Another Day Another Ride

Yup. I found myself (once yet again) in Cooperton.

Blueberry!

I don’t know what it is with me and this town. I always ride there and have the same damn picture. Note to self: Next time move Blueberry 4 feet to the right…
Welcome to Cooperton!

Rush Springs

Destination: Rush Springs 

Home of the Annual Watermelon Festival

Miles Logged: 71 miles

 

From Porter Hill, rode out to Fletcher and Cyril. When you get to the second stop sign in Cyril continue straight. There are some fun curves. Watch out for that stop sign on the last curve. Turn right and you're back on your way to Cement. And, from Cement to HWY 81 there are also a couple of fun curves.

Both the annual watermelon festival and a fresh water spring can be found in Rush Springs' park. Riding through Rush Springs (a school, a post office, a bed and breakfast, and a library) you'll find the park on the left. The water tastes much better than from the springs in Sulphur.

OK History Lesson: Rush Springs, OK

Back in the 1850s, the Wichita had a village near the springs on Rush Creek. In 1858, the U.S. army launched a surprise attack on Comanches camping close to the area, known as the Battle of the Wichita, leaving 70+ Comanches dead. The Wichita relocated to Fort Arbuckle. By the 1870, a railroad made it to the Choctaw Nation, and supplies for Fort Sill were transported through Rush Springs. A post office was established at a local ranch, and once the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway came in 1892 the post office was relocated into what is now the town of Rush Springs. The town was incorporated in 1898. It's been hosting the watermelon festival every year since the 1940s.

 

Picture courtesy of Mac Vincent. Please click on his name for more info on Rush Springs as well as more awesome historic pictures!

Feelin' awfully Chatty

Destination: Chattanooga



Finally, an update (kinda). Hit the road to Chatty, OK. From Chatty, continued south on 36. And, decided to check out Loveland. Good to note: just because a town has a big sign, doesn't mean a thing. Loveland is located in the midst of many cotton fields and gravel roads. Funny thing is that Loveland actually has paved roads... for its 10 (or so) people. Chatty's about 24 miles southwest of Lawton when passing through Faxon.



The town originated in 1901 and was named after the founder's hometown in Tennessee. Chatty remained an agricultural community with a steady population. Check out Chatty's website.



OK History Lesson: Loveland

Loveland was founded in July 1908 as Harriston. The name was rejected and Loveland was chosen. Loveland seemed to reach its population peak around 1912 with a population of approx. 300. The grain elevators were still in operation until the 1990s. The town had a train depot, a newspaper, and school along with its post office. Last high school class graduated in '57.

It was five miles of gravely hell to get to Loveland. My guess is that a new layer of gravel had been put on. I never thought my bike would overheat in December, but it sure did. After slowly creeping to Loveland, I was surprised to find paved roads in a little semi-abandoned community.

More pictures can be found on WGR's Facebook.

Sunday Afternoon Ride

Destination: Cement, OK

Miles Logged: 85ish

What better way to end Fall Break than with a nice ride? The idea was to check out Cement's old downtown and then take a left somewhere and head north to catch 92 somewhere. Didn't quite pan out that way...

Started out in Elgin and rode through Fletcher and Cyril. Took Old 277 to the new hwy (some nice curves, but watch out for that stop sign, it can sneak up on ya). In Cement to get to the old downtown, just turn left at the stop sign. From there the plan was to ride North. Didn't really workout, and we rode east and toured the...lovely town of Cement. Stayed on 277 and took 81 north to Chickasha.  Rode through Verden and Anadarko on the way back.

  

Note, that by visiting downtown Cement on a Sunday you will draw attention to yourself. It wasn't long before the Cement Cop felt like questioning our motives.

Today's OK history lesson: Cement.

The Keechi Hills (naturally formed mounds) can be found in Cement. There's even a museum in downtown dedicated to the Jesse James legend that his gang buried some of their loot in the Keechi Hills (Buzzard's Roost)....

A cement mill was built in 1901 by Acme Cement and Plaster Co. The town's reputation of being "no man's land" gave it a pretty rowdy rep until the prohibition in 1907. It's alleged that Frank James lived in Cement before moving to Fletcher. The town peaked in 1930 when it had a population of over 1100 (wow- I know).
 
For more pictures, check out WGR's Facebook album.



It's Cookietown, Jake. Not Chinatown...

Destination Cookietown

July 23, 2010

So, the first ride to be documented is to a small "town" called Cookietown, Oklahoma (just south of Lawton, OK). Population: 5. Okay, maybe not five, but pretty damn close. The sign alone is worth the drive.

If you're looking for cookies while in Cookietown, best pack your own. I know! What a disappointment. For an update click here.

So, the riding possibilities are relatively endless from here, but since Oklahoma 5A runs right into Cookietown it's a pleasing option. Taking 5A east and turning North onto 5 (it's an L-shaped highway I guess) will take one into a small town called Walters.  The roads are pretty smooth. But, also kind of dull (aka straight).

Walters' main street is known as Broadway. It's a little off Broadway if you ask me. This small community is exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of  idyllic small-town America. A coffee shop, The Silver Spoon (open Monday- Friday), a gym, library, Chamber of Commerce, gazebo, court house, and many other charming things can be found here. The streets running East to West through Walters are named after States. So, I've now been to Texas, Colorado, and Nevada. And, all in a day!

My ride ended abruptly in Lawton, when I found a small kitten abandoned under a pay phone at a gas station. I tried convincing the firefighters that showed up that they needed a new, cute mascot. I suck at sweet-talking. She rode home (a hot 25mile-ish trip) crammed in my small backpack. I've named her Sprocket.

Pictures from this ride can be found on Wanderings of a Girl Ryder's Facebook album!

This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!