Friday, October 15, 2022, I had to be in Wichita, Kansas for a class. I decided to take my bike, stay overnight, and ride in a new area on Saturday. I chose to do an airmail arrow ride. If you’re not familiar with airmail arrows, they are large concrete, directional arrows used to guide pilots before radios and radar. They were built between 1926 and 1932. We only have a few left in Oklahoma but I knew of four near Wichita that were still in existence. I plotted a loop of about 250 miles linking the arrows and several small towns, hoping to find some interesting sights along the way.
First, the arrows.
Arrow #1: this one was so overgrown that it wasn’t very visible.
Arrow #2: this one was on the other side of the fence, and I couldn’t hardly see it from the road. I rode right by it a couple times.
Arrow #3: I had plotted this about a quarter mile off. I was able to find it after looking at an aerial online. This one was on the grounds of a quarry. There was an open gate, so I went in.
First, the arrows.
Arrow #1: this one was so overgrown that it wasn’t very visible.
Arrow #2: this one was on the other side of the fence, and I couldn’t hardly see it from the road. I rode right by it a couple times.
Arrow #3: I had plotted this about a quarter mile off. I was able to find it after looking at an aerial online. This one was on the grounds of a quarry. There was an open gate, so I went in.