Guymon to Liberal KS

Today was a leisurely ride of only 39 miles, the shortest distance of the tour other than the celebratory ride to the Atlantic Ocean in Boston on the last day. We did not depart until 9:15, so we enjoyed the extra rest after the last 2 windy days. Most of the group stayed together until a SAG in Hooker, OK. We stopped first at the Hooker Chamber of Commerce, which had t-shirts with sayings with the name Hooker in it. Several bought the shirts. The town of Hooker is not named for the adjective for a woman of ill repute, but for John "Hooker" Threlkeld. He obtained his nickname for his great ability to rope cattle. He settled in the area in the late 1800s. No one else wanted to claim the land, but he got commerce started in the area and lived there for 30 years.

It was next off to our destination for the night, Liberal KS. Some riders were curious as to whether there is a Conservative, KS. The name was derived from a man who settled in the area in the late 1800s. Water was scarce in the area. The man would give water for free to passersby. They would typically respond "That is mighty liberal of you." The name stuck. The town is actually quite conservative as 80 percent of the electorate voted for Bush in 2004.

About 8 of us rode into town together. It sounds like we are in the wild West, riding into town. Maybe tomorrow, when we hit Dodge City. We split into several groups. I had lunch with Hank and Champ on the way into town. We each liked it. They had margarita Thursdays, but we still had a mile to ride. We talked about going back to dinner there to take advantage of a margarita but the restaurant closed while we were there as the cook was taken to the hospital in an emergency situation. Hope it wasn't food poisoning!

Cheers,

Tom