Today didn't have a stellar start, but as usual it turned into a good day.
Staying in the Larned city park didn't allow me to get enough sleep last night. Unfortunately it appears to be a driving destination for the local kids - at least I assume they were kids. There were people driving through there, parking with the bass blasting from stereos, leaving cars turned on, and peeling rubber as they moved out. That didn't make me very happy, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Things finally got quiet at about 12:30. I really need a good 8 hours of sleep, and I definitely didn't get it last night, so I was still a bit tired this morning. That wore off once I started biking, and I was fine. And the lesson here it to accept a back yard camping spot over a city park the next time one is offered!
When I woke up for one of my bathroom breaks in the middle of the night, one of my knees was really stiff. They've both been a little sore, but nothing major. I was a bit concerned last night, but I took some ibuprofen and everything seems fine now. Maybe I just slept on it in a strange way. Here's hoping my knees and I make it through the mountains that are yet to come without any problems.
I was about 10 minutes out of town when the bike began to feel very strange. Flat tire! I checked the tires before I hit the road this morning, and they seemed fine... I changed the tire and threw the old tube into my bag so I could patch it later. I assumed that something happened when I road through the road construction yesterday, even though I kept an eye on the tires and tried to make sure that nothing sharp was stuck to them. When I finished riding I pulled out the bad tube and discovered that the valve stem had separated from the tube - but in such a way that depending on the angle of the valve the tube would still hold air. Guess I can't patch that one!
The winds and temperature were back to what seems to be normal today. The winds were out of the southwest, and the temperature has been reported at 98 degrees. As usual, the bike computer shows about 10 degrees higher in the sun. After noon I could just feel the heat rising off of the pavement. I had a nice push from the wind as I rode straight north for 19 miles. Once I turned west again, it switched to a strong side wind with some sections that felt more like a glancing headwind. It definitely wasn't a head-on headwind, but it was enough in my face to make the ride harder. I wonder if the wind ever stops blowing here. Ever since I crossed into Kansas it has been windy.
I met a rider from Phoenix this afternoon. He's riding from Phoenix to New York on a recumbent. Well, actually he's riding the flat parts on his recumbent, and the mountains and hilly parts on a "regular" bike. Like yesterday, when I first saw him I thought he might be a local cyclist because he had very little gear on his bike. When I asked him if he was traveling with a very small amount of stuff, he told me that his wife is sagging him in their van. She's carrying all of his gear, plus an extra bike. Now that's luxury - having 2 bikes to choose from on a cross-country tour.
As I move into western Kansas everything is starting to look really dry. According to a newspaper article I read over the weekend many of the farmers are planting crops with no intent of harvesting them. They are hoping that the crops will help keep the soil in place. Here's hoping that this area gets some rain soon - but I do hope that happens after I leave here.
I saw an animal today that may have been a fox. Does anyone know if they ever hang out in farm land? At first I thought it was a dog, but it had the look of a fox. It ran out of a field toward the road, saw me coming, and ran back into the field. Every so often it would pop it's head back up and look. I really think if it had been a dog that it would have been chasing me.
I rode without my cycle computer today. As I suspected, the problem was with the battery in the transmitter. I was on numbered state roads and US highways all day today, so there were mile markers on the road. That helped quite a bit, but I still missed my little toy. When I got to Ness City this afternoon I went in search of a battery and actually found one. I really thought I'd have to wait until I hit Pueblo to find the right battery. Everything's fixed now - I'm happy.
And I'm very happy that I was able to get a motel room tonight. It's way too hot out there to be sweating in a tent. And the forecast for tomorrow is triple digits again.
