Lost in OK

So, I know it’s been quiet around here lately and it’s my standard excuse; some big projects both work and personal have just been eating up my time and keeping me away from the blog.  However, the schedule has opened up a bit and there has been a lot of exciting news lately including some very promising legislative updates.  In any case, I’ll be catching up over the next week or so . . .

Photo By: Mr. T in DC

Over the last couple of months four new bills regarding bicycling have been introduced to the Oklahoma Legislature and are making their way through the committee and floor processes. The first three are part of the safety legislation that Sen. Andrew Rice has been discussing for the last several months and the last designates old Route 66 as a bicycle trail.

In case you are really bored, not living in Oklahoma and would like to spend some time watching snow fall, I present Snowpocalypse Cam. You too can watch a really fuzzy image for hours on end, enjoy!

Watch live streaming video from radicalwacko at livestream.com

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The route for the 32nd Oklahoma Freewheel has been announced and will go through the East Central part of the state this year, which will mean some longer legs but probably a few less hills than last year.  The itinerary is as follows:

• Day 0, 6/11 – 40 Miles, Durant to Red River and back
• Day 1, 6/12 – 66 Miles, Durant to Coalgate
• Day 2, 6/13 – 60 Miles, Colgate to Wewoka
• Day 3, 6/14 – 75 miles, Wewoka to Checotah
• Day 4, 6/15 – 74 miles, Checotah to Bristow
• Day 5, 6/16 – 85 miles, Bristow to Pawnee
• Day 6, 6/17 – 52 miles, Pawnee to Tonkawa
• Day 7, 6/18 – 40 miles, Tonkawa to Caldwell, KS

The cost for this year’s ride has not yet been announced, but will be available in mid-February when early registration begins.

In a case that is bound to cause an uproar with those who hated the signs to begin with, the excellent new “use full lane” signs are now being replaced with a newer version.  The phrase “use full lane” is being replaced with “may use full lane”, which admittedly is much clearer.  KFOR put together a piece about the new signs:

The cost to correct this error is $18,000.  It should be noted that the city council appears to be full behind the new signs despite recent rumors to the contrary.  However, the Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition is wisely encouraging local cyclists to contact their city counsel member and thank them for supporting this new effort.  It can be counted upon that they will be hearing angry complaints from other parties.

Photo By: Michael Patrick

The death of Debra Miller last August has prompted a change from the ODOT regarding the placement of rumble strips on Oklahoma highways:

The guidelines for highway rumble strips — those pavement ridges on the shoulder that alert drivers when they’ve drifted off the road — have been changed, due in part to the death of a Stillwater bicyclist in August.

That’s why rumble strips were installed along State Highway 51 from Stillwater to Interstate 35 earlier this month instead of last summer when the highway was resurfaced, Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, said.

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I’m a little late on this one, but News 9 has a well made Christmas time story on the Alan Spencer Hit-and-Run case and a continued plea for any information regarding the driver in this case:

As a reminder, there is a $6,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in this case. If anyone knows anything about this tragic event, they should contact Crimestoppers at: 405-236-7300.

I reported a few weeks back about Jim Reading’s stolen Red and Black Cervelo.  Well, great news for the new year, according to the family’s Facebook Page, the bicycle has been recovered by the Moore Police Department.  The bicycle is apparently in perfect condition.  Additionally, an arrest was made in relation to the case.  It’s not too often that stolen bicycles are recovered, so this is just great news for the Reading family!

Grace and I along with Gwen and Mercedes attended the Flaming Lips New Year’s Eve Freakout last night. I only had my camera phone which isn’t the best of cameras, but here are a few snapshots plus a video from a pretty amazing show:

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In remembrance of the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Nation is organizing a 1,000 mile bike ride retracing the route of the original removal of the Cherokee people from Georgia to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the current capital of the Cherokee Nation:

During the 2011 Remember the Removal Project, a challenging 1,000 mile bike ride, a selected group of Cherokee students will retrace the historic Trail of Tears, riding from the original Cherokee homelands Georgia and ending in Tahlequah, Okla., the capital of the Cherokee Nation.

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