Day 2--Pawhuska, OK to Independence, KS

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Woke up early this morning. Sorted out my B.O.B. bag and managed to skinny it down by about 16 ounces. Ha. There was just too much that I needed, so I am dragging a slightly lighter trailer today. Mary Kay prepared an enormous breakfast of hash browns, bacon, eggs over easy, toast, and coffee. We enjoyed our breakfast on her back deck. She is in a lovely house that she is renovating. Thank you for your wonderful hospitality Mary Kay and doggies!

Mary Kay told me of a good way out of town on Lynn St, which turns into old 99N and then connects to new 99N . . . or so I thought. Kathy insisted on coming over for another photo of another day’s start (see below).



Mary Kay and me before her house at the beginning of Day 2

After the photo session, I told Kathy to enjoy her mother-in-law for another hour or so and then start out, but the photo below shows that she followed me past the school and for a bit on Lynn Street on her way back to her mother-in-law's.

View from Kathy's car as she tails me out of Pawhuska.

When I hit 99N it was only a few miles before there was major road construction next to it, and the construction area was closed to cars. Since 99N is two-lane, shoulderless with lots of oil truck traffic, I decided to ride the new section of it behind the barriers (see below). Eventually it opened to traffic and eventually it lost its newness and shoulder. I slogged up one hill after another. At the top of one long hill, I stopped to rest. Kathy called my cell: “Where are you? I’m at mile 15 and haven't seen you.”

This is the best bike route ever--a blocked off portion of new highway with a wide shoulder. That's 99N to the left. I thought the new road was new 99N, but it turned out to be Rte 60 to Bartlesville.  Sigh . . . all good things must end.

I was at mile 10-something on Rte 60 to Bartlesville, OK , not  on 99N to the Kansas border. Darn! About 45 minutes later Kathy appeared. She too had gotten lost. We loaded B.O.B. (minus his wheel) into the car, put the bike in the bike rack, and off we went. Kathy had kept close track of mileage, so dropped me back on 99N exactly the number of miles I’d ridden on Rte 60.

Hills and more hills. At the top of one hill, the upper half of which I'd walked, a guy was pulled off in a red pickup. He signaled me over. This man's name was Tom Oast, brother of a North Carolina bicycle racer. I told him where I was going and why, and asked about Hwy 75. Since it had an on-ramp, I was worried that it was a limited access road. Tom told me that 75 had no shoulders and was high-speed. Then he asked if I would I like to spend the night in Sedan, KS, with him and his wife. It was only noon, and I told him that I had to stay on schedule, but he was worried about my riding Hwy 75, so told me to be sure to stop in his business at the intersection of Hwy 166 (where I would turn east) and we’d figure out a better route.

Just before the Kansas border, Kathy set up a folding chair in the shade and plied me with cold slices of orange, slices of apple, and an oatmeal cookie. Too bad I couldn’t hire Kathy to SAG me the length of the route! 

Approaching the Hulah Wildlife Mgt Area sign where Kathy had pulled off and set up a SAG stop

At  the Kansas border, Kathy took final photos of me leaving OK, and entering Kansas (see below). Then she finally got her life back and returned to Stillwater. Thank you Kathy for outstanding SAG service!

Leaving Oklahoma. You can see the "Welcome to Oklahoma" sign on the west side of the road.



Entering Kansas

At  the top of the hill in the photo above, I stopped to take the photo below. I could see that Kathy was still parked at the foot of the hill.

I motored on, hill after hill, not realizing that I was in the southern portion of Kansas’s Flint Hills. When I got to US-166, I pulled into Tom Oast’s business, LAMAMCO Drilling Company. Tom was in his office with maps spread before him. His secretary, Theresa, was looking up routes on the Internet. I learned that he was from North Carolina and his secretary from Wynona, OK, my stop-finish town.



And this is Kansas, Toto?

R.A.K #2: Theresa said that US-75 had a shoulder. Okay. No problem. I’d ride it to Independence. Tom was still not happy with my route, so asked again if I’d like to stay in Sedan, offering this time to drive me to Independence the next morning. I relented. We called the Super 8 I was scheduled to stay at in Independence to cancel my reservation, and found that the room had been complimentary. It’s to laugh!

Tom drove me to his house, introduced me to his four small dogs, showed me where the shower and washer were, and went back to work. I took a shower, washed out my riding clothes, and then got on the computer to write up this and yesterday’s blog.

Tom’s wife Paula, an occupational therapist, arrived home and set me up at the d.r. table with a cold drink. I downloaded photos and motored away on the computer. After Tom got home we had a delicious dinner of chicken and potatoes, fruit salad and green salad. We swapped stories. Tom flies an ultralight and showed me pix. They are really pretty machines. His is red, white and blue. He went to Arkansas to buy it and to train. Said that the first time he soloed if anyone had put a million dollars down next to him he would have been unable to pick it up he was so petrified. But his ultralight has a parachute that will set down the ultralight and pilot, so it's actually safer to fly higher than lower.

After dinner we had a cup of herbal tea and a slice of cheesecake and then off to bed. This day has been a special treat. Thank you Tom and Paula for taking me in and being so hospitable!