November 1, 2009
I've always found the Oklahoma and Texas panhandle regions quite interesting. This part of Oklahoma was once labeled no-man's land, and it never saw the boom-and-bust as the rest of Oklahoma (at least not in the same way).
There were stretches of roads in Oklahoma and Texas that I hadn't ridden--nothing all that long, but, this would be a good trip to take care of those.
Kansas
Meade, Kansas for the night. It happens that this was Halloween night, so I saw quite a few trick-or-treaters while walking around town.
[May, 2016 the Lakeway Hotel is demolished to make way for a service station and convenience store]
In the video (above), the sound you hear before the train arrives is from the many blowers at the base of the grain elevator on the right, which ensure good air circulation. Grain dust can be very explosive if it's not controlled. I was surprised by the strong and sharp gust of air when the engine passed me. I count ninety-six cars; that's a lot of Malt-O-Meal!
Riding south out of Meade on KS-23. This abandoned house is on a broad plateau north of the Cimarron River.
Oklahoma
Along the Beaver River is an immense stretch of sand dunes with just a little vegetation that has managed to take hold. This is the site of Beaver Dunes State Park.
You can tell by the foot path that there isn't any soil under the grass. Scuff the heel of your boot, and you're digging in sand.
Texas
I stayed on TX-23 past Booker and then on to US-83. This was a new
stretch of highway for me.
Oklahoma
OK-47 near the Black Kettle National Grassland was another stretch of highway that was new to me.
I saw a few very elaborate bits of fencing along this road. There was an artist's name on each, and it was not the same.
Thomas, Oklahoma.
The Cimarron River.
Manchester, Oklahoma.
Kansas
Harper, Kansas.
