Ramblin' Dan: Bike Touring Adventures

Day 43: 37 Miles

Fowler, CO to Pueblo, CO

I got up this morning with the best intentions of making it past Pueblo to Cañon City. It was only 37 miles to Pueblo and starting before 7:00 AM meant I’d get to Pueblo very early. A few miles into the ride I changed my mind and decided I’d make it a short day. I have a lot of climbing ahead of me and taking some short days leading up to the climbing should help me out. Yesterday’s long ride gave me the option for a short day today and I decided to take advantage of that.

Day 42: 79 Miles

Eads, CO to Fowler, CO

Today was probably the best day I’ve had on the bike so far. I couldn’t have asked for nicer weather and the road was flat for most of the day. The scenery also started to get a little more interesting as the day went on. Eastern Colorado has looked a lot like western Kansas, but today the mountains started to pop up over the horizon. I know they are still far away, but it was great to watch them come into view as the miles rolled on and I got closer.

Day 41: 55 Miles

Horace, KS to Eads, CO

The last few days have been a real struggle, so I was extremely happy to get on the road this morning and find that the wind was not that strong and the temperature was cool. I started riding just before 7:00 and it was only 16 miles to the Colorado border. I don’t know if I was happier to make it to Colorado or to get out of Kansas.

Day 40: 50 Miles

Scott City, KS to Horace, KS

Another day in Kansas with strong winds and high temperatures. I got up early and was on the road by 6:45. This was not as early as yesterday, but still much earlier than I’ve been used to. The winds changed direction over night which helped a little. There still wasn’t a tailwind, but the wind was hurting less than yesterday.

Day 39: 55 Miles

Ness City, KS to Scott City, KS

My normal morning start time has been somewhere around 8:30 AM for the majority of this trip. When I talked to the 4 other guys who I camped with last night, they were all planning to be up by 4:45 AM. I knew it was going to get hot today and that I should be on the road early, but 4:45 AM seemed a bit much. When I woke up around 5:15 I had the only tent still set up in the park. Two guys were already out riding and two were close to leaving.

Day 38: 64 Miles

Larned, KS to Ness City, KS

After 109 miles yesterday I decided to sleep in this morning, which was probably not the best idea. By the time I got out of the motel the winds had picked up significantly and it was already hot. It was good that I’d pushed through yesterday, because doing that ride in today’s conditions would have been impossible.

Day 37: 109 Miles

Newton, KS to Larned, KS

Today was a long one. I got up early enough to ensure I’d be done at a reasonable time. The winds picked up a little bit compared to yesterday and were blowing out of the south. I headed directly west for the entire day and had the wind somewhere between my 9 o’clock and 11 o’clock at all times. It wasn’t quite a head wind, but it was enough to slow me down.

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.

Day 35: 62 Miles

Chanute, KS to Eureka, KS

The forecast today was for temperatures to remain in the 70s until noon and it also looked like the winds would be slightly in my favor. With no shade to hide in, I started the day out early, so I’d be out of the sun before it got too hot. Today looked a little flatter than yesterday, so I was hoping to average a decent speed, even with my rear wheel not fully fixed.

Day 34: 58 Miles

Pittsburg, KS to Chanute, KS

I didn’t go too crazy at the bar last night, so I was up at a reasonable time this morning. My plan was to get to Chanute, about 60 miles away, but I’d continue on if I was feeling good. The route today was mostly flat, but the winds made things more difficult than expected.

Day 33: 71 Miles

Ash Grove, MO to Pittsburg, KS

Just as the whiteboard at the bike hostel promised, today started off with 23 miles of hills. Luckily they were small and easy to get through. The locals talk about their hills everywhere I’ve been and how their hills are the hardest part of the bike route. They’d probably change their story if they could see what I had to get through in Pennsylvania.

Day 32: 47 Miles

Marshfield, MO to Ash Grove, MO

After setting up my tent last night I walked over to the Mexican restaurant about 100 feet away to grab some dinner. The food was good, but I was surprised by the margarita. The waiter asked what size I wanted, so I asked for a medium without thinking to check what that actually meant. My meal came out along with 30 ounces of margarita. It was enough to have me feeling pretty good after the meal.

Day 31: 64 Miles

Houston, MO to Marshfield, MO

I slept in this morning which was nice after yesterday’s long ride. The bed at the motel had memory foam and was one of the more comfortable places I’ve slept in a while. I expected Matt to be gone by the time I woke up, but he also chose to take advantage of a comfortable bed and slept in as well. I started getting my things together and then headed next door to Casey’s General Store.

Day 30: 69 Miles

Ellington, MO to Houston, MO

Today’s ride was on paper the hardest day I’ll have until I hit Colorado. With this knowledge, I tried to wake up early, but when my alarm went off at 6:45 Matt had already left and Troy and Amanda were on their way out the door. I’ve never been a morning person, but I am really not a morning person compared to these other cyclists. Troy and Amanda had come from Houston, MO yesterday and were able to give me a good idea of what I’d be getting into today. The first 25 miles would be the hardest, there would then be another 35 miles with rolling hills and some large climbs, and the last 10 miles would flatten out. I got on the road around 7:45, which for me was pretty early.

Day 29: 60 Miles

Farmington, MO to Ellington, MO

It was really nice this morning to wake up in a bedroom to myself. I got up on my own schedule, instead of waking up when the earliest person started moving around. I had also picked up some food for breakfast the night before which meant I didn’t have to go in search of the nearest gas station for food this morning.