Woodward, OK to Enid, OK 113.2 miles
Today was another first for me. I completed my third consecutive century ride(100 miles or more) and at 1755 miles we are now more than halfway done.
The first part of the ride passed through Boiling Springs State Park and was actually scenic relative to the past couple of days. Contrary to what I was beginning to think, there are trees in Oklahoma. It wasn't long until we were back to the desolate landscape. The weather forecast had predicted a temperature of 90 and winds blowing from the south at 25-30 mph. Unfortunately, the meteorologists were right. Except for 2 miles of the 113 mile ride, we either had severe crosswinds or headwinds. I have never ridden in such strong winds and after 7 hours on the bike, it really takes its toll on you. There were times the dust from the fields was blowing in such a manner it reminded me of Wisconsin's blowing snow. When faced with headwinds, I could only maintain 9 mph at best. My average speed was 14.5 mph. Fortunately, the next two days are relative short rides of 75 miles each day.