Greetings from Oklahoma City! I'm snuggled up on a couch in the May Avenue Methodist Church where we're staying, exhausted from two long build days with the Central Oklahoma Habitat chapter, which is awesome. They're the largest Habitat affiliate in the US and after working with them I can see why. We spent both of our days working on about five houses in a huge development of Habitat houses they're building on donated land. I'm conflicted about the idea of a development. On the one hand, it's great that they're able to offer so many homes and I imagine there will be a sense of community since all the homeowners will have undergone similar experiences. On the other hand, it strikes me as odd that these people will all be isolated - something like a public housing project for lower-middle class people. I still haven't really figured out how I feel about it. But, it did make for two extremely efficient build days. We entirely framed and wrapped a house, laid sod for another house, wrapped two pre-framed houses, and painted the trim on two houses. After our previous builds where frustrations grew due to idle hands the never ending amount of work was a welcome reprieve.
Biking is still going great. Highlights include a long day when I stopped with a group of ten other riders to play paintball. It was my first time playing and I shocked myself with how much I loved shooting at all my friends. The welts are still fading, but it was worth it.
On the day we entered Oklahoma (three days ago, feels like an eternity) we had our first serious accident. Scott got hit by a car and broke the fork off his bike, but miraculously survived unscathed. He just bought a new bike and filed an insurance claim today. I've now biked two centuries (100+ mile day) and am in high spirits. It has been nice to get off my bike saddle for the past two days, but I'm ready to get back on. Jon Kole (my friend who did this trip last year...hi Jon!) sent me a letter warning me that these next few days are going to be hard, hot and windy. Wish me luck!
In closing, I thought I would offer two haikus that my friend Craig and I composed together while riding. First, a happy one by Craig:
Green fields fluttering
under blue blankets of sky.
Bikers roll past.
And a not so happy one by me:
Ouch, bumpy road! Why?
Gravel and potholes: not nice
to tender tushes.
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I totally agree about the OKC Habitat Village...I did this trip a solid year ago, and I still am torn about the idea. I think the energy saving and central town park kinda swayed me though. Good luck in the Pan Handle!
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