Oklahoma is an interesting state, a real grab-bag of good and bad - I have lived and worked here since 1977, I raised my 3 children here, and my own experiences form the basis for these opinions.   Regarding bicycling, there are both good and bad aspects to Oklahoma.  While the state has much room for improvement in that regard, there is hope.  The following paragraphs are a bit of a ramble on my part in an effort to convey the culture and cycling expectations from the Sooner state.

Lottie Williams from Tulsa, Oklahoma is the only person who has ever been hit with space trash! On January 22, 1997, she was hit by a 6-inch-long piece of a rocket. She wasn't hurt badly as the rocket piece only hit her shoulder. The odds of actually getting hit with space trash are about one in a trillion (the odds that you’ll get hit by lightning are much greater at one in 1.4 million).  And just in case you thought that was the only freak incident in Oklahoma, you may want to be cautious with bathroom breaks during a storm; Exploding Toilet. So if you bicycle in Oklahoma, who knows what could happen...

Oklahoma came to be a part of the U.S. in 1803 from the Louisiana land purchase. For many years it was used as a dumping ground to move displaced native Americans from the southeastern states - for example, most of you have heard of the Trail of Tears experience of the forcible evacuation of the Cherokee people.   There are 39 tribes of Native American people in Oklahoma, constituting the second-largest population of native Americans in the U.S.   The term "Oklahoma" is a Choctaw word that means "red people."   

 OK is reliably Republican, with all 77 counties voting for whomever is the Republican candidate, and it's no coincidence that it consistently ranks as a bottom-10 state in most everything, especially so in areas like education and healthcare.  No Democratic candidate for president has won a single county in Oklahoma since 2000, so there is little hope that Oklahoma will ever change.  To say that it is a "conservative" state is a huge understatement.  In the U.S. News and World Report 2020 rankings, OK was listed as #43 in quality of life, #48 in healthcare, and #42 in education.  Oklahomans have a saying; "Thank God for Mississippi so we aren't last in everything." 

Oklahoma ranks last in the nation for funding of higher education.  Just under 25% of Oklahoma adults have obtained a Bachelor's degree.  However, just to show that we aren't last in everything, Oklahoma ranks second highest in the country for teen pregnancies and we are the 5th most obese state in the nation.

OK has a population of 4 million, and the majority of folks live in or near Oklahoma City or Tulsa.  Reflecting the low education standards of the state, the median income is only 29.5k.   The Oklahoma economy has been largely supported by oil and gas; and as you may expect, this isn't a very environmentally friendly state.  If I need to emphasize the oil industry clout here; there is actually an oil well located underneath the state capitol.  For most of the 20th century, Tulsa was known as the oil capitol of the world.   

So what does all of the above have to do with bicycle touring in Oklahoma?   Like most poorly funded and poorly educated states,  Oklahoma may not be the most bicycle-friendly place around.  Certainly there is little interest in spending taxpayer dollars to make road improvements for bicycles.  And the poorly-educated populace just doesn't instinctively grasp the environmental-friendly benefits of bicycle tourism, especially so when you are on "their roads" and they have to slow down for a few seconds before passing you.   It may behoove you to be extra careful when planning a bicycle route through the Sooner state.   

On a positive note, Oklahoma has the largest number of man-made lakes of any state in the United States (more than 200).  This tour will include overnight camping at 3 of these lakes.  Eastern Oklahoma in particular is a beautiful area with numerous lakes, forests, and mountains.

Oklahoma does have some positive aspects regarding bicycle tourism.  The annual Oklahoma Freewheel cross-state ride is a supported tour that usually crosses the state from south to north around the 1st week of June.  Some 800 or so cyclists enjoy the tour and visit small towns along the way.  I was part of a group that helped organize the original Freewheel tour in 1979 and I have participated in it some half-dozen or so times.  Freewheel is sort of a mini RAGBRAI, and it's probably the best-kept secret in supported tours nationwide - you will have a great experience if you participate in Freewheel.  In my own case, I found that supported tours are sort of anti-climatic once you start doing self-supported tours, and I no longer have any interest in them; but it's a great way to start touring.  

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The annual Tulsa Tough event is a nationally known series of criterium races that brings in the best athletes for 3 days of racing.  There are also 2 fondo rides for the "normal" riders who want to participate.   The Oklahoma Freewheel and Tulsa Tough events have helped to make some positive headway for the cycling scene in Oklahoma.  

Another positive note for cycle touring in Oklahoma is the recent establishment of an Adventure Cycling Association route through the state.  Route 66 more or less follows the original mother road through Oklahoma from NE to SW.  I haven't ridden all of it, but I have ridden parts of it and driven on most of it.   I'm happy that we have an ACA route through Oklahoma, but my opinion is that the roads aren't as bicycle-friendly as other ACA routes I have ridden.  In other states, I have found that once an ACA route gets established the state may give some priority to making it more cyclist friendly, so I hope that happens here.   

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Oklahoma has adopted the Idaho stop law;  basically, it is legal for cyclists in Oklahoma to treat stop signs as though they are yield signs and stop lights as though they are stop signs.  I can attest from personal experience that the average Oklahoma driver is NOT aware of this change in the law.   Included in the law change is the ability to signal a right turn using your right arm held out straight in the same manner you signal a left turn with your left arm.  Incidentally, Arkansas has also adopted the Idaho stop law, so 2 of the 4 KAMO states have done so.  Other bicycle laws of interest include 1.)  it's illegal for a motor vehicle driver to honk at you unless there is some emergency reason to do so, and 2.) a 3-feet minimum passing distance is required.  

So that's a wee bit of background to both the culture and the cycling scene in Oklahoma.  It's certainly not comprehensive, and others may hold opinions different than mine.  Oklahoma has some positive aspects for cycling, but there's much room for improvement.  This short tour, in the location chosen, should be a great experience - I guess we'll see!  A bit about Oklahoma's "Bigfoot Culture" can be found in the Final Prep section that follows.