Day 43 - Clinton to Leedey - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far - CycleBlaze

May 21, 2021

Day 43 - Clinton to Leedey

Hills!

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We had a very good, but very hilly, day.  When we left about 9:00, there was dense cloud cover and a light mist.  

Another peaceful Oklahoma morning
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Oklahoma scene
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The weren't steep, but relentless. We had hills like this all day.
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Kathleen JonesThat’s some red soil. Didn’t know that. Well, there’s a lot I don’t know about Oklahoma. Other people’s bike tours are so educational ….
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Keith A. SpanglerYou guys pick outstanding routes.
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Our first stop was at the B&K Bait Shop near Foss Lake.  There we met Paul, Doyle and owner Eric.  They were great fun and the first on our list of special people we met today.

Paul, Doyle and Eric. We really enjoyed meeting you all.
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The bait shop is at the edge of the Foss Reservoir.  The dam was built on the Washita River 1958-1961.  It was a lovely three mile ride across the dam.  I think only two vehicles passed us the whole way.  It was also the longest flat segment of today's route!

Foss Dam and Reservoir
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View of the lake
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This is the back side of the dam.
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North of the lake, we found this historical marker.   From the quick reading  I did this evening, I found that the C-A Ranch lasted only three years due to conflicts between the Native Americans and white cattlemen.  

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The next town on our route was Butler.  Google maps showed a store there, but we arrived to find it out of business.  Kerry spotted City Hall and thought it would be a place to ask to use the restroom.  

Butler City Hall and fire department
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The two women working inside were very welcoming and  happy to let us use their facilities.  We talked a little about our travels and the bike.  They were next on the list of great people we met today.

Kailar Haggard, town clerk and Evie Hartley, town treasurer, Butler, OK. It was a pleasure to meet you both!
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We rode on, up and down hill after hill and past scenic Oklahoma country side.  This area is primarily cattle ranches.

By mid-day, there was a little blue among the clouds.
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We planned to stop for lunch in Hammon at the Kountry Kitchen.  We reached the spot on the map and found a little metal building with a full parking lot and no signage at all outside.  A man walked out carrying a drink cup, so we figured we were probably in the right place.  It was another memorable meal.  The decor consisted of plain tables and chairs.  Ordering was done at the front counter from a chalkboard menu on the wall.  One of the offerings was "kitty chicken".  The woman at the counter could only describe it as "some different kind of chicken".  We decided to go for it.  I had the grilled kitty chicken salad and Kerry had his fried.  It was delicious!  We later learned that "Kitty's Chicken" is a buttermilk marinated chicken tenderloin produced by Rath, an Oklahoma company.  It is served in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.  If we see it on a menu again, we'll be ordering it.  The staff at the Kountry Kitchen are next on our list of today's great people, but we were too busy talking about kitty chicken to get any names or pictures.

We had only 16 miles left to ride after lunch.  The terrain didn't change, but lunch gave us enough energy to make it to Leedey.  One last interesting thing we saw today was these blue bags in a cattle pasture.  Our guess is that they hold water for the cattle.  Does anyone know?

This cow is enjoying the whatever is in the bag.
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The last people on our great people of the day list are the owner and staff of the Klick Trip convenience store in Leedey.  Again, no names and no pictures (though they took our picture), but they were funny, friendly and entertaining to talk with.  It was a good end to a day full of nice people.

Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 1,844 miles (2,968 km)

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