difficult hills from the day before. However, what took me 50 minutes to complete yesterday required only 16 minutes today. It's amazing the benefits of downhill stretches, a tailwind and fresh legs.
Most of the course was rolling hills, delivering some high speed descents and gruelling climbs. One fact is clear, Oklahoma is NOT flat in the west. The weather cooperated for most of the day. It was a full 10 degrees cooler at the highest temperature. While coming into Thomas a storm was building to the west. I was first to arrive in camp just it started raining. I quickly located high, flat ground and erected my tent. Dan and Lori rolled in just as I was retrieving Dad's luggage. We quickly set Dan's camp up, in the rain. Then Dad arrived. He had a tough day with a blown tire and having to ride in the rain. We sat his camp up and then all piled into my tent along with all our things to ride out the storm. I would estimate that it rained hard for about 1 1/2 hours and then the sun came out. We set everything out to dry. Now, it's cool with and east breeze. Hopefully, that's the last of the rain.
Time: 5:08:45 hours
Average: 12.9 MPH
Max: 38.6 MPH
This is the entry as recorded directly in my long on June 10, 2009.
Our stay in Cheyenne was really good. The people of the town did a great job of hosting the OKFree crowd. Dan, Lori and I ate dinner at the Methodist Church. The spaghetti, salad and desserts were just like you would find at home. Asking around camp, it was clear that all the food offerings were just as good.
While we did not take advantage of the service, they also provided shuttle service into town and the local national park, Washita Battlefield. Cheyenne went all out, thank you.
The ride today was my best so far. I felt great from the moment I mounted the bike. Our route took us back through the same difficult hills from the day before. However, what took me 50 minutes to complete yesterday required only 16 minutes today. It's amazing the benefits of downhill stretches, a tailwind and fresh legs.
Most of the course was rolling hills, delivering some high speed descents and gruelling climbs. One fact is clear, Oklahoma is NOT flat in the west. The weather cooperated for most of the day. It was a full 10 degrees cooler at the highest temperature. While coming into Thomas a storm was building to the west. I was first to arrive in camp just it started raining. I quickly located high, flat ground and erected my tent. Dan and Lori rolled in just as I was retrieving Dad's luggage. We quickly set Dan's camp up, in the rain. Then Dad arrived. He had a tough day with a blown tire and having to ride in the rain. We sat his camp up and then all piled into my tent along with all our things to ride out the storm. I would estimate that it rained hard for about 1 1/2 hours and then the sun came out. We set everything out to dry. Now, it's cool with and east breeze. Hopefully, that's the last of the rain.
Dad's Summary
Old Man’s Summation
Well we all survived the OKFreewheel. Kind of surprising considering all of the miles traveled and all the fruit was ate in route. Was it fun? Well that depends upon how you define fun. It was hard riding while being sleep deprived and being HOT every afternoon. It does give you a feeling of accomplishment. Yes it does!
I began this “event” with some level of concern about my overall condition and my ability to keep moving forward. I felt that my wind and heart conditioning was ok. I was less sure that I could sit on a bike seat for the 6-7 hours per day needed to finish some of the long rides. Bike riding also exacts a heavy toll on your shoulders and neck.
As it turned out I got a little stronger every day – but it was not until the last two days that I actually felt like my conditioning was reaching a level that I could finish the ride that days without wanting to just lay down for a couple of hours. The first 3 days I had many doubts that I could even finish the course.
Do I recommend it to you? Well not if you don’t train for it! And I mean to train hard. Is it fun? Yes it is fun. You can meet as many people as you want to meet. Or you can be a hermit and meet hardly anyone. Most folks are really friendly. And most of them do their best to allow you your space and to be courteous in all of their dealings. I actually did not hear any arguments the whole week.
This OK Freewheel idea came from my son Hal. Hal got Dan on board and then they put it to the Old Man and twisted my arm to go. Dan put the pressure on beginning from January on by reporting his training on his Blog (mymountaintrail.blogspot.com). Anyway I HAD to go. They teamed up on me. It was GREAT to have Dan and his wife Lori here from California. Lori is a super tri-athlete so she was ready for this event (any event!). Dan trains with her so he is in top condition too.
We met some neat folks, Paul, Larry, the guys from Texas and Colorado that tented next to us in Apache, Mr. Baker, David Jones, the lady with the dog that she pulled from town to town, Jan Wilson that kept my insulin in her ice chest every day, the people of Oklahoma that hosted us all week in all of these great towns, the Oklahoma State Troopers who watched us like hawks and kidded with us when they had a chance, the volunteers who planned the OKFreewheel and kept things on track.
I think that plans have been set in place to do it again next year. We shall see. But the ride this year is going to be a major event in my life. Why don’t you try to go next year too??
Well we all survived the OKFreewheel. Kind of surprising considering all of the miles traveled and all the fruit was ate in route. Was it fun? Well that depends upon how you define fun. It was hard riding while being sleep deprived and being HOT every afternoon. It does give you a feeling of accomplishment. Yes it does!
I began this “event” with some level of concern about my overall condition and my ability to keep moving forward. I felt that my wind and heart conditioning was ok. I was less sure that I could sit on a bike seat for the 6-7 hours per day needed to finish some of the long rides. Bike riding also exacts a heavy toll on your shoulders and neck.
As it turned out I got a little stronger every day – but it was not until the last two days that I actually felt like my conditioning was reaching a level that I could finish the ride that days without wanting to just lay down for a couple of hours. The first 3 days I had many doubts that I could even finish the course.
Do I recommend it to you? Well not if you don’t train for it! And I mean to train hard. Is it fun? Yes it is fun. You can meet as many people as you want to meet. Or you can be a hermit and meet hardly anyone. Most folks are really friendly. And most of them do their best to allow you your space and to be courteous in all of their dealings. I actually did not hear any arguments the whole week.
This OK Freewheel idea came from my son Hal. Hal got Dan on board and then they put it to the Old Man and twisted my arm to go. Dan put the pressure on beginning from January on by reporting his training on his Blog (mymountaintrail.blogspot.com). Anyway I HAD to go. They teamed up on me. It was GREAT to have Dan and his wife Lori here from California. Lori is a super tri-athlete so she was ready for this event (any event!). Dan trains with her so he is in top condition too.
We met some neat folks, Paul, Larry, the guys from Texas and Colorado that tented next to us in Apache, Mr. Baker, David Jones, the lady with the dog that she pulled from town to town, Jan Wilson that kept my insulin in her ice chest every day, the people of Oklahoma that hosted us all week in all of these great towns, the Oklahoma State Troopers who watched us like hawks and kidded with us when they had a chance, the volunteers who planned the OKFreewheel and kept things on track.
I think that plans have been set in place to do it again next year. We shall see. But the ride this year is going to be a major event in my life. Why don’t you try to go next year too??
Dad's Daily Log
Old Man - Day 2
Today we rode from Apache to Cordell. It was an amazing ride. About 69 miles and the longest ride of the Freewheel. After a stop in Carnegie for a lemonade I found a $20 bill on the road. Obviously lost by a Freewheeler who was in front of me. I did not catch up with the person that lost it. Later I give it to the head of the OKFreewheel and hopefully it got back to the person that lost it. The country that we rode through was variable and very remote. The only good thing on this day was that the last 7 miles was downwind. Even so it had a fair number of hills, and was I ever glad to top the last one and see Cordell in the distance. I found a laundromat and washed a few clothes. It was neat to see how the communities pulled together to try to make our stay pleasant. Cordell did a good job of selling their city.
Old Man - Day 3
Today we rode from Cordell to Cheyenne. It was an amazing ride –only 65 miles but it was a TOUGH day. It all went pretty good until the last ~10 miles. The most unusual event of the day was in Elk City. I had forgotten to replenished my cash supply so I did not have enough money in my pocket for lunch (I had a travelers check but Subway did not cash checks of any kind). I stopped at a Subway and had ordered my sandwich when I discovered my error. There was only one other Freewheeler in the shop so he said ”I will buy his lunch.” I was floored. He had never met me and obviously didn’t owe me a thing! So that is how I met Paul. We ate lunch together and became good friends. Paul was not at all worried about getting paid back either. He said he could not see a fellow biker go hungry. After lunch we parted ways and I DID pay him back as soon as I could get it done in Cheyenne.
I felt pretty good all day until it got hot and we turned West into the wind. That 10 miles was an unending run of long hard hills. On one of the last hills – seemed several it was miles long – there was a sign that said something like “Can you smell the finish line?”. Right after that sign there was a gravel turnout – since I could not smell the “finish line” I turned off the road to gather strength and to try to work up my courage to keep going up that hill. About 10 bikers passed me and every one of them inquired as to my condition and asked if they could help. One of the persons that passed me was a man with only one leg. He had a prosthesis but could not use the prosthesis leg as he had no muscle above the knee. Talk about courage! Needless to say, after I drained my water & Gatorade I continued the trip, about another one half mile to the top. After one more LONG hill, Cheyenne came into view.
We had GREAT food for dinner and breakfast in Cheyenne. The camp was really quiet after two long mileage days! Cheyenne may have been the best stop we had, all things considered. Oh yes. I found a $5 bill on the road today. Was able to catch up to the two ladies in front of me and one of them had lost it. The $5 was all she had for lunch. She was very glad to get it back. God never makes us a debtor as you will see in Day 4. He always pays the bills and this time He was no different.
Old Man – Day 4
Today we traveled from Cheyenne to Thomas. What an experience. Cheyenne to Thomas was only – you guessed it - another 65 miles. At about 50 miles into the ride I was not doing anything out of the ordinary, and then probably going 13MPH down a slight hill and – BAM my front tire blew out. No not just a flat, it blew out – sounded like a 30 caliber pistol. Now the really interesting part of this is that I had been going as fast down the hills as I could. 35 MPH was not unusual and I know I was over 40 MPH at least once. What do you suppose would have happened if the tire had blown out at those speeds? Not very pretty is it. Coincidence? No not really. I don’t believe in coincidences. God’s timing is always perfect. Oh and a few minutes later one of women bikers stopped and just happened to have the number of one of the bike shop repair trucks. He got there and had me back on the road in a jiffy. I was able to continue on to Thomas.
The last 5 miles were a little exciting. It started to sprinkle and then started to lightning. BIG sky to ground bolts. I made it into the campsite and Hal had his tent up and all of our stuff in it – so everything did not get wet. I rode the hardest I did all week those 5 miles to try to get to camp. Enough excitement for the day. It was really cool that night and I maxed out on sleep – about 6 hours worth.
Old Man – Day 5
Thomas to Fairview, only 52 miles. Remember it rained yesterday. So today we started out in the fog. You could not see the rider in front of you if he/she was more that 100 yards in front of you. My glasses fogged up so I could not wear them. And drops of dew collected on the eye lashes – something new to me. This was very beautiful country once the fog lifted. Lunch at the Christian Church in Canton was really good. A lot of selection and good food. I even got a piece of pineapple upside-down cake. Yum!
Canton Lake was very impressive and the Corps of Engineers is doing a lot of heavy construction work on it. I thought the road over the dam was going to last forever. The lake is a lot bigger than I had imagined. Dropping down into Fairview was a dream for bikers. High speed-run with great scenery. The food there was average at best. The BBQ sauce was all that saved the day.
Old Man – Day 6 (And our last day)
From Fairview to the Kansas State line. It was about 66 miles from Fairview to the Kansas State line. We had to finish up on Friday so that Dan and Lori could fly back to California on Saturday. Dan had to be back home to run in a 7 Km race on Sunday. He needed a day to “taper off” before running. Day 6 was eventful but perhaps the best thing was that we rode as a family more than any other day. Hal and I stayed together all day and Lori and Dan caught up to us at Driftwood, OK about 20 miles from the finish. We all drafted for a while and then Dan and Lori jetted on to the finish line. We took the obligatory picture at the Kansas sign. Then before we could take the picture of the Oklahoma sign, Rosie showed up with the truck and she took the last picture. Finally, I felt real strong today. After all of this riding, I was ready to quit but we had moved much faster and with more authority over more miles because the conditioning of the week paid off. Wish we had all started off the OK Freewheel in our finishing condition. Would have made the week much more enjoyable.
Today we rode from Apache to Cordell. It was an amazing ride. About 69 miles and the longest ride of the Freewheel. After a stop in Carnegie for a lemonade I found a $20 bill on the road. Obviously lost by a Freewheeler who was in front of me. I did not catch up with the person that lost it. Later I give it to the head of the OKFreewheel and hopefully it got back to the person that lost it. The country that we rode through was variable and very remote. The only good thing on this day was that the last 7 miles was downwind. Even so it had a fair number of hills, and was I ever glad to top the last one and see Cordell in the distance. I found a laundromat and washed a few clothes. It was neat to see how the communities pulled together to try to make our stay pleasant. Cordell did a good job of selling their city.
Old Man - Day 3
Today we rode from Cordell to Cheyenne. It was an amazing ride –only 65 miles but it was a TOUGH day. It all went pretty good until the last ~10 miles. The most unusual event of the day was in Elk City. I had forgotten to replenished my cash supply so I did not have enough money in my pocket for lunch (I had a travelers check but Subway did not cash checks of any kind). I stopped at a Subway and had ordered my sandwich when I discovered my error. There was only one other Freewheeler in the shop so he said ”I will buy his lunch.” I was floored. He had never met me and obviously didn’t owe me a thing! So that is how I met Paul. We ate lunch together and became good friends. Paul was not at all worried about getting paid back either. He said he could not see a fellow biker go hungry. After lunch we parted ways and I DID pay him back as soon as I could get it done in Cheyenne.
I felt pretty good all day until it got hot and we turned West into the wind. That 10 miles was an unending run of long hard hills. On one of the last hills – seemed several it was miles long – there was a sign that said something like “Can you smell the finish line?”. Right after that sign there was a gravel turnout – since I could not smell the “finish line” I turned off the road to gather strength and to try to work up my courage to keep going up that hill. About 10 bikers passed me and every one of them inquired as to my condition and asked if they could help. One of the persons that passed me was a man with only one leg. He had a prosthesis but could not use the prosthesis leg as he had no muscle above the knee. Talk about courage! Needless to say, after I drained my water & Gatorade I continued the trip, about another one half mile to the top. After one more LONG hill, Cheyenne came into view.
We had GREAT food for dinner and breakfast in Cheyenne. The camp was really quiet after two long mileage days! Cheyenne may have been the best stop we had, all things considered. Oh yes. I found a $5 bill on the road today. Was able to catch up to the two ladies in front of me and one of them had lost it. The $5 was all she had for lunch. She was very glad to get it back. God never makes us a debtor as you will see in Day 4. He always pays the bills and this time He was no different.
Old Man – Day 4
Today we traveled from Cheyenne to Thomas. What an experience. Cheyenne to Thomas was only – you guessed it - another 65 miles. At about 50 miles into the ride I was not doing anything out of the ordinary, and then probably going 13MPH down a slight hill and – BAM my front tire blew out. No not just a flat, it blew out – sounded like a 30 caliber pistol. Now the really interesting part of this is that I had been going as fast down the hills as I could. 35 MPH was not unusual and I know I was over 40 MPH at least once. What do you suppose would have happened if the tire had blown out at those speeds? Not very pretty is it. Coincidence? No not really. I don’t believe in coincidences. God’s timing is always perfect. Oh and a few minutes later one of women bikers stopped and just happened to have the number of one of the bike shop repair trucks. He got there and had me back on the road in a jiffy. I was able to continue on to Thomas.
The last 5 miles were a little exciting. It started to sprinkle and then started to lightning. BIG sky to ground bolts. I made it into the campsite and Hal had his tent up and all of our stuff in it – so everything did not get wet. I rode the hardest I did all week those 5 miles to try to get to camp. Enough excitement for the day. It was really cool that night and I maxed out on sleep – about 6 hours worth.
Old Man – Day 5
Thomas to Fairview, only 52 miles. Remember it rained yesterday. So today we started out in the fog. You could not see the rider in front of you if he/she was more that 100 yards in front of you. My glasses fogged up so I could not wear them. And drops of dew collected on the eye lashes – something new to me. This was very beautiful country once the fog lifted. Lunch at the Christian Church in Canton was really good. A lot of selection and good food. I even got a piece of pineapple upside-down cake. Yum!
Canton Lake was very impressive and the Corps of Engineers is doing a lot of heavy construction work on it. I thought the road over the dam was going to last forever. The lake is a lot bigger than I had imagined. Dropping down into Fairview was a dream for bikers. High speed-run with great scenery. The food there was average at best. The BBQ sauce was all that saved the day.
Old Man – Day 6 (And our last day)
From Fairview to the Kansas State line. It was about 66 miles from Fairview to the Kansas State line. We had to finish up on Friday so that Dan and Lori could fly back to California on Saturday. Dan had to be back home to run in a 7 Km race on Sunday. He needed a day to “taper off” before running. Day 6 was eventful but perhaps the best thing was that we rode as a family more than any other day. Hal and I stayed together all day and Lori and Dan caught up to us at Driftwood, OK about 20 miles from the finish. We all drafted for a while and then Dan and Lori jetted on to the finish line. We took the obligatory picture at the Kansas sign. Then before we could take the picture of the Oklahoma sign, Rosie showed up with the truck and she took the last picture. Finally, I felt real strong today. After all of this riding, I was ready to quit but we had moved much faster and with more authority over more miles because the conditioning of the week paid off. Wish we had all started off the OK Freewheel in our finishing condition. Would have made the week much more enjoyable.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Mission Accomplished
At the finish.
OK in our rearview mirror.
Dad and Hal crossing the state line into Kansas.
Well, it looks like I will be the first to blog our success. It was quite a week for all of us. Lori and I basked in the ambiance of the OKFree culture, and Hal and Dad scaled their personal mental and physical mountains. I’m not sure who was challenged the most. Lori and I had a great time at OKFree, and are very grateful we were able to participate.
It is a marvel to watch the diversity of the community; and to watch it face each day. Ride 60+ miles, okay. Get up at 4:40 a.m.; no way (for us). Stand in line to take a shower; why not? Climb unexpected hills and fight North headwinds that should have been tailwinds; uhm, okay. Grimace through saddle sores, neck cramps, and numb contact points; oh, okay. Eat spaghetti three nights in a row and not get eggs the next morning because you slept past 6 a.m.; OK4sure. Choose your own route because your agenda deviates from the collective’s; OK, you’re Free to do that. Be friendly and respectful with/of your fellow participants; OKFree is all about that.
It was also great to spend some time with my Dad and Bro’. It has been over 25 years since we have faced daily challenges together. While it was obvious as the week progressed that we cope in our own ways, it was also great to work together and for each other to make the week go better for all. Thanks Hal and Dad for all that you did to help Lori and I fit in and survive the week.
And finally, thank you to my lovely, wonderful wife, Lori, for joining us. You are my ultimate companion and friend. Oh yeah, and thanks for taking it easy on me while we were on the road. :-)
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