Oklahoma Freewheel 2010- Day 1
Wow! What a hot start to the week!
I drove to Tulsa last night to catch the bus at 7 AM this morning for the 2.5 hour drive to Hugo. As soon as we got off the bus, it became very apparent that it was going to be hot! By the time I got my tent up I was drenched with sweat.
First thing on the agenda…go for a run! Yeah, I know, I’m supposed to be on a bike trip, but I’ve decided that I’m going to try to get my three runs in this week. Today was “long run – rest week”, so I got in 6.25 miles in the hot sun.
Afterwards, I hooked up with two guys I met last year, Jerry and Roger, for lunch, followed by a trip to Texas.
We left town about 1:00 for the Red River, which is 12 miles to the south. We were bucking a pretty stiff headwind, so Roger and I shared pulling duties in our three person paceline nearly all the way to the river. About a mile from Texas, Jerry pulled out, saying our pace was too much for him.
The return trip was a blast. Jerry opted to stay at the river a few more minutes and ride back at a more leisurely pace, so Roger and I took advantage of the nice push from the tailwind. We pushed the pace, averaging upwards of 20 mph on the return. We were so hot and sweaty that we decided to reward ourselves with a cool drink in the air conditioned comfort of Braum’s! It was so nice in there that we simply sat and chatted for upwards of an hour.
Arriving back at the campground in Hugo, we found that the tent city had ballooned while we were gone! That’s my little blue and gray tent in the foreground.
We attempted to stay cool in the shade, but Roger’s computer was reading 97 degrees at about 4:30 in the afternoon.
Tomorrow is a 5oish mile day. We’re already hearing lots of conversation about folks getting up before dawn to beat the heat. Not this camper!
And, speaking of camping….I definitely screwed up my selection of a campsite. There weren’t a lot of tents up when I pitched mine, but as the evening wore on, I realized that I was smack in the middle of the most direct path from the bulk of the camp to the school where the restrooms were. Not a good thing. I had people tripping over my guy ropes all night long. And that was in spite of trying to block them with my bike and chair.
God bless…
TW
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