Day 55: Hot Sulphur Springs, CO

I am still alive even though I have not posted any pictures recently. We made it through arid eastern Colorado and over Hoosier Pass. The ride down from Hoosier Pass was beautiful and quite exciting. It has a series of hairpin turns and a fair amount of car and RV traffic. The ride down was really fun. I felt like a race car driver making the tight turns. I even reached a speed of 40 mph! Good thing I changed my brake pads before the ascent up the Rockies. The pannier bags make the bike really stable at high speeds due to the low center of gravity.

Our ride from Hoosier Pass ended in Breckenridge where we had a rest day. In Breckenridge, we stayed at a wonderful hostel called Fireside Inn - I forgot how sleeping in a bed can be such a luxury. I spent most of my rest day walking Main Street, visiting Frisco, searching for bookstores, reading in coffee shops and eating. JD and Anna were two other hostel guests that were in town to watch their son play in Breckenridge's symphony orchestra. They had an extra ticket and invited me to join them. The symphony didn't have a dress code, but I was a little under dressed to say the least. Before the concert, I wiped off the chain grease from the back of my leg and put on my best shorts and t-shirt. I seriously doubt Tchaikovsky cared what clothes I wore.

The high altitude has affected all of our bodies to varying degrees. Besides the lack of air, the altitude has increased our flatulence, notably among the elder four in our group. :) Read the Wikipedia article on High Altitude Gas.

We have started heading north to Wyoming. Now that we are over the continental divide, it is all down hill from here...

A view across the reservoir near Pueblo, CO

A beautiful day

Somewhere in arid eastern Colorado

This is the bridge across the Royal Gorge. The view is breathtaking and pictures don't do the beauty justice.

A view from the Royal Gorge bridge

Dad and I on the Royal Gorge bridge. He came to visit and camp with us for the weekend. We had a wonderful time! We took a helicopter tour of the Royal Gorge. It is quite a sight from the air and the pilot was a little more acrobatic than I had expected.

How many bikers does it take to change a flat tire?!? Rick had a frustrating series of flat tires on this particular day. I have had two flats so far.

We made it to the top of Hoosier Pass which is over 11, 500 feet in elevation. Celebrate!

:)

Dillon Reservoir near Breckenridge, CO

Falling rock! (Green Mountain Reservoir near the small village of Heeney)

Hospitality and generosity strike again! Pete and Terry met Vivian (a barber in Sterling). Vivian and her daughters hosted us at their coffee shop in Larned which is named "Scraps". Vivian bought us smoothie drinks which hit the spot after the morning ride. They offered us free dinner during the jazz concert at their coffee shop too. Too bad we had already eaten. Scraps is not open on Sunday mornings, but they insisted they open their coffee shop early Sunday morning just for us to stop by, say goodbye and have another free cup of joe. It is the people like this that we meet who are really making this a special trip for us.

Yesterday, I crammed 2 days into one and rode 120 miles from Larned to Scott City. The rest of my group finished in Ness City, but I continued to Scott City where they will meet up with me today as I take a rest day. I slept on the couch at the Athleticlub which commonly houses TransAm bikers. I will stay there again tonight with the rest of my group when they finish their ride today. Even though the couch was a little short for me it was a nice change from sleeping on the ground; however, after 120 miles, I was so exhausted I could have slept on an alligator's back.

This morning I woke at the usual time of 5:45 AM even though I had hoped to sleep late. People started entering Athleticlub to use the pool and weight room, so I decided to search the town for breakfast. The restaurant a block away is closed on Mondays (how convenient) and there was not another breakfast place in sight, so I traveled down Main street and came upon a Wendy's and reluctantly entered. I ate a breakfast taco, but was not satisfied. I asked a local if there was a good breakfast spot and she sent me to the east side of town where I saw a plain building with no less than 15 dirty trucks parked outside. There were not any other types of vehicles...just trucks...big farm trucks. I knew I had hit the jackpot. It was the typical small town smoke-filled diner with old men drinking coffee and talking about their farms, crops and cows. I ate 3 large pancakes and returned to the Athleticlub to take a 9 AM nap.

great humor

I have seen many anti-abortion signs in Kansas. This is yet another.

This is the city park in Sterling, KS with a beautiful pond and walking trail. Cait tells us it is the nicest city park along the Trans American route. It was obvious the community is proud of their park.

I didn't see the sign for bike gypsies, so I used the front door.

These are two typical Kansas scenes. I love the golden fields.

It is Cam and Don again!

100 miles of solitude

Roadside scene

I chuckled when I saw this, but I am sure the early settlers had a different emotion.

Each small town in western Kansas seems to be centered around a grain silo. When one drops off the horizon behind you, there is one peaking over the horizon in front.

Day 43: Larned, KS

Here is a video I took the other day while riding. This may give you an idea of what Kansas is like. Enjoy.

Day 42: Sterling, KS

I just finished an easy 60 miles. The day is beautiful with blue skies and a slight breeze. No tornadoes here!

Nickerson is a small town we went through today. As I entered town, I noticed 4 boys in their early teens who where all on BMX bikes terrorizing the town. I had flashbacks to the rock throwing punks in Pippa Pass. They noticed me and one cracked a joke about how I was wearing a rearview mirror on my sunglasses. I guess he has never been run off the road by an 18-wheeler on a highway. They followed me through town until one pulled up beside me. It went like this:

Me: What's up?
Boy: Nothing
Me: Where are you heading?
Boy: The high school. You?
Me: Oregon. Want to race?

His face lit up and he raised off his seat and into the natural Tour de France racing position. He stayed on my tail for a few paces (I chuckled) so I shifted gears and left him in my dust. I heard him yell, "Ok, you win." I kept pedaling toward Oregon knowing I now own that stretch of road through Nickerson.

Day 41: Newton, KS (rest day)

We are almost halfway across Kansas. We crossed I-35 yesterday but was surprised that it was not under construction as it always is in Texas. Kansas' terrain has been a nice change from the hilly Ozarks of Missouri. This is my first time in Kansas and it is not exactly as I had imagined. I expected there to be absolutely zero hills, extreme heat and little rain. The hills are far and few between yet slow rolling hills do exist. I did not realize Kansas received this much rain. As you will see in the pictures below, many of the fields are saturated and the streams have broken their banks. It has been hot but have not noticed since the extreme winds keep us cool. I am sure we will experience Texas-style heat if the wind ever dies. The wind is as bad as we were expecting. Yesterday, we battled a 30 mph southern crosswind with gusts up to 45 mph. That'll nearly knock you off two wheels and leave you laying in the roadside ditch if you aren't ready and clenching the handlebars. I am thankful the wind is not coming from the west because it would surely reduce our pedaling speed to a mere few miles per hour. One of the highlights of yesterday's ride was when the route turned north for 20 miles. I hoisted my sails and doubled my cruising speed on the flat terrain with the wind at my back. During this portion, I was able to relax, test my no-hands-on-the-handlebar-skills, text message friends while pedaling, etc.



Thus far, the Kansasians have been very considerate of us. Yesterday, a lady stopped her truck to fill up our water bottles. Today, a lady gave Terry $15 for three of us to spend on lunch. In Chanute, Joe and Oliver drove us to get showers, brought us cookies and fruit, drove us to dinner and gave a tour of their town. The Episcopal church in Newton opened their doors for us to stay and one of their members offered us her swimming pool and is delivering lasagna for dinner. My tummy is already calling for it. In Cassoday, we stopped at a gas station to eat lunch. One of the ladies let me try rhubarb pie and gave me her recipe. I have never had rhubarb pie before, but now I know why Garrison Keillor sings so highly about it on Prairie Home Companion. Rhubarb pie cooking skills will be a new attribute I seek in a future wife.

a fellow bike enthusiast (Pittsburg, KS)

where is the Dr. Pepper?!?

riding on water

saturated wheat fields

entering Chanute, KS

'Laughing Jesus' (a prized drawing in the Grace Episcopal church in Chanute, KS)

group photo op (Grace Episcopal Church in Chanute, KS)

Terry is saving yet another turtle from becoming roadkill. I am not sure why he is so worried about this one since we have not seen a car in 20 miles.

any shade will do

Kansas has a long horizon and a big sky

... and the cows are nice here too...see how they have lined up to welcome us

Day 34: Marshfield, MO

Hello from deep in the Ozarks (a.k.a. land of many hills that make biking difficult). Here are some of my recent pictures. Enjoy!

Popeye and I in Chester, IL

Crossing the Mississippi. We must be important...notice the police escort.

enough said

This sign brought much relief.

An Ozark rain shower (campground at Eminence, MO)

(create your own caption)

We climbed this ranger tower and saw the following views...(next 2 pictures)

Breathtaking! (the picture does not do it justice)

I wonder if home owners associations exist in the country?!?

Thank you everybody who has left comments, encouraging emails and called. I really enjoy hearing from everybody.

P.S. Thanks for the care package Mom, Dad and Sheridan.