Me, Robyn, and rollers

I've been riding all day and resting in my spare time. I've had a hard time writing anything for some reason, so my post is a little disjointed. I know I'm close to the end of the trip, but I feel really apprehensive about dogs, and I know the next week and a half or so is going to be hard. 

07/15/2015

I stayed in a Baptist Church last night, after riding 115 miles. That's the longest bike ride I've ever done. Surprisingly, I wasn't even in super bad shape at the end of it. My ass hurt, and my back was a little sore, but other than that, I was doing okay. The countryside, as promised, is gorgeous. Rolling hills (my favorite ), forests, farmland (they grow tobacco here, by the looks of it!), and minimal traffic. A cycling paradise. 

07/16/2015

I'm at a convenience store this morning feeling like complete shit, drinking a cup of coffee, contemplating my demise. This convenience store is like a new York deli that didn't quite make it, so it got transplanted to Western Kentucky, where it seems to be doing alright. It has that vibe like it's never been cleaned, or is constitutionally impossible to clean; the summer heat and humidity makes it feel like everything has a thin layer of greeeeze  on it. To top it off, two Indian dudes run the place. My own little slice of Nyc. 

Pepper sprayed a dog yesterday. This big fucker came rocketing toward me so fast I thought I heard a sonic boom in his wake. Its mouth was rhythmically opening and closing to the beat of its barks, revealing saliva covered teeth. What it didn't contend with was the fact that I came prepared. I nailed it right in the face. After hearing one too many stories about cyclists getting rabies shots after getting bitten by dogs, I'm not taking any chances. I'm just freaked out, that's all. What happens if I miss, and some dog bites me, or worse, gets caught up in my wheels? Constant vigilance is the name of the game, I guess. Only another 500 miles in Kentucky! 

I made it 80 miles today, all the way to a town called Bardstown. Apparently this is the bourbon capital of the world! I might stay a day and explore a little. I also might bike to Berea. I met a guy named Greg today on the road. He treated me to lunch at a little hole in the wall joint in some little town. It was delicious. Greg was really cool, and it felt really good to bike with another human being. I don't think I've biked with someone else since Colorado. Having someone to talk to really make the time fly by. Greg offered an interesting perspective on touring. Instead of trying to make it to the end as fast as possible, he decided that he needed to savor these last 1000 miles. For him that meant taking lots of detour and doing 40 mile days.  I think I'm going to take sort of a middle road; maybe not riding 100 miles a day, but also not riding 40. 

Two days, one post

07/12/2015

Today I ended up in Chester , IL. I'm staying at the local Eagles place. They have a bunk room for cyclists,plus showers and discounted food during the week. Like most of rural America, the beer is cheap and plentiful-- $2.50 for 22oz of crap, or a little more for a craft beer. Today was a good ride. For the first 60 miles I had cliffs on one side, and farmland on the other as I followed the path of the meandering Mississippi. I encountered a strange phenomenon as I passed by some of the bluffs. The bluffs, probably about 200ft high, had numerous caves along side the road. All of the caves that I saw were blocked off, with no trespassing signs. I think they were being used for some sort of mining, as I saw many truck roll through on laden with rock. Anyways, the strange part about these caves was that they were emanating cold air -- easily 30 degrees cooler than the air I was riding through. I stopped for a brief moment hoping to cool off in these naturally air conditioned zones, but as soon as I stopped I realized that the cold air smelled funny. It was noxious, with a deeply unpleasant flavor. What was going on there? What substance were they digging for?

07/13/2015

Despite getting up at 5:30 this morning, I didn't beat the heat. By 10, it was so hot that I had totally soaked my shirt in sweat. Out west, I could have laid my shirt out in the sun for ten minutes and it would have dried, but here in southern Illinois the humidity is such that everything is always a little damp. I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Carbondale waiting for the sun to get lower in the sky so I can keep riding. It likely won't get any cooler until much later, but at least I won't have the sun roasting me. I plan on riding another 55 miles or so today. Tomorrow I'm going to Kentucky, land of beautiful country roads and stray dogs. I took a detour to Carbondale to get some dog repellent. The roads here in southern Illinois have been amazing. Lots of little County roads,lots of tarmac, and even more hills. Coming out of Chester this morning I went up some hills where I had to use the lowest gear on my bike (with a triple!) and I was still pedaling at low rpm. At the top of these climbs, the views are amazing. Woods and farmland cover the rolling hills. Visibility is very high due to recent rains, so it feels like you can see forever. This roller-coaster landscape is some of the best I've encountered so far (I feel like I say that about every place I go!)

I should mention that I got to spend a day with my parents outside of St. Louis. While I was really sad to leave them yesterday, it was fantastic to be able to see them. They've been such a help, in every regard. 

A thank you to Bryce in Kansas city is long overdue. I underestimated how big the metro area is, and without his help, in giving me directions and rides, I would have been screwed. Plus, Bryce is an awesome guy. I knew I was in for a good time when we he handed me a cold beer after he rode out to meet me when I was coming in from Ottawa. I'm happy and grateful that I had the 

opportunity to stay with him. 

07/08/2015

I went into today thinking it was going to be the most miserable ride I'd ever do. It started off pretty shitty. My knee was clicking again, and it was raining pretty hard. I was cold, wet, and looking at doing 90 miles of riding on a wet gravel trail. Pretty soon, the Walmart poncho paid off, as it kept me well insulated. I was warm and wet, and the trail wasn't as hard to ride at I expected. My new bike sails over the crushed limestone of the Katy trail, what with its 40c tires. I'm still not sure about the flared handlebars, but I'm sure another 170 miles will tell if they're going to stay with me across the rest of the country.

The trail itself is crushed limestone, like the best parts of the flint hills trail. I'd say it averages about 10 feet across, making it such that you and a friend could comfortably ride abreast and still have room to let oncoming traffic by. Most of the trail I rode today was wooded, with trees leaning in towards the middle on both sides, making it seem like you're riding through a wooded tunnel. Rain always makes the green of tree leaves appear more saturated, so the effect was even more mesmerizing today. The trail crosses many creeks and rivers, all of which were swollen and raging today. If I were to try and ride through in a few days, I might not be able to cross some of the bridges, as they would be flooded! Overall, the trail has been a welcome and long awaited treat.

Kamal, if you're reading this, you'll be happy to know that I'm growing out my beard. I'm going full Amish, albeit with a twist -- some guys gave me a faux hawk the other day in Kansas on the side of the road.

Below are some pictures from the last few days. I'm having trouble adding captions with my phone, so I'll do it here instead. The first is a shot of the Katy trail. The second shows all my gear, minus my tent, after sending my stuff to Clinton. I was traveling light! The third and fourth show the holes left in the seat stays on my bike after the rack ripped off. The same people who gave me my haircut also took the last picture. They were doing the same route as me, but in reverse.

Rain ride!

Today I set out in the pouring rain. The Katy trail begins. The new bike is sweet, and I'm pumped to get dirty today. I even got my stuff from the post office! I sent home another 7 pounds, and I took some weight out of my bags, so hopefully I won't be breaking anymore bikes.

Shout out to REI for hooking me up, and to everyone who has helped get me this far. I couldn't have done this with out the monumental support from friends, my family, and strangers.

A long term review of my old bike is in the works! Stay tuned!

Kansas part two

I'm doing another post via my phone, so be patient with any glaring mistakes. 

Since my bike broke, I've had to follow a different route through Kansas. Instead of going to through the southeastern part as adventure cycling would have me go, I'm going up to Kansas City, so I can visit the REI there and hopefully get my bike replaced. From Larned, the most direct route is to go along US highway 56. For the first day and a quarter out of Larned, I did just that. For the first 25 miles of the second day, I kept seeing all these crosses on the side of the road. It's likely that most of them are not from cyclists, but I had this feeling that if I kept riding on 56, I was gonna be one of those crosses. I resolved to get off the federal highway and take county roads. 

Once off the main highway, I found that things became quieter, and the scenery became more interesting. Rolling pastures and golden wheat fields extended to the horizon on both sides, and layers of hills were shrouded in purplish haze as they became more distant. The road itself scrunched up accordion style; I found myself going up and down many steep, short hills. I stopped in a little town called Tampa, where a woman opened her shop after hours for me, and later made me a sandwich. She even offered to let me use her pool! I declined the dip in the pool, citing my need to get to Herington before sundown. Such generosity and hospitality continues to blow me away. 

Today, after riding some unpaved county roads to council grove, I got on the flint hills nature trail, and rode it for almost 70 miles! Man, what a treat! No cars, no steep hills, and it wasn't even super hot! The trail is unpaved, and the surfaces ranges from gorgeous limestone pea gravel to dirt/mud to the gravel you see along railroads (the latter is almost impossible to ride with my bike, so I was lucky that I only encountered it for a few hundred yards). Sometimes the trail would get pretty covered in vegetation. Overall, for a trail that's technically still under construction, it was really nice. The grasshoppers got a little obnoxious sometimes. As you pass by, they throw themselves at you, and seem to cling to your leg hairs for a split second before disembarking. This is an unpleasant sensation, especially when tens, or even hundreds are doing it in the space of a few hundred yards! Even though I went a little slower than usual today, I had such a good time getting tired and dirty. Unpaved trails like that are too much fun. In Missouri, in hoping to ride a similar trail, the Katy trail, for most of the way across the state. 

Tomorrow I go to Kansas city to resolve my bike issues. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. 

I'm writing on my phone, so I'll keep this short. My rack broke off my bike outside of Larned, Kansas. I was able to make it into town before the whole thing collapsed on me. The rack itself is intact; there mounts on my bike broke off the seat stays, leaving behind some holes in the aluminum. Good news, REI says they're willing to get me a refund, and I can ride the bike. Bad news is that I can't haul anything.

I shipped my stuff to a little town in Missouri. I'm biking to Kansas City with a backpack and a tent. Pictures to come. In spite of everything, I'm having a blast. 

Western Kansas

I made it to Kansas! Its crazy to think that I've biked across California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. As Tom says, this is a good tour in itself. Other than the day from Pueblo to Ordway, I've been putting on some crazy mileage so far. I went from Ordway to Sheridan Lake, from Sheridan Lake to Dighton, and today I'm going as far as Larned. I'll put on about ~290 miles in three days. Kansas has been phenomenally flat, and I've had a tail wind since I left Ordway, so I've been hauling ass. Yesterday I averaged something like 19 mph. It was also crazy hot yesterday. It got up to about 85 by 10, and be the time I rolled into Dighton, around 4, it was 100 degrees. I didn't really sleep much last night; as I was going to sleep in the city park in Dighton, the sprinklers started up! I moved my tent around a few times, but the sprinklers kept following me. Eventually, around midnight, the sprinklers stopped, and I found a relatively dry spot to camp. If I had a camp pad, I would have just set up my sleeping bag on a picnic table. The wind was strong enough last night that I probably wouldn't have been bothered by bugs. I've been lucky to get a shower ever two days or so, but my grime level is still fantastic. I apply sunscreen probably four times a day, and I put on bug spray once or twice in the evening. Combined with the prodigious amount of sweat I generate during the day, I get a nice layer of scum covering my whole body.

So far, I really enjoy biking in Kansas. It reminds me of Minnesota and Iowa, and I feel comfortable here. The mountains are beautiful, but they feel strange and disconcerting. Seeing rolling farmland makes me breathe a sigh of relief.

Last night I decided to go to a bar in Dighton, and they were selling $1 beers! It was trashy Tuesdays all over again. Apparently beers aren't usually that cheap, but harvest time necessitates large quantities of drink, according to the bartender.

In Sheridan Lake, I stayed at a church. It's amazing how smells are capable of bringing back sharp and powerful memories. They let me use the kitchen and the bathroom, and everything smelled like Olivet! They used the same (bad) coffee, and even the same hand soap. I felt like it was a Wednesday evening, or a Sunday in the middle of the summer. I continue to be astounded by the generosity of the people that I encounter on this trip. This church leaves its doors unlocked all summer so that touring cyclists might have a place to stay. I've seen that same sort of generosity and hospitality in the church community in which I grew up. It's comforting to know that kind people exist everywhere.