Day 44 - Leedey to Woodward - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far

May 22, 2021

Day 44 - Leedey to Woodward

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It was another hilly day, but not too strenuous. The tailwinds we've had for the last several days have been wonderful!

We left our very disappointing AirBNB before 9:00. I thought I had learned to make good judgements on AirBNB listings, but this one really fooled me. The worst thing was NO HOT WATER after Kerry took his shower this morning. That is not a good way to start the day.

The day got better at our first stop in the little town of Camargo. The owner of the local deli made us a good breakfast and we had interesting conversations with several other customers. Without exception, every other customer who came in while we were there was known to the employees and to each other. A few of the men who came in talked about haying they were planning to get done. We saw some in process a later in the morning.

Hay cut and dried and ready to roll. I would have said "bale", but the guys this morning talked about "rolling'" hay.

Some more cows cooling their feet.

Vici was the larger of the towns we visited today. We were told it is pronounced "vie-sigh". That's not at all what I would have guessed. Vici had a small shopping district and a large elevator.

After Vici, there were no stops until we got to Woodward. We rode through more beautiful Oklahoma land.

The red soil in Oklahoma is not clay, but silt loam. Specifically, it is called "Port Silt Loam" after the town of Port in Washita County. The red color comes from it's iron oxide content. It is the official soil of Oklahoma.

We also crossed the Canadian River. Kerry said it is well known to readers of Western novels.

A few miles from Woodward, we started seeing this wildflower along the road. It is really pretty with it's vivid yellow blossoms. I tried to get enough detail in the pictures for our expert readers. Can you help, Bill?

In Woodward, we visited the Plains Indian & Pioneers Museum. The Plains Indians exhibit is small and clearly an addition to the museum. We found that it was previously the "Pioneers Museum". I learned something new today at this museum. American history as taught to teenagers in the south in the late 60's is quite different from things I am learning now.

I knew that Native Americans used every possible part of the bison. (As Kerry's grandmother said about the pigs they butchered when she was a child, "We used everything but the squeal.")

I did not know that the US government "sanctioned and actively endorsed the wholesale slaughter of bison herds" for the purpose of pressuring Native Americans onto reservations by destroying their primary source of food. I was taught that the bison disappeared from over hunting and white settlement, but never that it was an intentional act of aggression against Native Americans.

The remainder of the museum had the usual displays of pioneer life in the early 20th century. Outside a facade representing a family farm home from the 1940's-1950's was this implement. Neither Kerry nor I have any idea what it might be. Can any of our readers enlighten us?

What is this thing? Kerry here... I cheated and Googled this, so now Jeanna & I know what it is. Answer is at bottom of today's post.

Tomorrow we have a 34 mile route - a day to sleep late and pedal slowly!

And the answer is: A DeLaval cream separator. Gustaf de Laval patented his first cream separator in 1887 and the Swedish based company is still in business.

Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 1,890 miles (3,042 km)

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Mike ObermeyerBe safe and stay dry.
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2 years ago

Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Mike ObermeyerI almost hate to say it, but we have been so lucky with the weather so far. We've hardly gotten wet at all since the early days of our trip.
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2 years ago

Bob & Jan ThompsonNoticed that milk/cream separator right off. Had one in our dairy when I was a youngster. My job was to turn the crank. Also, we were the first in our area to get the DeLaval auto milkers. No more hand squeezing.
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2 years ago

Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Bob & Jan ThompsonWe've heard from some others who used these as kids. Sounds like a lot of work! The auto milkers must have been a huge help.
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2 years ago