Location: Council Grove, KS (camped at Fairgrounds) At six o’clock this morning, several cars pulled up to the covered picnic area where Brian and I had made camp. I heard several women’s voices at first, and then I heard a couple men. One of the women said, “Someone is sleeping here. There are their tents […]
Archives for September 2014
Bike Tire Explosion outside Great Bend – Bike Across America Day 45
Location: McPherson, KS (Lakeside City Park) Brian and I stayed late in the locker room where the firefighters let us stay. The room was pitch black dark. Light did not even come under the door. I set an alarm for 8:00 so that we didn’t sleep in embarrassingly late, but then I reset the alarm […]
Firemen provide cyclists rest on September 11 – Bike Across America Day 44
Location: Great Bend, KS (Sleeping at the fire station) I had set my alarm for 6:45am so that Brian and I wouldn’t be late to breakfast. I woke at 7:15, having either not heard the alarm or having turned it off in a daze when it sounded. We weren’t late for breakfast, but we rolled […]
Rest at Elaine’s Bicycle Oasis in Bazine – Bike Across America Day 43
Location: Bazine, KS (Elaine’s Bicycle Oasis) The wind blew hard this sunless morning. The gray clouds hung low over Dighton, and I could see several tattered American flags snapping in the strong south winds as I cleared my eyes and came to dread the morning. Brian was even slower than I to climb out of […]
Biking across Kansas into headwinds – Bike Across America Day 42
Location: Dighton, KS (camped at city park) I slept well in the tin shed on a soft but lumpy pile of sawdust. The shed kept the wind off us and was significantly warmer than outside in the park. Animals rustled in the walls a bit, but none bothered us, so I slept well. I packed […]
Cycling across Kansas – Bike Across America Day 41
Location: Tribune, KS (Shed at the city park) The wind blew hard last night, and a misty rain soaked my tent and gear. At some point in the night, the winds switched from southeast to north, and the temperatures dropped substantially. I woke up around 6:00, just as it was getting light. The wind and […]
Cycling across Colorado plains – Bike Across America Day 40
Location: Eads, CO (Eads City Park) Today was pretty uneventful. The plains don’t leave much to speak of. The green and brown horizon stretches for miles in every direction, occasionally interrupted by farm buildings and silos. At the center of several towns that we passed through were massive white silos, several hundred feet high. We […]
Riding the flats into Ordway, Colorado – Bike Across America Day 39
Location: Ordway, CO (The Junction Campground) I woke this morning to warm temperatures and it felt great to do so. Finally I didn’t need to put on three jackets to crawl out of my tent. I casually packed my gear in the warm sun, and I even spent another fifty cents on a warm three […]
Cycling out of Colorado into the plains – Bike Across America Day 38
Location: Pueblo, CO (Lake Pueblo State Park) Last night was as expected, cold but bearable. My sleeping bag failed to keep me warm as temperatures dipped into the twenties. At some time in the night, probably early morning, the cold woke me. My feet, chest, shoulders, and face were cold. I quickly decided there was […]
Bicycle climb to Hoosier Pass – Bike Across America Day 37
Location: Currant Creek Backpackers Hostel (Guffey, CO) Our water bottles froze overnight and a glistening frost covered everything this morning. The tents, bikes and picnic table were covered in ice. The sun quickly turned the ice crystals into puddles, but shaded grass and other areas stayed frosty until I left the campsite about 9:00. Brian […]