Day 45: Great Bend, KS to Ness City, KS (64 miles, 2021 total)

Woohoo! We broke 2000 miles today!

We got a late start out of Great Bend today, and we paid for it dearly. We rolled out just after 8AM and within the hour the Southerly winds were already prominant. They continued to blast us with increasing speed as the day progressed. By 10AM, the winds were hitting us so hard on our left side that they were affecting us as though they were a headwind. They slowed us down to between 6 and 9 mph and a "low" mileage day turned into a long saddle-time day. We thought the winds were tough yesterday, well it turns out they were practically nothing as compared to today.

Out of Great Bend we made it through the town of Albert quickly, and by the time we passed Timken we were getting blasted with strong winds and ripping gusts. By the time we arrived in the town of Rush Center at about 30 miles, we were already ready for lunch. Rush Center marked the point where we rejoined the route and we will continue on Highway 96 all the way to Pueblo, CO.

Out of Rush Center, we continued through the tiny town of Nekoma with the wind getting stronger by the minute. Each gust shoved our front wheels to the right and we struggled to hold a straight line.

After a very long 13 miles we arrived in another tiny town called Alexander (which marks the end of our 5th map). We were exhasted and took refuge in the only cafe/market/store in town. It turns out this place is closing on July 1st, so the selection was very limited. The place featured a small kitchen, a huge fridge with only a handful of softdrinks (no Gatorade), several large tables, a laz-e-boy chair, and a box full of dirty magazines. I am not kidding.

Either way, we were just happy to be there taking refuge from the 100 degree heat and the wind. A woman stopped by the store and chatted with us. It turns out her husband is a profesional harvester. Towing their own combine, they travel from Texas to as far north as Montana (from Oaklahoma) during every harvest season. They stop in each state working as needed from May until December, and they make enough money for the year. It must be tough work.

We finally got back on the road by 3PM, and with 20 miles left the wind gained even more strength. Three miles from the town of Bazine, AK hit a wall and a point of exhaustion. After listening to her frustrations and discomforts, I gave her my best motivational speach. It is short, but extremely effective. "Well AK, these bikes aren't gonna ride themselves," and with that I got on my bike and continued riding. That got us to Bazine with 12 miles remaining before Ness City. We stopped in the best store the town had to offer. It turns out this was just a farmer co-op building with three vending machines inside. After a good 45 minute rest, we got back on the road. (From AK - Jeff's speech earned him a very scathing look and retort but it was all done in jest from both sides. I do wish that we could opt for shorter mileage on days like today but no such luck. If I have any advice to offer someone who is thinking of doing this trip, it is to give yourself plenty of time for rest!
ing and shorter days. Otherwise, you might as well do it RAAM style.)

The wind continued to blast us until we were about 6 miles from Ness City. At that point, the makings for a nasty storm appeared on the horizon, and the wind finally started to lessen, a bit. Fortunately, the storm never materialized for us while riding (it was slightly to the North), but by the time we arrived in town it was motivation enough to seek shelter in a hotel.

We stopped in a local convienience store for some basic food supplies. By chance, this store happened to be across the street from the only hotel in town (which if surrounded with a barbed wire fence, would be easily confused for a prison). The woman at the store recommended a good cheap resturant down the street, and after a bit of shopping we crossed the street to check into the slammer.

Soon we walked down the street to check out the recommended eatery. It turned out to be a small tavern that serves traditional American food, and rents porno movies. Again, I am not kidding. The place was run by a nice older woman that served me a cheeseburger and corndogs (we're "bad fer" some veggies right now). (From AK - I passed on the greasy options as the smell is making my stomach turn when I walk into these places. It is nothing against the cafes, but I'm craving less grease and more healthy. I decided to have cereal from the convenience store instead. At least it is not greasy.) We asked the woman about the "Welcome Home Old Settlers" signs on the way into town. She told us that every five years this town (with a population of 1500) has a huge celebration in which everybody that has ever lived here is invited to return. It sounds like a great way to keep the small town alive.

By the way, I think it must be a state law for every city in Kansas to have a Kansas Street. It seems to be even more common than Main Steet or 1st Street.

Tomorrow, we have at least an 80-mile day ahead of us. We plan to get up at 4:30AM so we can be riding by 6. We just have to do what we can to avoid the brutal winds that get stronger as the day gets later. So that's the plan.

Jeff