Day 13: Friday, April 29 - Ride was cancelled due to bad weather

Pampa, TX to Elk City, OK 102 miles for the day, 2,100' of climbing was the plan.

"Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore" - Nope, now in Oklahoma.

No riding the bike today. We were in the midst of severe thunderstorms and a tornado watch for the entire 104 mile route for today. So, we were shuttled to the next motel in Elk City, Oklahoma, as we need to stay on schedule with all of the motels booked ahead of us for the entire trip. With as tired as the rest of the crew are from yesterday's epic ride, most were happy with a day off. I did not exhaust myself yesterday, so I would have been ready to ride at least most of the route. It was a prudent decision given the conditions.

I dressed to begin the day in the van with the bad weather, but prepared to ride if conditions improved. However, after the decision was made not to ride at all, that allowed time for a luxurious nap. :) We had a good time socializing as well, something I have not had as much of a chance to do with the fast riders. They gave me a whole host of ideas for future adventures: climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, trekking in Iceland, New Zealand, and Patagonia, volunteering as an aide in a medical missionary, volunteering with the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in third world countries, etc. Lots yet to do in life. 

What I expect to do, however, is dial down the emphasis on bike riding, while retaining bike riding as part of my physical fitness regime, as well as being my social outlet while in St. Cloud. Perhaps after I retire about age 70, the 50 day ride across America from Astoria, Oregon east may be an option with shorter, more casual days than this challenging ride. One way or another, adventure awaits!

No more weather ahead of us than behind us, but different quality.

We are told that we should have no rain tomorrow, 9-14 mph tail wind. 40's in the morning, but warming. Day 14; Saturday, April 30 - Elk City, OK to Chickasha, OK 119 miles for the day,  5,000' of climbing. We will hit the halfway spot in the cross country trip at about the 55 mile mark. Looks like a great day for riding.

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For our ride leader's take on today's events, go here.