For a very long time, the maps all showed the snaking road along the flood bank of the North Canadian River connecting NE 63rd and Indian Meridian as private land and no thoroughfare. Then, a couple of years ago, the Internet mapping services began indicating there was a through road of sorts (squiggly line in the image on the right). Which was it?
Stop for a moment: I realize “flood bank” is not an official geographical term. That’s what the farmers call it around here. It’s the edge of a flood plain well above the normal water channel. You can farm below it, but you know it’s more risky than up on the flood plain. But if the water ever gets that high, it’s definitely in flood-stage, because it crosses over the flood bank onto the flood plain.
Viewed across the flood plain from either Wilshire or Triple X, it looks like some houses are over amongst the trees along the flood bank, but some mapping services show a long break between two ends of a road, as if some of it is actually a private drive.
Today I was taking the Harrah-Jones Loop, but with deviations to entertain myself. Running counterclockwise, I headed up Harrah Road and took NE 50th to Dobbs Road. North to NE 63rd, I humped over the hills to Luther Road, again turning north until Wilshire, and then across the ridge and down toward Triple X. That washout repair between Peebly and Triple X is coming along, but it’s not camera-worthy just yet. But instead of zig-zagging my way into Jones and Henney Road, I decided to explore this oddity and see what it was.
Above left is a view south down Indian Meridian from across Wilshire, taken in part just to capture the intersection sign. The Jones State Center school is behind to my left. The pavement ends just about where the road disappears from view there. It becomes a highly cratered caliche surface, which tends to look like it was a private drive not so long ago. The route follows the flood bank (image on the right). 
There are some decent houses, but most of them appear to suffer from some inattention. It’s what you might expect from land occupied by folks who want to be left in peace but still close enough to get to the store quickly. Scattered along the entire mile of gravel were these nifty reed huts (left). The walls let some light in and they appear to be fairly old, though well maintained. This added to my impression that this was once something like a summer camp facility of sorts. 
So eventually the route wound back to connect to NE 63rd. At the far end I turned and captured the view with the “Dead End” sign that was obviously false (right). The road does go through, but you would be unlikely to drive on it much faster than I pedaled, which was about half-speed for me. 
I won’t pretend to explain it, but I was struck by a powerful sense of joy out there in the valley. It left me almost giddy for a mile or so. The wind in my face, the rich smell of ruminant manure being spread on the fields — it was just beautiful. As previously noted, one of the best things about riding is talking aloud to God and sensing Creation without distraction. I decided to stop on the Triple X bridge over the North Canadian for lunch — sardines, German style genuine rye bread and an apple. 
There was no shade, but the wind was strong enough to justify it. It’s like the breath of God to me sometimes. The river is pretty low and what you can see in the far background is a very high cut bank which is also the flood bank. In the foreground down below is the active bank in a stretch that has not shifted course in decades. Just to the left beyond the foliage someone has been pasturing cattle for quite some years, though the spring floods did put a few inches of water up there for a day or so.
And just a quarter-mile downstream (behind me from the camera angle) is that spot where the spring flooding cut awfully close to the roadbed. No work has been done to restore the bank, which just shows how bureaucratically slow and useless is the US Army Corps of Engineers. Until they give the city and county permission, no work can proceed on a major river course like that, despite having the equipment and fill material ready and waiting.
The ride still turned out to be 31 miles, but we are in a heat wave for at least the next two weeks. We expect to see triple-digit temperatures (Fahrenheit), so I’m being judicious with my timing and distances.
