Rotten Winds

Saturday July 28, 2012

Low: The day's low consisted of the triple threat: heat, hills, and headwinds. Thinking about it, I can't decide which factor made the day hardest. The highest temperature was 102 degrees, paired with a vengeful sun beating down on us at every moment. The hills leadings out of Oklahoma were constant. The wind, ah yes, the wind... It blew. Hard. All day long. It wasn't a friendly tailwind either. The direction continuously shifted from blasting us head on to swinging around the side and nearly blowing us off our bikes but don't let me forget the massive, speeding trucks that thoroughly enjoyed adding their own wrench to the wind equation.

High: Luckily for me, I woke up from my nap in the Wheeler County Agrilife Extension center just in time to hear that the first shuttle to the rodeo was leaving. Yes, that's right, a rodeo. After all, we are in Texas now! Arriving just after the cattle case where small children chase cattle trying to grab the ribbons tied to their tails, I watched in pure amazement. A rodeo is not something a girl from the Jersey shore knows much about. It surely was an entertaining experience though... Especially when Miss Amy Simons got her hands on the rodeo announcer's microphone and asked me to our Wild Wild West Bike and Build Prom in front of the entire rodeo. Because we chose our dates at random, she had to be extra careful when publicly asking another female out on a date so it was extra funny when she asked "Big Al Cohen" to join her at prom. Naturally I said yes! Finally, I have a date!

Though the day was extra exhausting, it was yet another monumental day crossing state lines. Oklahoma prove to be, in my opinion, the most beautiful state I had ridden through. With today being our first full day in Texas, leaving Wheeler heading to Amarillo, I am excited to see all that it has to offer.

Until next time,
Alyssa