Sunday, October 21, 2012

Tour de Trees, A Win/Win Weekend!!


Hey Friends,
  This weekend has been on my calendar for a bit. Two of my FAVORITE activities combined for Tour de Trees, the bicycling/camping weekend put on by the Oklahoma Bicycling Society.  I met some of the lovely OBS members this summer on Freewheel & have been on some weekend rides here in OkC.  Most notably the Donut and Pre-Donut Rides from Will Rogers Park.  I've loved getting to know people & finding riders who go my pace.  Ernesto is kind enough to scale it back to ride with me but I know it has to kill him as my comfortable pace is about 14 mph.   Ernesto rides anywhere from 18-22 comfortably so it is a testament to his chivalry that he"ll hang with me.  

  Anyhoo, once I joined the group I read about Tour de Trees & knew it was right up our alley.  About 60 or so riders from all over the state gathered at Lake Eufaula State Park for the event.  We loaded up the T@B and Lucy Friday evening & headed out.  It was past dark when we arrived but we had no trouble finding a great spot under a canopy of Oak trees that had full hook-ups & the bonus of being just a few steps from the bathroom.  We got situated in no time & had a hearty dinner of sausages, rice, salad & of course.......QUESADILLAS!!!  
  
   We turned in & I read some out of "Wild-From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail"  by Cheryl Strayed.  The book details her coming to terms with her life after her mother's death from cancer, a failed marriage & a relationship that led to heroin use. She sets off on an 1100 mile solo hike to regroup.  http://www.cherylstrayed.com/wild_108676.htm Soon I couldn't hold my eyes open.  It was pretty chilly but we don't really like to use the heater in the T@B, it gets too stuffy.  The perfect solution has been a dual zoned electric blanket.  My side was set on High & Ernesto's Low.  Perfect until I was roasting @ about 4 AM.  But there's nothing like it for taking the chill off!!  I re-set to Low & drifted back off.

  Saturday morning we woke up around 7 & did the coffee routine plus some instant oatmeal.  Then we readied ourselves & the bikes for a 42 mile tour of the area.  We got a baby cart & modified it for Lucy to ride in & to say she is not a fan is putting it mildly.  If you were to come up on Ernesto while he's pulling her you might think he had a wheel in need of some WD-40.  Lucy has a unique squeaky whine that doesn't let up until she is out of the stroller & in your arms.  We keep hoping she'll adapt...  One benefit (at least that's how I see it, Ernesto may feel differently) is the cart plus Lucy adds at least 20 pounds to Ernesto's bike.  This levels the field, so-to-speak in terms of him keeping his pace at my speed :D

Lucy's Cart


  The day turned out gorgeous.  We had a little bit of wind but the ride was lovely.  We made a big loop & wound up in Checotah (hometown of Carrie Underwood) for lunch @ the Katy Cafe.  I had the BLT & Ernesto got a chicken sandwich with some YUMMY sweet potato fries.  We sat on a bench out front w/Lucy & chatted with our fellow riders as they came & went.  The thing I love so much about bike trips is all the interesting folks you meet.   Some of these people were on Freewheel with us & some we were meeting for the first time.  After lunch we hopped on the bikes for the 15 mile ride back to camp.

   We arrived at our site around 1:30 & spent the rest of the afternoon chillaxing & chatting with everyone who stopped by to see the T@B.  In addition to Lucy it is a real magnet for conversation!!  Our neighbors were a retirement age couple who live full time in their RV & travel around state parks designing the park brochures with advertising for area businesses.  I'm going to guess they are in their 70s.  And I was super impressed with their technical skills.  They meet with their contacts & upload everything to the internet & even have a mobile office in their RV.  The brochures are produced annually & they spend about 3 weeks in each area.  Their stay is free as part of their fee.  Pretty sweet way to spend retirement!!  They have been "full timers since 2003.

   In the evening a pot-luck dinner was planned for 6:00.  I had prepared a white chicken chili at home & had it ready to heat in the crock-pot.  The amount of food was obscene!!  Everything looked so good, it was hard to pick just a few things but I get full really quick so I tried to be conservative. Ernesto zeroed in on some jalapeno/venison sausage.  And the desserts....OMG!!!!
The Pot-Luck Smogasbord
   After dinner a group loaded up in a truck to head to the "Haunted Barn" that is open on weekends in October.  I HATE the idea of people jumping out to scare me so I passed.  Ernesto & I returned to our campsite & built a fire.  It was pitch black & the stars were magnificent.  Ernesto looked at me & said, "It's only 7:30."  I could have died!!  I was sure it was at least 9:00 & I was ready to turn in, LOL!!  So we fought the urge & sat & enjoyed the fire.  A little later some of the brave souls who went to the Haunted Barn returned to tell us of their adventure.  We visited some more & were able to hold out until 9:30 before turning in.

Can We Go To Bed Yet?


  Sunday morning there was a 32 mile ride planned.  When we woke up I just couldn't motivate myself to leave our comfy set-up.  If you followed us this summer on our adventure in the Grand Canyon you know my favorite part of the day is coffee in the morning.  We decided to just hang around camp leisurely & enjoy the weather that was absolute perfection!!  I'm going to guess low 70s & a slightly overcast sky.  We had the windows open & there was a heavenly breeze.  We lingered as long as we wanted then loaded up to head for home.  What a delightful weekend!!!

Looks Like We Won't Be Riding Today.


1 comment:

  1. You have a sweet, sweet life. I too love sweet potato fries and you should have gone to the haunted barn. Abundance!

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