Recap of the past 9 days

It has been awhile since I have typed but Internet access has been limited. I will try and sum up the past days but it is hard to remember that far back due to the over stimulation we get day to day. The human mind just can quite remember all of that.

June 14th

Today we went through the Ozarks and they were the easiest climb yet. Mostly due to the fact that we have been biking for about a month so far. It got pretty rainy at the end but it was nice to continue to see a more exciting side of AK.

June 15th
Today we left AK, quickly dipped into MI and went into OK. This morning started with lots of bad luck for me and many hiccups along the way. The day improved greatly though throughout the day and crossing the 2 state lines was a nice touch.

June 16th
This day started off with me getting two flats during the ride which really set me back. I had a problem with one of my spokes and I had to switch to an older wheel which is a lot more susceptible to flats. All in all it was a good ride but was very hot towards the end. The church in Bartlesville OK we stayed at was very deluxe and we got very good treatment. We even had welcome in the sign. That night we went out and did some group blowing together which was a lot of fun.

June 17th
We had a day off in Bartlesville OK today and most of it was spent relaxing. A couple of us went down town to check out the city. It was a lot bigger than I at first realized and there was a lot to see. The later 1/2 of the day I went to see the movie UP (which I highly recommend) and the end was capped off with a church picnic which were were invited to attend.

June 18th
Today was the first day of our 8 day stretch of riding and it was my best day yet. The OK scenery was very beautiful and a real treat to ride through. I was very surprised with all OK and how the rolling hills and plains looked. We took a detour to go to a local water park which was a lot of fun. It was small but the whole group being together made it very enjoyable.

June 19th
This day was one of our tougher days but was another good riding day for me. We had intense winds all day long. Some were so strong we had to lean our bikes at a 45 degree angle to brace against the wind. It was very challenging but for the most part I was able to keep up with our top riders and pace line with them. It was a hard day but I was very proud and happy by the end of it.

June 20th

Today was another solid day of riding. We left OK for KS today which at first looked very similar. We then traveled through the rain and into the Gypsum Hills. These hills were extraordinary to look at and really made you feel like you were out west. We camped this night under a very massive starry sky in what was in most people's minds one of our best nights yet.

June 21st

In day 4 of 8 of our longest stretch was yet again another strong ride day for myself. I was cruising along most of the day and led the group for awhile. I got a little tired towards the end but was still one of the first to get to our host sight. I also saw KS go for hilly to the very flat KS that I had expected, complete with many wheat and corn fields.


June 22nd

Which finally brings us to today. We had a shorter day (only 57 miles) and so it was decided that we should do a scavenger hunt. At first I wasn't really feeling it but it ended up being a lot of fun and got to have many stories that I will be sure to share with you all soon. We got to meet many locals along the way and see sights we probably would have missed if we were just riding.

If you have made it this far thanks for reading all of that. I will try to be more up to date in the future. We have about 300 miles to cover in the next 3 days and we cross into CO tomorrow. Until then.