Stroud to Catoosa, OK 05-05-2026 Day 25

I had set an alarm so that I could go across the street to Gigi’s Donuts for my breakfast shortly after when they would open at 5:30 AM. Around 2:37 AM, a loud train horn woke me up. It also woke a cramp in the front of my lower left leg, that took me minutes to relax. Anyway, the breakfast was good and I saw Gigi was one very busy woman working the counter for me, heating up my sandwich in the microwave, and handling the traffic coming through the drive up window. She was one multitasking machine.

Ron and I were on the road about as early as we have been this trip. By 7:10 we were pedaling east to try and stay ahead of the wind. The forecast had it coming mostly from the north, but then shifting from the east. As the day went on the temperature would drop, the winds would get stronger, and be more in our face. It was a little over 60F when we started and we would finish with 53F and 18 mph winds.

The wind was manageable for the first 17 miles to Bristow. This had been the intended endpoint for yesterday. We found out a couple of days ago when we tried to make a reservation at the only motel in town, that it had gone out of business. The fact that their website was not functioning and their phone number was disconnected, were some clues that they had gone under. The town itself was charming as we rode down main street. We took a breather on a bench outside a cafe, but weren’t ready to get anything to eat.

We had another 10 miles to get to Kellyville. By then, I needed a bio break and was looking for a warm drink. I got banana and a coffee at a gas station. I did not stop into the Wine & Spirits. The temperature had dropped, but the wind velocity was rising.

About 5 miles down our 66 journey, we spilt off the newer highway to the older pavement that was probably part of the original Route 66. In doing so, we got shelter from the wind as there were lots of trees guarding us.

At one point, Ron stopped ahead of me. He was observing some dogs behind a fence that had trapped a squirrel up a pole. It gave us some entertainment and a break from the rougher pavement. He caught the intro and I got the finish.

As we came out of the old pavement back onto the new, we met the wind and the old Rock Creek Bridge Bridge just outside of Sapulpa. The Rock Creek Bridge is a historic 120-foot-long steel Parker through-truss bridge built in 1921–1924 that served the Ozark Trail and Route 66 from 1926 to 1952.

In Sepulpa, We made a slight detour to go to a Braum’s. We were both pretty cold. We both put on an extra layer to protect us from the winds. We were so chilled, neither of us got any ice cream products!

As we left Sepulpa, we had a winding path through the suburbs of Tulsa. By this point we were using a lot of energy fighting the wind – either pushing us sideways or pushing back against us. As we entered the southwest edge of Tulsa, we got on a bridge across the Arkansas River that led us to a bike path that went north and mostly against the wind along the river.

The bike path was tree lined and gave us some shelter from the wind. We rode 7 miles with various statues to see along the way. The most impressive one was at the end. It had a wagon and a car meeting. It had all the state flags that Route 66 crossed.

Although we had a bike lanes, we were now riding on the streets of Tulsa. Most of the ride was due east on 11th Street through town where we saw the impressive Boston Avenue Methodist Church. Most of my attention was drawn to the giant “Muffler Men” (and women) used to advertise various products.

We went east along Route 66/11th Street for more than 10 miles. Along the way there were murals, restored gas stations, gift shops, cool restaurants, and some pretty neon signs. We could only focus on getting out of the wind and off to our hotel as we were finishing an almost 80 mile ride in stronger winds and falling temperatures.

After getting ourselves cleaned up, we headed to Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. I know it seems like a strange choice after being so cold, but it was frozen custard. We both saved the latter for afterwards, taking it back to the hotel after a short walk. I ate mine as soon as we returned, then worked on this story. It was a hard day. We were tired, but still in good spirits. And we did have ice cream, or better yet – frozen custard.

The ride stats are here. The 3D video is here.

The Not So Lone Rider.