Halfway to Charleston!

Oklahoma pasture lands

Pasture land, lots of this around!

Long straight roads

On the way to Woodward

A long day in the saddle covering 125.6 miles brought us to the halfway point in our trip. Riding time 7:10 giving me a 17+ mph average, significantly lower than yesterday primarily because of the wind and rolling hills. I missed the Colorado train in the morning so I rode by myself or with one of the guides for the first 58 miles to lunch; after lunch I picked up Matt and Archie at mile 94 after they were dropped by the train.

Most of my riding has been to the right of the white line, depending on the shoulder. Oklahoma's roads leave much to be desired as the shoulders have been a mess, usually with wide rumble strips. We've also had the most traffic in OK as well. The miles in NM were great, nice wide shoulders and little to know traffic to contend with.

Not much to see along the road today. We were on the same road for over 106 miles today, going in one direction, East! Not exactly scenic unless corn or wheat fields or cattle ranches turn you on. Near Woodward, I saw the largest wind farm in action. Perhaps I should say "no action." There had to be at least 200 turbines; the wind was blowing over 15 mph and less than half of the turbines were turning. Not a good demonstration of "Alternative Energy" in action.

The long day in the saddle made for a short afternoon and evening for rest and dinner. We reached the hotel at 4:30. I got the first position for a massage today, once i got my room (5 pm) i took a quick shower prior to my 5:20 massage followed by dinner at 6:00 pm (another steakhouse). After dinner, its download the data from my SRM and Garmin, get ready for tomorrow, ice my knees (precautionary) and talk to Marcy.

Today's vital numbers:
125.6 miles
over 3,500 kcals
1,200' drop in elevation
Over 3,500' of climbing
two flat tires, neither of them mine!