June 27

Great Bend to Hutchinson

70/2100

I wake up thinking I'll take a rest day. Then I open the door and discover cloud cover and much lower temperatures so I pack up and split.

I can't believe this great weather! Road construction abounds and my tires collect a thick layer of tar and grit. In Ellinwood, I meet westbounders Leo and Sandy from Florida. They bombard me with all the details of the road ahead and I just tell them to look for Hite Marina in Utah. That's really the only advice I offer other cyclists I meet. I then dine at a Dairy Queen and decide to remain off the ACA route for another day or two.

The afternoon brings a nice breeze which pushes me for a change and I clean up 25 miles in a jiffy before reaching Hutchinson.
There were some interesting signs along the way...

Once in Hutchinson I ask a nice lady on the street for directions to the motels and a guy approaches and informs me of the cyclists' hostel at the Lutheran Church. He says the keys are available at Harley's Bike Shop. I feel a bit reluctant but I take his advice. The bike shop is great and they hand me the key to Zion Lutheran Church.

 

There are two hospital-style rooms on the stage facing the downstairs dining hall. It seems I'll be the only cyclist staying here tonight. I take some self-photos and see that I've definitely dropped a few pounds.

After a nice shower I wander around the church taking pictures. There are photos of baptisms and confirmations at this church from the 1920's. There is a big scrapbook in the dining area with photos and articles that span the church's history.

I sit in the sanctuary for while, but it's super hot so I head off for dinner.

When I return it's dark and I feel quite spooked out being here all alone. I swear someone is here and I walk around to find out for sure. Someone is in the shower area. I don't see any other biking gear around so I wonder who it could be. The water shuts off. I'm sitting on the edge of the bed writing in my journal. I hear a door open and look up. A dude flashes past a doorway and looks my way and keeps moving without a word. I hear footsteps and then a door shut. Now I'm creeped out. Who was that guy? Is he gonna pop up later and startle the crap out of me? Needless to say, I slept very poorly.

June 26

Ness City to Great Bend

64/2029.6

The Ness City park looks a bit different in the daylight! I prefer it with the lights out.
I coast through town in search of breakfast on a Sunday. I'm not sure if I've already mentioned this but most stuff is closed on Sundays in these small towns. There's a diner open and I order pancakes for some silly reason.

Back on the road I pull over for a gallon of water in a gas/bait/hunting shop that hasn't changed since 1965. The guy doesn't sell water but seeing his shop was a real treat.
I meet a westbounder at the next gas stop. He started in Maine and is making remarkable time.

The day is warming up quickly and by 10am it's hot as heck. In a place called Alexander stands a rest stop- the greatest rest stop of all time. The restroom and drinking fountain areas are indoors and air conditioned. The well pump out front gushes with cool, tasty water. I sit at a shady picnic table for a moment, but force myself back onto the bike - it's only getting hotter. Just as I re-enter the roadway I cross paths with westbound brothers Mike and David. Mike asks if I plan on riding in the heat of the day. I say "yes" since I doubt there will be a non-heat part of this day. The brothers warn of the weird people in Rush Center and I offer the same sentiment about Ness City. Any bit of refreshment I gained at that rest stop has evaporated while standing and chatting in the blazing sun with Mike and David.

When I reach Rush Center there isn't a single weird person around. In fact, nothing is around. The general store taunts me with it's locked doors and ads for beer and Coca-Cola in it's window. I discover a gas station that offers a couple of vending machines. I grab a cherry Pepsi, a root beer and a pack of M&Ms and walk across the street to the town park. Geez, it is hot. I catch up on some journal entries and watch little birds on a bench across the lawn. Sitting here I decide to ride to Great Bend instead of the town recommended on the ACA maps.

I shove off at 2:30 for Great Bend. Every three miles or so I absolutely must get out of the sun and scramble for any bit of shade near the road. In the town of Timken the wind dies and on a rare Kansas hill climb the fresh asphalt wafts hot oily smelling air in my face and I nearly yak. Luckily there is a closed down restaurant and I pull behind it to sit in the shade. Not 5 minutes later a woman and her son pull up in an SUV. The woman is the owner of the bar n grill and invites me in for a cold beer. Wow! Inside we sit next to giant fans and watch Nascar. The woman describes Missouri's water and trees like they're a nuisance. The woman's son, Zack, is really into auto racing and also has a pyrotechnician friend in Hollywood.

The cold beer and conversation do me a world of good and the heat doesn't catch up to me for several miles. At some point today I crossed the 2000 mile mark, but failed to notice until the next morning.

Twenty miles from Great Bend I stop at an abandoned grain elevator for shade and take the only photo of the day. My bike is way in the distance...

I finally reach Great Bend and coast to some shade in front of a hardware store. If I stand still I feel like I'll barf so I pace around until I feel well enough to ride again.

Once I'm settled into a motel I walk to dinner. The time/temp sign at the bank reads : 8:00, 110*. Yikes!

June 25

Scott City to Ness City

61/1965

I sleep in today since I'll be waiting for my UPS shipment. Take the bike around town and stop at Casper's Grocery Store. I ask the clerk I met yesterday for a good breakfast place...

" I don't know," she says as she just looks down at the conveyor.

" Well, I'm not lookin' for anything fancy..." I reply. I'm a bit baffled that she has no suggestion.

Beep....beep....beep go the groceries...

" Just some eggs and toast will do," I prod.

" I...there's....there's just nothing," she squeaks. She is the saddest person I met on the entire trip.

It turns out there IS something. A deli near the gas station. Inside I have a breakfast burrito and chat with the owner. He tells me that corn, milo and wheat are the main crops around here. Says all the crops are sterile (thanks Monsanto), and that none of the young folks want to stick around and be farmers so the land is being sold and the people are moving away. He also reports that most of the native grasses and shrubs are gone, too. Geez, I just about cry in my coffee when the conversation turns to earthquakes, solar flares and top secret military operations.

I buy a laundry bag and a pack of white T-shirts at a Dollar General store and head to the city park to pass some time. Under a shady veranda I meet Andreas (not pictured)...

Andreas is from Sweden and he rides a bad-ass Surly Long Haul Trucker. He's got a lot of gadgets, including a Kindle with a busted screen. Bummer. Funny thing about technology - now our books can break down or run out of batteries. We talk as as the mid-day heat starts to kick in. Andreas started his trip in New York City and is heading for Yellowstone. Right on. After that he's riding for South America. Whoa! His trip is going to encompass an 18 to 24 month period. He doesn't wear sunglasses or gloves or cycling shorts or any of the usual comfort items for trips of such a great duration.

I head back to the motel and twenty minutes later I intercept the UPS driver and take delivery of my new tires! They're a bit thinner than the previous set but they work just fine. By 3pm I am on the road again. I pass a church where groomsmen block traffic for a group shot of bridesmaids jumping in the middle of the street. Thirty windy miles later I reach Dighton. This place is way nicer than Scott City! I sit and eat bananas in the shade of the grocery store and ponder whether I should camp here or push for Ness City. I go for Ness City.

The wind gets stronger as the sun sets. At a rest stop I read a plaque describing the life and legacy of George Washington Carver. His home once sat atop yonder plain...

Riding at sunset is incredible. This is only the second or third time I've done it on this trip. It's safer to be done riding at this point in the day, but the exilharation of sailing across the plains in all that orange sky is very... is so ...

I stop frequently to enjoy the setting sun and watch the sky fade from orange and red to just a sliver of light blue above the horizon.
Now it's officially dark. Some cars slow to a near halt as they pass, others blast right on by. After a few close calls I begin pulling over completely to let vehicles safely pass. At one point I see something funny in my mirror. Looks like a chain of faint light. Before I can turn to look I discover that those are the little yellow lights on the side of a big rig. I jump off my bike onto the shoulder. This trucker is booming through the Kansas night without any headlights!

I reach Ness City in one piece and roll past this really spooky abandoned motel.

I ride towards some lights down a side street near what looks like a bar. It's just a garage but I holler hello to the two guys standing out front but they just stare without a word. At a liquor store I get directions to the city park. I stand out front and sip on a Coke. Lots of funny folks sift in and out of the store. A jeep loaded with high school dudes pulls up and the oldest looking one walks inside. He returns with a 30-pack on his shoulder and his buddies cheer and argue over where to drink it all.

I find the park at about 11pm and set up. All that wind I battled has vanished and it's just me and the bugs in the dead damp heat.

For some reason I am not spooked out here. I chow down a tin of weenies 'n' beenies and call it a night. An enormous snail stands guard over the park...

June 24

Leoti to Scott City

25/1904

Thunder and lighting strike around 3am, but only a few rain drops.
My fellow cyclists are up and about early and they pack up amazingly fast and we say so-long.
I begrudgingly tend to my flat tire issues and head to a gas stop for Hostess cakes and coffee. I decide to overnight ship a set of new tires to the next town up the road. It's extra pricey for Saturday delivery.

I didn't take many photos on this day. Traffic is crazy out here and I'm buzzed really close on a few occassions even when I'm pulled over as far as possible.

This is one of the only small cemeteries I stopped to check out. Something about the crosses with the windmills in the background grabbed my attention.

Arriving in Scott City is like arriving at a party that ended yesterday- plenty of evidence indicating a good time was once had here. I had great hopes for a town of this size but it seems that Scott City is slowly withering away. Once I check into a weird motel I walk around looking for a bite to eat. It is unbelievably hot here! I sweat like crazy just walking down the street. I gorge myself on Mexican food and Dairy Queen and have to take a seat halfway back to the motel because I feel like I might burst.