Transcontinentalitis, Days 23 - 25 (Enid, OK to Boise City, OK)

Day 23: Enid, OK to Fort Supply, OK(103.3 miles, 1737.7 total, 32.9 mph max)

Ugh. Rough Day. Left Enid at 9:00. Clear skies and the weather channel said 90 - 100F.  A town called Orienta was 18 miles out and then Mooreland was at mile 76. There was essentially nothing in Orienta, not even a gas station, and then 60 miles of absolutely NOTHING.

It's beginning to look like the West. Plateaus, no trees, heat, clear skies. Those 76 miles were killer. We had lunch on the road at a picnic table and then ran out of water one mile from Mooreland. 


We made it to Fort Supply. There's a lake with a campground on it. It's very pretty here. A lot of hicks though. 


I broke two spokes today, but after replacing them the wheel is still perfect. I love a smooth ride.


Day 24: Fort Supply, OK to somewhere in OK (99.5 miles, 1837.2 total, 36.6 mph max)

We are in the middle of absolutely nowhere! How desolate. I feel like I'm on Mars or something. It's very frightening. 

Today, like yesterday, was very tough. We're certainly in the West now. No shade. Hot sun. No people. A gas station convenience store every 25 - 50 miles or so. And, I keep breaking spokes.

We're really moving along. The climbing starts on Friday (Day 26). We're going to do a half day so I can get my hand checked out (I was losing feeling in my left hand at the beginning of each day's riding). I think they'll amputate it. They might as well, because I can't feel it.

Dinner tonight was at "The Hitchin' Post." It might as well have been called "Eat Here or Starve." The only restaurant we saw all day. Kind of scary. The waitress was a bitch. (I don't recall this restaurant, or why I called the waitress a bitch).

Day 25: Somewhere in OK to Boise City, OK (89.0 miles, 1926.2 total, 27.9 mph max)

Another rough day. Steady incline. I think I pushed a little too hard. We made it here (Boise City) by 3 pm. I did not feel well after we stopped. Off to Clayton, NM tomorrow and then a half day off. I need to go to the hospital for my hand.


Boise City looks like a Wild West town. We saw our first tumbleweed today and our first cactus last night. I miss home a lot and thought about it a lot today. There was really nothing to look at. Just the same old Oklahoma. 


I'm the furthest from home I've ever been. I can't wait to relax in Clayton tomorrow. 


I just spent a half hour wrestling with the shower knob. It fell off when I tried to turn it hotter and water started shooting from the place where it goes. I finally got the cap back, but the shower is stuck on. And, this morning, when we woke up and were packing, Chris opened his handlebar bag and three mice jumped out. It scared the hell out of him, and was hilarious!

When we entered the Northwestern panhandle of Oklahoma, we passed a road sign that said, "Welcome to No Man's Land." It was not at all far from the truth, as the roads continued as far as the eyes could see with nothing on either side. Very few vehicles passed us as we pushed into a prevailing headwind all day long, each day. It was lonely and humbling.

Unfortunately, I don't remember very vividly this stretch of the trip. Perhaps it's because there weren't many people or towns to make memories, or perhaps it's because my gaze was pointed down as I tucked into an aerodynamic position to cut into the wind. Whatever it was, the Rocky Mountain passes that lie ahead were on my mind. I was anxious and excited about the next phase of the trip.