Yes, now just into my fifth state, Kansas! And 1675 miles completed, and 80,000 feet climbed (close to three 'everests'). And I have had 30 riding days, out of about 70.
Yesterday should have been an easy ride. At long last I left the roller-coaster hills of the Missouri Ozarks, and entered flat terrain, which is how it will be for 9 riding days across Kansas and beyond, into eastern Colorado. And my maps show that for the most part the roads are dead straight, due west. Certainly I had 33 miles yesterday without a curve, let alone a turn!
But as it turned out, yesterday proved to be the toughest so far on the trip. The reason? - that great enemy of cyclists, a headwind, straight from the west, which I reckoned at about 20 mph. So instead of enjoying cruising on the flat, I was struggling to do more than 8 mph, and it made the day into a long one. (I met some eastbound TransAm cyclists just as I was coming into Pittsburg, two young and strong guys; they were loving what was for them the tailwind, and with its assistance the previous days had covered 155 miles!!) At least it wasn't hot and humid, and it was under a glorious summer sky that I acted out my struggle with the wind.
 |
| Summer sky and a glorious empty road |
Happily I am having a rest day today - and I hope that the winds will decide to move round to the south again, which is the prevailing direction (or so I am told).
When, years ago, I was first thinking about this trip, I wasn't sure whether to do it eastbound or westbound. It was my good friend Gary Usrey who urged me to go westbound, partly because that is the direction of the development of US history. I am so pleased I followed that advice, because I get a sense of the opening up of the western lands. Just a few dates make that point: Jamestown, on the Virginian coast (which I passed through on my very first day) was settled in 1607; Missouri became a state more than 200 yeaers later, in 1820; Kansas was at first designated a "territory", and became a state in 1861: Colorado not until 1876. Kansas began to be opened up as a result, so I learn, of the Santa Fe trail, used for trade between northern Mexico and St Louis, Missouri in the early 19th century, a process accelerated by the development of the Santa Fe railroad in the 1870s. I find it fascinating to imagine the lives of these pioneers, as I cycle across the same landscapes......
More prosaic observations....
A couple of days ago, I was pleased to see a road sign indicating I was in an Amish area, and I hoped to see more buggies, having seen only the three days and days ago, on 8 June back in Kentucky. But it was a hot afternoon, and all sensible people were indoors with the a/c on. Noel Coward's song came to mind, "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun".
Another road sign was much less welcome - a detour caused by a bridge being out. It caused me an extra 7 miles at the end of the day, turning an already long (65 mile) ride into a 72 mile one.
 |
| A road sign you don't want to see! |
Politics hasn't entered my conversations much, but I sense the predominant loyalty in these rural areas I cycle through is to the Republicans. But the other day I was very shocked. At my first coffee break four local fellows were browsing the papers and commenting on Obama's forthcoming visit to Africa. I was on the next table, listening to their conversation. Their comments showed real hatred for him. "Maybe he'll stay in Africa.". And when another added, "Maybe someone will find a high-velocity rifle...", I thought that was truly sick.
But the second convenience store conversation the same day was a delight. There were several people at a communal table whom I joined. One guy was a nursing assistant, who had helped out in Joplin for a couple of days after the ghastly tornado there on 22 May; his description of trying to find proper new accommodation for the residents of a destroyed nursing home brought a personal dimension to that disaster. Then we were joined by the guy who used to own the store till 10 years ago. I commented that he must have known everyone in the area very well; "Yes," he said, "and perhaps too many secrets about them too!". That for me was a new angle on retailing..... And after these conversations, as I was leaving, a combine harvester was filling up with diesel! (I understand that farmers compute the fuel consumption of combines in gallons per hour - perhaps 20 per hour for the big ones I'll see here in Kansas. Wow, expensive!)
Dogs. As I have reported, I have not personally met any aggressive ones. But I guess my guardian angel has been busy. Two days ago I met up again with a westbound TransAm rider who had been staying at the same motel as me the night before, a lady called Barbara from Florida. She had told me that evening as we chatted that she had heard of a cyclist being bitten recently somewhere in that part of Missouri. The next day, as I was on the road, a sheriff's car pulled up outside a farm gateway just beside me, and, as well as the sheriff, out got Barbara. She told me she had earlier that morning herself been bitten - she reckoned by the same dog - and had from further down the road reported the attack to the sherriff so other cyclists wouldn't suffer. He had brought her back to identify the dog. As for Barbara, she had had paramedic treatment, and was OK, but not happy....
Having told that story, I have to add that the other day a dog saw me and immediately ran away..... He clearly didn't know the script.
Springfield Missouri was 11 miles away at one point. That set me wondering: which Springfield of all the many that there seem to be do the Simpsons inhabit?
Something I have just realised, with a pleasant surprise. In all my month and more here I haven't heard anyone swearing, not at all. No "f...." words or anything. Remarkable, compared with Britain's uncivilised behaviour in this respect.......
So, next Post from further west in Kansas. Then it won't be long till Julia and Ben come out to join me, and after that, all being well, it will be less than a month till I arrive in Seattle and Janet is there to greet me and photograph me dipping my bike wheel in the Pacific..... (The other day, as I was wheeling my bike out of my motel to start the day's riding, someone asked me where I was headed. "Everton, today", I replied. "And then where?" "Well, eventually to Seattle." All he said in response was "Jeez.....!")
Thanks, as always, for the fantastic support so many people give me. As I say to folks who ask me, this is such a brilliant trip, far exceeding my expectations. What a lucky guy I am!
All best wishes, Ken (and a hug for those for whom it would be appropriate....!)
No comments:
Post a Comment