Pittsburg, Kansas to Chanute, Kansas
Very late start. Tailwind Cycle Shop opened at 10 AM. Met Roger Lomshek and asked for professional advice about tires and bike maintenance. Said I need a new chain! Plus one new tire and keep old as spare. Want peace of mind next 2000 miles. So having this stuff done will be worthwhile.
Roger told me all about his bike racing days as an amateur sponsored by Walmart - fascinating stories of biking. One in particular about heading the support crew for Daniel Chew, who rode his bike from LA to Georgia in 8 days and 5 hours. 36 hours of non-stop pedaling, taking time out only to take a crap! Un“F”ing believable!
He fixed my bike and I feel confident I’ll have a reliable “steed” to San Diego. Thanks Roger!!
Because of the late start, left Pittsburg at 1 PM. I only stopped in Girard, KS for mail. Yeah! More support. Lots of stickers for my bike from my Aunt Nancy. A picture of me and my sister Debbie alongside my grandparents car on one of those trips I’ve talked about. Date - 1960, I was 7. Not sure if it was intentional Donna, but certainly appropriate. I’m gonna say it was purposely chosen by you. Thanks!!
Lunch in Girard - a truly great cheeseburger. This was NOT made from any TV dinner caliber cattle. It was really fresh beef.
Speaking of cattle - as I rode yesterday through very quiet roads, I passed tons of cattle grazing - maybe I’ve been on a bike too long, but I get a lot of personal pleasure having very stupid “one-way conversations” with these cattle that sit and graze and look at you like they want to hear what you have to say. Actually, they look at you like they are watching TV - that basic glazed stare. I try to say things to them that make me crack-up. As I passed one bunch, I said, “So long fellas - see you at dinner!” Sometimes I throw out a political question or two, but they just will not respond!
RAIN- thunder and lightning while in the bike shop. When it turned to just plain rain, I took off. Only lasted 20 minutes and then basically overcast, ominous kind of clouds all day. Often, brilliant patches of blue in the ever widening sky. The flatter, the bigger the sky you see.
About 6 miles from Chanute, KS, it started pouring so I arrived in Chanute, a drowned rat. Well, soaked shoes and socks anyway. On the way into town, a guy in a pickup asked if I wanted a lift. I refused politely, explaining... no shortcuts allowed. Dried off and cleaned up at a McDonalds and made some calls, waiting to see if the rain would stop. When it did, I decided to find dinner. Outside a club called Alibi, I asked a woman if they had any good food inside. She said, “Just snacks” but talked me into coming in. It turns out it was a private club, but she got her daughter to sign me in. They told me to just wheel my bike inside!
Inside was a quiet night in a big honky-tonk kinda place. Jill introduced me to Noah, the bouncer du jour, who was hungry and asked me if I wanted to split a pizza with him - which I did. He ordered it out from a local place. It turns out he was from NY, so we got to talking about Long Island and the Jersey Shore. He’s an electrical/computer engineering student at a school up the road.
When I was riding into Chanute, I kept thinking all day about the name of that town and how it seemed familiar. Then I crossed the Neosho River and realized this is where my nephew, Mike, went to school - Neosho County Community College - NCCC! Wow!
While Noah and I were eating dinner,an NCCC student sat down to complain to Noah about her annoying English teacher, Mrs. Zoller. I had the cell phone with me so I decided it would be a hoot to call my nephew and tell him where I was. Didn’t catch him but talked to Kerry, his mom, and filled her in on my trip. She thought it was a riot that I was there and hoped Mike would walk in the door while we were on the phone, but he didn’t. My next State is Colorado and that is where they live. Although I’ll pass by them, I’ll be about a 2 hour drive to the south. Hopefully we can meet up.
Slept on my Thermarest mattress on a picnic table under a pavilion. Kept everything dry and quicker to pack up in the morning, not having to deal with a wet tent.
Rode 63.02 miles in 4 hrs. 45 min. 1717.4 total miles.