Day 36 - We Need a Bike Shop

I always find it interesting, and sometimes humorous, when I look back at the smaller events that lead up to a bigger event. Such was the case today.

I started this trip not wearing socks and I still haven't. This has caused my cycling shoes to possess quite an offensive smell. Well, I should say offensive to other people. I don't mind it much. Then, I met up with Terry, Ryan, and Cooper in Kentucky. Mind you, there are many smaller events leading up to us meeting in Hindman, Kentucky that I will not mention here. Not only did I meet them but, they were so nice that I was able to ride with them (minus Cooper, unfortunately) all the way to Colorado. When we all shared hotel rooms, the odor of my cycling shoes was so overpowering that Ryan and Terry firmly suggested I place my shoes outside the door. I am a considerate fellow and complied.

However, in Scott City, when I went outside the motel room in the morning to put my shoes on, there was only one there. I walked around the parking lot looking for my shoe. The owner of the hotel saw me walking about and asked if I was looking for something. I said I was looking for my shoe. He then said that dogs run around at night and sometimes steal customer's belongings that they leave outside. So, I start walking in between houses surrounding the hotel peeking over fences to find large, mad dogs but no cycling shoe.

Ryan and I got breakfast and left Scott City. I put on my sandals and will just have to get new cycling shoes in Pueblo. No big deal. I was going to need to get new ones anyways. They did smell pretty bad.

So you see, if my genes didn't make my feet smell bad, if I had worn socks, if I would not have met such nice fellow riders with such sensitive noses, if I was not so considerate, and if dogs didn't like smelly shoes so much, I would still have that cycling shoe.

Also, in the morning at Scott City, Terry noticed a small bulge in my other tire. Not nearly as large as the one in the tire I replaced (thanks again, Rod) but, a bulge nonetheless. I switched the tires so the one Rod gave me was now in the rear and the bulging one was up front. I did some preventative maintenance and used a dollar bill as a boot inside the tire like George commented about in a previous post and slapped on a couple layers of duct tape.

I also noticed another issue with the bike. I had the bike flipped over while I was switching the tires a couple nights ago and the bike fell over. The front chainring went right into the wall and bent one of the teeth. As I ride, the chain does not fall into place nicely with certain gear ratios. I am hoping they will be able to bend it back in Pueblo. Until then, I am riding a single speed.

The ride went smoothly for Ryan and I (Terry left Scott City before us) and we made it to our first rest stop in Leoti. I decided this would be a good time to call the company that manufactured my tent. I had to pay 13 dollars for the replacement pole and told them to ship it to Pueblo. They said it would not arrive until Friday or Monday. I plan on leaving Pueblo on Friday. I do not want to wait two extra days in Pueblo if it does not arrive until Monday. So, I told them to send it to Poncha Springs. However, Poncha Springs is just a day's ride from Pueblo. If this pole is not in Poncha Springs by Friday, I will be past Poncha Springs by Monday. If this happens, I'll just tell the post office in Poncha Springs to mail it further down the road. This tent pole might be chasing all the way to California.

As we were leaving the convenient store in Leoti, a ragged looking man pushing a dirty mountain bike with some camping gear walked over to the side of the store in the shade. Ryan struck up a conversation with him and I joined them. He had come from California through Nevada and Utah on his way to Champagne, Illinois. However, he had run into some bike problems and was quite stressed about it. He got a ride from Colorado to Leoti from a trucker and the trucker paid for a motel room for him.

I wanted to see if I could help him out. The problem was that both his shifting cables were snapped. This makes the front and rear derailleurs put the chain on the smallest chainrings. This was a very low gear and made riding frustrating for him. I decided the best solution was to remove his front derailleur. This would allow him to manually put the chain on one of the three front chainrings. Three gears are better than one. Ryan also gave him his multi-tool because he didn't have any hex key wrenches.

He took the bike for a spin and seemed quite happy with it. In Kansas, that should definitely get him to a bike shop. His name was Jerry and described himself as "an old hippie".

Ryan and I left Leoti and kept on riding to Tribune. Along the way, Ryan was having issues shifting his front derailleur. I inspected it and concluded that his cable must be wearing out and nearly broken. I adjusted his limit screws which pushed the chain onto his middle chainring. The chain will remain there until Pueblo. 

We had nearly made it to Tribune when Ryan busted a spoke on his rear wheel. As we pulled over to inspect it, Terry called my phone from Tribune. I told him of our day and said that his was not much better. Terry got a flat tire after two miles this morning and then another only ten miles later. He was out of new tubes and had to resort to patching his old ones. His front tire is very worn which is why he keeps puncturing tubes.

After a long break in Tribune, the three of us now continued on to Sheridan Lake. Ryan busted another spoke on the same wheel just short of entering Colorado! Missing spokes tend to precipitate more busted spokes. He has spares but because of the location of the broken spokes, there is no way to replace them without a special tool which we do not have. Ryan's a bit stressed with the situation.

Poor lad.

In better news, I hit 2000 miles on my odometer!

I am over halfway finished with the distance for the trip. Also, I am well over halfway with regards to time. I estimate a month left of riding at the most. In even more exciting news, we entered Colorado today!

We made it slowly into Sheridan Lake, Colorado where we are staying in the church for free. Kansas has been a long gradual climb into Colorado. We entered Kansas at roughly 1000 feet of elevation and are at a little over 4000 feet here in Sheridan Lake. It was a long day, but at least we got to see the sun go down.

Not too shabby.

143 miles to Pueblo...

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Day 35 - A Day I Will Never Forget

The plan today was to leave Ness City and ride 55 miles to Scott City. This would typically an easy day except that my front tire has a bit of a bulge in it. I think the patch is good and I am completely confident I will make all the way to Pueblo.

I got a flat tire after 5 miles. What had happened was the inside of the tire had become abrasive because it was completely worn through. This rough surface was now rubbing on the tube and after five miles worn the tube thin and put a hole in it. 

Wheel's off.

Assessing the damage.

They call me Mr. Fix-It

I rode 32 miles to lunch. It was not exactly pleasant or fast riding but, I was making it at around 10 mph. Along the way to lunch, around the 25th mile, a pick-up truck going our direction pulled up and asked Ryan and I how things were going. I was quick to ask if he knew where a bike shop was and told him about my front tire. He wasn't from the area and did not know. He was from Carolina and driving a truck with Oklahoma plates. He said he couldn't help, but wished us luck and drove off.

The truck didn't go more than a quarter mile when I noticed it had stopped. I thought for a moment he was waiting for me to catch up and offer some help. But, just as I thought it the truck kept going. A moment later, I looked back up and saw that the truck was turning around and now coming back to us. I gave him my cell phone number and he said he might be able to help me out. 

At lunch in Dighton, he called me to make sure I still needed the tire. I said I did and he still said he might be able to help me out. Whether or not he was going to actually help me, the prospect of getting a new tire made it easier to ignore the bump every second. I calculated how many times I would have to feel that bump to Pueblo: 187,500 times. I felt it 41,250 times today. I even rotated my handlebars to take some of the pressure off my hands.

Didn't really work.

For the rest of the day, I was looking forward to any car coming towards me from the distance, hoping it was that Carolinan with a 700x23 tire. He never came. We still kept the morale high though.

Never gets old. 

I was 3 miles outside of Scott City when I heard my cell phone ring. It was the Carolinan. He was in Scott City at the Lazy-R motel, room 3, and had a tire for me. I sprinted the rest of the way. 

Rod was his name. He is in town as part of a harvest crew. This is the time of year where wheat harvest crews are moving all over the place to cut as much of it as they can. Rod has lived in Carolina his whole life and inherited a couple thousand acres of farmland. He's been working that land for the last forty-something years ever since he was twelve. However, Rod was not a typical farmer seeing as he was driving around with a Specialized road bike in his back seat. He allowed me to take the tire and tube from his front wheel. 

He gave me the tire right off his wheel.

Terry, Ryan, Rod, and I stood outside talking for a bit until we got on the topic of food and drink. Terry had mentioned how he could not buy any beer in town because it was Sunday. Rod said he could really go for a beer and set off to go find us some. Minutes later, he was knocking on the door with a case of Coronas. 

We sat in the room and talked about farming, Australia, the Chicago board of trade, Kentucky, and bicycle touring. Rod owns a touring bicycle and would like to give it a go. We certainly encourage (and hopefully inspired) him to do so. After a few Coronas each, we started to get hungry. Rod offered to drive us to dinner. A bunch of cyclists would be fools to turn down a car ride to dinner. We accepted and the conversation never stopped. 

Rod said something that I remember particularly well. He said there are three things that people want. First there is comfort. That is, food, a bed, friends, air conditioning, etc. Then we want what we see. Such as a nicer bike, or a nicer house and so forth. The third thing is, we want to be somebody. Then, Rod said that when he is on his bike, he forgets all that and just wants to see how far he can push himself.

Every day I put from my mind what I want. Of course the couch is more comfortable than the saddle. But, you don't meet people like Rod sitting on a couch all day. He even paid for our dinners.  

life=good

Day 34 - The Bulge

Ryan and I were about 12 miles from Ness City when I noticed that it felt as though I was riding over a bump about every 3.5 feet. I asked Ryan to look at my rear wheel and he said it looked like it had a bend in it. I pulled over and it was not the wheel, but the tire that was giving me the bump.

There was a bulge in the rear tire. I have never seen anything like it before. On the side of the road I deflated the tire, massaged it a bit and pumped it back up. The bulge was still there. There was no room on the side of the road to flip the bike over and remove the wheel to examine it further. Alexander was just 4 miles away. The only option was to ride it. You ride the bike...fix it when you can.

In Alexander, I realized what the issue was. I have now put more than 2,000 miles on that rear tire and it is worn thin in one particular section. This means that the tire is weaker and so the tube, when it is pumped to 100 psi, can push the weak rubber of the tire and distort it causing the bulge. So, again, with limited options I put a piece of duct tape over the worn tire and kept riding.

After seven miles on the duct tape I had the idea to switch the tires. The rear tire gets worn more quickly than the front because there is more weight on it. We stopped at a store in Bazine. There was nothing in it besides a large empty refrigerator and some soda machines. There wasn't even a person inside. I bought a couple sodas and brought my bike inside to switch the tires.

A young guy eventually came out of the back of the store. He chatted with us for a bit and said he needs to close up the shop in a few minutes. This was fine as I had already switched the tires and now just needed to pump them back up. I could add more layers of duct tape outside. 

As we were leaving he said he wanted to get out of here because there was a guy coming by that wanted to have a spare tire put on his truck. He did not want to have to put a spare tire on a truck. Despite his bad work ethic, the man said he knew something about tires. I did not see any other tire repairmen around so I figured I'd ask him for any advice on my tire situation. 

He said he could help me out real quick and went back inside. He came back out with a tube patch that is used for tractor tire tubes, some vulcanizing glue, and got to work. 

Derek: my tire repairman. 

With all the stops, Ryan and I got into Ness City pretty late and booked a room at the Derrick Inn. 

Here is how the tire looks now.

The bulge was rubbing against the brake pads. So, I removed them.

The next bike shop is in Pueblo, Colorado which is 272.5 miles from Ness City. That is four days of riding. Worst case scenario is I have to ride that far to get a new tire. You ride the bike...fix it when you can.

I'm not too concerned.

Days 31-33 - Captain Don

As a young child I was terribly afraid of Kansas. This was only because of the Wizard of Oz. I did not want to have anything to do with a tornado and it seemed Kansas was where tornadoes were. I even became very upset when I heard my father was going to Canada for business. I did not want him to go. I had gotten the names Canada and Kansas confused and was reassured there was no chance of a tornado where my father was going. Anything that even sounded like Kansas was no good. 

I was even dreading Kansas before the trip began. I had images of sudden, heavy rainstorms, headwinds, and boring scenery. I am more than halfway across the state after nearly five days and it is the complete opposite of what I expected. 

After Chanute was Eureka. In Eureka, we camped for free at the city park. There was a pool there but, it was already closed once we arrived. Terry suggested we simply hop the fence once it became dark. I didn't want to wait and jumped in for a quick, cleansing dip (there were no showers). Ryan did the same and then him and I went out for dinner. Upon returning, Terry told us that the local policemen had come by and threatened to arrest all of us for criminal trespassing and proceeded to waste an hour of Terry's time. I was glad I did not have to deal with that but felt terribly sorry for Terry. He noted that on the bright side it will be great material for his blog.

The night was bug free so we decided to go tentless. 

My pillow is the bag my sleeping bag is stored in stuffed with all the clothes I don't sleep in. 

The following day, we set off for Newton. The weather cooled down a bit and it was a beautiful day of riding. 

Terry set off early and so Ryan and I rode together. Along the way, we met Brett. 

Brett

Brett's from northern California and is riding his bike west to east. He took the western express route from San Francisco to Pueblo, Colorado which is the same route I will be taking. So, we talked for a bit about that and our experiences and what each of us should look out for. It is great meeting other cyclists. I have met about 6 west-to-easters so far. They are always so friendly. 

About 5 miles short of our halfway point in Cassoday, where Ryan and I were planning to eat lunch, another cyclist heading the other direction was approaching. We could tell immediately he was no TransAm rider because there was no gear on his bike. He was a local cyclist enjoying a ride. As we passed, he turned around and said he'll just pull up behind us. We rode with him the rest of the way into Cassoday.

He started talking once he pulled up beside us and did not stop until lunch was over nearly two hours later. He was from Wichita, nearly 45 miles away, and likes to drive up to Cassoday every couple of weeks for a ride. I think he aims to meet touring cyclists like Ryan and I. He was fit for a man in his mid-seventies and showed he still had a little bit of it by cruising past Ryan and I up a couple small hills. Not bad for a man with Parkinson's.

His career was spent mostly in the Navy and fire departments. He even made captain in Wichita. For never riding a bike until 50 years of age, he quickly developed a passion for it. He did the TransAm in 1992. He said he envied us and would love to do it again, but joked that his wife would divorce him if he tried. Fortunately for him, his wife shares his passion for cycling and adventure and with his $28,000 a year pension they purchased a $4,000 tandem bicycle and have put over 100,000 miles on it together. 

He told us there were two most important things to understand about a trip like a bike ride across the U.S. First, it is not about getting to the finish. If you wanted to get across the country you would just buy a plane ticket. Secondly, he said it was about the people you meet along the way. At that, I could not help but mention the book my grandfather had recommended I read before the trip, titled Blue Highways. At the sound of that his face lit up. He had read that book and said it was one of his favorites. 

There was also something he repeated on three separate occasions throughout our conversation on our bicycles and in the booth at lunch. It was, that this trip is something we will remember for the rest of our lives. He said how he has forgotten a lot of stuff that he has done, but can still remember even the smallest of details from his bike trip across the country.

As we were outside putting our helmets back on, I realized I had never gotten his name. It was Don Foster. He left before us to go scrub the toilets in the park. I asked him why he does that and he says that he is just paying back his debt from from all the times he camped in the park for free.  

Captain Don

Just outside of Newton, I had the most frightful experience on the trip yet. I was cruising along enjoying a nice tailwind when I noticed some things that felt like small rocks repeatedly hitting my helmet. I looked up and noticed I was in a swarm of angry looking bees. There had to be at least one hundred of them and, because of the tailwind, at 18 mph they were having no problem keeping up. I put my head back down and the knocking on my helmet continued. I looked back up and was still surrounded. I finally realized the great danger I was in and hit the brakes. I saw the cloud of them go across the street and out over a field until I could not see them anymore. Amazingly, I did not get stung.

In Newton, thankfully the pool was still open. Once again, I used the chlorine in the pool to clean myself as there were no showers available. My last shower was in Chanute. Newton was a bit more buggy and so I decided I was going to use my tent. As I was pitching it, I broke one of the two poles that support it. I plan on calling the company that produced my tent and see if they will ship a replacement pole to me. The tent is still usable though.

Looks more like a bivvy now. 

The following morning, while pumping up my rear tire I broke off the valve stem which caused all the air to rush out of the tube in less than a second. 

Once I got that sorted, it was a long day to Larned. Nearly 110 miles, the last 60 of which had absolutely no services. My CamelBak was empty and Ryan ran out of water. 

I thought this would be a great time to use my water purifier. All I had to do was find a water source. Not more than a few miles later, we rode by an artesian well. I pulled over and saw water flowing from a pipe coming out of the ground. In front of it, there was a sign that said the water was nonpotable. I called my mom and asked her what that meant and she told me "not drinkable". Dang. I only wanted to drink it and that is exactly the only thing which the sign says I should not do with it!

This is what the water purifier is for! I filled up a water bottle and stuck the purifier in. However, I couldn't remember if I am supposed to press the button first and then stick the purifier in, or the other way around. Are you supposed to be able to see the UV light? Is the green LED on the handle supposed to flash like that? Are there batteries in it?

Regardless, after being stopped by the well for a few minutes, a pick-up truck pulled over with a man and his young son in it. He said he had some water in the back and would give it to us. I asked him why the water from the well is not for drinking and he said that when he was little, him and his friends used to come down and drink this water. I observed that he was still alive and well.. I still kept one bottle full of the well water.

By the time we got to Larned I was forced to drink the water that was "not for drinking". Once in the hotel, I got online and checked the user's guide for my water purifier. I had certainly used it incorrectly. I know how to use it now though. Also, I'm still alive so, I think that water was potable after all. 

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Days 27-30 - One Month! and Beating the Heat in Missouri

In the previous post, I was leaving Eminence and heading to Houston. Houston, Missouri is in Texas county. Terry mentioned how it seemed that a lot of states borrow the names of their cities from other states. The ride to Houston was short so we made sure to enjoy the ride. Ryan noticed a fire tower up ahead and we climbed up it to get a nice view of the Ozarks.

Not the sturdiest piece of construction.

Terry was a little unsure. 

But, there was a terrific view.

We stopped for some food in Summersville. There center of town was on a square and the middle square was a nice grassy park. There were no restaurants in town. Just a grocery store across the street from the park. I have noticed that most of these small towns will have a florist before a restaurant. Summersville did, as well as a furniture store, a bank, and a hardware store on the square. So, we decided to have a picnic in Summersville.

Shortly after eating, we were enjoying the shade of the huge oak tree so much, all three of us fell asleep for a bit. Short mileage days are nice.

In Houston, we camped for free besides the city pool. Actually, I did pay three dollars to get in to the pool but, that was well worth it. The grass was soft and I slept well.

Over the past four days, in Missouri, they have been having record high temperatures for this time of year. I do not think there has been a day in the last week where the high for the day was below 90 degrees.  In fact, a rider in the supported tour was rushed to the hospital with heat exhaustion last week. Every local I talk to starts the conversation by mentioning how it is too hot to ride. Yesterday, an old guy told me I was going to "bake my ass" out there. I told him if it hadn't happened yet, it wasn't going to. 

Beating the heat with an early start.

The next stop after Houston was to be Fair Grove, Missouri. The ride there was typical with lots of rolling hills and hot temperatures. Terry, Ryan, and I all ride at different speeds so we do not ride together as a group during the day. What happens is, I ride the fastest because I have the lightest load and usually pull ahead. Then, if there is a turn or a nice area of shade, I usually pull over and wait for Ryan and then Terry to catch up. 

On the way to Fair Grove, I did this, however, I was becoming a bit concerned about the length of time it was taking Ryan and Terry to catch up. I had been waiting nearly 20 minutes. I rode back a bit and still couldn't see anything. Eventually, a van was approaching me and began to slow as it got closer. Then, Ryan poked his head out of the passenger side window. 

Ryan had broken a spoke on his rear wheel. Not two minutes after he had pulled over to inspect the wheel, a man who is supporting his brother on his bike ride across the U.S. stopped and picked up Ryan. He drove Ryan and his bicycle 10 miles to a Wal-Mart in Marshfield. Terry and I joined him there about 45 minutes later.

We ate some Subway and Ryan got on the wireless internet to find some information with riding on a wheel with a missing spoke. There was a wide range of advice. Some people recommended not riding on it at all and getting it fixed immediately. However, in a position like ours, we do not have any options. One person offered the advice of, "You ride the bike...fix it when you can." Ryan rode the last 15 miles on the busted spoke to Fair Grove.

We all got to Fair Grove just fine. As we arrived at the camp site (free, once again) the discussion now was about the location of the nearest bike shop that can replace the spoke. While we were sitting under the pavilion a couple rode past on their road bikes. They were locals and stopped to chat. Ryan told them about the spoke and they immediately offered to call a bike shop in Springfield 28 miles away. 

Turns out, the bike shop drove the distance to Fair Grove the following morning, picked up Ryan and his bike, drove him back to Springfield where they replaced the spoke, and then drove him all the way back to Fair Grove, for absolutely no cost. Ryan did not have to pay for anything. 

While Ryan was getting his bike repaired, Terry and I left Fair Grove and made our way on to Golden City, Missouri. Once again, the temperature was around 95 degrees. I took a nap under a giant oak tree in Everton. It was a fine ride but, the terrain was stilling rolling hills. I also had the worst experience with dogs yet. I was coming over a hill, moving slowly, and about to roll down the other side when four large dogs came flying across the street and surrounded me. I got off my bike and stood on the side of the road. The alpha dog ran circles around me, barking, while the others just stood and barked. I stood and waited for the dogs to lose interest. Only two did. The leader was getting closer and still circling me. If I tried to inch forward the dogs only became more excited. After about 5 minutes of this, a pick up truck drove by. The driver waved me forward, and threw a  pick between the dogs and I as I escaped

I got to Golden City a few hours before Ryan and Terry. We camped in Golden City for free. After Golden City, the next stop was Kansas.

Kansas.

Sonic for lunch. Bad choice.

Kansas is flat. No more climbing until western Colorado! The winds are consistently from the south. The direction switches between the south, southwest, or southeast. My average speed for the 95 miles from Golden City to Chanute, Kansas was 14.5 mph. If the winds do not change, Kansas should be nice riding. 

That's me racing a tractor.

It has been one month since I began riding from Washington D.C. Here is a breakdown of my progress:

Miles traveled on bike - 1572

Days  - 30

Miles per day - 52.4

Days of riding - 24

Miles per day of riding - 65.5

Maximum speed - 47.2 mph

Things I have packed and have not used: Water purifier, socks

Approximate miles to San Francisco - 2200

Also, here is a link to Ryan's blog. www.cycleacrossamerica.co.uk

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Days 25 and 26 - Across the Mississippi!

...on a bridge

I have never actually seen the Mississippi River. This was my first sight of it.

Can't tell from the picture but, the current was pretty quick.

We crossed the river in Chester, Illinois over a bridge with no shoulder. It was not very pleasant and not an ideal place to stop and take a picture. Unfortunately, I was not able to stop and enjoy the Mississippi as much as I would have liked. Regardless, I was happy to have another state over and done with and be on to Missouri.

Ryan and I enjoying our night in Chester, IL

The morning leaving Chester, Terry got an early start at around 5AM. Ryan and I decided sleep a bit longer. Not more than 14 miles into an 80 mile day, Ryan and I ran into some of these foreboding clouds in St. Mary, Missouri. 

Pretty dark for 10AM.

Ryan and I decided to wait out the storm in a convenient store. The rest of the day went smoothly. 

The campsite at Kyle's Campground.

After camping, the next day's ride was going to be one of the toughest in the state. The Ozarks have a reputation for being short, but rather steep. They weren't so bad. However, once again, it was brutally hot out. 

The Current River.

We are getting set to leave Eminence this morning and have a short day to Houston, Missouri.

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life=good

Days 21-24 - The Ohio River and the Emerald City

The Emerald City to which I am referring to is the one more commonly known as Carbondale, Illinois. But, to TransAm cyclists it is the Mecca and the ride through Kentucky is the Hajj. This is because there are no bike shops on the route through Kentucky. In Carbondale there are three within a block of one another. As soon as we arrived in Carbondale the four of us checked in at a hotel and then took our bikes straight to the shop where they are getting fully serviced. I imagine my Marin is looking something like the tin man right now.

From Sebree, Ryan and I got an early start in order to find ourselves in a bar holding a couple tins while watching the England versus U.S. game by 1:30. Surprisingly, those 45 miles were the most difficult so far on the trip. The heat and humidity were too much to handle and my knees were aching terribly up the smallest of climbs. I would rather ride up Hayter's Gap all day than be in that type of weather.

It all worked out. Ryan and I rolled into Marion around 1PM for lunch and the football game. Cooper and Terry met up with us and we all decided to call it a day in Marion even though we originally planned to ride further than 45 miles that day. It was just too hot. In Marion I reached a nice milestone.

About 2800 more to go. 

After Marion, we put in another shorter day of 48 miles to Eddyville, Illinois. From Marion to Eddyville, we finally left Kentucky and crossed the Ohio River into Illinois. There is a ferry you can take free of charge to get across the river. This is how my bike and everyone else and their bikes crossed the river. I decided to make it a little more exciting.

That river doesn't look too wide.

Loading the bike on the ferry.

Trying to judge the currents.

Ryan recorded some video of it.

Turns out I misjudged the currents and ended up about a half mile down stream.

That mud was deep.

I made it.

More video from Ryan.

The swim was fairly easy once I gave up trying to swim straight across. The most difficult part was walking upstream along the bank in knee-deep mud dodging rusted I-beams and sharp rocks and branches. 

Happy to move on from Kentucky.

First night in Illinois was spent in Eddyville. We were eager to get to Carbondale the following day. Our bikes need a break and so do we. I have been riding consecutive days since Buchanan, Virginia. That was 13 days ago. The 55 miles from Eddyville to Carbondale would not be easy.

For the third day in a row, the temperature was above 90 degrees. The ride took us by Devil's Kitchen (how appropriate). We took a quick dip in Devil's Kitchen Lake. 

Even the water was warm.

After the swim we were within 10 miles of a hotel, restaurants, alcohol, bike shops, and a day off. The route took us on some rough roads and I got a flat front tire. Cooper decided to tend to a slow leak on his front tire while I dealt with mine. 

Teamwork.

Ryan decided to record this too. 

So, now I am in Carbondale, Illinois enjoying a day off. 

Unfortunately, I do bring some bad news. The pack is now down to three riders. Cooper, our friend from Minnesota, is taking 10 days off and going to his cousin's wedding. Today, he left us after breakfast and will ride 180 miles over the next three days to a Greyhound station, then he'll catch a flight the rest of the way to Minnesota. Of course, he does not have to go to the wedding. He's just that kind of guy. We miss him already.

The Coop Dogg.

On the day off, Ryan, Terry, and I were able to swap pictures with one another. Here are some good ones from Ryan and Terry in no particular order.

Donnie the vintner of Rolling Hills and his dogs.

This was in the bathroom at Rolling Hills Winery. What species is this?

Waiting out a thunderstorm. Cooper's eating chips and salsa. 

A couple of Germans.

The man I am riding next to here is Michael. He is originally from Essen, Germany but has been living in the states for the past 12 years. There is an Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) group that is riding the TransAm from east to west and we have been seeing them quite frequently on the trail. There are 15 riders in the group and two leaders. Michael is one of the leaders. He has no baggage on his bike because the ACA tour is supported. There is a huge van that holds everyone's gear. They also organize meals and sleeping arrangements every night for the riders. The cost of the supported trip is around $8,000. 

I asked Michael if he had done the TransAm before and he had not but had done touring in Europe and in the mountains of the States. I then asked him where his favorite place to bike tour was and he said South America. Michael then casually mentioned how he rode his bike from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska over a 2 year span of time. Unglaublich. 

 

life=good

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