Day 13, Pampa, TX to Elk City, OK. 104 miles. After a pleasant rest in Pampa, we headed east for Oklahoma and Elk City "by the bay" (okay, maybe not). Since we all know that tomorrow and Sunday are long, hard days (119 and 144 miles, respectively), we were interested in saving some energy today. Not exactly how it turned out! The first 33 miles to the SAG station were really easy, with all of us taking photos along the way and enjoying some of the best pavement Texas has to offer. We stopped in Wheeler, TX to honor CMSGT (Retired) Curt Ryan's high school alma mater. As I crossed Sweetwater Creek and Adobe Creek and smelled the sweet smells from the stockyards, I imagined young Curt roaming the Texas countryside. Thanks for your support and service Chief Ryan!The shoulder on the road was about 8 feet wide and smooth as glass! The rest stop had an interesting marker (see photos below) that made an interesting point. The next 35 miles to the rest stop got interesting. We all stopped and took more photos at the Texas/Oklahoma line and then headed to the lunch SAG stop. This 5 mile journey was probably the most hazardous of all our miles so far. There was the road, the white line, a rumble strip and about 6 inches of "shoulder." And the road had one semi after another plowing next to us at 70 mph. About half of our group decided to forgo this short hop to the lunch station and they were definitely the smart ones. While we filled up with sandwiches and fruit for lunch, Mike, our ride leader, found an alternate route for us over the next 20 miles. The good news is that this route was a nice country road with little traffic. The bad news is that the route reminded me of biking across Missouri with a plethora of rolling hills and strong crosswinds in the face of the mid-day sun. And this alternate route also added another 7 miles on top of the planned 97. No whining zone enforced here! I'd just add that by the time I found the hotel in Elk City, it was 90+ and seemed hotter. Along the way I did take photos of the Route 66 Museum and some looooong straight roads in Oklahoma. For dinner, we all traipsed over to Western Sizzlin and grazed at their ample buffet. Post dinner activities included a little bike tuneup and cards. If you looked at the cacesl.org website and click on "cycle for CAC kids", you'll see that we've broken the $5000 barrier and we're shooting for more. Thanks to one and all for your generosity and kindness. I promise to keep pedaling and I'd ask you to continue to spread the word about the ride so we can help still more CAC kids. Tomorrow we cross the 1/2 point and I'm excited. So many great people on this ride and fun left to be had. Stay healthy, Steve