Hills, Hills and More Hills
Ponca City to Caldwell, Kansas
Last day
Saturday we made record time on our 54 mile ride to Caldwell, Kansas. We made an unscheduled stop in Blackwell to see John Wente’s parents. We had also visited them in 2002 when we’d been through the area.
I spotted a woman that had pulled her 2 ½ year old grand-daughter over the endless hills and the Kiamichi Mountains in a tagalong bike trailer all week. On this last day when the road was relatively flat, she was riding a regular bike while someone else pulled the tagalong. I found it strange that on the easiest day, she wasn’t pulling that extra weight.
In Caldwell, we enjoyed our cool showers and grabbed burgers to eat before the 1:00 closing ceremonies. Mike won a shot glass and I won a FreeWheel video.
This had been Mike’s first FreeWheel. I asked him what his best day was. After much thought he told me that the Tuesday ride over Honobia and the century ride on Friday. I asked what was the worst day was. It was Tuesday over Honobia. It was the best of times and the worst of times. What surprised Mike the most? “You could leave camp at 6:00 a.m. and have someone to ride with. You could leave at noon and still have someone to ride with.”
Maybe that is the secret that keeps bringing people back to Oklahoma FreeWheel. Family and friends come together for the worst of times and the best of times. And at the end of the weeklong trek across Oklahoma, we have survived the weather, the hills and the insects. We’ve laughed and made new friends. Only one question remains. Where will FreeWheel go next year? We can only dream of the adventures yet to come.
Good Night, John Boy.
Until Next Year.
A FreeWheel Fairy Tale
By Laurie Allshouse
Once upon a time in a land far from any ocean a bunch of cyclists gathered for a
pilgrimage from the state of Texas to the state of Kansas and they called it
Oklahoma FreeWheel. One day in 2005 King Wilton invited Prince Kirk and
Princess Mary to accompany him for a ride over Honobia Mountain. They
huffed and they puffed. They strained and they pulled for many miles to
the top. Success at last! A water stop awaited their arrival.
Blue ribbons were awarded for their endeavors. After a brief rest they
started their descent. Prince Kirk rode ahead on his speedy low riding
recumbent. As he wound down the mountain, he thought he heard a gunshot.
Little did he know that King Wilton had a rear tire blow.
King Wilton was in trouble. He tried to stay on his trusty steed
but alas, his body slammed into the road bed and careened toward the edge of a
high cliff. Sliding across the road, pieces of precious skin were left
behind. Only by slamming into the guard rail did it save him from tumbling
down the mountain side. The King’s most unusual journey was at an end.
Princess Mary discovered the King’s road rash covered
body. She did what she could for the injured King Wilton. Then she
remembered kind Mr. Rogers who was dispensing water at the summit. She
gathered her reserves and rode like the wind back up the mountain. Mr.
Rogers jumped to action and drove to the rescue. He gathered up the
injured King and sped him to the small village of Talihina to find a physician.
Poor King Wilton was a mess. His body was covered in dirt, grime and
blood. The doctor started to clean his wounds with cotton balls. Not
only was it painful but it would have taken a very long time. Mr. Rogers
suggested taking the King outside and hosing him down with a garden hose.
And so it was done. Lots of skin had been lost but no bones were broken.
King Wilton was a very lucky monarch.
With colored bandages matching his royal robes,
beloved King Wilton was driven back to camp by his good savior, Mr. Rogers.
Henceforth the king was known as King Half Hide who left half his hide on
Honobia Mountain.