LOBAA34 - City Park, Scott City, KS
Sally bike mileage/time 78.51/5:27:31
Sally Total 2338.41
Bill bike mileage/time 23.4/1:35:42
Bill Total 792.3
Jim mileage 78.7
Jim total 6764.6
Sally:
We are in Scott City mid-afternoon. I am not tired at all but it was
either stop here or ride another 35 miles. We didn't start early,
tried to sleep in to make up for last night. The morning started cool
and was great riding with wind still from the SE!! I could see a storm
ahead and was riding right into it. I was looking around for shelter
in case it turned out to be a hailstorm. But at about 40 miles out it
just started raining. Again I was soaked, but it wasn't too bad until
8 miles from Dighton when the wind was right at me and the rain was
really coming down. Bill came along and we agreed to stop in town.
Bill found a great little cafe that was also the bowling alley. We met
an East-bound bicyclist named Sheri that we enjoyed talking with. She
was from Colorado riding to Ohio to see family! Self-contained and all
alone. Quite impressive. By the time we finished visiting and eating
(potatoes and eggs, coffee) the rain had stopped and the wind died
back down. So the last bit of riding was no problem. We have canvased
the town and Bill is getting the oil changed and going to the library
to do his internet work. I'm sitting in the park eating! Anyway last
night's story. We were listening to the weather radio and knew we were
at the edge of severe thunderstorm warning area. I told Bill to turn
the radio off, it was either going to hit or not and we didn't need to
keep getting woken up for near misses. So we dropped off to sleep and
probably an hour later a LOUD clap of thunder brought us to our feet.
We had made a plan, so I grabbed my sleeping bag, got Wally and headed
for the bathroom. Bill flattened Cramalot grabbed his sleeping bag and
followed me. It was a great place to watch the storm. They hit so
fast, sheets of rain and strong winds. Thunder and lightening. The
bathrooms were super fancy with a big indoor foyer with thick windows
looking North. We would have moved back into the bathroom section if
it got real violent. But as it was we watched things blow around,
water began leaking under the door and Wally went over and started
drinking it---to keep us dry of course. Then we noticed the frogs.
They were hilarious, hopping out from bushes everywhere all seemingly
coming to the shelter, just hopping right towards us. They were very
substantial toads probably, about fist size or a little smaller and
watching them hop was quite entertaining. So we had a good show and
wondered about how long it would be and if we should try to sleep and
so on. And then it was over. Everything calmed down and we headed back
to Cramalot, hoping we wouldn't be doing this all night. Sure enough
that was the end of it and we slept through a quiet night.
Bill:
I have nothing to say ... Sally covered it all;-)
2 comments:
Yea Wally saved the day, he kept you guys from drowning. Say thank you Wally! Many years ago I was leading a group of 11/12 years old on a canoe trip down Arkansas River, one evening a storm blew in and collapsed our tents, we spent the night with our sleeping bags in the camp ground out house. It can be done. Were the frogs headed to the toilets were you guys were? You guys have had one heck of time with the wild weather! Ride safe Bill and Sally!
Your frogs remind me of the time Sarah Merner drove back to school in St. Paul....went through an incredible thunderstorm with torrents of rain....and frogs hopping all over the road. And Sarah had to say that the spots on the road were squished frogs. She was probably right.
I love catching up on your adventures every few days! Kay
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