Week 4 - June 28 to July 5 - Pueblo, CO to Topeka, KS - 598 miles

Day 22 - June 29 - Pueblo, CO to Lamar, CO - 121 miles

Long long day, with headwinds, but not really bad overall.

The city part of Pueblo ends abruptly about 2 miles east of I-25. One minute there are freeway exits and subdivisions, and the next minute there are fields and a 2-lane road.

Even with 120 miles, the cue sheet would have been about half a page if there weren't so many "Narrow Bridge" warnings. The state highway people have an annoying but inconsistent habit of putting rumble strips across the entire shoulder before narrow bridges.

The storm clouds blew in early in the morning. Didn't rain, but kept the temperature down in the 60's for most of the morning. Unfortunately, it also produce a mild but steady headwind that kept things slow.

What can I say about eastern Colorado? I'm bored with Kansas already, and I'm not even in Kansas yet. It's farm country out here - beef feed lots, and fields of crops to feed to the cows. This is the supply side of McDonald's.

Biking gives you a lot of time to think, and one of the things I thought about is why I find ruins, such as this stone farmhouse, so fascinating. It has to do with its place in the eternal dance of man and nature, order and entropy. Some time ago, someone took stone and wood, two natural materials, and shaped them into a house, a shelter against the wind, rain, snow, cold, and heat. It's an artificial construct, but a natural human activity, one that people have been engaged in for thousands of years. People were born, grew up, and died here. At some point, the people abandoned the house. The door and windows went missing, and nature got in. The attic is now filled with pigeons, seeking shelter from the wind, rain, snow, cold, and heat. Pigeons are born, grow up, and die here. The organic parts - the wooden roof and floor, will get alternately wet and dry, until they rot, and bugs will be born, grow up, and die in them. Even in entropy, there is still order. After the wood falls away, the stone will remain, in the ordered shape of a house, but no longer a house. The pigeons will leave, because it will no longer provide shelter for them. Eventually, the rain, ice, and wind will weaken the mortar that holds the stones in place, and there will be a pile of stones in the rough shape of a house. Even after the stones are broken up by the elements, and scattered by the farmer's plow, there will remain the human memory of house-ness, and the human instinct to build houses. That's the past and future of this house. In the present moment, it's in transition between house-ness and not-house-ness. And I'm drawn to it like a pigeon.

Day 23 - June 30 - Lamar, CO to Garden City, KS - 104 miles

20% fewer miles, 20% more headwinds.

Today was just a long grind. The morning cycling was okay - overcast and cool, fairly still air. But the afternoon turned hot and windy. Dan got out early, pushed hard early in the day to beat the winds, and got in 3 hours ahead of Andy and me.

Neil promised us tailwinds in Kansas, but so far we've gotten a lot of hot air. They also managed to route us over what must be the only hills in Kansas.

At the state line, we met a group of 12 teenagers and 2 adults who were touring the states in a bus. They were just entering Colorado, but they ran over to the Kansas sign to take our pictures (and get their pictures taken with us). I cut them (and us) out of the state line picture, because they're really lousy pictures.

Instead of grazing cattle, the modern method is to grow corn intensively in one field, and to feed the cattle intensively in another field. As far as I've seen, the entirety of Kansas and eastern Colorado is dedicated to various aspects of beef production.

I don't have a lot of pithy observations today. On the back of yesterday's 120 headwind miles, today's 105 headwind miles were gruelling. They weren't as strong as day 17, but they didn't need to be. The low-back pain started around mile 30. The high point of the day (besides entering Kansas) was having lunch at a Dairy Queen at mile 78. After showering, Andy and I walked a mile to dinner, getting there almost an hour late. Fortunately, it was a Golden Corral buffet restaurant (affectionately known as the Golden Trough), so we could just walk in and start eating.

We had a few beers with Dan afterwards in the motel's lounge. Kansas' liquor laws are almost as strange as Utah's. If an establishment makes at least 30% of its revenue from food, it can have an open bar. Otherwise, it's a private club. In this case, it was open only to members and motel guests. As to who would want to belong to a private club at the Days Inn on the edge of town, I can't speculate.

Tomorrow's forecast is winds from the south/southeast at 10-20 mph. Why should it be any different than today?

Day 24 - July 1 - Garden City, KS to Dodge City, KS - 52 miles

This was such a short day, it was practically a rest day. Andy and I got in at noon, and we were almost the last ones. They were either trying to make up for the back-to-back centuries, or they wanted us to have time to explore historic Dodge City.

Of course, exploring historic Dodge City takes about 5 minutes. The original wooden downtown burned down in the 1880's. The brick buildings that replaced them were torn down in an urban renewal project in the late 1960's. There's nothing left, but they play it just the same. The downtown streets are named things like Gunsmoke Lane and Wyatt Earp Boulevard. Just outside of town, they have some original Santa Fe Trail wagon ruts.

After taking a nap and a shower, I did Andy's laundry. The directions were "go to the center of town, and turn right at the grain elevator, opposite Boot Hill." I explored Boot Hill while the laundry was in the washer, wrote postcards and went to the post office while the laundry was in the dryer.

Winds were still out of the southeast, but not as strong as the last couple days. We saw corn and wheat fields, grain elevators, feed lots, and cattle trucks.

This is also as far south as we're going, just about the same latitude as San Francisco, where we started this trip. From here, it's roughly east-northeast. Furthermore, we're practically sitting on top of the 100th meridian - 100 degrees west longitude.

Day 25 - July 2 - Dodge City, KS to Great Bend, KS - 85 miles

It's amazing how much something like wind can affect your mood. It was a bit hotter today, and I got two flats, but it was a fine day, because we weren't fighting a headwind.

We're halfway between San Francisco and New York. Of course, we're not going to New York, we're going to New Hampshire. Our halfway point for days is tomorrow, and our halfway point for mileage is Friday, July 4.

When I was growing up, a "halfway house" was where they put people who didn't need to be institutionalized, but who weren't ready to handle mainstream living. I think it's called a group home now. But I'm free-associating here, and don't mean to imply anything about Kansas.

Andy I took an unscheduled side trip to Pawnee Rock, the halfway point on the Santa Fe Trail. It's also the highest point for probably 100 miles, so it was a natural landmark. Kit Carson is said to have shot his own mule here one night, mistaking it for a Pawnee Indian. Over the years, it was quarried down to half its original size, but now it's protected, along with its 100-year-old graffiti.

I got two flats today. The rear tire is really pretty chewed up, and I think it's letting Stuff in. When I got to the hotel, I tried to swap in one of the spare tire that I've been carrying around for the last 1700 miles, only to find that it's too tight. I fought for an hour to get it on the rim, and ended up giving myself a pinch-flat in the process, so it had to come right off again - another 15 minute process. I really don't want to be doing that at the side of the road in 100 degree heat. So, unless someone else can use them, those brand new tires are going in the trash.

My emergency tool kit includes a decent length of duct tape, so I booted the tire with duct tape. English translation: I put a small piece of duct tape on the inside of the tire, everywhere where it had been penetrated, or I thought it was in danger of penetration. This tire now sports 13 pieces of duct tape. Fortunately, no one can see it.

I also rotated my tires, since the rear tire carries more load, and has taken far more damage. The relatively intact tire goes to the back, the Franken-tire goes to the front, and I pray that it all holds until I can get to a decent bike store, maybe in Topeka or St. Joseph. After dinner, Andy and I walked over to the Wal-Mart to buy some necessaries - toothpaste and sunscreen for him, conditioner and batteries for me. Andy was somewhat taken aback to realize that he was in a Wal-Mart in Kansas. I think it was just too American an experience for him.

One thing I can't get used to is the presence of sandpipers. There's one squawking outside my door right now. I mean, I like them, but that has a lot to do with them being shore birds, and Great Bend, Kansas is nowhere near the shore - any shore.

While I'm being random, John (our dear, departed roommate) once observed that, when the three of us settled in in the afternoon, it looked like a consumer electronics fair - 3 laptops, 3 digital cameras, 2 cell phones, 2 PDAs, and a GPS.

The other thing that sticks from that period is Nap Time - after getting in in the afternoon, you'd find us all sacked out. Bike hard, sleep hard.

Francie called - just back from Strider's wake. We talked for 35 minutes, after which I needed to be with a) people and b) beer. Andy, Dan, Suzanne, and Dutch John were just leaving the sports bar, which they had drunk out of Corona. So we went to the completely deserted hotel bar, and drank that one out of Corona too. They just don't stock much. Only later did they tell me that the sports bar had Fat Tire - I would have gone there alone, or dragged Andy back there, because he'll drink anything.

Day 26 - July 3 - Great Bend, KS to McPherson, KS - 64 miles

Neil, one of our support crew, is from Lyons, Kansas. It just happened that we had our one sag stop of the day in Lyons, at the Rice County courthouse. We all wore the flag-patterned America By Bicycle jerseys, and paraded into town with a police escort. At the courthouse, the former mayor and some of the local ladies provided cinnamon buns and soft drinks. Nice little town, that.

Then we got a tour of the local grain elevator. We don't have them in Massachusetts, so it was a bit of an education. It really does seem to be an array of silos. The grain is dumped into an underground bin. A continuous belt of cups carries it to the top, where it gets dumped into one of the silos. That's pretty much all there is to it. They're currently storing mostly wheat. They'll clear that out over the next couple months to make room for the corn and milo. Those three crops are most of what they grow around here.

After that long interlude, the rest of the day's biking went very quickly, and we got in at noon. There was a bit of a tailwind, and there wasn't much else to see. We did see one farmer burning the wheat straw, to quickly clear the field for the next planting.

Neil's father-in-law (father of his late wife) died today. It just happens that this happened 30 miles from here, so he doesn't have to fly home, but it's a strain on him just the same, and he's away this evening.

Route rap turned into another knock-down drag-out fight, this time about hydration and support. 9 riders spent half an hour at the museum in Lyons, and were completely unsupported for the rest of the day. They ran out of water, and eventually asked a farmer. Bruce (the tour leader) said he went all the way back, but didn't see them. Bruce's point was that people should tell him when they're going off the route, which is well taken. Yesterday, Andy and I went off the route to see Pawnee Rock. It took about half an hour, 13 miles from the end of the route, so we were back on the road for about 50 minutes, and the van could have missed us. We should have phoned the van when we decided to go off route.

However, today's case was different. It was 33 miles from the end, they were on the road for 2½ hours, and the van still managed to miss them. Furthermore, at least one rider told Bruce she was going to the museum, and at least one other rider reported to the staff that there were people back at the museum, so he had some clues about where to look. Bud (who is a very fast rider) reports that the van has beaten him to the hotel every day for the last three days, when it should be out sweeping the road. We're getting into some 100+ degree days, and some long mileages (108 miles on Saturday, and 89 miles on Sunday), and we're going to need better support.

After route rap, 15 riders (half the group) stayed for half an hour to discuss the situation. This is not just a couple of disgruntled riders, but Bruce doesn't seem to be listening. Suggestions were made to leave water jugs along the route, but he's not going for it. He says that people steal the big 10-gallon dispenser jugs, but we could do it with 1-gallon jugs from the supermarket. We get reports that Doug (the owner) thinks they're spending too much on gas and mileage. The cellphones (one per vehicle) don't have call waiting or voice-mail, and sometimes aren't turned on, or aren't in the vehicles. This makes communication difficult. The message we're getting is that we have to look out for ourselves, and can't count on support from the support vehicles. This is what $5000 buys us.

By the way, this is where Andy failed utterly to find beer, even though there was a bar across the street, and a gas station with beer right next to it.

Day 27 - July 4 - McPherson, KS to Abilene, KS - 64 miles

Independence Day, and we're halfway home.

Breakfast at 6:00 had us on the road by 6:30, and we flew all the way to Abilene. Of course, the tailwind helped too. I mean, I was doing 24 mph uphill. At one point, I slowed down so that I could sit up and pedal no-handed (to stretch my back, you see), and I was still going 20. What a day!

Aside from the wheat, corn, etc, there wasn't much to see until we got to Abilene, where I spent a little while at the National Greyhound Association. It was closed for the holiday, but I got to see some of the dogs. I think they were in doggie rehab, because they all seemed to have wounds, primarily on the ears or shoulders. But they were so grateful for the attention. I didn't try to pet them, because they can get nippy when they're excited, especially when there's a big group of them like that. But I gave them the back of my hand through the fence, and they practically fell over each other trying to lick my glove. They're such good dogs.

Even with that interlude, and a little time looking at the victorian houses in Abilene, I got into the hotel at 11:00. Had lunch with Andy and Dan, did a little hand-wash. Didn't go to the Eisenhower Center, because it was over 100 degrees by that point. Started reading the new Harry Potter book, which I (finally) picked up yesterday at the Wal-Mart in McPherson, Kansas.

My Nashbar order arrived, with two new jerseys, and a pair of shorts. The jerseys are a Corona team jersey, since we drink so much of it, and what they claim is an authentic reproduction Soviet Air Force team jersey circa 1986 (sponsored by Aeroflot and Lada). At any rate, it's garish, and should be visible.

Went to the fireworks at Eisenhower Park, and they were incredible. We didn't know exactly where they were going to be, so we just went where the locals were, and ended up front and center. I have never been so close to a fireworks display; they were going off directly overhead, completely filling the field of vision. Hell of an impressive show for a town this size. Mind you, the finale did not go off quite as scheduled, and involved quite a bit of, shall we say, ground fireworks. But there were no serious injuries, and everyone had a great time. Many thanks to Emily and Neil for arranging this.

Day 28 - July 5 - Abilene, KS to Topeka, KS - 108 miles

2000 miles! Two. Thousand. Miles. On a bike. And we're still in Kansas.

Thank God for the humidity, else I'd have burst into flames.

It was Hot today, and it got hot early.

We're riding in a section of eastern Kansas called the Flint Hills. These are mile after mile of low, rolling hills. The only way to handle them is attack the descent (pedal downhill as fast as you can), so that you have some momentum going up the hill. You should be cranking like an eggbeater at the bottom. Then gear down one step at a time as you go uphill. Don't wait too long to shift down, or you'll drop your cadence too low, and put undue strain on your knees. Also, it's just more work to grind up a hill in a high gear at a low cadence. (Besides, I just like fast descents.)

As a result of this strategy, I left Andy further and further behind on each hill. I spun down and relaxed on the straight-aways, to try to let him catch up. Andy is a much stronger rider than when he started out, but he still has some trouble with the hills.

(Just the same, I had to use my granny gear today. In Kansas. Oh, the shame!)

The other thing about going fast is that you get in out of the heat quicker. Dan has this mastered, but we're getting there. We finished the 108 miles at 2:30, whereas Michael struggled in at 4:30. Gruelling.

The deli that was suggested as a "good luch stop" closed 4 months ago. The general store that had "great pie" closed before we got there. It's Saturday, and they closed early. Apparently, the tour leader usually calls them in advance, to ensure that they stay open, and that they have whole pies (they had a few slices left when the early riders came through).

But, lo and behold!, we had unmanned water stops today! And, despite Bruce's predictions, the jugs were not stolen. In between the first and second sag stops, there was a water jug next to an orange traffic barrel, so it looked kind of like two traffic barrels if you were just driving by. Between the second sag and the finish, there was a water jug nestled next to a barn, quite near the farmhouse. Also, there was a large plastic cow on the other side of the driveway, so a passing motorist might not notice the water jug.

Also, the sag van has been much more visible lately, sweeping the road. Support is important, especially on really long, hot days like this.

We passed the halfway point for the Fast Ride. Of course, they get there on day 15.