Friday, September 8, 2017

A Great day... for Sailing!

The wind today was forecast to be from the south at 15-20 and it did not disappoint. Our ride went west, then north, then west. Exactly 2 turns in 95 miles. The 18 northbound miles were a blast as we sailed along at 20+ mph with almost no effort. As I told Tom, "I forgot that riding a bike can be fun!"

I'm surprised we have not seen more of these
in Kansas. They were definitely productive today.

In the tiny town of Bazine (population 320) we saw this sign for Elaine's Bicycle Oasis. She runs a B&B specifically for cross-country cyclists. It would have been fun to give it a try but it did not work for our spacing.

Maybe next time

After that we had 35 westbound miles to our destination in Ness City. The crosswind was tricky to manage but fortunately it was right on the beam and not in our face. We made good time arrived in Ness City around 11:30 afer 64 miles. We found a little cafe called Cuppa Joe where the daily special was a Rachel Sandwich: a Rueben with turkey instead of corned beef. The locals inside were very interested in our adventure.

We were both feeling pretty good so we decided to press on an additional 31 miles to Dighton. That will shorten tomorrow's ride from 101 miles to 70. Sunday we have 118 to Ordway so it's nice to have a few miles in the bank.


Something that seems to be very common in Kansas are these well-manicured cemeteries way out in the middle of nowhere:

Apparently the dead people in Kansas have more money than the living

Until now we have been staying in Motels, that is, with an "M". Tonight is extra special because for the first time we are staying in a Hotel, that is, with an "H"! It's the Heritage Hotel, a "historic" building here in tiny Dighton. It's a cool place: they have a common area with a little kitchen perfect for blogging/happy hour, and even to my delight a piano! The only trouble is, I've been away so long I don't remember any of my pieces.

How does this thing work?

There are two restaurants in Dighton. One is Frigid Creme, an ice cream shop with burgers and such. The other is a cafe in a bowling alley that is closed on Friday nights. So it looks like burgers and ice cream for us!
at

2 comments:

  1. UnknownSeptember 9, 2017 at 1:36 PM

    James Davis

    2:38 PM (1 hour ago)

    to me
    Dighton Kansas. Hi Al and Tom. Looks like you had everything who could ask for this day (Friday, Sep 8). Prevailing fair winds, interesting scenery, easy extra miles in the bank and real hotel with a real paino. Couldn’t you download a Clair de Lune score? Are you beginning to see the peaks of the Front Range? Did you say that your route is in the Telluride area? Any chance you could hitch a lift up a cable car? Who would know? A mile is a mile, isn’t it? Serious question- do you need to deflate your tires at high altitude? And do a brake check? Heading to Hardscrabble Camp Sunday (tomorrow) to entertain Debbie and Heather & Jane & Rick; looks like a run of SUNNY days coming up. Go far, go safe.
    Dad & Bronny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ADavisSeptember 9, 2017 at 3:23 PM

      I would not call the winds "fair" -- perhaps not foul, but certainly not helpful. We will be in Telluride a week from today, joined by our lovely wives and enjoying our one and only off day at the Blues and Brews festival. The tires generally lose about 10psi per day so we reinflate them every day, relative to ambient pressure. Brakes: yes, when we get into the mountains that will be important, especially on the descent from Monarch Pass. But that's getting ahead... right now we just need to make it through tomorrow!

      Delete

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