A Long Spring Ride

April 11, 2014:

This is one of my favorite routes to ride, however, because of the wild spring weather fluctuations we've had this year, it's been difficult to get an early start. Today looked perfect! So, off to an early start, the sun almost peeking over the hill to the east.

Six miles down the road, I turned to go north for two miles before the long ride over to Hwy 99. The shadows were still long, and the morning still young.

The swallows are back from where ever they go to in the winter months, and they were busy moving into old nests under the bridges and raising this year's family. They always return to the same place every year.  I love to watch them fly, it seems as though they just love to be out there, a lot like me .... kindred souls.



The countryside is starting to finally turn green after a winter of black and white. None too soon for me either.

 

 



The politicians were out doing what they do best.

And the Oklahoma Redbuds were still much in evidence although the time for blooming is almost past. The Redbud is the Oklahoma state tree.

Long empty roads is the order of the day. The crossroad down there is Oklahoma State Hwy 9.To get here, I had to head east and south to the Little Cemetery, then east again for 4 miles and then continue south from the Strother School. This will bring me out 4 miles east of Seminole when I got here.

A very persistent tree.

Continuing south for another 4 miles, I turned back west toward Seminole on Lake road and back into town. There's a little hill on Lake road that I was going to get a picture of. It's kind of one of those OMG hills. A gentle curve to the right and a gentle upgrade is all you can see until you get around the curve, then it's straight up. Fortunately, it's not too long. To make matters worse, I couldn't get the front derailleur to shift onto the little ring on my triple, so I had to stand and struggle on up, no chance for a picture. Crystal and I went up that one last year, and as strong as she is, she almost didn't make it. It helps to know it's there. After that, it's an easy cruise back to Seminole

 This below is the bike path through the sports park in Seminole, the old oil derrick is part of an outdoor museum sort of thing. They have a real oil museum up on hwy 9 next to the Wrangler jeans factory. I didn't stop at that one, maybe another time.

 

A huge old walking beam pump. Behind it is an old steam boiler to power the engine, in the background, that turned the pump. Nothing is where it is supposed to be, except for the pump itself, but it's an interesting stop anyway.

How many of you are old enough to remember when oil wells were all drilled using the old derricks, and afterwards, the derricks just stayed there for maintenance purposes. Such an eyesore. I remember scenes like this very well when I was young. The photo is older than I, but scenes like this were still around in the fifties.

This is the old steam pump engine laying there, the huge flywheels, and the cylinder sticking out to the left. The piston was still in the cylinder. Engines like this both steam and producer gas, pumped a lot of oil in this area.

By this time, it was time for lunch. I was going to eat breakfast at the Bus Stop Cafe in Seminole, but by the time I got there, it was past breakfast time. A little early for lunch, but my stomach told me it thought someone must've slit my throat. So ..... Braum's is only a short ride from here and I made my way over there. I do like their burgers. 1/3 pound of fresh ground beef, and piled high with fresh veggies. I think the young lady and the counter must have thought I looked extra hungry because it came with double the veggies on it. Almost four inches high. I ate it ALL! With fries and a root beer ....

From there, it was west through Pleasant Grove, and into Earlsboro, then west into Tecumseh and back north to the Citizen Pottawatomie Nation Complex. Business offices, grocery store, casino, hospital, etc. Also, this cool bridge....

This bridge was closed to car traffic several years ago, but there is a gap in the barricade just wide enough for my little bicycle, so I still use it.

It crosses over a pretty little creek, and the tribe has built several walking bridges from the expo area and campground on the south side of the creek to the Firelake store,casino, bowling alley, whatever on the north side. It's a pretty area, made even prettier by the addition of my touring bike. 

"Put the pavilion right THERE"! "But boss, what about that tree?" "Well, you know ......Do whatever you have to...." "Okay boss, whatever you say".....

As you can see by the flag flying in the midst of the tree, the light balmy breeze didn't stay that way all day. The art work on the tribal water tower is well done.

One of the little pedestrian and bicycle bridges crossing the creek. I used to always go across that bridge, and into the supermarket parking lot and out their driveway to cross the busy four lane main road and head north. For years I did it that way, and it was always a long wait until traffic cleared from both directions long enough to safely get across.

 Then as I was talking to a young woman picnicking with her son, I noticed this .......

It's tight .... I ducked, even though I wouldn't have had to, but a taller person probably might have bumped their head. After I got under the main road, I rode through the tribal business complex and back onto the north bound side of Gordon Cooper Drive. Gordon Cooper was an astronaut from the Mercury era who made two trips up as a command pilot. He was scheduled for Apollo 13, but was prevented from going. Gordon Cooper was a Shawnee native son. This is painted on the side of one of the downtown buildings, and such a shame to see the paint peeling off, as it is a wonderful piece of art.

Right across from the Gordon Cooper painting is another mural depicting early Shawnee, including our Santa Fe depot.

After that, it was just wind my way north and west through town around our Expo Center where they have a Little Britches Rodeo every year, as well as a big Pro Rodeo that brings participants from all over the country. Hardly a week goes by that I don't see hundreds of horse trailers parked there. Then, north out of town on Acme (I always think about Roadrunner cartoon) to Garretts Lake road and then east to home again. On the last few miles there was this absolutely stunning lilac bush.

And so, arriving home after a wonderful day, it was indeed a long ride, especially on a thirty pound bike, but such an enjoyable day that the time passed like an eagle on the wind.