Vinita, Oklahoma

My phone broke yesterday, so I'm doing this blog a day late. I hate doing that because I forget everything that happened and my post loses major value, but not like I had a choice. We had planned a scavenger hunt on our bikes today and had randomly assigned teams. This morning we were informed that one of the leaders on the Providence to Seattle route was killed while riding. She had just passed the crest of hill when a truck with an oversized load came up behind her. The load was hanging off into the breakdown lane and the driver tried to swerve, but just didn't have enough time. With that news weighing heavy on us and practicing extra safety precautions, we decided to cancel the scavenger hunt. I actually approached the leaders and asked if we could. Even though I didn't know this girl, my heart goes out to her family and I was still scared to hear such a thing. I decided I would just ride slow in the back by myself and think. I didn't want to talk to anyone, I just wanted silence. I ended up appreciating everything a little bit more on the ride. The wind in my face, the wild flowers blooming, the smell of fresh air, I really took in everything with a hightened sense of awareness. 12 miles into the ride, we pulled up on our trailer stuck in a ditch. Kelsey had missed a turn and tried to pull the van around and got stuck in a ditch she couldn't get out of. So we all unloaded the trailer totally and gave it a push out of it's rut. It was a little extra work and an unnecessary stop, but the Rottweiler puppy that came out of the house to play with us for 20 minutes was well worth it. From that point on, the day went to the dogs. We must have encountered 13 dogs on the road, some were nice, some liked to get hit by cars as they ran across the street to attack. I stopped taking pictures of all the dogs after I almost got bit. I actually stopped taking pictures altogether because my phone died completely. What I noticed immediately in Oklahoma was the Native American pride, Spanish signs, and Mexican restaurants. These things were present all over the place. Missing was shade and trees from the side of the road. Horses and cattles roamed the plains with little escape from the sun. The ride was hot as always but very peaceful and introspective. The morning report told us the McDonalds in Vinita was the biggest in the US. I found it when I got into town, but apparently I found the wrong one because the really huge one is on the highway. I bought a dollar menu sundae anyway. We checked in at our host church, and then went to the local pool where we relaxed, cooled off, showered, and broke almost every single one of their posted rules. When we got back to the church, I found a puppy puzzle that frustrated a group of us for atleast seven hours. I eventually gave up and decided to clean my bike because I would rather bike backwards the rest of the trip than spend another hour looking for one puzzle piece with a jagged nub that's half black. Silly dalmation patterns. Some people eventually finished it at breakfast this morning, so I applaud them for their patience and insanity. We had affordable housing presentations last night where we learned about section 8, building incentives, zoning regulations and a ton more. It was really interesting stuff to dive into, and by the trip's end, with all the presentations I've heard, I will be an affordable housing expert. We have a prom coming up sometime in New Mexico. We're supposed to get salvation army clothes (nothing new for me) and ask a girl in a creative way. The fun has already started as someone worked an invite into their PowerPoint show. Maybe it was a guy asking a guy, but points for doing it in front of the whole group. I haven't begun my plotting and scheming yet, but true to my nature, I will most definitely wait to the last minute to do anything. There is also a hodown we are having in Texas- Saddie Hawkins style, so stay tuned for some posts detailing clever invitations. At dinner last night I pretended I was a vegetarian, so I could get a potion of the grilled vegetables the church cooled for us. Veges are an often scarce menu item, so I try to gobble them up whenever is can. Plus, hot dogs and burgers are bad fuel. But then again so is all the icecream and cookies I eat each day. Ok, so I'm a hypocrite- sue me. Much to my excitement, after dinner, we watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall aka best movie ever. I stayed up to watch the Dracula Musical song performance at Lazy Joe's. I was happy to share my love for this movie with everyone else before I passed out for the evening. Still one question remained in my head the whole day. Who let the dogs out?