|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Giddy up... September 26, 2008Leave a comment ;)
You gotta "giddy up" pretty early in the morning to pedal 105 miles. Oh, that was bad.... har har.... Not my longest day, but certainly one of the most difficult. Battling a nasty wind is much more challenging than climbing a pass. There was an episode on the Twilight Zone where the main character keeps looking at something in the distance and it keeps getting farther away. The closer you get, the farther away it looks. That's the way towns and grain silos appeared on the horizon. Getting closer, further away, closer, further away... sigh... All you can do is hunker down and put your best pedal forward. My Dad has always said something when times are tough. "This moment will pass before you know it." How true in this case. One way or the other the winds will eventually stop, either on their own or when you do. So, just keep pedaling! The nice part about starting early is the wind has not yet reached a level that slows you down. Most of my ride was eastward with some portions taking a more southeasterly track. The wind was variable from the southeast to the southwest, but predominately from the south. Reaching speeds anywhere from 15-20 knots. Gusty at times as well. Thank goodness for my aero bars! Lots of straight with a few hills tossed in for good measure. I saw a couple of interesting things today, but not as much as in previous days. One was a rather comfy looking chair parked beneath a power pole with a sign saying, "Bryan's Draw." He must have really liked the view! Another interesting site was a pheasant farm. Large pens with netting covering the top with hundreds of ringneck pheasants wandering about. I did see a few pheasants along the side of the road, but they weren't wandering about, if you know what I mean. One of the more interesting sites here in southern Kansas are the feed lots. Lots of cattle, lots of smell. If you ever have a hankering to become a vegetarian, try pedaling by a lot on the northerly side, with the wind from the south. I think your mind might be made up... The shoulder of the road was great for about half of the ride, but became half as wide as I neared Cimarron. The traffic was a bit heavier as well and numerous cars and trucks were doing their best to honk at me right as they came alongside. I tend to think they want to startle me, but maybe they are just being friendly. As the sun began to tip lower on the horizon, my shadow was cast across the highway. At one point I came to a field covered with the state flower. Huge sunflowers, hanging their heads as if getting ready to sleep. One of the challenges when pedaling long distances is that the miles click off really quick in the beginning and slowly slide by near the end. Things move in slow motion and the world seems to creep by. Toss in a good wind and a sore behind and 100 miles can be a challenge. I rolled into Dodge City right as the sun set in a flaming orange ball. It was nice to find a place right inside the city limits. I take some pictures of the historical section in the morning before heading south toward Oklahoma. For today's problem, let's talk about the wind. Now I am not complaining, really! I just want to use these nasty winds to exercise some math! How fun is that? At one point during my ride, as I left Garden City and passed the airport, I was pedaling on a heading to the southeast. Using a compass, my heading would have been roughly 150 degrees. The winds at that time were blowing strong from the south, or 180 degrees. Let's say the speed of the winds were about 20 knots (sure felt like it!). How many degrees off of my heading were the winds? Once you determine that angle, determine the headwind component I was having to pedal against. More Images: ;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
2 Comments
Sep 27, 2008 7:58 am - Don wrote : John, it looks like your adventure is going well. Your trip through Eastern Colorado and Kansas brings back memories of my cross country trip 25 years ago. Back then Garden City Kansas was home to the "worlds largest free municipal swimming pool". Is it still? As far as your wheel trouble touring bikes from back when I toured sometimes were equiped with 40 or 48 spoke wheels. What size tires are you using? I used 700/32 so more air in tires would take more shock away from rim and rider. Sure wish I was back out touring. i hope to go cross country again sometime soon. Your pictures are great, I love seeing the country on a bicycle. I don't think there is a better way. Add a comment: |
 RSS
Follow John on his trek via
Google Earth! 
PLEASE SUPPORT
THESE SPONSORS 
View Clip Now! >> |
Linn Productions.
John just thought you'd like to know Lucy enjoyed a pair of my sailing gloves the other day. It must be the smell or the taste from the sweat that she sniffs out. i'm not even sure where she found mine at, she must have dug deep in one of my sailing bags.