Day 19: Guymon OK to Liberal KS

Well, I have to tell you, the riding was easy today, almost embarrassingly so.  We had little wind, or maybe a slight tailwind vector, and the temperature at our later starting time of 9am was 75F.  We rode once again along silky smooth, wide, and clean US 54E.  The distance from Guymon, OK to Liberal, KS was only 39 miles. Oh sure, the humidity was higher  and the temperature peaked in the 90Fs, but I'll take heat any day over a "Where do you think you're going, buddy?" headwind.   Let's call today an active rest day.

Looking back on the road surface just a few miles outside of Guyton, OK

Small cattle feed lot along the highway.

US 54E should be the model for other states to follow.

At Mile 19, our SAG stop was at the Chamber of Commerce in Hooker, OK.  In an unfortunate coincidence, Chuck and I independently wore the shop jerseys we bought from Beaver River Cycling in Guymon, OK.  

Strange coincidence?  Or testament to the power of the Y-chromosome to dominate weak minds?

Our 5th state line!

Once we arrived in Liberal, we passed the local high school which had their football game schedule posted below the football championships garnered by an accomplished graduate, one being the 1997 NCAA Division 1 Championship while playing for the University of Michigan.

Jerame Tuman earned HS, NCAA D1, and Professional football championships within a 13- year period.
Can you name an athlete who accomplished that feat within a 4-year period?
(Hint:  His sport was basketball.)

Chuck and I sought out the Air Museum, the fifth largest aircraft museum in the US.  We met Curator Harriet who was very informative and had a very entertaining wit.  Unfortunately, the aircraft and associated stories were so spellbinding that I became lost in thought and forgot to take photos.

Upon concluding our tour of the air museum, we pressed on to find the International Pancake Day Hall of Fame.  This house of memorabilia celebrates the competition between women of Liberal, KS and women of Olney, England on the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday (aka Fat Tuesday, Shrove Day) -- a competition in which women race down the streets of each town carrying skillets and pancakes.   I was driven by the single thought that this might be similar to a Monty Python Batley Ladies Townswomen's Guild re-enactment. Unfortunately, the IPD HoF was closed today.

What I didn't opt to visit was anything having to do with Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, a very big business in this city.  Why not?  Well, I've had issues with the Wizard of Oz movie ever since studying states of matter in junior high Chemistry class.  In the scene in which Dorothy inadvertently splashes the Wicked Witch with water, the witch shrinks within her clothing and shrieks "I'm melting, I'm melting".  However, she clearly transformed from a solid to a gas, so her line should have been "I'm sublimating, I'm sublimating". Is the desire for scientific rigor asking too much?

Geoffrey has announced that McDonald's vanilla and strawberry shakes have been recently consumed and contemplated.  Although not bad enough to rate as Poor, he says they were thin in flavor and certainly not challenging the leadership of the cherry shake.

We also learned today that "Big Train" Randy's ITB syndrome symptoms are becoming worse, to the point of being tender and painful upon walking.  Really, for most of the last 2 weeks Randy has ridden large portions of each day's route strongly, but with considerable pain.  He announced he is returning to Springfield for further medical examination and treatment.  He was a fun, friendly, and inspirational riding companion and we hope he will  be able to heal completely and quickly, and subsequently return to the tour.

CrossRoads Day 19 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Guymon, OK to Liberal, KS

Tomorrow we ride 82 miles to Dodge City, KS.