Yesterday was Father's day and we made St. Louis. It's been a few weeks since I last sat a computer and had a chance to update this and check my e-mail. I guess the last time I said anything here we were in Oshkosh, NE dodging storms. The storm dodging business continued all the way through Nebraska and into Kansas, we actually dipped into Kansas a little earlier than we'd originally intended to hopefully avoid "tornado alley" and have fairer winds. I suppose we were successful on both accounts, more or less. We were never hit by any tornadoes, and the wind was never so bad that we couldn't ride...
I've had a plethora of ideas running through my head the last couple of weeks and now, here, I am plagued by the same question I always am, do I write about the daily grind or a few choice events? It doesn't really matter this time, I'm not rushed and know that I'll be here for a week- plenty of time.
I'll backtrack a bit, first. We deviated from our route to Colorado in Lander, WY to head for the Platte river in hopes of finding flat roads and ethereal winds. It was not without reluctance, of course. I love pancakes but not necessarily landscapes as such, that said, our decision to take the quick path to the plains was more in the interest of time than anything else. So we headed east across WY anticipating a topographically mundane Great Plains. Let's just say that the plains aren't planar. From a few hundred feet in the air you could probably see across the entire state of Kansas, but on the surface, it ain't flat. Neither is Nebraska. Well, at least the parts we rode across. The ground undulates predictably, as tides ebb and flow. The grasses and wheat fields rustle in waves as a wind driven sea. We crossed that sea tracing the arches of some prehistoric sea-monster's back, climbing out of and descending into the waves. What a wild ride. Admittedly, I was a little frustrated at first, 30, 40, 50 miles of that was unnerving, that old jigsaw puzzle of expectation and disappointment. But once I accepted the fact that no holy grail of a flat road and perfect tailwind was in store I enjoyed the rolling landscape and curious wind. In these states the grass cannot hide the wind direction, unlike the sage of the high desert.
I'm getting hungry now and will have to sign off. I'll get back to this soon enough though. I did say that we managed to avoid dangerous weather, but in our first evening in Kansas, in Oberlin, a storm passed over that dropped golf ball size hail. Who knew that hail could bounce?
Have Fun.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Big Hail small Towns
We finally made it out of Wyoming.
there were many miles of riding beside a rumble strip, so many that i really wanted to write Wyoming off as the rumble strip state but so far it's no different in Nebraska...dad wants to say that Wyoming's motto ought to be "take it or leave it" and that is accurate. at least a few times were we told that we were in Wyoming and things are different in Wyoming, sometimes it was put nicer than others. it is a pretty country though. given all the ranches, cowboys, and talk of the pony express i began to wonder whether or not i could trade my beloved leather bicycle saddle for the horse mounted variety. at any rate, we seem to have left the mountains for good which i'm not entirely happy about but have accepted. we were hoping to make better time on the plains with prevailing winds coming from the west but that hasn't been so. i'm sure many of you have heard about the high tornado count in the midwest this year, apparently wind from the southeast means bad weather in these parts and yesterday was good evidence. we rode about 63 miles from McGrew (pop 99) to OshKosh (pop 966) with a headwind that only relaxed when the coal trains would pass by and buffer the wind. of course, the trains that were traveling in our direction did this, those passing the other way only increased the apparent strength of the wind. some matters of checks and balances don't really figure into the sensations felt in your legs after hours and hours of riding, on a very base level a reprieve is a reprieve.
as i was saying, the wind was out of the southeast all day yesterday and we were following the Platte, heading southeast. i got to OshKosh around 12:30 and got us a cheap hotel ($38) as planned. just as dad was due to arrive i flipped on the weather channel to see what the brewing, brooding dark clouds had in store: golf ball sized hail and the potential for a tornado, in southern Garden County and only 6 miles south of OshKosh! as luck would have it a sever storm watch crew picked dad up and ferried him in the last 4 miles to town. luckily the storm never really came to fruition but there are more and more and more on the way i guess. really, i'm just hoping for a flipping of the wind! or maybe just a break from it...
yesterday was supposed to be an easy 60 miles since the previous 5 days had been longer than average for us. it didn't turn out that way at all, they were 60 grueling miles, though i did rescue 6 box turtles from the road and coaxed a 6ft. bull snake off the shoulder, too. so, we stayed in OshKosh another day for rest up and prepare for another day of fighting the wind.
all in all, we're doing well and planning on making it to St. Louis with a little time to spare before the wedding. that means more bike riding, but unloaded! these loaded bikes are so sluggish, taking the front panniers off makes them feel twitchy and almost unpredictable, but a dream to ride.
i hope that the weather improves for everyone unhappy with theirs, the grass stays green and soft, and the news be good.
have fun,
ross
there were many miles of riding beside a rumble strip, so many that i really wanted to write Wyoming off as the rumble strip state but so far it's no different in Nebraska...dad wants to say that Wyoming's motto ought to be "take it or leave it" and that is accurate. at least a few times were we told that we were in Wyoming and things are different in Wyoming, sometimes it was put nicer than others. it is a pretty country though. given all the ranches, cowboys, and talk of the pony express i began to wonder whether or not i could trade my beloved leather bicycle saddle for the horse mounted variety. at any rate, we seem to have left the mountains for good which i'm not entirely happy about but have accepted. we were hoping to make better time on the plains with prevailing winds coming from the west but that hasn't been so. i'm sure many of you have heard about the high tornado count in the midwest this year, apparently wind from the southeast means bad weather in these parts and yesterday was good evidence. we rode about 63 miles from McGrew (pop 99) to OshKosh (pop 966) with a headwind that only relaxed when the coal trains would pass by and buffer the wind. of course, the trains that were traveling in our direction did this, those passing the other way only increased the apparent strength of the wind. some matters of checks and balances don't really figure into the sensations felt in your legs after hours and hours of riding, on a very base level a reprieve is a reprieve.
as i was saying, the wind was out of the southeast all day yesterday and we were following the Platte, heading southeast. i got to OshKosh around 12:30 and got us a cheap hotel ($38) as planned. just as dad was due to arrive i flipped on the weather channel to see what the brewing, brooding dark clouds had in store: golf ball sized hail and the potential for a tornado, in southern Garden County and only 6 miles south of OshKosh! as luck would have it a sever storm watch crew picked dad up and ferried him in the last 4 miles to town. luckily the storm never really came to fruition but there are more and more and more on the way i guess. really, i'm just hoping for a flipping of the wind! or maybe just a break from it...
yesterday was supposed to be an easy 60 miles since the previous 5 days had been longer than average for us. it didn't turn out that way at all, they were 60 grueling miles, though i did rescue 6 box turtles from the road and coaxed a 6ft. bull snake off the shoulder, too. so, we stayed in OshKosh another day for rest up and prepare for another day of fighting the wind.
all in all, we're doing well and planning on making it to St. Louis with a little time to spare before the wedding. that means more bike riding, but unloaded! these loaded bikes are so sluggish, taking the front panniers off makes them feel twitchy and almost unpredictable, but a dream to ride.
i hope that the weather improves for everyone unhappy with theirs, the grass stays green and soft, and the news be good.
have fun,
ross
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