So after far too little time Oliver headed back to Bloomington, and I sallied forth on my cross country journey. The rest of Arkansas was beautiful. The days were LONG (75 miles, then three centuries in a row) but really fun. We had what were probably the biggest ascents and descents I've ever done so far, so it got a lot of us thinking about the Rockies. I also got to swim in two lakes, which was pretty much the most amazing thing ever. Our one complaint was that on both days the lakes arrived early in the days ride; while they were still great it would be REALLY awesome to encounter one around 2 pm. The second lake was especially awesome because there was a big rock we could climb up and jump off of. We actually stayed around there for an hour and a half. It was in the Ozark National Forest and it was gorgeous. We all wanted to stay there all day, but alas, it couldn't be.
The three centuries in a row was certainly a challenge. I didn't get in before 6 pm on any of the days (my latest arrival was 8 pm), and considering we leave at 6:30 am that's a pretty long day. I'm not sure what takes so long. I'm not THAT slow...I'm certainly not the fastest in the group or even in the top third, but I'm not dead last either (unless I'm riding sweep, in which case it's my job to be last). On all three days we did stop fairly frequently--it's pretty much a necessity in the heat--and well, 100 miles is a long way!
Today we had a build day in Oklahoma City. We did framing for a house, which was really interesting. It's pretty cool to arrive in the morning to a slab of concrete and a pile of lumber and leave in the afternoon with a recognizable house there! I pretty much swung a hammer all day, and aside from the 102 degree weather, it was a great day.
As usual, the food is amazing. Our hosts continue to outdo each other, and Amelia's family is providing a perpetual stream of gargantuan quantities of baked goods. We're actually all a little worried about getting fat! No expanding waistlines yet (though at least for yours truly, no whittling ones either) but we'll have to see how it goes.
Oh, and Oklahoma is not flat. At least not yet. Our hosts are promising that we'll reach the Dust Bowl in due course, but so far we've seen almost nothing but hills. It's been extremely beautiful though, particularly our first day in the state. There is a LOT of green; way more than I would have thought. Picture rolling hills thick with green trees, patchwork farmland mixed in, and shiny streams and babbling brooks flowing throughout, and you have eastern Oklahoma.
And yes, I've been singing show tunes nonstop. :-)
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