Shaun Rides His Bike

Yesterdays tornado and thunderstorm warnings were completely gone this morning, so I said goodbye to my little motel room in Vinita.

It was raining gently when I left, and rained on and off for the rest of my ride, which was otherwise uneventful.

The high-speed highway I was on most of the day was divided, with two lanes in each direction. When there was a shoulder, it was huge and clean – quite luxurious. Unfortunately, there were several long stretches where there was no shoulder at all. Maddeningly, I could see there was a shoulder on the other side of the road for the eastbound travelers. It felt like discrimination!

Most of the drivers were really careful and changed lanes as soon as they saw me, but a few waited until the last minute, including a couple trucks hauling boats, and I was glued to my rearview mirror, planning a bailout in case they didn’t see me. It was white-knuckle cycling!

I took a small detour to see the Blue Whale of Catoosa, because of course I did!

When I got to my motel, my room wasn’t ready yet, so I went to a restaurant around the corner, and joined a wonderful family for lunch. Derek, Cherry (like the fruit!) and Claire told me stories, and I told them stories, and it was a great reminder that traveling isn’t just about old signs and concrete whales! Their son is at a bass-fishing tournament today, and I hope he does well. It was a wonderful way to cap off a wonderful day!