Day 31

Sunday, August 7

Miles today: 68

Today completes one full month on the road and I really cannot believe how fast it has gone by. We biked all the way to Wichita- it feels so weird to say that! Well we got up later than usual because breakfast was included with the hotel and it started at 8:30. It was the perfect excuse to sleep in a bit. The breakfast buffet was really delicious with eggs, homefries, fruit salad, coffee, juice, muffins, bagels... All the good stuff. This hotel was really cool and we were so glad we stayed there. Here is the atrium where we ate

After breakfast we went online to figure out where to stay next and how to get back on our route. We found a great route that actually saved a few miles and seemed perfect (later we found out that 3 miles were on gravel roads, but otherwise it was perfect). We left the hotel around noon and rode out of Wichita. We found a walmart to stock up on food because we are headed into western Kansas which is pretty sparsely populated and we don't want to be stuck without food. It seems like walmart is just the perfect place for us on this trip because they just have everything and it really fits our budget well. We had to get a new cargo net because Ben's broke and they had one for us- very convenient.

We had an uneventful ride until about 8:15pm when we had 7 miles left and the sun was beginning to set. My back tire fell victim to a "Texas tack", which is like a little thorn that our maps warned us about. I decided to patch it because I just got a new patch kit in Wichita that I was promised would work better than my old kit. I got the patch on and started pumping the tube up and I could hear the air leaking out- the patch didn't work. Just then, the sky boomed with thunder and lightening flashed in front of us. I quickly put in a brand new tube and started pumping that up, determined to get to town asap, and the tube blew a whole! It must have been a defective tube. Now I was totally stressed out and on the verge on panic. It was getting dark, a storm was approaching and I couldn't get my tire inflated. Ben did try his hardest to calm me down and help but I was just freaking out. Finally, I got another tube in there and it worked, we got the wheel back on the bike, and just then an old man driving a truck came by to see if we were ok. We told him about the flat and that we hoped to make it to Sterling before the storm. He said we had about 45 minutes before the storm would hit, but he'd be glad to offer us a ride. We could not say yes fast enough! He was a cattle farmer an had been transporting water to his cows in a big tub on his trailer, so we put our bikes in the now empty tub and piled into the cab of his truck. We were so happy to have a ride because the lightening was like nothing I've ever seen. It went horizontal across the sky! Well, he got us to Sterling safe and sound and we hurried to set our tent before the rain came- it was already very windy and sprinkling. As soon as we got the tent up and were about to put the rain fly on, a man drove up and said since a bad storm was coming, he could offer us a house to stay in. He was renovating a second home just around the corner, and it had no furniture but it is air conditioned and out of the storm. Again, we could not say yes fast enough! We quickly got the tent down and rode over to Terry's house. He is a farmer with ten acres down the road and grows organic fruits and veggies. It was so amazing of him to let us stay in his house! The kitchen was torn out, so we just ate bread with avocado for dinner but we couldn't have been happier to be watching the storm from a cool, dry place. We set up our sleeping bags and pads on the newly installed hard wood floor in the living room and we were out for the night!

Today was just another example of the kindness of strangers, and we are so grateful for both men who helped us out tremendously. Now we hope for rain for both of our new Kansas farmer friends!

Location:W Main St,Sterling,United States

Day 30

Saturday, August 6

Miles today: 48

We got up as soon as it was light enough to safely ride outside, and were treated to a beautiful sunrise view

We ate the last of our food (granola bars, bagels, and peanut butter) and set on our way, excited to get to Wichita! After just a few miles, we saw lightening and it started to rain so we decided we should wait it out at a nearby cafe that was just a mile off our road. It was really perfect timing because we could both use some coffee! (Of course, we had no idea that this cafe was here so it was very lucky!) When we got there, we saw three airplanes parked in the grass next to the cafe (which was also a hotel) and a sign that said "Aircraft Parking". When we got inside, we found out that this place, The Beaumont Hotel, has a grass landing strip and people from the area fly their planes in to hang out at the cafe. The hotel has been around since the 1800s but the landing strip was added in the 50s, when business men wanted to be able to fly into the town for work. It is located in the Flint Hills, which is an extremely lush area of Kansas, so many farmers bring their cattle here for the spring and summer instead of sending them to a feeding lot to fatten up. So the owner of the hotel, who was also into flying put in the landing strip and it has been a airplane hotspot ever since.

So we had our coffee, and were about to head out because the rain had stopped when one of the guys in the shop offered Ben a ride in the plane. Another guy offered me a ride but I refused, because I'm a chicken and if course I regret it now. But Ben accepted, and off they went!

He is up there! Flying over the wind farm

The airplane just taxis down the road to the strip. Ever seen an airplane driving down the road and stop at a stop sign?

Ben loved the experience, he said the view up there was just unreal and it was awesome how he could just out his hand out the window an feel the air. Now he wants a plane of his own! The pilots of these planes were really great people, and one of them was 88, and had served as a pilot in WW2 and Korea. The younger guys truly admired him and said he was still an excellent pilot. This was his plane- made in the 40s

 After we left Beaumont, which is also home to the largest wooden water tower in Kansas (what, not as exciting as airplanes?) we had an easy ride into Wichita.

I had one flat tire, which Ben so kindly fixed for me (I also had one the day before so I was not happy!). We checked into our hotel, which is really awesome. It used to be a warehouse for cutting machinery, called Keen Kutter and was built in the 1800s but it was gutted in 1999 and made into this gorgeous hotel.

 We took showers, and changed into civilian clothes, which felt incredible. Then we set out to explore the town. We visited a few museums (museum of transportation, museum of world artifacts) and walked down to the Arkansas River, which is pronounced Ar-Kansas by the people of Kansas. The river is normally a big river but it was almost completely dried up due to heat and draught, which is extremely rare for the river to be so low

 We went into a hat shop and did the only thing to do in hat shops, try on silly hats.

We happened upon an awesome bike shop where we bought insulated water bottles, which will hopefully keep our water colder for longer. There is nothing less thirst-quenching than hot water. The bikeshop's cat looked just like my grandparents' cat, Girlfriend!

We asked a local for a recommendation for dinner and he suggested the brewery directly across from our hotel so we went there and had an absolutely delicious dinner. I had the salmon with rice, asparagus, and green beans- yum!! Ben had a steak with mashed potatoes and green beans and he was extremely pleased with his meal as well. He also got the beer sampler since he couldn't choose just one

After dinner, we hung out in the atrium of the hotel and played cards while the pianist played music for us. We did laundry and went out for gelato, and then called it a night! It was an awesome day for us, we really needed a little time off the bikes to relax and have fun. And that we did!

Location:E 1st St N,Wichita,United States

Day 29

Friday, August 5

Miles today: 64


This morning we made a last minute decision to deviate off route so that we could go to Wichita. Many other cyclists have told us that there is nothing going on in Kansas- it is just flat and hot and boring. So we thought that we would try to make Kansas more interesting by going to the biggest city. The thing about Kansas is that all the roads are designed like a grid so there is no way to save mileage with different routes. We are heading northwest into Colorado but if we go west first and then north it is just the same as going north first and then west, so we decided to go for it. Wichita is 110 miles away, so we knew we might not make it the whole way in one day. Well, we went the first 50 miles with no gas station, convenience store, or anywhere to get water. Even though we carry a lot of extra water, it gets hot so we were so happy to get to that gas station and drink cold water, have lunch and enjoy the AC. After our break, we got back out on the road and we knew there wasn't another gas station for 40 miles (there is absolutely nothing in between towns here, except for farms).

It had gotten so much hotter outside that we could not drink enough to stay hydrated- our mouths were so dry and we just could not go very fast at all. We made it about 15 more miles, and came across a rest area- it was like a beautiful oasis in the desert. We drank the cold water and sat in the air conditioned bathroom lobby. We got to talking to the cleaning lady and she said that many bikers had stayed there overnight and that it was safe, so we decided to stay! We set up our tent the grass, cooked a great dinner of pasta, pinto beans, lemon and spices and ate like homeless people on the floor inside the rest area.

We've stopped being embarrassed by things like this for a while. We just laughed when people came in the bathroom and give us weird looks.

We booked a hotel in Old city, Wichita, which was suggested to us by the regular coffee drinkers at Mcdonalds (they brought their own McD mugs for their coffee everyday!). It's supposed to be an awesome place, so we are excited! Only 45 more miles so we'll get there early an have time to enjoy the city.

Location:SE 116th Terrace,,United States

Day 28: Flat is not truly flat

Thursday august 4th

Mi today: 98
golden city, MO--> chanute, KS

Today we woke up at 430 am and everything was packed up by 515a so it would be nice and cool for a large(r) portion of our ride today. Right as we were about to leave it started thunder-storming so we ended up taking a nap on the church's gym floor while we waited out the storm. It was concrete but I passed out real quick. I'm just a tired mess for the first 2 hrs of the day. But as the miles pile on for the day and I start to wake up it really feels great to be on the road. I'm glad that Jen has the patience to get me up she really is the reason why we get going. The first 33 miles from Golden City to Pittsburgh, KS was flat in general but not like what was explained to us. We heard words like "board, pancake, and tabletop" which was not exactly true. There are still hills, long slow inclines which knock down our speed of 16-19 miles an hour to 7-10 miles an hour. You win some you lose some. In Pittsburgh I got my wheel trued up at this bike store called Tailwinds Bike Shop, which hopefully is a foreshadowing for a ride in the great state of Kansas. We had about 3 hrs to kill while the bike was being worked on, so we got lunch and Starbucks. I gotta say Arby's is by far the best fast food gig. Mozz sticks are killer as well as the turkey sandwiches not to mention the wide assortment of sauces. Three pepper sauce and this horseradish mayo were great. Eating on this trip may be one of my favorite things to do. I just have no thought about how bad for you the food is because it just doesn't matter when you are biking for so long day in day out. It's just great getting to eat like some kids I know who just can't put on weight even though they eat horribly. We left Pittsburgh under an overcast sky which kept the temp lower than what we have had for the past few days. Pretty cool stuff. We rode all the way to Chunute, KS with minimal stops. Got into town around 9pm. The Chinese food we got was sub-par but we got a motel which was cheap and above average for it's lowish price. Again you win some and lose some. Off to bed now for yet another early rise. Soon the elevation will allow us to get up later due to lower daily highs. Pumped for that.
A few pix below.

Hi Kansas, how do you do?

Two bike stay up on their own. How???...called the classic bike lean. Invented in 2011.

Not the best pic but a nice sunset in eastern Kansas

End of week #4! 1470 total miles so far

Location:S Santa Fe Ave,Chanute,United States

Day 27

Wednesday, August 3

Miles today: 72

Today was another great day. We woke up at 5:20- twenty minutes late because we didn't hear the alarm over the sweet hum of the air conditioner. We had our free Continental breakfast, which was actually really good- coffee, bagels, English muffins, yogurt, juice, bananas- and then we hit the road at about 6:50 am and it was already hot out! We had fun riding in the hills for about 30 miles before it got too bad outside. We started this game where we go into the hardest gear on the downhill and pedal as hard as possible and see how far we can get up the next hill. Sometimes we get enough speed that we can just coast up the hill and that is how you win the game! This hill was awesome to ride down and if I remember correctly, i think we both won on the uphill! (the picture is from the "bottom" of the hill, looking backwards)

We had a nice break before noon and then had about 20 miles until our next town. By the time we rolled into Greenfield at about 2pm we were both completely wiped out and unbearably hot. We went into the first gas station and stood directly in front of the fan for a good while to cool down. We still had 15 miles left in the day, but we were so tired from the constant hills that we knew we couldn't go back out in the heat without a long rest first. Luckily, we got to talking to this little girl who told us that there is a public pool in town and it only costs $1 per person! We didn't need to hear anymore- we were sold! We rode over to the pool and spent 3 hours enjoying the cooloff. It was just what we needed! Ben even joined in on a game of water-baseball with the local 7th graders

We left Greenfield around 5pm and all of a sudden the hills disappeared! One minute they were everywhere, the next it's completely flat! We had an awesome, fast rest of the ride and we went directly to Cooky's Cafe, which was recommended by other bikers and the lifeguards at the pool. We were certainly not disappointed at all and stuffed ourselves with deliciousness. I got chicken breast, greenbeans, salad, and French fries and Ben got beef brisket with beets, salad and French fries. We finished it off with Cooky's famous homemade pie- strawberry rhubarb for me and blackberry for ben. Along with 2 soft drinks, the total was $20.15. It was a steal if you ask me.

On top of an excellent dinner, the manager of the restaurant heard us ask if there was a motel in town (no, nothing for 15 miles so we would be camping in the park, with a low temp of 85 tonight) and he took it upon himself to call the church in town to see if we could stay there. We were so grateful both to the manager and the minister who allowed us to stay in his beautiful and air conditioned church! As it turns out, the minister's wife lived in North Kingstown, RI in the 60s for 2 years! What a small world! Although, she did pronounce it "north kings-ton" so I know she didn't stay very long.

We are headed into Kansas tomorrow! I am looking forward to the flat land but am wary of the winds that could either be our best friend or worst enemy, depending on direction. It'll be another hot one tomorrow so we'll continue our efforts to get up early, even though it's never as early as we plan. We'll also continue our efforts to find air conditioned sleeping arrangements! I'll miss Missouri and its kind folk... We only slept outside once in the whole week were we here! Lets hope we can keep up the trend, or better yet, a cold front comes in.

It looks like the heat really took it out of Ben today

I guess pajamas are too much of a luxury for those who are nuts enough to ride their bikes for 7 hours a day in the dead of summer!

Location:Alley Rd,Golden City,United States

Day 26

Tuesday, August 2

Miles today: 68

Today was hotter than hot. The high was 108- a record for this area for the highest temp in 25 years! Pedaling on that pavement makes it feel even worse too. Neither Ben or I have ever experienced such extreme heat! After we stopped for lunch, we had 25 miles until the next town so we stocked up on water and Gatorade (two full water bottles each, one 32 oz Gatorade and two liters of water) and we couldn't drink it fast enough! The sweat was just pouring off of us and it was pretty miserable out for the hour or so after lunch. A construction worker gave us each a cold bottle of water, which was awesome because our water gets really hot really quickly. In fact, it was so hot that our tin of bag balm completely liquified in Ben's bag and coated everything in a nasty goo

Ew.

Here is a picture of one of our many beautiful views his morning to compensate for the above nastiness:

Once we got to Marshfield around 6pm, we just could not go on for the last 15 miles as planned. It was still 105 degrees and we were just too hot and exhausted from lack of sleep last night- it never really cooled down so sleeping in the tent was no fun! We saw the Holiday Inn across the street and checked in. We jumped in the pool and then cooked dinner (pasta and beans). We are planning on leaving super early tomorrow because this is what we are headed towards in Kansas:

Ew.

Location:Banning St,Marshfield,United States

Day 25

Monday, August 1

Miles today: 74

We got up and out of the house by 6:20- a new record for us! It was a cool 75 degrees and felt awesome as we started into the Ozarks. The mountains were tough! Extremely steep hills that were pretty short but they just kept coming, one after another. At first I was pumped and felt ready to take them on, but after hours of climbing up and flying down, it was hard to stay mentally focused. We took a break at Alley Spring, another blue spring that was not quite as beautiful as the one went to yesterday, but still gorgeous.


We hung out at the spring for a while because the water was extremely cold and it was like natural air conditioning to sit next to it! Ben had been having a problem with his front tire and he had to change he tube. It didn't really work because the tire has a bump in it- we have no idea how that happened.

We spent about 40 miles in the toughest hills and then it got less steep and a little more relaxing for be rest of the day. It was over 100 degrees so it was never really "relaxing" but better than the first half if the ride! Ben got a flat tire (even with the puncture-proof tires!) that we tried to patch but the patch didn't really hold. We were about 10 miles from town so we didn't feel like repairing it, and just kept pumping it up every few miles. We stopped at walmart to pick up some food, new cell phone charger (Ben's disappeared) and some new tubes. Then we went to subway for dinner and headed over to the city park, our home for the evening. We both took freezing cold showers to cool down and now we are exhausted from such a long day! The hills slowed us down so much and tired us out! I think we are out of the mountains now and are riding towards flat Kansas, so tomorrow's ride will be easier. And hopefully no as hot!

Location:Bryan St,Houston,United States