Yes We Kansas!

Wow. It seems like its been a long time since we last posted any news and we've covered a lot of terrain. We've made it to Colorado! We rode into the state just after the sun came up (more about this later) this morning. We're in Ordway, CO at a hostel for the night. Tomorrow we'll pass through Pueblo and head towards our first pass in the Rockies -- Hoosier Pass at 11,542 ft.

While at the Safari Park in Chanute, KS we didn't see any wild animals but we did manage to catch some beer league softball across the field from our tent. They played with the lights on until about 11. We also discovered a "Super Walmart" and got things like fresh fruit, clif bars and granola that we can't always find in minimarts.

On the last post we mentioned we'd either stay in Cassoday or have a really long day. At about 4:30 in Cassoday we decided to jump the 38 miles, no services section and make it to Newton. We ended up biking 138 miles that day. Our longest of the trip (and our lives). We picked up a package of cookies and a digital thermometer from Kristin's mom. We also discovered that day that Kansas does in fact have hills. We climbed up and over the Flint Hills. When we stopped at a gas station for a break we learned that it doesn't get really flat till after Newton. We also first encountered the headwind that day. We ate dinner and chocolate milkshakes when we arrived.

The next day we had another afternoon service gap. This one was 58 miles. There were more head winds and also cross winds from the south southwest. We thought it was rough going with the wind but the bright side was that at least the wind was blowing us off the road. For bikers headed east the gusts forced them into traffic. During the service gap we watched a couple windmills turn our direction, which was satisfying. With good winds, we got into Larned at around 7:15. Just in time to either (a) catch the 7:30 "Dark Knight" (b) buy groceries or (c) go swimming at the city pool. We stocked up on food and made it to the pool just as they announced it was closing. The lifeguards were nice enough to let us shower. (Thanks guys). We tested the thermometer and got a high of 110 in the sun, 129 in Nick's pannier, and a high of 97 in the tent at night. The heat and teenagers circling the parking lot of the pool made it hard to sleep. The winds had been so bad during the afternoon we decided to get up earlier to ride before they picked up. We left Larned in the dark.

Despite leaving at such an early hour, that day was our most challenging yet. Our plan was to bike to Ness City, 66 miles further on, wait for the heat to drop and the wind to die down and then continue on. Our average speed during those 66 miles was about 7 miles per hour and we didn't get to Ness City until 2:00. The headwinds forced us into our granny gear a few times! We also recorded a high of 111 on the thermometer. We never made it out of Ness City. When we tried at 4:30 the winds forced us right back into town. We found the laundromat closed at 5:00, the grocery store closed at 5:00 and the pool closed at 5:00. When the going gets tough, the tough stay in a motel.

We woke up even earlier to try to beat the winds for a bit. It worked. They didn't get going until about 9:00 am. We left at about 5:00 am and biked in the dark for a good hour. It was surreal to only be able to see within a small circle of light created by our headlamps. The winds continued to be strong through much of the afternoon. About 15 miles away from Tribune, KS we began racing against a storm and long line of grey clouds. We actually had a tailwind that the storm brought up at were going above 20 miles per hour at times. We made it 10 miles before it caught us and we had to take shelter in an abandoned grain elevator. When we arrived in Tribune we gained an hour to mountain time but it didn't help us. The library had closed at 2:00 and there was no laundromat.

We used the time zone change to our advantage and woke up at 3:00 this morning new time. We had another 58 mile stretch without services and weren't sure what the wind and temperatures would do today. We had a tailwind the whole day and the morning was overcast. We made great time and went 118 miles. We got into Ordway before at 2:15 in the afternoon. We crossed into Colorado and through Eads, CO--the halfway point on the route. Our average speed was 14.6 miles today! We've even managed to do laundry and get on a computer. Our luck has changed.

The numbers:
2140 -- miles travelled thus far
6 out of 7 -- the number of days we've gone over a hundred miles this week
0 -- flats
111 - highest temperature recorded between Ness City and Tribune
61 -- new tally for east bound cyclists