Day 36: 73 Miles

Eureka, KS to Newton, KS

The forecast today was similar to yesterday. The temperature was expected to stay cool until noon and the wind would not be too bad. I was out of the motel by 7:45 and went in search of breakfast and food to pack for lunch. There was nowhere to stop on today’s route, so I had to be prepared with enough food to get me through the whole day. I rode my bike up main street and found the local grocery store where I picked up a wrap and some apples for lunch along with a few Gatorades.

The grocery store is on the main road that runs through Eureka and like many of the other small towns I’ve been through on this trip, there appeared to be many closed shops and vacant buildings. I talked to one of the cooks at the bar last night about Eureka. His family has been in town for several generations so he knew a lot about the town’s history and the issues currently facing it. Eureka was apparently booming in the 1960s with a population over 4,000. It’s now down to 2,500 and has been dropping every year. Last year Walmart proposed to put a warehouse in town which would have generated jobs, but the town shot it down. They didn’t want Walmart coming in and putting the local stores out of business. They voted this way even though Walmart was just attempting to put a warehouse in town and not a retail location. The town’s theater has shut down along with many other stores. I’m happy I was at least able to inject some money into the local economy by staying at the motel, going to the bar, and shopping at the grocery store.

After getting food from the grocery store I stopped at Sonic for breakfast. Sonic’s breakfast burrito was far superior to McDonald’s. I don’t know if it beats Casey’s breakfast pizza, but it filled me up enough to get me through the morning. By 8:25 I had finished my food and was on the road.

The ride started off heading west. The wind didn’t have much impact on my riding, but the first 15 miles climbed a good amount of elevation. I climbed about 600 feet from the start of the ride to mile 15, which isn’t much but slowed me down enough. I then headed north for 20 miles. The roads cut through farmland and had nothing on them. If I wanted to stop, there wasn’t even a tree around to find some shade. It was so flat I could look across and see miles of open land in every direction. I’ve learned that the land in Kansas is over 98% privately owned, so everything I was looking at was most likely privately-owned farmland. I saw hundreds of cows today and only a few cars.

By noon I’d made it 40 miles and was ready for some food. With nowhere to stop, I just picked a spot on the side of the road to sit down and eat what I’d packed. After a quick break I got back on my bike to finish out the remaining 33 miles. I relied heavily on listening to the radio to get me through the day. Kansas has been easier on me physically, but it is mentally draining. The horizon always looks so far off that there is nothing to focus on as a goal or point of interest to get to.

The last few miles were tough, but I made it to Newton right around 3:00. After checking into the motel and taking a shower I hopped back on my bike to take it to Newton Bike Shop. Newton Bike Shop typically runs a free hostel out of it’s store, but they are currently renovating. They were able to look at my bike and I apparently did a good job of fixing the spoke that I had issues with. They made a few minor adjustments, but my bike was otherwise in good condition. I then went back to the motel and was able to do some laundry. Fresh clothes will be a nice morale boost for the next few days.

Tonight I’m grabbing dinner at a steak place next to the motel. It will probably be an early night for me so I can try to make a push for Larned, KS tomorrow. If I make it, it will be my longest ride of the trip so far. If the winds are kind it should be doable, but I’ve got a backup plan just in case.