LOBAA33 - Highway Rest Stop, Alexander, KS
Sally bike mileage/time 105.37 / 7:31:47
Sally Total 2259.9
Bill bike mileage/time 30.4 / 2:02:13
Bill Total 768.9
Jim mileage 103.4
Jim total 6685.9
Bill:
I just had lunch with Sally in Larned, KS (barbed wire capital of the
world - actually it is LaCrosse which is near here) and found I had
internet access so decided to get ahead of the day - paparazzi-wise .
This morning we had a hum dinger of a thunderstorm. Lots of wind and
rain and lightening. No severe weather warnings or tornadoes, just a
big thunderbumber. When we woke there were some tree branches down and
lots of puddles. But it cleared up quickly and we were able to start
riding around 7 a.m. It was a cool morning (60 degrees) but nice and
clear. Our crosswind had changed to a light headwind but for me that
was nice because when I turned around at about 15 miles, I really made
good time getting back to Cramalot. We are not sure where we are
staying tonight ... pickings are slim. The nicest place would probably
have been Larned but it was just too early to camp so on we went. We
will either camp at the city park at Rush Center which is 33 miles
down the road (but no restrooms!) or proceed another 13 miles where
there is a roadside rest stop that allows campers.... OK now we are at
the rest stop. Sally did her second century today and it was her
highest mileage date of the trip. Weather was nice all day and the
wind even shifted to an easterly wind giving her a nice tailwind near
the end of the ride. There is the threat of severe thunderstorms
tonight with the possibility of large hail and 60 mph winds and a
tornado watch for a nearby county until 11 pm. We are near some nice
air conditioned concrete block bathrooms so we should be ok if things
get dicey. The weather out here is really weird ... the days are
usually nice and the thunderstorms seem to pop up in the evening or
early morning hours. Don't know if this is normal or not.
Sally:
Not much to add except it was real nice to have the wind shift after
lunch. i breezed along with no problem the last 40 miles I guess it
was. Today Kansas got even flatter it seemed. For awhile I was riding
along with no telephone poles or fences, just fields, birds and
wildflowers. I did finally see a few hawks today. They were in the
vicinity of a federal wildlife refuge I rode through. I'm wondering if
the intensive farming practices don't allow enough prey for hawks? It
just seems like there should be more. I did see a truck hit and kill a
vulture today, just an accident. Saw one little critter (rodent)
scamper across the road, couldn't tell what it was. Also started
seeing limestone fence posts today. Can't imagine how much work went
into the deal, but you can see entire fencelines all with stone
posts.Tonight we don't quite know what to expect with these warnings
going on. Our plan is to flatten Cramalot and run to the bathroom if
winds get strong. Right now it is pleasant out with clouds changing
from black to puffy gray. We think we are probably half-way home!
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