Day 24 113 miles Eads Co. to Pueblo Co.

golden wheatfields at dawn

super sunrise

is anyone out there

SWEEEEET!

first glimpse of the Rockies

In anticipation of another sweltering hot, windy day of cycling I got up extra early to beat the heat and arrive at my next 62 mile destination before it got extremely hot. I could not have been more wrong. At 5 a.m. the temps were right around 70. A little cooler than it had been. I set off only to be greeted with a TAIL WIND and level to slightly downhill roads. It also stayed very comfortable temperature wise. I made my 62 mile destination by 10:30 a.m. I forged of to the following nights stop point in Pueblo, easily arriving by 4 p.m. Now the bad news. Mechanical problems with the bike. My only saving grace is that this happened only 200 yards from my hotel and in a town of 100k people, the largest town to date. The problem is that the bike will not coast. The pedals are always engaged. I spoke to a local bike shop owner. It was too late in the day to do anything tonight. I hired a service to transport me and all my gear to the bike shop 1st thing in the morning for hopefully a quick repair. I   wonder if this is someones way of telling me to take a half day off.????????????

Day 23 58 miles Tribune Ks. to Eads Co.

cool sign

looks like a transformer

Colorado welcoming comittee

Another short riding day due to some of the same factors. This is not even small town U.S.A. This is tiny town U.S.A. The towns, some consisting of a post office and a population of about 75, are spaced about 24 miles apart. Every 3rd town has enough of a population to warrant even the simplest motels, a gas station, diner, and convenience store. If a cyclist does not have enough strength to complete a 120 to 130 mile day in 102 degree heat , a constant wind and a steady uphill these short days will have to do.  I had a chance to talk with 2 cyclist who were cycling west to east the same route as I. They assured my that once into the Rockies the days improve greatly. Stunning scenery, only moderate climbing and actual downhill riding. The wind seems to be the biggest culprit as of late. It just never slows down or changes direction. I am in Colorado, about 110 miles from Pueblo, which sits at the base of the Rockies.

Day 22 71 miles Dighton Ks. To Tribune Ks.

cool temps at 7 a.m.

yummy

wind power

what is up with this

A somewhat short day of cycling due to several things. An air-conditioner at the motel room that could double as a jet engine, continued heat wave, continued side winds, and a slow steady uphill rise throughout the entire state of Kansas leading into Colorado. I have passed into mountain time and tomorrow I will cross the state line into Co. I was really looking forward to getting into Kansas, now I can't wait to finish up with it. The scenery has not changed at all. Corn fields, cows, corn fields,cows   repeat. Bring on the Rockies.

Day 21 91 miles Larned Ks. to Dighton Ks.

any history buffs out there

are these haybales for us or did pa bale them

Marketta

strait ,flat, hot and windy (Kansas)

Another incredible hot and windy day in South Kansas. A part of me says slow down and ride smart, avoiding the hottest parts of the day. Another part of me says forge ahead and get into the higher and cooler elevations of the rockies. One option may be to start well before dawn, before the winds and heat kick in. We will see what tomorrow brings. I met 2 angels today. Following the directives of my maps there was suppose to be a food stop 30 miles into the days ride. There was none. When I inquired as to its where the store was Miss Marketta Randolph(angel one) offered to fill my water bottles with ice and water. I readily accepted. Since the next town was only 12 miles away i thought that i would be O.K.. Upon realizing that the next towns convenience stores were closed on Sunday, Curtis (angel two) filled my cooler with ice , gatorade, and water bottles. I don't know what i would have done without these fine folks. Some brighter news. I have now completed 1/2 of the journey. A little over 1900 mile in 21 days. I don't feel as if i am trying to race. I really just want to get done. I have spoken with several riders along the way who are doing maybe 1/2 my daily average. They are camping every night, cooking meals, setting up camp and all that. I still cannot imagine camping when the night time temps do not go below 80. To each there own.

Day 20 108 miles Newton Ks. to Larned Ks.

fields of sunflowers

tin man mailbox (Kansas)

cooler on bike

everybody in the pool

Another super scorcher of a day. This is one aspect of this trip that I have no control over at all. The locals tell me that this is the worst heat wave that they can recall. A typical July day would be 90. It was 106 when I pulled up to my hotel today. I stopped at a "Kwik Stop" to pick up a cooler with ice to carry extra drinks with me as the convenience stores are sometimes placed too far apart. This seemed to work well. I had to laugh when my neighbor Jim Taylor asked me where the cooler is going to fit. Well there it is. Although it is not filled with beer. Maybe when i get home.

Day 19 Chanute Ks. to Newton Ks. 134.5 miles

moon setting

sun rising

shadow shot

No this is not a typo.       "Team Little Man Domenic" roared through Southern Kansas today. All flat and hot,hot,hot. Got a good early start. As you can see i started the ride in moonlight. The heat did not really become an issue until about noon, but I had already ridden 90 miles so I decided to go for it. The only other choice was a campground at 100 miles that claimed to have lodging. I did not want to take that chance. The nights here do not seem to cool off very much. It is still 78 to 83 degrees at 6 a.m. The farmers are dying out here. Very little rain and very hot temps. The corn fields are starting to look brown. One can also hear the dried stalks rustling against each other. The locals accent has also changed, not as much of that southern drawl.

Day 18 107 miles Greenfield Mo. to Chanute Ks.

only the shadow knows

horay

a bailer ready to drop one

Another strong day of cycling. Finally into Kansas. Flat Flat Flat. Nice to not have to climb all day. Really was  able to push up the speed as well. Finished the day at 2:30 in the afternoon. Good chance to rest. Still a lot of miles but not nearly the amount of exertion as in previous days. Looking forward to the next few days of flat rides before the Rockies start. Thats right, i'll be in the Rockies by later next week. This coming Sunday will mark the half way point. Almost hard to believe." Team  Little Man Domenic" is rolling through The U.S of A.