The Rhythm of the Heat

Another day and winds were in our face again, 16mph +, and we were able to work through it and make it 72 miles.  How did we do that when the day before we were only able to do 59?  Well, for one thing we don't plan where towns are located, and today the locations for our snack place, our lunch place, and our destination were all perfectly placed at 24 miles away each.  Secondly, we weren't coming off a 150 mile day, so we had a bit fresher legs and clearer minds.  Our target was a bit more realistic, and of course we had a bail-out at Scott City in case things didn't go well.  

We started the day in Tribune, and again can't thank the town enough for their hospitality.  We stayed in their city park, next to the city pool, and they kept their bathroom with showers open for us all night.  We had a very good night, and the only thing we missed from having a hotel room was power to recharge our electronic gear.   That isn't a problem for a night, but long term would affect our communications and my connections with my office.  We did have someone driving a four-wheeler through the city park for what seemed be half the night.  Once that ended and the evening cooled a bit, we slept in our tent just fine.   We had breakfast in front of the local grocery store, where we bought some rolls and drinks so that we could get going quickly.  One thing we have been amazed at is the size of the farm equipment being towed to and from farms around this area.  Huge pieces of equipment that barely fits on the highway.

Trucks hauling farm equipment through Tribune

The morning started very overcast, actually almost foggy, which actually was good for us as the heat of the day hadn't started yet.  We took off and immediately fell into the same rhythm as yesterday, swapping lead every mile-marker.  So, for 24 miles, that meant each of us would have to "pull" 12 times.  Pulling is in essence running in front, facing the wind, protecting any other riders riding behind.  For riders behind, they save about 30% in effort.  So, by saving this effort for a mile, and then swapping with the lead to take the full force of the wind, each of us would get a break half the time and lead half the time.  In a long line of cyclists, this math turns into a fraction of the time in front and most of the time saving energy.  The lead cyclist is like pulling a rope, dragging all the others behind.  So that's how we rode, all day long, one mile in the lead, swinging to the side, then the other would lead for a mile, back and forth, mile after mile.  Because there wasn't anything to see, this wasn't a problem, and 

counting the pulls became the rhythm of the day.  

We got into Leoti, Kansas late in the morning, stopping in a local bakery and coffee shop to get our caffeine infusion.  We were served by twin girls, likely 8 or 9 years old.  We got coffees and doughnuts, or at least I tried.  I asked for coffee at least 4 times, but I'm not quite sure from which of the twins, so it is likely I asked one girl twice each, or perhaps 3 times and 1 time, but it got confusing.  Eventually I got a coffee.  

By the time we left Leoti, the sun had come out, and it came out with a vengeance.  Our next journey up the road, to Scott City and lunch, was another 24 miles, or another 12 pulls at the front.  It still went well, and we took about another 2 hours to get into Scott City.  By then, though, the temperature had topped 90 degrees, headed up over 96 today.  We had a nice lunch at Tate's Front Tier Foods, the first hot lunch we've had for a while.  Hot food in a cool, air-conditioned place was perfect.  We filled up, and then filled up our water bottles and headed down the road again, toward Dighton.  Looking at Google Maps, it was an absolutely straight line, 24 miles long, just like Tribune to Leoti had been an absolute straight line, 24 miles.  There was as little to see from the road as we traveled down it.  Flat, featureless fields, as far as the eye can see.  We didn't take many, or really any, photos, as there really wasn't anything different from one mile to the next.  

The road and the countryside look the same for miles and miles

The weather apps we've been looking at for advice just kept saying the same things, more wind coming, perhaps a little bit from the side, but still just as fast and furious.  We took off down the road for Dighton, another 24 miles away, straight across Kansas.  The last 24 miles, or 12 pulls at the front, seemed to take the life out of our legs.  When we arrived in Dighton, we knew that was about all we had in us.  Tribune had been a very nice farm community, Leoti seemed the same, and Scott City was a bigger version of a nice, Kansas farming community. Dighton seemed quite a bit more down on its luck.  Many storefronts were empty, and the town just seemed a bit dirtier than the rest.  

We checked in at the Heritage Hotel, which is a polite way to say "old" hotel.  We talked to the girl at the front desk earlier in the day, and she greeted us and said that she had even turned on the air conditioner in the room before we arrived.  The lobby was almost completely dark, and looked like a collection of odd antiques that were really just old stuff.  They have WiFi, but I think they just have one router at the front desk.  If you want to connect, you need to sit in the old lobby on one of the old couches.  Most of everything in the room works, and we are very appreciative of having a hotel, seeing as it is now raining like crazy outside.  Camping wouldn't have been very much fun tonight.  

For the day, we rode 72 miles, and gained 334 feet (that's pretty flat, isn't it?)