Day 13: Beaver, OK to Guymon, OK (68 miles)

Day 14: Gumon, OK to Springfield, CO (111 miles)

*Yes, I know that I don't proofread these entries. I'm tired*

You can't understand the beauty of Day 14 without first appreciating the misery of Day 13. We expected that the 68 miles between Beaver and Guymon would take us 5 hours top, rest stops included. We expected that this easy day would allow us to rest up for the century ride the next morning. Oh man, oh man.

The head wind that hit us as soon as we left Guymon destroyed our knees. Those of us in the first group were chugging along at around half our normal speed. 20 miles in, I started losing my composure, so I started redirecting my attention elsewhere. This is what I found:

1. OK has a lot of grain fields which actually just look like seas of gold. Very pretty. Running in said seas is not a good idea (sticky burs get everywhere)

2. 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall is a great way to distract yourself for 4.2 miles.

3. Ben Atkins, Greg, and Carolina are fantastic riding buddies

Anyway, come mile 40, and I start freaking out. The headwind turns into a cross wind, and the closer we get to Guymon, the more the smell of feces and fertilizer bothers me. Turns out Guymon slaughters about 50,000 pigs a day, and the entire county's pigs are driven to the slaughterhouses in eighteen wheelers that travel at 75 mph, destabilize innocent bikers, send dust particles into the back of their legs as if they were bullets, and show very little regard for the safety of those on the shoulder lane. Lamesauce.

Anyway, so the smell of chemical plants and animals is getting stronger, the wind's started to pick up, the hills are getting bigger, and it starts to rain. We reach Guymon after a 12 hour escapade. I lost my mind.

(and now, quick recap and bad writing because I need to sleep)

This morning, we woke up dreading our century ride, for we expected more of the same. And yes, indeed, the first 60 miles were pure mental hell. However, we made a right turn at Boise City, OK and everything change. The roads were smoother, the head/cross-wind became a tail-wind, and the landscape became exponentially more exciting. I finished 20 miles in 42 minutes and beasted another at an average speed of 32 mph. So, team, I am happy to say that I am in Colorado, safe, happy, and well-fed.

I always sympathized with Thomas Jefferson's idea that America's source of strength and diversity would be found in its farmlands. I had a lot of respect for those who, in my mind, toiled the land and created their wealth out of their own hands. In fact, I wouldn't have minded settling down in a farm after retirement; however, after talking to a few of my fellow riders who worked as farmhands and seeing what agriculture has become in the modern era, I've been jaded.

Last thing. You can send care packages to of our mail-drops which can be found here:

http://www.texas4000.org/rides/rides

Beard's coming along nicely.