"It was a dark and stormy night…" actually, it was a bright and windy day. Because it was going to be a short day, only 63 miles, we left McPherson an hour later than usual so that our rooms might be ready for us in Abilene. The wind was blowing strongly out of the south when we left the hotel. Fortunately, we were traveling due east for the first 22 miles, so the cross wind wasn't much of a problem and when we turned north on Rt. 15, we flew with the south wind pushing us along at 20+ mph the entire way into Abilene. A cheeseburger and large, chocolate milkshake at Dairy Queen and the day was over almost before it started.
Elmo, Kansas, is a wide spot in the road on Rt 15. I had hoped to get a picture of the Elmo sign, but Elmo is so small, it doesn't have one. Yet, if you do a Google search on Elmo, Kansas, you will get 1.4 million hits! Elmo is a famous site for Permian insect fossils, 250 million year old dragonflies, etc. I looked for, but did not see any road cuts or exposed rock, or I would have stopped.
Peter and I were riding up Rt 15 when we were passed by a truck pulling a trailer full of calves. As the truck passed us, one of the wheels on the trailer blew off. The wheel kept going, rolling, rolling, and rolling until it finally came to a stop in someone's front yard. The truck and trailer took a long time to stop. Meanwhile, the trailer's axle was plowing a furrow into the pavement in front of us, throwing up a lot of smoke and asphalt. As luck would have it, we weren't in the wrong place at the wrong time, and were able to safely navigate around the disabled vehicle.
Abilene is the home of the Dwight David Eisenhower Library; President Eisenhower and his wife are buried here. The town was one of the first cow towns, where cattle, driven up from Texas, were loaded onto railcars for transit to the more populous east. Abilene was famous for its stockyards, the Chisholm Trail, and Marshal Wild Bill Hickcock. It is also, currently the home of the Greyhound Hall of Fame.
Tomorrow is a rest day. It's been nine days since our last day off. I need to do laundry and clean the bicycle. Mail was waiting for me when I checked into the motel. I got a nice letter from Walter and a picture drawn by my little friend, Emma. Thanks, guys…much appreciated.
The "four Musketeers" are (left to right) Alec, Karen, Harry, and Ira. They ride together each day, with Harry leading the pace line.
From the looks of the weather, tomorrow is a good day to be off the road. Enjoy your rest. Ride safe.
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Beach Bike Trek Update:
ReplyDeleteThe skies darkened with an ominous warning as the Intrepid Five set out this morning. Still, I was confident in the team's road readiness - we had rested well the night before, and had spent the evening in quiet contemplation of the challenges ahead.
Ably assisted by my key domestique, we quickly negotiated the Rindge Highway and headed up the first (and most challenging) climb of the day - the Belmont Mountain. Aided by their small stature, the two newest members of our team (the Fourth Rider and K-Dog) quickly negotiated the massive peak; the rest of us were hampered by wind resistance but managed to summit in good time. At our designated rendezvous, we settled down for a much-needed SAG stop, but were rudely interrupted by a pair of rogue riders - small, short, stubby-legged, long-bodied, brown, and noisy - who attempted to run us off the road! We leaped back in the saddle and quickly made our way down the pass and onto Slauson Roadway, a foresaken, windy expanse filled with ornamental statuary and motor transport devices. We would have liked to stop and take in the vistas, but the incipient storm gave us no time for sightseeing. Forming the first of what may prove to be many perfect pacelines, we flew down the road. As the first few drops of rain hit our weary faces, and our home base came into view, we were filled with happiness at having achieved our daily trek goal.
Tomorrow, we, too, will rest.