Thursday, July 28, 2016

A Bend in the Road, a Bang on the Road, and Bland all over the Road

Day: 32 (Tribune, KS to Eads, CO)

Average Speed: 12.8 MPH

Miles Cycled Today: 63.7 

Miles Cycled Total: 2, 130

Mood: Chillin'

Mural in Leoti, KS. Cyclist Riding on a Piano? How Apt.


I found my toothbrush near the community pool. Sock #1 was not far away. Sock #2 was consumed by Kansas. The wind last night was sudden and ferocious, but I managed to collect most of my belongings and I avoided the hail 20 miles behind me in Leoti, where Jamie had tried to convince me to stay. 

We actually planned on doing another ride together today, but in order for that to happen I would need a Sleepy Jimmy handicap- so I went on to the tiny town of Tribune (crossing another time zone in the process). This way, I would be awake and packed by the time he got there. I should start practicing getting up earlier. September is looming. 


Virginia is Far, Far Away


It wasn’t long until signage told us we were leaving Kansas and we took the obligatory photos under the famous “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign. And even though Kansas was pleasant enough, I couldn’t resist making this short video:










Sabrina, David, and Jamie (left to right)
We also met two more westbounders at the state line, Sabrina and David, so our party grew exponentially. We all pedaled a few miles together, looking like the most non-intimidating gang ever. I mean, Sabrina’s bike actually has a horn on it in the shape of a turtle. And I have a Mini-Leatherman. I think a revival of West Side Story featuring touring cyclists would take the attention off of Hamilton. I’m gonna write that. 



Oh, Colorado! Behave!



Colorado immediately greeted us with something exotic: a bend in the road. This was exciting. And the landscape is beginning to show signs of change- the plant life is a bit more… shrubby. Autocorrect didn’t underline the word “shrubby” by the way, so I guess that’s a word. It’s really fun to say. Try it. Shrubby. Also, the sides of the roads are not quite dirt- rather, a sand/silt mix.




Signs of Change in the Landscape
















I Didn't Do It!
But as with the other states, the first day always comes with an unwelcome snag. Our original plan was to put in a hundred miles to Ordway, but just three miles from the town of Eads, Bang!. Rear tire malfunction. The good news is it wasn’t my bike, but it might as well have been. What am I going to do?  Say “Sucks to be you, Jamie! Toodle-oo!”  and pedal off into a bad karma sunset?



This wasn’t just a flat, his whole tire was pretty well shredded. And while pretty much every cyclist carries spare tubes, very few carry spare tires. 






We made it to Eads, where Sabrina put all of us to shame by MacGyvering a piece of a car tire, shaping and expertly taping it to the two damaged spots. I didn’t even pretend to help. 

“I thought about packing a spare tire, but it was a bit heavy,” is all I could come up with in way of support. Jamie stared at me blankly. “Now what am I supposed to do with that information?” 

Good point. I went into the air conditioned gas station and edited the “Leaving Kansas” video posted above. 

And I checked the weather. A Big Mama Storm was due to hit from the west, where we were headed, and there weren’t many places to take coverage in the foreseeable future. All four of us cut our losses and called it quits, bummed to have to give up the tail wind that had been pushing us to 20 mph averages at times. 




The town of Eads is extremely bland. The restaurant is named “Restaurant.” The laundromat is named “Laundromat” (or “Lavndromat” perhaps), and the ice cream shop is named “Ice Cream.” There is no decor to speak of, and it’s one of the rare western towns that doesn’t take pride in its city park. 















We booked a double at the “Travelors Lodge” [sic] and enjoyed its luxuries, such as the fly tape in the corner of the room and the metal rod sticking out of the socket. Whomever was staying in this room prior must’ve been diabetic too, because they left their hypodermic needle cap behind. 
























Dinner was at the Windmill Saloon (kudos for having an actual name, but they definitely made sure the decor matched the rest of Eads), where I unknowingly dropped my brand new phone in the parking lot. 







This wouldn’t be a big deal, except for that Big Mama Storm I’d mentioned earlier. It made a grand entrance just as I realized the phone was missing back at the hotel. I threw on rain gear and retraced my steps through the town, making the saloon my last stop. Check out the storm that I biked through, and listen to the dry glee of the ass who recorded this:

Dammit- he forgot to attach the video to the e-mail! I'll post this later. It's pretty epic. But here's what I looked like when I got back:



The street had instantly turned into a lake and my rain gear was no match for this torrent. I was drenched and cold. My unprotected phone (my fault, I know) was eventually found in the saloon parking lot. And it works! Mostly! Ugh. 

This mini-trek took it out of me, and as I opened my computer to blog the day’s events, I rested my eyelids for just a second. 

And then it was 8 AM the next day. The early rising cyclists had already left.

I’m heading out now to Pueblo, Colorado- 114 miles away. 

And the loner in me is quite eager to go at it solo. 

Me.
It’s truly fun to meet and cycle with people along the way, but it also comes with the understanding that we each have our reasons for starting the trip in the first place, even if we can’t quite put a finger on what those reasons are. 

All I know is that I’m not meant to be completing this side-by-side with anyone, no matter how fun it may be. A day or two here and there... fine. Different. Interesting. 

But I'm a lone wolf. 

Hooooooowwwwl!


P.S.

This was a terrifying scene in the middle of nowhere.

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