Day 26: Edmond, OK to El Reno, OK

I woke up to the sounds of thunder and it was raining loudly outside, so I took my time getting up and ready. When I looked at the forecast, it predicted the rain would stop by 11:00, so I left my motel at around 10:00.

A few miles out, I noticed my bike was handling funny, and I looked down to see I was missing a pannier! The pannier with all of my electronics in it was still at the motel! So I turned around and raced back to the room as fast as I could (which isn’t very fast!), thinking the whole time that the pannier was on the edge of the bed, and I left the door wide open! Happily, it was there when I got back!

The wind is definitely back. I wonder if there is a repeating pattern? Today’s wind was from the south, almost perfectly perpendicular to most of my route. There were few quiet roads, though, so it was another day of white-knuckle traffic. Tomorrow’s winds are even stronger, and coming from a slightly more western point, so they are going to slow me down.

When I was riding along the shore of Lake Overholser, I noticed the waves, and I was getting hit by spray from the wind, so I stopped to take a video of the choppy water: https://tiktok.com/@a.shaun.ivory/video/7091774211382922539

I hope tomorrow’s roads are less busy, and have more Route 66 attractions. If all of this tour consisted of the busy roads, with no shoulders, and nothing particularly interesting to see, I’d say this isn’t a route I’d recommend, but I am hopeful it will improve now that I am past Oklahoma City.

A mile before my stop for the night, I found a little cafe in El Reno, leaned my bike against the windows, and came in. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. There were three tables of people, and they were really curious about what I was up to. So I told them all about it, and they told me stories too. They were very sympathetic about the busy roads with no shoulders, and emphatically agreed with my observation that country people are more considerate than city people.

I’m staying in the cheapest motel I’ve stayed in yet ($44 a night!). The room smells bad, there are gray stains on the towels, and there is no way I am sitting on the upholstered chair at the table, but it has awesome Internet!