October 17, 2014
Day 39: To Atoka
I got on the road at 8:45 after a huge breakfast at the Hateful Hussy. Blue sky, sunshine. It was almost feeling warm at 9 AM.
Today I'm starting feeling tired, but it was an extremely easy day. The terrain was very gently rolling, with a slight downhill trend. And I had a strong tailwind. The miles were very easy.
I left Talihina on OK 1, then turned left on OK 2 and went 6 miles to turn right on OK 43 which goes southwest west for 40 miles, past Sardis Lake.
All day I was in a narrow valley with forested hills on both sides. But now the trees are only 30-40 feet tall. Trees were much taller back in Virginia and Kentucky.
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OK 43 crosses the dam that forms Sardis lake. The west shore of the lake has a great view looking east towards the Ouachita mountains.
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The ridges on each side of the valley connect to the Ouachita mountains. They get gradually smaller as I go west. In the afternoon I saw mesquite trees for the first time on the tour. That tells me I'm getting close to Texas!
The ground is still wet from the recent heavy rains. No worries about dust. In some ways it looks like ordinary ranch country, but there are frequent subtle signs that it's the Choctaw Nation.
Near the end of OK 43 I passed Reba McIntyre Lane. Probably her childhood home. She's from Atoka.
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OK 43 ends at US 69, where I pedaled south 9 extremely busy miles to Atoka (pronounced hi-toe-kah). Divided highway with a narrow crumbling debris-filled shoulder. Still a strong tailwind, so I was able to go 20 mph much of the time.
In Atoka I got a room for 2 nights at Days Inn. $190 total. I'm still in the Choctaw nation. A small casino is a block away. The Choctaw nation has 3 large casino resorts and 5 small casinos. Their main market is 7 million people in casino-free north Texas.
Today had a high of 81F. Sunny until 3 PM, then thin clouds. Very nice for touring.
Today had long mileage and I felt weak all day, but I arrived in Atoka at 4:10 PM thanks to gentle terrain and a strong tailwind. Tomorrow is the final rest day of the tour.
Distance: 77.8 mi. (124 km)
Climbing: 1581 ft. (480 m)
Average Speed: 12.9 mph (20.6 km/h)
Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 1,946 miles (3,132 km)
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