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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