We're (Almost) Not in Kansas Anymore...

Oops, forgot the camera cord back in the room so no picture posts today... there wasn't anything too out of the ordinary besides the dragonfly that appeared to be the size of a small crow and the cows wading for fun. So welcome back! It's 4 weeks and 1 day into the trip and things are going well. I'm camped up in a cheap motel here in Iola, KS and am checking out the local digs such as the library and the senior center. The ride today was pretty easy going, 86 miles, partially into the wind, but it wasn't too bad overall. Still passing plenty of Kansas oil wells, cattle farms, and narrow-shouldered roads.

Apparently, if you're a town in Kansas, you feel the need to be the best at something. Very American. It's kinda like how if you win the NBA, you're the world champion, strange. So since we're here in the heartland, I guess it's magnified. Already in Kansas, i've passed towns that have boasted to have the largest st. patrick's day parade in the world, the the largest watershed basin in the world, the world's capital of prairie chickens, and today the world's capital of hay, and then there was that town Greensburg, KS (that got devestated by the tornado last year) that boasted the world's largest hand dug well. All very important, but all very strange that they're advertised on the sign. I guess when your largest tourism generator is college basketball, you need to be creative.

So back to riding. The pavement here in Kansas has been pertty good aside from that there is typically a 6" shoulder beyond the white line. Luckily, Kansasians seem to be good at giving cyclists plenty of space. I haven't had too much trouble as far as crazy drivers. Once in Colorado, some guy yelled something at me. Today, some guy in the opposing lane tried to lob something at me (I'm not exactly sure what it was or if it even came close), but two incidents in 2200 miles seems to be a pretty good track record.

In other news, I broke out the GPS and it indicated to me, as the crow flies, that I'm less than 500 miles from Gibson City! How cool is that. Well I think it's pretty cool, even though I'm sure by as the road drives, it's a bit more distant.

Ok, so I think that's it for now. Time to scour through town to see what type of nourishment options I have. The Chinese Garden across the street from the motel seems filling... but not appetizing.

Ok, that's it for now. happy monday.

Camping at a gas station, nice kittens though!

Newton, KS ... REST DAY! woohoo

So yesterday I rode about 105 miles from Larned, KS into Newton, KS. A welcome sight because it would be where I would be taking my first day off the bike since Carson City, NV. Woohoo, AND Catherine would be flying into Wichita to greet me once I got to town.

But first, a quick summary of the day in Larned, I did want to say my

previous day in Larned was pretty fantastic. I got to town and smashed a foot long Subway sub as soon as I got to town (around 4pm). After cycling all day, it

's amazing how you can devour nearly anything and have it feel like you just had a handful of popcorn. Larned was a great little town with really nice people. I st

opped by city hall to register for my campsite. The park on the southwest of town was the nicest that i'd stayed in so far. However, the city pool was closed since school was in session. So my bath would have to be a sponge bath under the water faucet.

hopefully they're not being corrected in the same classrooms...

Here's a quick tour around my campsite:

So yesterday was the long haul to Newton, KS. I got rolling out of Larned around 730am and loaded up on food because it would be about 55 miles until the next town. It was a nice ride and passed through a few wildlife refuges which were quite pretty filled with all kinds of birds, frogs, and cattle wading in ponds. After a quick lunch break in Nickerson, KS, I moved onward to wrap up the day in Newton. I got in around 5pm, just in time to meet Catherine, who had just gotten into town.

With the rental car, we actually went back up to Hesston, KS to meet up with my riding friends for the past few days, Judy and Jerry, who were staying at an RV park there. We invited them to dinner and brought them back to Newton with us for a stellar german buffet, which was a fantastic way to put some calories back on.

After a great filling dinner, it was time to hit up the local Dairy Queen for a DQ Blizzard (my first in years...) and yes, it was awesome.

Today (Saturday, Aug 22nd) - was a rest day in Newton/Wichta, KS ... we're staying at a Days Inn where I took full advantage of their continental breakfast. Not too exciting, but I spent the day in Wichta picking up a few supplies here and there. i'd been running out of camping fuel, and finding a proper air pressure guage for presta tire valves is pretty hard out in the plaines.

Cat and I spent the time walking around downtown Newton, which actually is a pretty impressive town for the 10,000 some people that live here. Oh yes, I took a much needed trip to the Laundromat today too. Probably the most important thing i did actually.

Tomorrow, I'll be back on the road. I realize that I've trekking a bit off schedule, but as of now, I should be able to make it back to Gibson by Sept 7th, depending on weather. But even with that, I can alter the path through Illinois to make it there on time.

Cat will be leaving mid-day tomorrow which will be quite sad. But I'll see her again back in Gibson for Amy's wedding. After she leaves, I'm planning on taking a short day and trying to make it to El Dorado, KS to camp for the evening.

Hope all is well for all of you, and ride safely.

Welcome to Kansas!

So I made it into Kansas yesterday and it looked remarkably like eastern Colorado. However, the roads improved and more people seemed to wave. ahh the midwest. It's been a fun time so far. After a quick stop in Tribune, KS, I blew past my original goal city (Scott City) and made it onward to a small town called Dighton, KS. Great little town. I rolled in around 5:30pm and made camp at the city park. I was joined by Jerry and his wife Judy, of whom I spent some time with the other day. They have been so so nice to me. Not only did they feed me a great dinner last night, they also brought some blueberry pie and ice cream! They'll only be on the road for another week or so before heading back to Petersburg, IL

So about last night. We met this older retired gentleman who lived across from the park who was sitting outside enjoying the night air. We chatted for a while and asked him if he knew where we might be able to find a shower in town. After some discussion, we determined that heading over to the truck stop to check it out. Mr Hubner (the retired gentleman) decided to give us a ride. So we cruised around town (Mr Hubner, Jerry and I) in his 1970 chevy pickup, going about 5 mph, over to the truck stop, which ended up being about 500 yards away. Then once we figured out that the showers were locked up, our next bet was the town motel, which again, we were offered a ride, which we did not refuse of course, but again the motel was another 700 yards away.

But a nice shower was a great way to end the day. Yesterday was a big one, longest of the trip so far at 127 miles. And it was my 21st day straight on the bike. Yes, I'll be ready for a break very soon!

So I pitched my tent in the city park and it seemed like everything was perfect for a great night's rest. I fell asleep around 10pm and was just on the brink of sleep when I woke up to a sound, (you know when you're half asleep, your judgement wasn't the best).... but it sounded like something smoldering (burning)... so I got up and jumped out of my tent in a hectic flash... well it wasn't really ALL that bad.... but it was the park sprinklers... which proceeded to soak my tent as soon as I jumped out. So I was partially relieved my tent wasn't on fire, but partially annoyed that now I was having an unannounced rain shower. Also the winds that night were really strong, I remember waking up a time or two with my tent at a 45 degree angle. Oh well.

So today, it's off to Larned, KS. The winds are favorable again but I am hoping for another 100 mile ride today. I'm taking a quick little break in Ness City, KS to use the computer, but will jump back on the bike here in a moment. Trying to make it to Newton, KS by tomorrow (Which is still quite a distance). But Catherine will greet me there and we'll be able to hang out and I'll finally be able to take a day off on Saturday!Best to you all and hope you're having a pleasant Thursday so far.

Ride safely.

126 Miles today, in Dighton ,KS

Last day in Colorado - day 20something

So last night I spent an eventful evening in Conastoga Park in Ordway, CO. Ordway was definately welcoming to touring cyclists and they even let me take a shower in their high school locker room. (see photo below...) how come all high school locker rooms look the same? It was pretty hilarious getting the grand tour of the school, but the principal was very nice and hospitible.

So after a wonderful shower and a trip to the library, it was time to settle into my new home at the park pavillion. I was staying at the pavillion because it was supposed to storm pretty hard that evening and it seemed like a pretty defensible fortress from the high schoolers who seemed to be a bit troublesome. Every time I woke up, I really felt that I was camping at Gibson City's North Park... which is a hilarious proposition when I think about it. I saw lots of heat lightning that evening, but the storm that was supposed to be never really came.

The next morning I woke up around 730 and gathered my things. I hit the road for Eads, CO (about 60 miles away) around 830 and had a slight tailwind at my back. It was pretty cloudy which made for great cycling weather. If you were ever wondering where old railcars go to die, don't ask any longer, they come to Eastern Colorado. I passed at least 20 miles of abandoned rail cars.

Later on the ride, I was passed by a couple of nice guys who pulled over to give me some of their harvest. Which was really awesome. They provided me with a canteloup (sp?) and some tomatoes, which I managed to secure to my bike rather craftily in my opinion.

So here's me after 23 days on a bike. I look pretty much the same and I think I weigh at least close to the same. You can't tell, but this is from on top of one of those abandoned rail cars. Talk about a disappointing shot from above.

Around 11:30, I pulled along side this gentleman, Jerry from Petersburg, IL. I rode alongside him for a few miles before stopping for lunch. He and his wife Judy had been riding from Oregon and they treated me to a great lunch and some stories from their ride so far. After lunch, Jerry and I chatted for the remaining 20 some miles into Eads, where we'll both be staying tonight.

Unfortunately, it looks like rain here in Eads. I'll be sure to update tomorrow once I make it to Kansas! Long ride tomorrow, 100+ miles.

small towns... oh they're the best.

So today I rolled out of Pueblo a bit late and again into a not so fun headwind, but i put the headphones on and that made the ride all that much better. Nothing makes you feel more American than riding through farmland jamming out to John Mellencamp.

This post will have to be quick, but I just got to Ordley, CO and the town has been SO great to me already! I now have a little permit to camp in the local park, they let cyclists go shower in the high school (oh the memories)...(I have a 4:30 appt with the principal for my shower..which is why this needs to be fast) and their local library has a guestbook for all of the passers by! Fantastic. So I'm pretty excited to be here. However, I hear some pretty serious storms may be rolling through tonight, so I'm hoping to find some good shelter in the park pavillion. We'll see how it turns out. I'll be sure to take photos.

Also, the supaonabike story made it into the News-Gazette! (Thank you to Jean Noellsch for the article). Click here for the link

Hope all is well elsewhere. Until again. Ride happy.

Welcome to the Flats - Pueblo, CO

Well here I am in Pueblo, the hilly portion of the trip ended yesterday and I am relieved to be done with it! Yesterday was pretty rough, I had headwinds for most of the day and the journey from Salida, CO to Pueblo was around 102 miles and had about 3000 feet of climbing. I think I was mentally checked out of climbing days since I went over Monarch the day before yesterday. However, I wanted to push through the day and start of today (Monday) on flat ground. The trip from here on out becomes more interesting. For the first portion of the trip, I had cycling maps which lead the way and provided me stop by stop information about what towns had to offer. Now, It's me and the little GPS and my eastward compass leading the way. I'm less worried. From here on out, I'm more likely to find towns, people, water, (the essentials) much more often. Also, there are about 50 different ways to get from point A to point B from here on out, whereas cutting the wrong way through the mountains could lead to sheer misery.

I got into Pueblo pretty late last night and was riding with my lights on as I got in after dark. I found a cheap (but rather shabby motel) right off of I-25. Catherine did a little searching for me and found me the great deal. I grabbed a footlong sub for dinner and retired around 11pm. I was debating whether or not if I should take a rest day here in Pueblo. But after my morning so far, I think I'll be leaving town here shortly. Not a whole lot going on and I haven't been overly impressed with what I've seen so far. I'd rather push for another town on the route that looks a bit smaller. I'm thinking I'm going to break up my next ride (to Eads, CO) which was slated to be 128 miles, and perhaps ride today to Ordway which is about half-way there.

Here's the sunset from last night showing those pesky mountains behind me. Unfortunately, when I took this picture, I was still about 8 miles from town.

Alright! Welcome to Pueblo!

So from here on out, weather, storms, and wind will become the prevailing factors. I'll be checking the forecast reguarily and hoping for the best for the upcoming weeks!

On another unrelated to biking-but related to transportation note... apparently Chicago is expanding its el system! hooray for transportation planners.