Friday, August 3, 2012

Don't Cry Because It's Over, Smile Because It Happened

Part II
Day 13
Liberal, KS to Hooker, OK
20 miles


The title of this blog is a quote from Dr. Seuss, and I thought it was fitting for this day. What a journey this has been! 

We started with a hearty breakfast at Hampton Inn. I love eating waffles, and the only time I eat them is when we are traveling and I'm burning lots of calories. We left the parking lot approximately 8:30 a.m. It was a beautiful morning with not much wind, and what wind we had was at our backs. It was only about 4 miles until we left Kansas and entered Oklahoma. Of course we had to stop and take a picture.

We arrived in Hooker right at our planned time of 10 a.m. There was a small crowd gathered at the cemetery to cheer us in. It was really hard not to cry as we pedaled in, knowing that it was over. I am so thankful for my husband who didn't think I was crazy when I suggested this journey and who worked with me to make it happen. I am also thankful that my sister, Susan, and her husband Tom shared this experience with us. I really appreciate our support team who provided shade when there wasn't any, who brought us water when we ran out, who came out to us with our pump when we had a flat tire, who notified us of road hazards or construction so we wouldn't be caught unaware, who got up early each morning so we wouldn't have to ride after lunch in this extreme heat, and who did so much more for us. You made our job so much easier!

I don't know if I can adequately explain what it felt like to retrace my great-great grandfather's journey. It was very surreal at times. Especially when our journey paralleled their journey. I feel very honored to have had a glimpse of my relative's lives through the manuscript written by Sophronia Cousins and can only hope that some day a grandchild of mine will enjoy my blog about our journey as much.
 Releasing balloons to celebrate our ride

Clay and I at my grandparent's grave at the Hooker Cemetery

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