General Thoughts & Observations

1. The biggest challenge for me to overcome was the intense climbing. My typical practice rides included only a fraction of the daily dose of climbing we faced between the Sierra Nevada's and The Front Range of The Rockies. Besides not being physically prepared, I also had a lousy pedalling technique to try and correct. I wasn't incorporating enough lift in my pedal strokes. In retrospect, my practices should have been totally focused on steep hills with a loaded bike.




2. The next biggest challenge was dealing with the long days on the bike, and with saddle sores for the first time in my biking history. I eventually incorporated hourly breaks into my day; getting off the bike and walking around, stretching, eating something and drinking deeply. The hourly breaks worked so well that I could typically ride in a higher gear when I got back on the bike. Bag Balm turned out to be a "miracle drug" for saddle sores.




3. When planning a route, shoulder width and traffic volume should be given equal consideration. If possible, I would avoid using a road with high traffic volume and no shoulder. I had one stretch like that ( US 160 between Durango, CO and Pagosa Springs ) ( Friday of Labor Day Weekend ), and it was extremely dangerous. On the other hand, I rode almost a full day on Old Hwy 50 between Emporia and Ottawa, KS; with no shoulder but almost no traffic ( Football Sunday ) and it was very enjoyable. Many states do publish maps that incorporate this kind of information to help you plan a route. You can bet I'll be researching this for the next leg.




4. It paid off to take some time at the end of each day to at least inspect, and maybe even clean the bike. The motels were more than happy to provide a cleaning rag (so you don't ruin one of their washcloths), and whenever asked they also gave me a bucket of soapy water. I usually checked tires for slow leaks, and anything stuck in them, and checked tire pressure again before leaving in the morning. It's much easier to fix a flat in your room than out on the side of the road. The chain needed cleaning and lubricating at least every other day, and I ran short of chain lubricant by the end of the trip.




5. Even with Schwalbe Marathon Supreme's, which are widely viewed as the most puncture resistant touring tires available; I needed a spare folding tire and 3 spare tubes. Wheel bearings and spokes required no attention. I needed to replace a set of brake shoes, and should have thought to carry them. As it turned out, the bike shop in Cortez, CO sold me a pair for $18 installed, so I can't complain. Obviously, be aware of where the bike shops are located along your route.




6. Since I camped 5 times, I'd have to conclude that camping gear was a "must" for this western leg. Even those 8 lbs can be a drag on your energy though, and I'm considering trying the more populous eastern leg without camping gear.




7. It's important to be prepared each morning to carry plenty of food and water. It may be impossible or inconvenient to restock along the way, and this is really your only source of energy.




8. I carried both AT&T and Verizon Smart phones and was surprised at how good the coverage was for both. On a trip to New Mexico and Colorado two years ago, the coverage for AT&T was poor outside of big cities and away from interstate highways. Not this time. For Internet access, it's still disappointing how weak or dysfunctional the Wi-fi is at some motels. For this reason, I was glad to have activated "tethering" capability to my Verizon Blackberry, which allowed my laptop to access the Internet through the 3G phone with a simple connector. I fell back on this quite a few times because it worked better than the available Wi-fi.




9. I don't know if anyone else can relate to this; but when I'm involved in tedious exercise like biking alone for hours and hours, the door is open for a song to emerge inside my head. I have no control over it, and just have to hope it's a song I like. In this case, it stayed for weeks, and feel sure I'll always associate this song with this trip: "California Dreaming," by Peter, Paul and Mary. I had heard the song a few weeks before the trip when channel surfing one night, and caught the tail end of a special on PBS about the Folk Music scene in Greenwich Village in the 60's. This song was prophetic about the music industry later moving to California. It's a song about suffering through a cold winter, but dreaming about a place that's warm and sunny. There were some really uncomfortable times in this trip when I could relate to that method of coping.




10. The thing about "adventures" that qualifies them as such is the element of unpredictability. That means there are surprises; sometimes good and sometimes bad. It takes some mental toughness to endure the bad stuff, and eventually get to the good stuff. In a way, the bad stuff makes the good seem that much better. This was an adventure, and I really enjoyed the sum total of it. I give my dear old Dad credit for exposing me to adventures early in life through backwoods canoe trips in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. I know that was my foundation in life for seeking out these kinds of experiences, and enjoying them.




11. The physical benefit of the consecutive long days on the bike was great. Much of my fat got converted to muscle, my waistline shrunk about an inch, and I lost 10 lbs. As a senior member of the office worker population, it's been hard to reverse the creeping waistline and weight gain just with weekend biking. I'm determined not to give up what ground I've gained from this trip, and so far so good.




12. One of the most useful pieces of equipment for this bike tour was the Click-stand, a lightweight alternative to a traditional kick stand. I used it at least a dozen times a day, and never had the bike fall over.




13. The other very useful feature was the front wheel generator hub powering the full-time headlight and taillight. Besides improving visibility, I think having lighting on the bike elevates your legitimacy with drivers.




14. Cooler tops have replaced hubcaps as the predominant item of roadside debris. I saw hundreds of them, and they weren't the cheap styrofoam tops either. I guess people put their cooler in the open bed of a pickup truck and rely on the squeeze fit to hold it shut in high wind. Luckily I didn't get hit by one.

Day 31: Ottawa to Kansas City ( Home )

Bike Stats:
Distance - 74 mi
Avg Speed - 12.3 mph
Climbed - 2200 ft
Temps - 57 to 105 F

There was no obvious route from Ottawa to Kansas City, so I relied on Google Maps for a Bicycle Route, and it gave me a zig zag pattern using county roads. That worked for awhile, but before long I found myself on gravel roads, travelling at under 10 mph and choking on clouds of dust every time a vehicle came by. This is one of the drawbacks to Google Bicycle Routes; because they don't distinguish between paved and unpaved roads. Eventually I got to a paved road, and followed it to a major road that took me into familiar territory.
This was my last day of the trip, and a good time to reflect on it's entirety. I know I couldn't have completed it without valuable support from others. Eric really selected and customized a great bike that held up well from start to finish. Ian helped coach me through the difficult climbs early on. Angela gave me encouragement and support every step of the way, and figured out the Bag Balm solution to my saddle sores. And, there were the supportive messages from a number of blog readers. I couldn't have done it without all that support.
I'm looking forward to next year's leg of the Journey, and will be researching routes and timing.


This part of Eastern Kansas has some very fertile farmland.

This is an Alpaca Ranch south of Baldwin City.

Before long, I was back to familiar biking territory, and it's nightmarish warning signs.

I noticed something new along Indian Creek Trail in Overland Park: a tree cut down by a Beaver.

A few of us gathered to celebrate at Grunauer's; and enjoyed a fine bottle of Champagne. Thanks, Bette!

Day 30: Cottonwood Falls to Ottawa

Bike Stats:
Distance - 78 mi
Avg Speed - 13 mph
Climbed - 1830 ft
Temps - 57 to 107 F

It was a quiet, pleasant Sunday morning to be out biking. It's my favorite day to bike because the traffic is so light, and drivers are less frantic. I spent all day on US 50, and Old US 50; my old friend "The Loneliest Road," as it's known in Nevada. Old US 50 has been bypassed by an Interstate Hwy, so it now gets very little use. There are no shoulders and no services, but hardly any traffic. I'm happy with that trade-off.
I carried enough food and water to last the day; and Angela came by at about the halfway point to provide a cold can of Ginger Ale, and some words of encouragement. We're getting close to the finish now. It's hard to believe tomorrow's my last day.
I had another flat tire to fix this evening at the motel. I found a little tiny sliver of wire had worked it's way through the tread of the front tire and into the tube. It took good lighting, patience and a good pair of tweezers to find and remove the sliver. Otherwise, it would've continued to puncture any new tube or patch. That brings the flat count up to 4 for the trip.



1920's vintage Skelly Gas Station near Lebo on Old Hwy 50. The owner only opens for 3 hrs every Sunday morning so he can catch up with his friends who stop by.

This old contraption would've had a bucket of soapy water on the platform, with a chamois in it, and the attendant would run the chamois through the wringers and then clean your windshield. The cast iron base has Coca-Cola advertising on it. I've never seen one of these before.

This is another old style gas station building, falling apart on Old US 50 near Waverly.

These cattle get to graze in an old apple orchard.

A view of the Prairie Spirit Bike Trail in Ottawa. It's a "Rails-to-Trails" project.

Franklin County Courthouse in Ottawa, circa 1880's.

Log Cabin built by early immigrants, circa 1859.

"Buffalo Woman" bronze statue in front of Courthouse.

Restored old theater in Ottawa. Almost every small town I've been to is featuring "Planet of the Apes."

Day 29: Lyons to Cottonwood Falls

Ride Stats:
Distance - 94 mi
Avg Speed - 12.5 mph
Climbed - 1420 ft
Temps - 50 to 90 F

Once again, I woke up to a low rear tire pressure, and lost a half hour or so fixing it. I couldn't determine the cause, and chose to replace the tube instead of patching it. My ride again today was straight East, with a North wind that vacillated between slight tailwind and slight headwind.
There's a storm front in the area that's supposed to move through tonight or tomorrow morning, and that should change the wind direction. Tomorrow's itinerary has me starting out East again, but heading North in the middle of the day.
I made pretty good time, and even found a shortcut over the first big hill since Colorado, to get to Cottonwood Falls as quick as possible. I was motivated by the promise of seeing Angela for the first time in 4 weeks. She was there waiting when I pulled up to the hotel, and gave me a big hug and kiss; and then wrinkled her nose at the smell that comes with 8 hrs of bicycling exertion. After cleaning up, we had a fantastic prime rib dinner.
I'm still on track for a 4:00 finish on Monday at Grunauer's in Kansas City, for anyone interested in joining me to celebrate the completion of this leg of the cross country journey.




This was a nice looking valley near Marion, with a river and a train track running through it.

A classic windmill and water cistern for cattle in The Flint Hills.

This is a good cutaway view of why they are called the "flint" hills. The bedrock is at or very near the surface, and the thin soil is suitable for growing only grasses. The rock is a limestone that dissolves and feeds lime into the grass, which the cattlemen believe leads to superior growth and weight gain for the cattle. So it's a prized area for grazing cattle.

These cattle seem to like it.

Back in 1898, a bank was just a bank. No branding needed.

The view from on top of The Flint Hills.

Old Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls.

Local Ford Dealer had some vintage signs. Who knew there was a "Fordson" brand?

We're staying at The Grand Central Hotel in Cottonwood Falls. I grade it an A+.

I've not seen a live Buffalo yet on this trip.

Day 28: Ness City to Lyons

Ride Stats:
Distance - 95 mi
Avg Speed - 13 mph
Climbed - 700 ft
Temps - 43 to 85 F

The cool North wind is persisting, so I'm staying on an East course. At the worst I have a crosswind, and occasionally I feel a little tailwind. I got up early and made pretty good time today. The low 40's for the first hour or so were the coldest of the trip; and that's about as low as my clothing will tolerate. My fingers were a little numb and my ears were starting to hurt. With the dawn came some warmer air, and all was good again.
I changed my itinerary to stay on an Eastern course again tomorrow to Cottonwood Falls, and then head North on Sunday to Ottawa when the wind is supposed to swing around to the South.
I'm still expecting to reach Kansas City on Monday afternoon. The "Official Finish Line" for this leg of the journey will be Grunauer's Restaurant in The Freight House Building, 101 W 22nd St, Kansas City; at about 4:00, which I think coincides with their Happy Hour. I may celebrate with a beer or two.
Angela is meeting me in Cottonwood Falls tomorrow, and will be my support driver for the final two days of the ride. Thanks, honey.


This is the first hill I'd seen in a long time. It even had a name, Timken Hill. There were a few more after that, but then it flattened out again. Tomorrow I'll go through the Flint Hills, so this was good practice.

Approaching Great Bend I started to see more signs of civilization, like this Gas Fueled Electric Power Plant. It looks pretty clean and compact.

Signs of new oil and gas drilling in the Arkansas River Valley, east of Great Bend.

The little town of Ellinwood seems remarkably well preserved, with a quaint downtown and Antique Shops.

And, more Antique Shops.

The Old Ellinwood Train Depot is on the Missouri Pacific Line that I've been following for days, and I noticed they post the the town's elevation prominently.

Ellinwood came up with this big steel wheat motif displayed at both ends of town.

Now, those are some dangerous looking horns! I don't know if these are Texas Longhorn cattle, or some exotic breed imported from Africa. They got very nervous when I approached for a photo.

My first sighting of rock fence posts. I'm sure I'll see alot more.

I'm camping tonight here in Lyons because all the motel rooms are booked. It's Fair Week, I'm told. Once again, I have a campground to myself. Doesn't anybody camp anymore?

Day 27: Leoti to Ness City

Bike Stats:
Distance - 81 mi
Avg Speed - 11.9 mph
Climbed - 320 ft
Temps - 55 to 80 F

I'm quickly learning that wind speed and direction mean everything to your biking experience in Kansas. It shifted from a partial tailwind in the morning to a full headwind in the afternoon, and cut my corresponding speed in half. Luckily I got most of my distance done before it started working against me. I'm now studying the weather forecasts for the next few days to see if I should be modifying my route to better fit the wind predictions.


Nice looking assortment of bales. Not hay, but maybe silage?

These horses really like hanging out together.

I like to read Historical Markers, but have seen hardly any since Nevada.

There are some really long dirt roads in Kansas, disappearing over the horizon.

I've been on Hwy 96 since Eastern Colorado, and it's never far from the Missouri Pacific Railroad Tracks. Have not seen a train the whole time, until I found this one parked near Ness City. Some guys at a Cafe in Sheridan Lake told me that a non-railroading company bought the railroad, and now want to shut it down and sell the tracks for scrap metal value.

This is a nice old train trestle, crossing the Walnut River.

Ness City has a nice big elevator that I could see from about 15 miles out.

They also have this 1885 vintage Mercantile Building that they refer to as the "Skyscraper of the Plains."

There was some detail on the top floor of the building. Could it be the same Merrill?

Day 26: Eads to Leoti, KS

Ride Stats:

Distance - 80 mi

Avg Speed - 13.4 mph

Climbed - 500 ft

Temps - 55 to 78 F

After yesterday's adverse winds, I was motivated to get an early start; and at least shorten the afternoon portion of today's ride. The day started out with mild winds directly in my face, but I could average about 11 mph; so I wasn't discouraged. After about an hour of this, the wind died down, and I thought, "this is probably what happens just before a wind shift." I was right, and it shifted to a tailwind; increasing as the day went on. There were long flat stretches of smooth road that I was cranking along at 17 mph. It was fun.

I dined last night in the same restaurant as a crew of Oversized Load escort drivers, which I knew from the signs on their pickup trucks. I made a point of introducing myself as a bicyclist, and thanked them for watching out for my safety; because Oversized Load vehicles on already narrow roads and shoulders are my worst nightmare. They were reassuring in their comments, and gave some examples of how they respond when they see a bicyclist. I was just trying to plant a seed, in case it wasn't already there. Well lo and behold, if this morning an Oversized Load truck hauling a wind generator blade doesn't come up behind me with the same escort crew from the restaurant last night. The lead escort truck went way ahead into the curve to make sure there were no approaching vehicles, radioed to the big truck to use the opposite lane; and it gave me an extra-wide berth. Yes sir, that's what I'm talkin' about!

Here's a good example of a Prairie Horizon.

I saw just a few oil and gas wells today. This one was burning the gas off the top of that pipe, which could be seen from many miles away.

Talk about leaving your signs up too long after the election. This one looked about 30 years old.

This sign was pointing to a historical site about 20 miles down a dirt road. I have an interest in it, but it's too far out of the way for biking. If you've seen the movie,"Little Big Man," starring Dustin Hoffman; there's a tragic scene toward the end of the movie that's loosely based on the story of this massacre.

Every city along this highway has these signs, which must mean that it's too dangerous for even the snowplow drivers to follow the snowed-in roads in the dark.

This is a nicely refurbished vintage Ford Truck parked outside a Sheridan Lake restaurant I had brunch in. Met some friendly people there who gave me the lowdown on this area.

Colorado was a really big state. I'm hoping to get thru Kansas faster. Wind will have alot to do with that.

Speaking of wind, there are lots of these windmills around, but this is the first one I could get really close to.

It was really hooked up to a pump, and was pumping the water into a cistern for livestock.

I've never seen this before. This family decorates their fenceposts with their worn out boots.

This is a field of Milo, which is grown for animal feed.

This road striping machine came from the opposite direction while I was eating a snack on the side of the road. The driver yelled to me that when it turned around and came back I best stay out of it's way. It was moving at about 5 mph. He must think I bike or eat really slow.

I met the couple who have owned this Motel for 31 years. They encourage bicyclists to stay here by offering a discount rate, and offer all their guests a complimentary hot cooked-to-order breakfast starting at 6 am. On Wednesday nights, there's also a complimentary dinner, which was Beef Brisket tonight. It was very good, and The Hi-Plains Motel in Leoti now displaces my previous best value of the trip, in Rocky Ford.