Author: jeffjinn

I put Golden City in my rear view mirror early and headed into a day of climbing and descending rollercoaster hills. I had been warned, but it was tougher than I anticipated. You basically use two gears – your lowest and your highest. It’s beautiful though – hilly farmland and woods with houses interspersed. Drivers have been polite, as the curvy roads and hills mean they often have to wait to pass me. No road rage so far! Around lunchtime I rode into Ash Grove and was pleased to find Mama Loca’s Cafe and Cantina open for business. It is a comfy and spacious cafe – the lunch special, tortilla soup and chicken quesadilla hit the spot. I met the chef/owner Dolores and her husband (forgot to get his name), who was tending bar. We had a pleasant conversation about cycling, Missouri, and the challenges of operating a restaurant. Nice folks!

Then I was off. I had hoped to make it to Marshfield where I would get a hotel, but the topography (ie – &%$#@ hills) and the fact that it is getting dark earlier changed my plans. I arrived in Fairgrove late in the afternoon and went to seek out the Fairgrove Historical Society, where the word was I could camp. It was a large grassy area with lots of picnic tables right off of Main Street where there was a big pavilion, a museum and a central building. There was a farmers market just wrapping up as I pulled in – I picked up some fresh bread and cookies and the nice guy also threw in some apples for me. One of the vendors was also part of the historical society and she gave me the thumbs up to camp. She also left the men’s restroom open, where there was…..drumroll…..a hot shower! Yes! Definitely one of the best and most needed showers that I have taken in a long time. I set up my tent in a secluded part of the park away from the road and then set off to check out the Historic Main Street to see what was happening. I wasn’t too hungry after my Mama Loca lunch, but maybe something light. There was a coffee shop that was closed and two restaurants selling pizza one right across the street from the other. Don’t know about that business plan…. It was 7:15 and both restaurants closed at 7:30. Hmm. Well, I wasn’t in the mood for pizza anyway. Yeah, Main Street was not happening. I had noticed a Subway up on the highway, so I picked up a sub, got a beer from the convenience store and made it back to my tent just as a light rain started. I settled in and finished the western novel (not really my genre it turns out) – but a good light read.

It was a chilly morning in Girard! I was not motivated to cook breakfast, so I packed up quickly and then made a beeline to the closest open restaurant – The Hiway House. This was an old-school diner, with beat up furniture, plywood walls and lots of guys in overalls. No complaints though – the coffee was hot, people were friendly, and I got fueled up for the day for only $6.74. Now that is a deal!

Then I was off to the public library to use their wifi and get my blog caught up. With all the messing around, it was around 11am before I actually pedaled out of town! A late start. Within an hour or so I passed through Pittsburgh, Kansas and then crossed the border into Missouri! I can’t prove it, however, because there was no sign welcoming me. What the heck? Doesn’t the governor of Missouri realize that we cyclists count on taking photos of the sign welcoming us to every state we ride through? Unforgivable. Speaking of signs – looks like I have bigger problems to address…..I have observed some suspicious activity. The only thing I can figure is that Utah is still upset over me re-naming all those summits and is collaborating with Missouri to track me down. How else can I explain all these signs I am seeing?

I pedaled hard to throw them off my trail and I may have succeeded. Haven’t seen a sign all day today. I set my sights on Golden City – not only does it sound cool, like the sister city to the Emerald City.…but there is no place to stop for about 30 miles past it, so it was the logical place to rest. They have a nice park where cyclists can camp. Unfortunately you have to get a code for the restrooms from City Hall, and I arrived 15 minutes too late. I was hoping for a shower….but I guess not. There was water and a nice big covered picnic area where I could set up that had electrical outlets, so that was a plus. The park backed up to houses and I struck up a conversation with a local guy, Mark, who was working in his yard. He is a recently retired CPA who has lived in Golden City since the 70’s. Super nice and knew a lot about the area so we had a good conversation. Nothing was open in town except the Dollar General and a local convenience store – so it was dinner in my tent as it was still pretty cold.

Ok Jeff, I can hear you saying, when you are reduced to photos of food and descriptions of the weather…..then you must not have seen anything unusual or interesting today. Well, I will leave you with this image:

You never know what you will see along the road!

I woke up to a chilly morning – but the birds were chirping, the sun was shining and there was a light wind blowing from the northwest. I could tell it was going to be a good day! Most of the morning I rode on empty county roads past farms and tiny little towns, really nice. I put in 40 miles before noon and found myself in Chanute. I picked up some picnicky-type food at a grocery and had a nice little lunch at a nearby park. Then I was off again – can’t let a tailwind just blow by….you have to ride it! The Warmshowers host I had stayed with in Buhler, Garth, had texted me that a young cyclist from England, Greg, who was riding west was going to be staying with him on Wednesday – so I should keep an eye out for him. Sure enough, about 20 miles east of Chanute I saw a cyclist coming down a hill. It was Greg. How’s this for a weird coincidence – we ride the exact same bikes that are the same color (except his is set up for gravel riding) and we have the exact same panniers that are also the same color! He is 21, the same age I was on my first bicycle tour – so I felt that I was looking at a British version of my younger self.

He just graduated from college with a degree in economics and is on a very ambitious world cycling tour before starting his first job out of college. He rode across England, flew to Washington DC and is riding across the US to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Washington state. From there he is flying (if I remember right) to Singapore and will tour in Asia until it is time to make his way back home. Nice and adventurous young man! Soon after Greg and I went our separate ways, I had my second wildlife rescue of the trip. This little dude was getting ready to head across the highway to a most certain death until I scooped him up and carried him across – making sure to deposit him far from the road. Stay off the road little buddy!

With that I finished my days riding in Girard, KS – I am close to the Missouri border, so will say goodbye to Kansas tomorrow. I was able to camp in a nice city park in Girard – I am getting a little ripe though and am ready for a shower!!

Looks like it rained a little last night, but I was warm and dry under my Gazebo! I got packed up and headed out of town about 9:30 – just in time to catch a couple of the 100 milers coming to the finish line at the race – yes they had been running (or hobbling, which is what I saw) for about 24 hours. I rode past them as they came towards the finish line – so I didn’t get any photos – but just imagine the most miserable looking people you can, clad in garbage bags against the rain and there you have it. The rest of the town was totally silent with no person to be seen – I am sure everyone except the runners and the staff there was sleeping off their hangover from the moonshine the night before! My goal today was to ride to Toronto reservoir, where there were several campgrounds. It was another cold and windy day, but I was able to catch a little corner of the wind to my benefit. A couple of times the road curled to the north…..and that was brutal – I am thankful that I was traveling mostly east and a bit south. I stopped for lunch at the Copper Kettle restaurant in Eureka. Here I had probably the most unhealthy lunch I have ever eaten! I asked what the most popular item was – which was the hot roast beef sandwich….but they were sold out. So I ordered the second most popular item – the hot ham sandwich. Here is how it goes: Get two pieces of thick cut white bread, toasted on a griddle with butter. Fill the middle with greasy sliced up country ham. Cut it in half and put on a plate. In between the two sandwich halves put a big scoop of mashed potatoes. Then cover everything with about a gallon of white gravy.

It was delicious!

Properly fueled for an afternoon of pedaling I took off towards Toronto. When turned off the highway onto the county road towards the lake, I stopped at a convenience store to fill up my water bottles in case there wasn’t water at the campground (there wasn’t). The old couple who owned the place was very nice and talkative. First the man asked me if I liked to read westerns. I don’t know if I have ever read a western….but I said “sure”. He thrust a book in my hands and said, “ I just finished this one – it was really good.”

So now I am reading a western – actually pretty good!

Next he asked me if I had a lizard. I thought asked me if I had seen a lizard and I was kind of confused. Then he pushed a bin full of little plastic lizards towards me and handed me a zip tie. “Pick a lizard and attach it to your brake cable – that way wherever you are in your travels, if you see a cyclist with a lizard on their cable, you will both know that you have been to my store.” I like it!

Then I was off on a picturesque county road through the little town of Toronto and on to the state park. I selected the southernmost campground as it was the farthest along, arriving about 5:30 or so. There were signs saying there was a fee for camping, but I didn’t see anywhere to pay and honesty it looked like no one had been there for at least 30 years, It was all overgrown, The bathrooms were worse than the ones back in Haswell, and there were no signs of humanity to be found. So I picked the best spot I could find and set up.

It was a nice, quiet night and no bloodthirsty hillbillies or band of rabid raccoons bothered me.

Life is good when you start the day with a Warmshowers host who makes eggs & ham, fruit, toast, coffee and juice for breakfast. Garth sets the bar high! Then we loaded my bike and gear back in his truck and he took me to the highway and away I went. It was another blustery, cold and windy day. The wind was blowing across me, but at just enough angle to give me a little push. But road looked like this all day:

My first stop, after 35 miles, was Newton – a nice little town and home to the local Mennonite college – I think they said it was Berea College. While I was riding into town I met up with a local biker, Dave, and we chatted about touring. He and his wife had done some long tours in years past. He told me that if I needed any snacks I should stop at a store on Main Street called Prairy…so I did. It was an interesting and eclectic natural food store that also had a small menu and a seating area. I got the soup of the day, some bread, a cookie and some key lime ice cream along with my snacks for later. Everyone was really friendly – the cashiers and a couple more local cyclists who were having lunch. I socialized a little, ate and then got my blog caught up. I filled up my water bottles and was about to leave on my bike when one of the cashiers, a college-aged girl , came running out and wanted to know if she could ask me a question. I said “sure”. She said, “ as I saw you leaving, I just got the feeling that I should pray for safety on your trip – are you ok with that?” Of course I said yes – and she proceeded to say a very heartfelt and sweet prayer for my safety. I was very touched! With that I got on my bike, put my head down and pedaled through the wind for another 40 miles or so until I reached the town of Cassoday, where I could camp in the city park. When I reached the town I passed the park and rode over to the Main Street to see what it was like – the street was blocked off for some kind of celebration, and I could see a table set up with people around it a block or 2 up, so I went over. Amazingly, for a town of only 100 people, there were two major events happening. At the table and around it there was this big annual race – including a marathon, a 100 K, a fifty mile race and a 100 mile race! As I stood there, some of the 50 mile racers started coming in:

Pretty Impressive! So then I rode back to Main Street and walked my bike past the barricades. Some kind of celebration and auction was going on. That’s when I met the two Krista’s – they explained that it was their annual town party and fundraiser and that after the auction there was going to be a big BBQ dinner and a band – and I should join in the festivities. I think they had already joined in several times to the jars of apple pie moonshine that were being passed around – but they were very hospitable! I’m always up for a party!

The Krista’s had organized the festivities along with their husbands (who work for the city) and their families.

The party was on! Too bad it was pretty windy and cold. Luckily the dinner and band were set up in a partially constructed building that provided some shelter. I was handed a big plate with a pulled pork sandwich, cole slaw, carrot salad, potato salad, potato chips – and on a separate plate a big piece of peach pie. I was in heaven and sat with a couple of local good-ole-boys to eat. One of them was the pit-master and also the moonshine-maker. Then the band started playing and people started dancing. Unfortunately for me, soon afterwards it started getting dark and it was really cold – and I had not set up my tent or anything…..so I said goodbye and rode back to the park. There was a gazebo there that had electrical outlets on it, so I set up my tent right on it and could charge all my electronics from my tent – a first! What a fun and interesting day.

I am so glad I got a hotel last night! Not only did it rain, but the temperature dropped into the 40’s and the wind continues to whip. Luckily though, today it was blowing to the SE, so even though I didn’t have a direct tailwind, it was close enough to be a help to me, although the big gusts tended to blow me right off the road! But I made great time, zipping along at 16 or 17 mph without having pedal that hard (it probably doesn’t seem like it – but that is really fast for cycle-touring!) On another historical marker stop, I learned about a NM-KS connection that was new to me –

The obsession to find a city of gold was Coronado’s undoing and it ended in Kansas! When I got to Nickerson, where I had planned to camp, it was not yet 2pm. So I had a quick lunch on a bench outside the super market and then kept going. Buhler was about 20 miles further, so I set my sights there. Plus, I noticed that there was a Warmshowers host in Buhler, so I emailed – apologizing for the late notice and inquiring about a place to stay. When I rolled into Buhler I had gotten a response from the Warmshowers host, Garth, and he was available – Yay!! Not only that, he offered to pick me up down on Main Street where I had ended up, as he lived a few miles out of town. Now that is service! We collaborated on a plan for dinner (his wife was out of town on a camping trip) and I picked up a few groceries while he was on his way. Buhler is a nice little town – as opposed to many of the small towns I had ridden through the Main Street was thriving. There is a large Mennonite community in Buhler (and much of the surrounding area) and most of the businesses are Mennonite-owned. It has made a difference.

But all is not well in Buhler….a revolution is brewing (literally). I noticed signs placed in many yards in town.

Now this is a cause I could get behind! And notice it is not a call for Freedom and Beer…..but for Beer and Freedom. I wondered what was going on. While I was sitting on a bench pondering this Garth pulled up in his pick-up. We made our introductions and then loaded up my bike and gear and headed to his nice home on 40 acres just outside of town. What a nice guy! Garth is a few years older than me and retired from a career as the president of a local credit union. He is an avid cyclist, community volunteer and Kansas advocate – he was able to answer all my questions about Kansas, including the Beer and Freedom issue. Evidently there is a food vs. beer sales provision for brewery licensing and the opposition to that system is rising up. I wish them success whenever the vote happens. Garth and I teamed up to whip up an excellent pasta and salad dinner and he had some good local craft beers in the fridge. Then we solved most of problems of the world while my dirty cycling clothes got washed and we did the dishes. By 9 I was ready to turn it. I had cycled about 75 miles that day and was going to attempt the same the next day.

I am so appreciative to Garth for welcoming me into his home (especially on short notice!) and for his incredible hospitality. I feel that I have made another friend.

I didn’t actually sleep that well last night – the wind was blowing the tree branches around, and I kept waking up thinking someone was outside my tent. But it was just my overactive imagination. Today was all about the wind – it blew hard from the south all day. Whoever told me that the prevailing winds come from the west definitely lied! A side wind beats you up, but I’ll take it over a headwind any day. I didn’t see much except for the usual Kansas landmarks……but I did find the place where all you Bohemians will be buried with your brethren:

Who knew it was in Kansas! If the wind wasn’t blowing so hard I would have ridden the 1.5 miles to check it out. I had scoped out a cool place to camp in Grand Bend where a local church built a cyclist-only campground complete with a porta-potty, picnic tables, water and even a charging station. Pretty sweet. Alas, the wind was still howling, it was hot and I really needed a shower. The local Motel 8 was calling my name. Freshly clean I walked a mile or so down to the local sports bar/restaurant for some dinner. Sitting at the bar I met Greg and Wendy, a couple from Iowa who were returning home from a vacation in Santa Fe. They were very friendly and interested in my trip and we also had a good conversation about Santa Fe and their experiences there. On their next trip they promised to drive the extra miles to La Reforma! You meet the nicest and most interesting people when you introduce yourself to the ones sitting next to you! As it turns out, Greg and Wendy were also staying at the Motel 8, so I bummed a ride back.

As I wandered around Scott City last night I noticed that there was a barbershop on Main Street and decided to go there first thing in the morning and get trimmed up. There was already a customer in the chair when I arrived at 8, so I settled in to wait my turn. And wait I did!Have you ever had a barber who talks and talks – to the point where the scissors stop snipping? Well this guy was a pro – and I didn’t get out of there until about 9:30. Throw in a stop at Daylight Donuts and I didn’t pull out of Scott City until after 11. I did have a nice new haircut though!

My plan today was to ride to Ness City or maybe beyond, so off I went. The plains have quickly gotten monotonous – I mean how many grain elevators, ginormous farms, and 18-wheelers can you see before they all start looking the same? I actually started stopping at the historical markers….and reading them. Here is a cool one:

I need to read up on George Washington Carver – he sounds like an amazing man! Then John G. Alerted me to an upcoming attraction that sounded like a “must see”.

When I rode into Ness City I stopped the first person I saw and asked for directions to “The Skyscraper of the Plains” – because other than the grain elevators, nothing was getting close to scraping the sky. She said “Oh, that’s the bank building – it’s right around the corner” – and sure enough, there it was. Three stories reaching right up into the sky!

Ok, 3.5 stories. I guess that in the 1800’s, in Kansas, this was as close as you could get to a skyscraper. Actually it is a nice building…..but you guessed it – it is empty and locked up! Bummer. But now I have seen both the skyscraper of the Plains and the World’s Smallest Jail – how many of you can say that? I briefly considered cycling on another 12 miles or so to the next town to camp, but the wind was whipping and there was a little city park where I could camp right in Ness City – so I decided to stay. I bought a few groceries and set up camp. It was hot and the wind was howling, so I am glad I didn’t ride any farther.

This nonsensical phrase is the chant for the University of Kansas, and relevant today because only minutes into my ride today I crossed the border into the Sunflower State – my fifth state of the tour!

It was a beautiful, cool morning and I knocked out the 20 miles to Tribune in nothing flat. Was again hoping for a decent breakfast, and although Tribune was a nice and tidy town with many businesses…..no place to have breakfast! I had made oatmeal and coffee back at Towner, so I wasn’t starving – a stop at the grocery got me some chocolate milk, bananas and trail mix. That would have to do. I ate on a bench in front of a nice-looking library and then went in and asked the library ladies if I could use their wifi to get my blog caught up. They were very friendly and happy to oblige. I hope you enjoyed the posts! Then I was on the road again with my sights set on Scott City – about 45 miles further east. It was a nice ride through farms of milo, corn and wheat with a couple of little towns along the way that I did not stop at. They definitely looked more alive than those in Colorado did. My theory is that Eastern Colorado is the “red headed step-child” of the state when compared to the beautiful mountains, hence it is downtrodden and forgotten…..whereas Kansas is all flat farmland – so they make the best of it. Makes sense to me! I also crossed a time zone today, so I had to move my watch ahead an hour to be on Central Time. I decided to get a motel tonight at there wasn’t camping right in Scott City and I was ready for a shower anyway. I got a reasonable room at the Lazy R Motel. It’s a decent little place, and oddly – owned by a Mexican family from Cuauhtémoc – a town we drive through on our way to the orphanages in the Copper Canyon. Small world. Then I ate fajitas at a little cafe next to the motel that was owned by a family from Chihuahua City and they confirmed that there is a big Mexican population in Scott City. Who knew? Scott City is a nice little town, the only downfall (other than being a small town in the middle of nowhere) is the pervasive odor coming from the cattle yards that surround the city. The residents probably call it the smell of money and are used to it….I was not!

I slept well in Haswell and got going early with the plan to have breakfast in Eads, about 20 miles east. It was a bigger town, so surely there would be a place to get breakfast….,right? Well there was a restaurant, but it was closed on Sundays and Mondays…..bummer. Even worse – just think how cool it would have been for me to eat there!

There was a small supermarket in town, so I cobbled together a little breakfast and talked to the old guys that always seem to hang out at the supermarkets in small towns. Then I rode on. I went through several small towns and was struck with how desolate things are in Eastern Colorado. Just nothing going on. In Sheridan Lake, where the lake is dried up (of course) – there was a little convenience store where I had a snack. I asked the clerk if I could fill up my water bottles, but she recommended that I buy a gallon of water as the tap water was, as she put it, “contaminated with some sort of radiation” – I don’t know – maybe they just tell out of towners that to sell more water. Oh, and here is the sign in their restroom:

I just got on my bike and kept riding! I thought I might cross the Kansas border and stay in Tribune, but a persistent head wind slowed me down and when I reached the town of Towner I thought I would check it out. It was another little town with no businesses and lots of boarded up houses, but they did have a nice little park. I stopped and talked to a young guy who lived down the street from the park and whose sister had raised the money and built the park as a service project for their school. He gave me his blessing to stay there. I also chatted with a couple, Linda and Monte, who lived across from the park. They said that cyclists often stop in their town and camp and they leave the church (which was right next to their home) open so that we cyclists can use the restroom there. Very nice people and a friendly town. Linda did lament the decline of the town though as it had shrunk from 60+ residents 20 years ago to about 20 today. Most of the young people are leaving for bigger towns or cities and a lot of the farms and farm related business are run by out of town companies. Kind of a sad state of affairs. The park was a nice place to camp though.