Day 41

65 miles today from Larned to Ness City. A little cooler, as predicted, quite a relief.
Camping in town park adjacent to open air pool, allowing for a very nice post ride dip.
Enjoying the Kansas countryside, very wide open spaces, you can see for miles.
There is a continuous steady incline on the route, which will carry on toward Colorado and the Rockies where more obvious climbing will start.
We have been leapfrogging a group of young Americans over the last few days and tonight they are sharing our camping space, nice to share experiences about the trip.

Day 40

What a scorcher!!!!
We left Hutchinson at 7 am to try and beat the worst of the heat, no such luck. Our route today of 69 miles, included a 58 mile stretch with no services, and today turned out to be the hottest day of our trip. Temperatures reached over 105, but we knew we just had to keep going. We started off with four large bike bottles of water each plus two large bottles of Gatorade, but still ran out. No choice but to knock on a door, not many of those either.
First one no answer, only mildly angry dogs, second more luck and access to an outside pump from the local spring. Even with additional water, this was a very difficult ride and we were extremely pleased when finally we saw Larned on the horizon.
We stumbled into the first cafe for fluid and icecream and while cooling off we're told a big storm is expected any time.
The weather changes so dramatically here, we had seen no evidence of a storm on our way in, but sure enough the sky was rapidly darkening.
Cafe owner happy to let us sit out the storm and decision for a motel night, we deserved it today. The weather is set to cool ( low 90's) tomorrow, which is a relief. We will have to make sure we set off even earlier if the temperatures rise again.

Day 39

Very, very hot ride to Hutchinson 86 miles. 10.15pm and temp still reading 91.  

Day 38

Toronto to Cassoday 60 miles. Lunch in Eureka ( best salad yet, with some real vegetables), tea in Rosalia, almost the best apple pie and ice cream( my mum makes the best). Supper of pizza ( very good ) put together by a very helpful gas station attendant in Cassoday. To camp in town park, but no showers. Again we fall on our feet and a delightful lady called Judy invites us to have a shower at her home, followed by homemade lemonade in the garden chatting to her and husband Dale. Both retired schoolteachers, a very pleasant time. Up early tomorrow, hoping to cycle 80+ miles, including one of the long stretches ( 38 miles) with no services at all. This journey will depend a lot on the wind. Today it came from the southeast and made the middle part of the day very hard work. Although we were rewarded on the last 18 mile stretch of our day with a northwest road,we were flying!
Below photos of apple pie maker, at the hat cafe and Dale and Judy our shower saviours.

Day 37

Riding through Kansas on yet another scorching day. Surprising how used to the heat we have become. Our first stop was the gas station for breakfast, met there some good ol guys chewin the cud( photo below). Cycled 68 miles to Toronto, Kansas. Total population 295, Monday nothing open but the liquor store( maybe we'll just go there!!)
Several from the UK have asked am I still enjoying this adventure, the answer is most certainly yes. This is the most fascinating and exciting experience I have every had. Tiring at times, but great to be part of.
Having said all that, as I am sitting here on Main Street writing this blog two locals have decided
to tell us the most terrifying details of what the weather can do here. Huge Thunderstorms, tornados, hailstone the size of footballs( I'm sure that bit must be an exaggeration). Meet our weather experts.

Day 36

68. Miles in 90+ temperatures and no shower. Not pleasant!!! Thank god for wet wipes.
Very basic nights accommodation in a tiny town (population under 300) called Walnut in Kansas. No shop, so emergency dried meal supplies saved the day and Lyle a local resident came to the rescue with water. Very warm night and in bed before 10, not a lot else to do!
We have been planning our next few days as there are a number of stretches on the route( one of 38 and another of 58 miles)with no services at all. So we will need to carry everything we need, mainly the water, for those parts of the route. Our first few miles into Kansas very pleasant, wide open spaces and virtually no cars.
Below one of the many tortoises Martin has rescued from the road. Plus a strange residence with warning attached.

Day 35

Fair Grove to Golden City( sounds grand, don't be fooled) 66 miles.
My nearest miss with a dog today, a real chaser, who seemed determined to get me. Finally the chase ceased on the repeated command "down" bellowed in my most authoritarian voice. Which is not easy to do while cycling as fast as you can with your heart racing in fear, hopefully that may be my nearest encounter.
We are now out of the hills, (not a moment too soon), or at least we hope we are until the
Rockies. I cannot believe how much hill climbing we have done over the first few weeks of this trip. Now the opposite beckons, we will be crossing over into Kansas tomorrow, hundreds of miles of flat, straight roads, sounds great at the moment!!!
We continue to meet lots and lots of people, every stop seems to result in a conversation with someone. Mostly conversations are good, but some can be a little weird. On arrival in town tonight we were accosted be a guy wanting to do something for us, anything! He offered to get us something, buy us something, take us somewhere. At that precise moment, post a long hot ride, we just wanted to slump in the gas station forecourt and have a drink. He was most disappointed that there was nothing he could do, so instead spent sometime regaling us with the positives of this town. You would imagine this would be quite brief, but no, he managed to keep going for sometime! One of my many camp sites below, yet another town park.

Day 34

Great day cycling, over 80 miles and now out of the Ozarks. Camping in Fair Grove, Missouri in the town park. Found a great restaurant called Oddfellows. Run by John from SouthEast London- great supper. Photos of Gary and Judi who we met at lunch and John and Alex at Oddfellows, plus a very long road, one of many.

Day 33

Great days riding though the Ozarks, Hilly 70 + miles, but not beyond us. Are the hills getting smaller, or are we getting fitter? Arrived Houston town park(our camp ground), just I time to snatch a shower in the local pool. Visited by a couple of locals, enthusiastic to talk about our trip. They told us that lots of transamerica cyclists overnight here, they enjoy following their blogs, mine now included. We hear that the American Cycle Association group ( who started a week before us are) are now only three days ahead. Maybe we will catch up at some point?
Found a bar for a couple of beers and steak sandwich, extremely loud music and virtually no other customers apart from the barman who is singing on the karaoke machine and dancing. Weird weird weird!!! Someone should tell him how bad he sounds. Martin is threatening to join in the dance, but feels his cleats might hamper his style!!,

Day 32

Left Farmington, Missouri at 7am to try and beat the heat. 60+ miles today that was relatively easily achieved. We don't hit the highest of the Ozark mountains till tomorrow, but we did run into a few dogs today, that were a little more persistent than we are used to.
We are now beginning to meet cyclists who are travelling west to east, one such chap, all the way from Beijing, is pictured below.
Unexpectedly found ourselves with a warm shower host tonight. Betty and Wayne have made us most welcome, providing a very nice bedroom each, a lovely hot shower and pizza for dinner. Meet my bedroom companions for the night!!

Day 31

Over the Mississippi to Missouri today. Relatively short distance of 49 miles to Farmington, Missouri.
Tomorrow we will start climbing into the Ozark mountains, yet more hills!!! Varying reports as to the difficulty of the hills and contributory difficulties of dogs. We shall see!!!

Popeye Again!

Popeye

Chester Illinois, apparently Popeye's home!!

Day 30

Martin and I encountered a number of storms today. Resulting in a need to take shelter in any available porch. One such sheltering included an invitation sit in a garage with some mean machines.(see photos below). Many thanks to Willy for his garage hospitality.
We travelled 51 miles to Chester and have taken shelter in a cyclists rest(one room). We are sharing our rest stop with Huck a fellow cyclist who has been on the road since the beginning of April. He is travelling the country deciding where he wants to live!! Well that's one way to do it.

Day 29

A day of rest, very welcome, or at least for some of us as Christopher decided he wanted to push on and has headed off to Chester today.
Whereas Martin, Kielo and myself have lolled about most of the day finishing off with a picnic supper in our motel room. Kielo is leaving first thing and Martin and I will visit the local bike shop before heading off for the next leg of the trip.

Day 28

Eddyville to Carbondale, Illinois, 59 miles. A good ride along lakeside scenery, most enjoyable. Stopped in Goreville for lunch, Delaney's offers a free desert to cyclists riding coast to coast. How could I resist apple pie and ice cream? We took a motel room in Carbondale to have a day off, say goodbye to Kielo and catch up on contacts from home. The dodgiest motel I have ever stayed in, but very cheap. A colourful bunch of fellow residents( they mostly seem to live here permanently), but they are quite friendly towards us. I suspect we also look quite odd to them!
Photo of Delaney's and owner, snazzy car we saw along the road and one of the lakes we passed.

Day 27

Marion to Eddysville, Illinois.
We crossed the Ohio river by ferry and no we didn't cycle round the deck during the crossing, so that part of the trip was a bit of a cheat.
A short cycle today, 45 miles, in high temperatures( about 90) to a horse camp. People come here with their horses to go trekking, we're surrounded by RV's and horses tonight. This area feels very different to Kentucky, hillbilly to cowboy country in just a few miles.
A big motorcycle rally is going on in the area at the moment, lots of very impressive machines passing us on the road, accompanied by good humoured banter at our lack of engines. Well we assumed it was good humoured and didn't take offence as most of the men( and their wives) were rather large. Tomorrow we set off to Carbondale about 60 miles. This is the point when we say goodbye to Kielo,(pictured below) who needs to return to Chicago and work. We will be really sorry to see her go, she has become an integral member of our group. I think she is also sorry ( at least she is polite enough to say she is) that she didn't plan for a longer trip. My hope is that there will be something else in the future that her and I can join forces for, you never know!! Below pictures of the Ohio river.

Day 26

Cooler day today (only 85). Cycled to Marion, Kentucky, our last night in Kentucky before crossing the Ohio river into Illinois. We cycled just over 70 miles again today, but plan a shorter ride for tomorrow as we have a ferry crossing to include.
Ate out tonight,rather than one of our homemade creations. The food we cook can be a little strange, depending what is available, (tuna,pasta, rice, tinned veg, tuna, tuna,tuna......).
We had hoped for a glass of wine in the restaurant, but yet again we find ourselves in a dry county( no alcohol on sale).
The restaurant only served coke,lemonade and sprite, by the gallon, with as many refills as you can manage.
I find the restrictions on alcohol a little strange considering every shop is crammed with candy, crisps and sweet sugary drinks and often not much else.
Surely the odd bottle of wine might do less harm?
Below our lunch diner, colourful in decor and company, our arrival often prompts amusing conversations and interest in our trip.
A very muddy coloured river and our accommodation for the night, yet another church.
It is very strange to find so many churches and others who are more than happy to offer accommodation. This seems to have become a tradition, to allow cyclists to stay, to collect their names and in tonight's case photographs for their visitor book.

Day 25

75 mile cycle today to Utica, Kentucky. The hottest temperatures yet, recorded 100+ on my Garmin during the day. Our accommodation is in the fire station, yes the fire station. They allow cyclists to stay in their mess room, giving access to a shower, kitchen and mattress to sleep on. We cooked very large quantities of pasta and ate the lot, plus several cakes that had been left by other cyclists from the night before.
The fireman here are part time, and only come in when there is a fire to deal with. One did come to say hello and just asked that we leave a clear path from the door to the garage where the fire engines are in case they are called out. So the may be the off chance of some fireman flying through the building in the dead of night!!! We shared our accommodation with Ralph another cyclist from New Jersey ( he is the poser on the flag pole).
Just totalled up my mileage since I started in Parlin, New Jersey. Grand total 1392 miles, more than a quarter of total mileage expected.