May Getaway 04

May Getaway 2004

May
Ft. Cobb State Park

Story by Laurie Allshouse

     With only an hour and a half drive from Oklahoma City, Fort Cobb makes a great place to visit for a weekend getaway. Arriving Friday afternoon, we had about 18 people who went to dinner at the Deckboat Steakhouse on the lake that evening. Not everyone at camp joined us, so we had quite a crew for Friday night.
     After Arletta and I walked our traditional after dinner hike, we returned to camp to find a flashing police car and quite a bit of activity at the restroom near our camp. Seems prom night for Ft. Cobb was taking place and the girls were using the campground restrooms to change their clothes. The local authorities had just picked up intoxicated drivers who were undoubtedly under the legal age for alcohol.
     Saturday morning we woke up to see a fog hovering over the lake. We didn’t think much about it until Greg and Amy arrived at 6:30 talking about the horrible fog they had to drive through to make it from Oklahoma City. Other riders started driving up and everyone had their own fog story. Trudy’s bright signs she had erected showing the direction to camp helped people find their way to our group.
     By 8:30 the fog had lifted and 40 riders took off for Albert, Binger, Lookeba and Hinton. Larry Willrath led a group for a shorter tour that didn’t include Hinton but his personal knowledge of the area made a unique ride for all who followed him. The rest of us endured a very rough and very hilly road north of Lookeba before arriving at our lunch stop at Zona’s Restaurant in Hinton. I had advertised a less hilly return to camp but maybe it was just less rough. Tod sarcastically asked me if this was the flat portion of the ride as we stared at yet another hill to be conquered on our return trip.
     We all made it back to camp and enjoyed our showers of various temperatures. It was great preparation for FreeWheel. There’s nothing like a tepid shower to remind you of what you have to look forward to for our annual June ride across the state of Oklahoma.
     The world famous OBS potluck dinner took on it’s own personality. It has always amazed me that we end up with a variety of food instead of everyone just bringing a dessert. This potluck centered around meat dishes and chocolate desserts. Does anyone need anything more in life?
     Johnnie Lerma built a roaring campfire and the stories floated around camp. There was quite a discussion on whether Spring Fling’s route or May Getaway’s route was hillier. Seems to me the opinions ran pretty much 50/50. I will have to concede that the Ft. Cobb route was definitely rougher.
     Sunday morning was cool and cloudy. We had 24 riders for the trip to Anadarko for breakfast at Temptations Restaurant located in the Best Value Inn. Suzanne Cannon drove ahead and had a separate room complete with coffee and water awaiting our arrival. With a buffet line breakfast, we were all served in no time. We rode the same route back to camp and clocked 43 ½ miles. Just as we pulled in, the sun came out to begin baking the day.
     We tore down tents and then drove to Hinton for ice cream treats at the Sonic just south of I-40. Oklahoma cyclists enjoyed another great camping weekend.

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