Day 27 July 6, 2016 Winnett to Sand Springs 46.4 miles

Let me go back to last night before I tell you about today’ s ride. I bought a deck of cards at the general store in Winnett so we would have some entertainment in the evenings when we still had some energy left. Dave was reluctant to play  (because I usually win) , but I hadn’t played gin for a long time. He won the first two hands outright, then in the third hand, he used a ‘Kass rule’ that I had never heard of. He was close to gin, so he went out figuring I had more points in my hand than he did (which was correct). I have to admit that it adds something to the game, but I could sense my parents’ disapproval immediately! That rule would never have been accepted in the Shaffer household. Needless to say, I didn’t win any hands that night. 

Now to the ride. There were clouds to the west when we got up, so we hurried as much as  possible figuring we’d probably be riding in the rain for awhile today. It wasn’t a long ride to Sand Springs,  but there were no towns  in between, so  we got extra water and food. About a hour into the ride, the storm  began, so we had to stop and put on rain gear. Fortunately, the lightning wasn’t close since we had nowhere to go for protection. Although, a guy in a FedEx van did stop and ask if we’d like a ride, which  was really nice. The temperature was too cool to go without raingear , but too warm to wear it comfortably. And it was hilly, so sweaty we were. It didn’t rain hard, but we had a headwind which got stronger as the day went on. There was a nice rest area at the top of a hill, and the rain stopped while we were there, although the headwind and the hills didn’t.

Sand Springs was a very welcome sight, and a cool place. No one really lives there, but there’s a post office, a ‘convenience store,’ and camping is allowed in the yard for free, with access to the bathrooms which had hot and cold water (no showers). We arrived about 30 minutes before the store closed, so we had a frozen pizza, beer, and candy bars for dessert. The woman working there was the sister of the owner, and she and her husband are retired, have an RV, travel for fun, and are living in the RV behind the store for the summer. She said her favorite place was Savanah,  Georgia. The owner is the postmaster.

Then we had to hurry and pitch the tent because we could see another storm coming. The wind and rain started just as we  were getting every in the tent, so we got a bit wet. The wind was scary, but we were somewhat protected by the building, and we were cozy in the tent. We both took a nap, and the storm was over when I woke up. It was still, and the sun was shining low in the sky below the clouds, and it was beautiful. And we had really lucked out again.
The pictures are in reverse order. Thought I had it figured out,  but nope.

After the storm

Sand Springs at last

Rain on the way!