Another thunderstorm last night woke me up at about 2am and kept me up until 5. As a result I was unable to get the early start I wanted, and didn’t head out until 10.
As usual the morning hours seem to be the easiest and the 35 miles to my first lunch went by quickly. Because towns here are so far apart and there are so few places to eat in each town, the employees are used to seeing touring cyclists. I’ve been on route 24 for a few hundred miles and haven’t seen any other cyclists but apparently they come through once every couple weeks.
The second town I passed through – about 65 miles in – had zero cell reception and I didn’t see any restaurants so I stopped at a gas station for some junk food.
Rolling hills had continued for the first 65 miles, and coming out of that second town I had a long gentle climb and then the hills stopped. This was the flatness everyone said Kansas would be like, and it only took me 3/4ths of the state to find it.
I came across some road construction at one point, they were re-paving the road. After getting to ride on the opposite side of the road for a few miles a construction worker waved me over onto the newly paved part and the roads inaugural vehicle was a bike.
I finally made it to the town of Colby, KS at 7:30 and found a motel. 98 miles today, the hundred mile day still eludes me.
Today’s mileage: 98 miles.
Total: 2120 miles.
If the storms keep bothering ya I recommend a bag of ear plugs. They weigh practically nothing and cost like $3 at a CVS or whatever pharmacy they got out in Colorado. Stay safe out there dude! Hope you are finding the meaning of life and all that jazz 🙂