Day 44 - July 17, 2013 - Hutchinson, KS to Larned, KS

Mileage - about 84

Total miles - 1178.1

We were more than ready to escape Hutchinson this morning, and were greeted with overcast skies and fairly cool weather for the first part of our trip.  We knew that after the small town of Nickerson, we would have a long stretch of 58 miles with no services, so we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of deli sandwiches for lunch, and we headed out.

We got to Nickerson fairly early in the day, stopped at their grocery store to use the restroom facilities and pick up a couple of Powerades, then heard someone calling to us from across the street.  It was a really nice lady, telling us that she and her husband are the unofficial greeters to Nickerson for cyclists - they have hosted over 1,00 cyclists in their guest house since the inception of the TransAm in 1976.  She said if we needed a place to stay, or even a day off, we were certainly welcome to it!  Seeing as we just had a day off, we had to pass, but such an amazing offer!  She told us an accountant joke, since we both work with numbers, then left us to our ride.

Not all that long after we left Nickerson, we saw someone in an oncoming SUV waving us down - it was Trisha V. from the againtoday.com (Brandi Carlile forum, for the uninitiated!) message board, who we had been talking through Facebook with about trying to meet up!  She wanted to host us, but was heading out for a family vacation for a few days, but still managed to track us down and bring us a couple of ice cold Gatorades!  Thanks so much Trisha, it was great to meet you - I only wish I had thought to take a photo of the three of us together!

We pedaled on.  When they say no services for 58 miles, they aren't kidding. There was barely a house for 58 miles.  Luckily we had a lot of water, and had packed our lunch!  After Trisha tracked us down, it wasn't too long before we saw another cyclist on the road ahead.  We caught up, then spent a little time talking to him - later finding out his name is Rick.  He's with a group of people that are a traveling Christian ministry.  His friend had a dream about them being on the West Coast, so they took off on bikes from Nee York- they do have a sag wagon as well.  There were about 7 of them who took turns riding and driving, 3 women I think and 4 men.  And a larger group of about 10 more that had gone ahead to a town further west.  

We needed to stop for lunch, so we let Rick ride on, while we stopped at a simple"T" in the road, sat on the pavement, and ate our sandwiches and granola bars.  Life on the road is so very glamorous!

We passed a nature preserve after that, one side for public hunting, one side with no hunting allowed.  There are also a ton of oil derricks in the fields in Kansas - probably bringing in more money than the crops or animals that the farmers also raise on their land.

We (read: usually me (Erica)) have such an issue with the last 10 or so miles or most every day...they are the most difficult, no matter how many we have done before them.  I took a million breaks, and did my fair share of whining I'm sure furing those last 10 miles!  To be fair, it was our longest day ever, and it was pretty hot in flat ol' Kansas.  

We pulled in to Larned pretty early given all the miles we did - it was before 5:00.  We grabbed a much needed dinner at Wendy's (see - fancy and glamour abounds on this journey!), then set out to find the city park. After walking up a hill - yes, in Kansas - someone graciously gave us directions.  We found that the traveling ministry folks were already set up there, and we called the police to check in.  Little did we know that we had to actually go to the police station to fill out a form for a free camping permit to stay in the park.  We were exhausted, but rode the mile or so to the police station.  The lady at the station had given me directions that included backtracking up the hill we had just come down - luckily I am smarter than the average bear and found a way there involving no climbing.

This permit was serious business - they had a form with your name and address, including those of all people in your party, and she took my ID and ran it through some database I think.  Crazy, considering that while we had been at the park the first time, we had witnessed a man screaming obscenities on the phone in his front yard about his kids lying to him, and some police activity at a hour about 4 doors down from that where a man had assaulted his estranged wife and her mother, according to a guy we assume is the town busy-body who stopped in his truck to chat for WAY too long as soon as we pulled in to the park.  We were actually wondering about the safety of the neighborhood around the park, but at least we had the ministry folks to keep us company!

I took a lovely bathing-suit shower at the city pool in one of those big rooms with shower heads on the wall (no privacy at all!), the went to the grocery store for some drinks, and our new favorite dessert - little refrigerated cups of ruby red grapefruit.  Delicious little things!  

A short while later, one of the police officers stopped by to tell us that we might consider moving our tent - we were fairly close to the street, which was on the "cruising" path for the locals until about midnight.  He also said that the local teens and stoners play basketball until late at night at the courts nearby - last year the skate park was their hangout.  Where are we?!?  So we drug our tent back further in the park, but still managed to be close enough to another cruising road where we were yelled at by some hillbilly with nothing better to do - something about going back to hell, but the first part of his insult was unintelligible...go figure.

We relaxed by the duck pond, near the fancy park fountain, and got in our tent before dark.  We soon passed out, even though it was super hot in the tent.  The police officer knew his stuff - we were awoken around 12:30 by the sound of basketball being loudly played nearby.  Guess the police officer knew what he was talking about!  You would think that after such an in-depth camping permit process, they might actually patrol the park and make sure the teenagers and stoners actually went home at a decent hour, but they sure don't!  Rough night of sleep, but we survived.

Day 43 - July 16, 2013 - Hutchinson, KS Weather Day

Weathermen (incorrectly) predicted thunderstorms today, so we had another day off.  It was plenty boring, with the only highlight being taking a swim at the hotel pool, which was formerly a water park (and playing some really bad water basketball).  They had apparently decommissioned the coolest parts of the water park - water slides and a lazy river - boo!

We played it cheap and took some of the hotel breakfast back to our room and saved it for lunch (don't worry, just bagels and fruit, no scrambled eggs or anything!).  Caught up on blogging, grabbed Mexican food for dinner, and stocked up on drinks at the convenience store.  A blast and a half, I tell ya.

Day 42 - July 15, 2013 - Wichita, KS to Hutchinson, KS

Miles - about 60

We enjoyed having some time off, but we were ready to get back on the trail. We headed out of Wichita in the morning, with little traffic and we even got to ride on a city bike path for a few miles. 

Pretty soon, we were out of the city and on those back country roads we have become so familiar with. We also were thrilled to be riding at speeds we had not been able to ride in for quite some time, thanks to the beautifully flat terrain of Kansas! 

We stopped into a gas station in a small community called Arvada to pick up some snacks (it actually had a salad bar too!  more than the usual fried fare here!) and after heading out, a group of about 5 or 6 boys, around 12 or 13 years old were riding their bikes along with us, asking about our trip. When we told them how far we had come and where we were headed to, one of them said "holy crap!" It made us laugh as we rode along. They soon had to turn around to head back to town. 

Not long after that, the rain started and we decided to stop in the town of Mount Hope to let the rain blow over. After the rain slowed down, I went into city hall to use their restroom and was greeted by Officer Wayne and Leslie. Before long, I was telling them all about our trip and the Looking Out Foundation. Erica started to get worried about me since I was there for quite a while. Leslie, the Assistant City Clerk, also writes for the local paper and did a quick interview with me about our trip and took a photo of Erica and I. So, check out the Mount Hope newspaper next week! These friendly folks also gave Erica and I some directions to get to our destination that would keep us off the busier roads in the area. I was so moved by their kindness...it's a cool thing to meet folks like this who are willing to take the time to help you. Also, while in city hall, a young man came in and asked if anyone had called about his missing brown chicken...ahhh, small town America! 

We got on the road, following the directions that we had been given and were having a blast on quiet, flat, Kansas roads. Then, torrential rain hit us again. This time, it completely soaked us and all we could do was laugh. We seem to have some magical rain ability to make rain appear as if from nowhere. We decided to call it a day when we got to Hutchinson. We may have been soaked, but we managed to get in about 60 miles. Nothing like torrential rain to welcome us back to the trail! But we didn't mind, because after all, we weren't struggling up mountains for the first time in a long time!

Days 36-41 - July 9 - 14, 2013

We are combining our week off into one post! 

July 9th - Since we love the National Park System, we decided to drive from Springfield, MO to Diamond, MO to visit the George Washington Carver National Monument. It was a fascinating exhibit that told their story of one of our most amazing innovators. 

July 10th - We took off from Springfield to Fort Scott, Kansas. Fort Scott is a really cool little town with amazing history. The sun was brutal on this day, but we walked all around that fort because it was an incredible look into history. We then drove to Chanute in a hurried effort to try to get to the post office to pick up Erica's shipment of Sheps (the missing little pig mascot),but thanks to a lot of road construction, we did not make it to the post office before it closed. We then got back on the highway and headed for Kansas City. 

July 11th - We crossed the border back into Missouri for a stop in Independence to see the Harry Truman Home and presidential library and museum. The Truman home was amazing...it was touching to hear about how much Harry Truman and his wife loved the home and how they longed to return to their normal lives after his time in office.  We also found a bike shop, and Erica got a new pair of bike shorts, as she sent two other pairs home after discovering they are very uncomfortable on long rides!

Later that evening, we caught up with our pals, Lisa , Erin, and Meredith and new pal Jen to have dinner and drinks back in Kansas City at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium before heading to see Brandi Carlile at The Crossroads. We actually saw a lot of our friends at this show and got to meet some folks who have been so supportive of our trip. Brandi and the band played a great show...their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" just keeps getting better!

July 12th - On this day, we made the long road trip to Denver. We made a quick stop in Topeka to see the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The site is amazing, set in an old school. There were a number of school groups there and it was so cool to see them engaging in learning about this part of our history. Then it was then on to Denver. When we rolled into town, we had dinner with our fellow road tripping pals at the Breckenridge Brewery. 

July 13th - Red Rocks day arrived at last! Erica and I didn't really have any plans for the day, so we drove to Arvada and picked up a cooler and some drinks to take to the show, then we ended up going to Golden and up to Lookout Mountain to Buffalo Bill's gravesite and museum. 

Pretty soon, it was time to head to the venue. We met up with more friends who were tailgating in the parking lot, but then a nasty storm rolled into the area and dropped a ridiculous amount of rain on us. We weren't sure they were going to be able to have the show, but soon the rain slowed down and after a small delay, we got into the venue and were ready for an epic show. Brandi and the band owned that place that night and played their best show to date. It was an incredible night of music. 

July 14th - We headed east back out of Denver and headed to Wichita to return our car and get ourselves back to a decent point to pick up the trail.

Day 35 - July 8, 2013 - Eminence, MO to Winona, MO (and Springfield, MO)

Mileage - 12 by bike, 100 or so by car

I woke up feeling like I'd been run over this morning.  It was the same illness that I got early in the trip - sinus pain and congestion, sore throat, and I was exhausted.  We loaded up the bikes to get ready to leave, and I was already worn out and had to sit down on a bench outside the hotel.  This was not going to be a good day...

We did some research, and found that Enterprise would come pick is up about 30 miles away from Eminence.  30 miles of steep rolling hills...sounded miserable to do when sick, but we didn't have many more options!

We started out, and it was pretty hot and humid already.  I was really struggling, and by about 7 miles in, I was having to walk up even the smallest of inclines.  This was going to be a long day.  It took us 2 hours to go the 12 miles to Winona, MO...

That was where we happened to roll by a hardware store that also rented u-hauls...the wheels in our heads started turning, and we stopped in to see how much it would be to rent one to get us to the town that Enterprise would pick us up in.  It was a family owned store, and it just so happened that the daughter of the owners lived out by where we needed to be, and she offered to drop us off, and she drove a pickup so our bikes would fit!  Nice people are so amazing!

So she drove us the last 20 miles of our day, we waited probably 3 hours until Enterprise had someone free who could come pick us up, we filled out paperwork on the rental, and drove a couple of hours to Springfield, MO, where we would pick up our next rental car to drive to Denver.  After some dinner at Mel's favorite place, Chipotle, across the street from the very first Steak and Shake, we requested our complimentary goldfish from the front desk of our hotel, and turned in.

Day 34 - July 7, 2013 - Eminence, MO

After waking up and eating a couple of protein bars, we started getting ready for the day. We left our little hotel room at the Eminence Canoe, Cottages, and Camping and started packing up our bikes to leave. It may have been early in the morning, but the humidity was already out in full force, and we were drenched in sweat before we even got on the bikes. 

We had been discussing plans the night before about how to get to a rental car facility so we could drive to Denver for Brandi's show at Red Rocks.  We sat outside and spent more time making plans to get to a rental car...and we realized we would only have to ride to a neighboring town to get within range for the rental car company to pick us up. This news took a huge weight off of our shoulders and allowed us to take an actual rest day, not a forced rest day due to weather. And since we happened to be at a resort offering canoe trips, we decided to try our hand at kayaking. Oh, and we just have to say that if you ever find yourself in Eminence, you should stay at this resort. It's really nice and the people who own it are super kind and they have the sweetest dogs that hang out in the resort office. 

We went back to our room and got ready for kayaking fun! Since we weren't totally prepared for our 4 hour kayak adventure, the owner kindly took us to the nearest gas station that offers food "River Ready" (aka sandwiches in ziplock bags) for folks. Pretty soon, we were on the river in our bright orange tandem kayak, ready to kick back and maybe even out some of our horrible tan lines. 

The Jack Forks river is beautiful. The clear water is cool and stays the same temperature almost year around since the river is spring fed. We enjoyed the calm water and being able to see all kinds of fish in the river and all of the river turtles perched on the logs, enjoying the sun. Our 4 hour river trip went by way too fast, but we had such a great time. A day of rest was exactly what we needed. 

We ended the day with a pizza and salad dinner, and fell asleep watching "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel. 

Day 33 - July 6, 2013 - Centerville, MO to Eminence, MO

Mileage - 48

Oh boy...the elevation map for today's ride looked positively horrifying!  It got chilly overnight, and the super high humidity doesn't help, and when I'm cold (Erica), the last thing I'm ready to do in the morning is crawl out of my warm sleep sack and pack up camp!  So I drug my feet, then we grabbed breakfast, and finally got on the road.

We had a long climb out of Centerville, but we took it in stride and made it to the top of the first big hill.  My route mapping app showed a different (and more level route), so we turned off route to give the alternative a shot and try to make our day  a little more bearable.

Well...I need to learn my lesson with that app.  We rode at least a couple of miles down this alternate path, and found the county road the app suggested we turn down next.  Annnnnd...it was gravel...again.  We can handle a little bit of a gravel road, but the app wanted us to stay on it for over 30 miles.  In the middle of nowhere.  With no cell service.

So the first bummer of the day was that  we had to backtrack to the original route.  We had wasted some time, but were still in high spirits, since it was early in the day.  We stayed on a fairly major state road for a while, with a shoulder, and even though it was hilly, it was manageable.

We got to the town of Ellington around noon, and it had been a tough day already.  We were tempted to cut the day short and tackle the really tough part the next day, but we needed to keep on schedule to make it to where we needed to be in order to get ourselves to the Brandi Carlile concert at Red Rocks Ampitheater on July13th.  So we ate a lunch of pizza in a really great little place called Saso's.  The food was great, and we chatted with the lady who owned the place about our trip.  She had lived in Oregon, not far from where we will end our journey, and in California, not far from where I grew up.

After Mel finally pulled me away from the quarter-pushing machine (whatever those thing are with the arms that push quarters off the ledge - in Missouri they actually return the quarters to you if you win.  Super addicting, and a waste of money!), we headed off into the great unknown...

The first few miles weren't bad, and we started to let our guard down a bit.  Then Missouri struck back...

The hills got very, very steep.  With little downhill involved.  And they just kept coming.  I think we decided that Virginia and Kentucky had a love-child and named it Missouri.  The hills has the incline of the mountains in Virginia, but with the rolling qualities of the Kentucky hills that don't give you any momentum on the downhill to get up the next hill!

We walked up a zillion hills.  And it was hot.  At one point, I had a bit of an emotional breakdown and actually cried. And I don't cry about anything!  If I could have quit and teleported home in that moment, I would have done so without hesitation.  

We wanted the comfort of a real bed after a day like this, and when we got within 7 miles of Eminence, we finally got cell service back.  We called every place on the map, but only found one room available.  The combination of the holiday weekend, a horse event called "Trail Days" in town for the weekend, and Eminence's main industry of river-floating tourism meant everything was packed!

To make matters worse, the lady at the place we were staying told us that we would have another half mile uphill to pedal once we got to town to make it to the hotel.  If the drivers in Missouri hadn't been so generally rude, we would have thumbed a ride!

We finally made it, and ordered some calzones from the one place in town that delivered food, and crashed.  This day had put us through the ringer - emotionally, mentally, and physically!

I only managed to take the two pictures today, both because the day was awful, and because my phone was low on battery because it spent all day searching for service.  I wish I had pictures of the following things we spotted though:

1.  There was a horse crossing sign in the Ozark Scenic Riverways park.  It was just the usual yellow sign, with a silhouette of a horse on it, but someone had added a horn to the horse so it looked like a unicorn.  To this creative person - thank you for the laugh on a craptastic day!

2.  We saw a ton of pickups with lift kits, loud mufflers, and crappy vinyl pictures/lettering on them in Missouri.  Today, one hillbilly who happened to pass us a couple of times had the following on his rear window (exact spelling):  "If my truck's too loud, your too old".  Wonder how much that genius paid for that one!

3.  A man, wearing only camouflage shorts, complete with suspenders, but no shirt or shoes, wandering down a back country road.  He sees us coming, and takes off running through gravel toward what I hope was his house.  Classic...