Tour de Payne...or The Weekend About Nothing

Do you ever watch Seinfeld, the sitcom set in NYC. It is described as the "show about Nothing." We watch it every chance we get. We quote it often, and sometimes all it takes to get a laugh out of each other is just a few words from any of the episodes. 


(I was in th POOL!....I mentioned the Bisque..... yadayadayada...... It..OUT...Man hands....Festivus!.....Maybe the dingos ate your baby....)


This week DH Bikeman and I decided to get away for a few days. Looking for a destination, we came upon the annual bicycle ride in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Payne County, Oklahoma. The ride is sponsored by the Red Dirt Pedalers which is a group of bicyclers in and around Stillwater.


The Plan was....Bikeman bikes, and I shop. Works for me.


We reserved a room for 2 nights at the LaQuinta. They welcome dogs to their motel, and it is totally smoke-free. Plus, they have a wonderful free breakfast for guests in the morning, complete with waffles and fresh fruit. A little more pricey than Motel6, but, well, this is Vacation, and we won't have to pay a dog sitter.

Nice digs, and we had a room on the ground floor. No lugging crates up the elevators.

Stillwater has a very "famous" beer joint called Eskimo Joe's. Supposedly the coldest beer in the state...Their tee shirts are coveted all over the world. THE most "popular" tee shirt after Hard Rock. Our first night in Stillwater, we opted for Eskimo Joe's "brother" restaurant,  MEXICO Joe's, and filled up on wonderful salsa and nachos and tamales. Pretty good tamales. 

Now, here's the reason we suggested that this weekend would be "about nothing." The rain was moving in to Payne County, and, well, Bikeman said he didn't wanna ride in a downpour. I convinced him that "you gotta live somewhere, so it might as well be Stillwater for the next 2 days." So, the weekend getaway would not be in "vain," -----just "about nothing." 

And I could still go shopping in the rain......

Our tummies full to bursting, we returned to the motel, fed the dawgs, and then walked them in the rain. Nice thing about Collies...they don't even notice that it is raining. They just consider it "hydrating" their coats.....

We slept until 5 am, and woke to......Clear skies!!! Grabbed a quick breakfast at the lobby, and took off to the ride site. 

Here's Bikeman coming out of the bathroom. It's always a Good Thang to get all that taken care of before you sit on the bicycle for 62 miles...

Loading up his water bottles....

And strapping on his raincoat to the back of his bicycle seat....THIS will assure us that it will not rain anymore today.....

Have you ever SEEN a happier face?! This guy actually LIKES doing this....

That little square thang on the right side of the picture is actually a rear-view mirror.....Lets him know when anything is approaching from the back. How many fingers am I holding up, Dear?

 

I think he must be about 12 years old......

Here's a Cute Old Couple.  Taken at arm's length....

All gear on, saddled up, raincoat strapped on....Let the rolling begin!

And they're OFF!!! That's his cell phone in his back pocket, along with a TON of Lara Bars....

All except one.....But don't worry....he caught up quickly enough....

While the Bikeman rode, I went back to the motel and took a nap. Later, I hit a few stores and found a few treasures....INcluding a really cool thang that drills holes in rocks! All the thrift stores were closed today, so we'll have to hit them tomorrow on the way home.

After only about 4 1/2 hours and 62 miles (100 kilometers), Bikeman made it to the Finishing Line. 

He was fairly coherent and able to carry on reasonable conversations.....

Like what IS Farm Diesel???

And, yes, I do believe I would like to eat at another Eskimo Joe's "brother" resturant.... Joseppi's....

Tomorrow we head back East. To Home, the Best Place to Be.....