Day 28 - Van Buren, AR to Henryetta, OK

I finished my first EVER century (100 miles) and then some!

I didn't exactly receive a warm welcome to Oklahoma. In fact, it was HOT, windy, and hilly. Carrie Underwood says, "There's not enough wind in Oklahoma to rip the nails out of the past". But there's definitely enough wind to blow me all over the road though and slow me down considerably. 

The Illinois River is by far the prettiest body of water I've seen yet.

Today we passed Wayne and his dog Jake. Wayne is a US veteran who can't find work. He decided to make the best of his situation and bike across the country. He started 3 months ago in Myrtle Beach.

Today two of our riders, Maddie Templeton and Abbie Donoghue, were hit by a car. They were about to crest a hill when a car tried to pass them. A truck came up over the top of the hill and the car swerved back into their lane in order to avoid a head on collision, hitting Maddie and Abbie instead. They were taken to the hospital. Abbie was discharged after several hours and is now back with the group at the host site. She has cuts, bruises, and a sprained ankle. She will be riding in the van for the next couple weeks but plans to get back on the bike as soon as possible. Maddie has been transported to Tulsa for surgery on her broken leg. We are unsure as to whether or not she will be rejoining us.

Getting the news was extremely difficult for me. I found out at the second lunch stop, about 28 miles from finishing the ride. I immediately started crying because I was scared and I didn't know how serious the injuries were. The rest of the ride I was paranoid, looking over my shoulder every little bit to make sure there weren't any cars. I also kept having flashbacks of the day Harrison died and the call I got then. I'm still really shaken up and I'm scared to ride tomorrow. It's hard to face the inherent dangers when something like this makes them seem all too real.

Please keep Maddie, Abbie, their friends and family, and our entire team in your prayers.

The Catty Corner: Unfortunately, I have no comic relief. But on our cue sheet today we had the following quote: "Something called the Oklahoma Standard became known throughout the world. It means being resilience in the face of adversity. It means a strength and a compassion that will not be defeated."