Today we finally left Kansas. We still had a crosswind, but the terrain was rolling hills so the wind was not as much of a factor as when you are out in the middle of an open field with nothing stopping the wind for 200 miles except you. We entered Missouri early in the morning and we promptly got dumped on by steady showers. Grim riding up to the first rest stop in a cemetery.
We started out with a group leaving the first stop. Met up briefly with a local ride wearing no rain gear. Not sure what he made of us, but everyone on this ride is a decent rider, and we are all getting stronger every day. We may have intimidated him because he turned off he road.
We got strung out after the rollers started up. Up and down. Oftentimes you could see them one after another ahead of you like a roller coaster track. They are nice going down and if you hit it just right you can coast up part way the muscle over them. The rain made things a bit dicey - blinding raindrops at 40mph, slippery yellow paint lines, pickup trucks, bumpy roads; these add terror to the thrill of descending.
Lunch was hot pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs. Two different types of brownies and much needed hot chocolate. Rode through a town and saw the tractor fair going on. All your latest models and a limeade stand too!
Up and down more. Grinded up some longer hills. The rain had stopped for now. My big Gore-tex jacket was doing a good job keeping me warm. You could not stop long though, a chill would set in quick. Got my second flat of they day. Wet conditions always cause more flats due to more crap sticking to the tires. Filled up on snacks some more at the last rest stop. Back onto historic Rt. 66 for a bit then the rain kicked in again.
Today was not too bad even though the rain made things unpleasant. The scenery was good - lots of cows, horses, chickens, fields, streams, etc. More dogs although none seemed very harmful. We passed through about a half dozen trash burning smoke clouds -yeech.
Despite the bad weather the crew was extra nice to ward off our blues. Kansas has gotten to some people, and this rain is not helping. I don't think these long distances are helping either. But hey we all signed up fully expecting this. Tomorrow is a shorter day - 95 miles or so. More rain forecasted for morning.
Sunday, September 24, 2000
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