(Click any image for a larger view.)
Please note that much of my riding associated with the Harrah-Jones area is within tribal boundaries of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma (there are other tribal associations in other states). For example, that mystery road along the North Canadian River between NE63rd and Wilshire is almost entirely Kickapoo, judging by the license plates I saw on the vehicles parked along the road. However, today I rode close to the oldest facilities the tribe has owned since late 1800s.
Today’s ride took me through Harrah first, then staying on the main US Highway 62 after crossing the river. You can see vestiges of the old road beds when the highways were narrow routes of concrete panels poured into the dirt. The long sweeping curve of today presented an interesting view. At Pottawatomie Road I turned south. The next four miles were all gravel, starting out with a very tightly packed caliche and ending with a somewhat looser and sandier surface up to State Highway 102. The primary objective was simply to explore the route north of the river across the farm fields, essentially NE 10th Street. At first it played tag dropping below the flood bank, then over a small ridge and below it again. Then it follows the bank a ways until we hit some pasture land sitting where the flood plain is very wide, easily a half mile between the cut bank and flood bank.
Lots of beautiful sights to see on both sides of the road. These are just a few of the views; it was hard to choose. What really struck me is that is area was so utterly quiet and peaceful. I can’t describe the way it called to me, inviting me to just stand and feel the wind.
Even the yard dogs were quiet, not barking at all, just watching me. I also sensed an odd change in dominion out there between the western half and the eastern end of this area. It wasn’t unpleasant, but very different. The first couple of miles was more inviting, but the second half felt oddly busy, as if to say it had no time for more than just a friendly wave from the distance.
Eventually the worsening gravel road ended at State Highway 102. It does run on farther east, but I had no interest in exploring any more. I’ve decided it’s okay to ride on gravel for a little while to explore, but it’s annoying for regular use. Time to head south along the highway toward McLoud.
Passed a lovely farm house peeking out through some trees. I also tried to assemble a panoramic view, but I failed to get a good overlap. Let’s settle for a nice shot from the center, looking SW down the faint slope toward the North Canadian (below left).
It was at this point that my sense of joy and peace rose to a level impossible to describe. I’ll give the Kickapoo Tribe credit because they are known for their peaceful nature and closeness to Creation. There’s a Quaker Tribal Mission just a little south of their schoolhouse, and I’m told it’s a dominant religion in the tribe. But this overwhelming feeling left me almost giddy, so I pulled off the road and stood in prayer for quite a few minutes. How do you describe the sound of the Spirit Realm thundering through the earth itself? Had it been physically audible, it would have blown out my eardrums with bass notes. I knew it wasn’t simply the song of Creation, if for no other reason than that I was in the middle of some very unnatural crops — Roundup-Ready soybeans and grains were all around me. No, this was directly from the Spirit Realm, but I was commanded to stand still and meet with God for a time. We then shared an apple (ritual eating as if God were right there with you) before I crossed the river and rode on into the town.
As you might expect, the town itself is just another quaint little farming community in rural central Oklahoma. They’ve spent some tax dollars fixing things up in the past few years. There are some fresh sidewalks and curbs, and a few buildings have been refaced. The picture gives away the location as the junction between State Highways 270 and 102.
After heading along their main drag westward a bit, I turned south on 8th Street because it runs down toward a major route with less traffic over to Arena Road. I wanted to see if there had been any progress repairing the washouts along SE 44th between McLoud Road and Harrah Road. To my delight, it was open again. Granted, the repairs are not yet repaved, but the way is open up to that little spot visible down the hill from Harrah Road. It had not changed, still just a hole on one side of the bridge, and I saw where other bicycles had simply jumped over the edge of the dirt piles next to the guardrail.
So copying their example, it was a nice peaceful ride back home on SE 44th making for a 33-mile round trip.
