Tom Week - Sayre to Alma

5/27/21 – Nice People in Sayre

I was getting my bike out to go for a short ride when a neighbor came over and warned me about the tornado watch. So nice. Later, the guy who runs the park came by, also to warn us about the potential bad weather. Nice people.

I wasn’t ignoring them, but I’ve lived in tornado country for many years. I knew my 20 minute ride would be done before anything could happen. The cloud’s weren’t looking nearly mean enough. In the end, we never did get even the slightest wind or rain.

Today’s bike ride was only 2.6 miles, but the first 1.3 miles of that was up a steep hill into the wind. After a month off the bike my legs just aren’t that strong. Taking time. Too much time.

5/28/21 – Memorial Day Begins

It’s Friday and the campground is packed. If I’m going to fit in I’m simply going to have to get some khaki shorts and a supply of Bud Light in cans.

5/29/21 – Sad Buffalo

Between the RV park and the Cherokee Trading Post is a fenced in Buffalo. He is one of the saddest creature I have ever seen.

I went for a bike ride. Didn’t go too far, but I did more climbing then all my other May rides combined, and I wasn’t all that tired afterwards.

The neighbors are currently burning meat, and assuming that smell is covering up their pot smoking. It’s not working.

5/30/21 – Smoke Stink

These guys, yes it is all guys, need to go back to boy scouts and learn how to make and maintain a fire. If there are flames, lighter fluid is no longer needed. The wet, decaying branches found on the shore of the pond/lake do NOT make good firewood.

Also, apparently, people in Oklahoma really liked burnt meat.

Got to watch the Indy 500. The last 100 miles was very exciting. I do believe that if Graham Rahal didn’t lose a wheel he would have won. Pat thinks the tire guy did it on purpose.

5/31/21 – Opposing Traffic

Today was a lucky day, traffic-wise. I decided to take the scenic route. Wound up missing an accident in a construction zone which backed up cars in both directions. Very lucky indeed.

The TV stations here are all from Tulsa, which is commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre. It still amazes me that this happened in America and it was never mentioned when I went to school.

6/1/21 – Rainy Day in Checotah

Got some laundry done. Worked on some website revisions. Took some pictures of the farm animals. Good mellow day.

6/2/21 – Into Arkansas

We haven’t spent much time in Arkansas before. So far, so odd. Everyone here wears Crocs! I’ve never seen so many people in Crocs before. Also, the big rodeo is in town, but all the campgrounds are almost empty. Then there’s the liquor laws.

We’re in a dry county. No alcohol sales. In wet counties, as they call them, they sell beer at grocery stores, but wine and hard stuff are only available at liquor stores. So wine is harder to get than beer. Weird.

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