The Middle
Monday June 3, 2019. McPherson, KS to Junction City, KS. 87 miles
Ascent= 1,852 feet. Descent= 2,291 feet. Cumulative= 1,673 miles
We have reached the middle. We still have a few miles to go to reach 1,700 miles, which is halfway to 3,400 miles, the advertised length of our tour, but we are midway through the seven weeks duration of the tour. Tomorrow is the 3rd of 5 rest days and we are still in Kansas, wherein lies the geographic center of the US.
The scattered thunderstorms that were predicted for at least the start of the day passed during the night so we left on dry pavement with the temp in the low 60's eventually rising to the low 80's. About 7 miles into the day we came upon a construction site where they were repaying US 56 and it was down to one lane for about a mile where they were removing the surface layer and leaving that scored surface that creates a lot of extra tire noise and a slightly rougher ride in car. On a bike it is bone jarring and teeth rattling. We continued on this kind of surface for another 7 miles after the active construction area. We passed more than one "End of Construction" sign while riding on this surface and I wanted to tell somebody, "Hey, you forgot something, like repaving this sucker".
We had 2 right angle turns today so that we went due east for 20 miles, then north for 40 miles and finished up with another easterly leg into Junction City. The first turn took us off US 56 for the first time in several days. The wind was from the south, so we had a very nice tailwind for the middle of the trip, blowing into Abilene, Dwight D. Eisenhower's boyhood home, and site of our communal lunch stop at the Hitching Post. Our server was very friendly and touted the special of the day, beef and noodles on mashed potatoes, as well as the green beans with bacon as the recommended side. The beans were good, and the main course tasted fine, but the beef was mainly a rumor, and I hadn't really thought about it, but mashed potatoes and noodles is a little redundant. A dessert came with the lunch, although the pie selection was limited to a single slice of cherry pie, and there were limited (small) pieces of German chocolate cake available. I ended up with a sweet roll. I didn't go on line to rate it, but I wouldn't have given it all the stars.
We again saw a lot of farmland and cattle ranches, and still very few fields had been planted due to the recent flooding. The terrain remained flat until after again headed east out of Abilene, and it was distinctly hillier. We arrived shortly before 3:00 but the rooms were not ready so we hung out in the lobby for a little bit.
Everyone is ready for a rest day since we haven't had one since Sante Fe.
More when we start moving again on Wednesday.
Ascent= 1,852 feet. Descent= 2,291 feet. Cumulative= 1,673 miles
We have reached the middle. We still have a few miles to go to reach 1,700 miles, which is halfway to 3,400 miles, the advertised length of our tour, but we are midway through the seven weeks duration of the tour. Tomorrow is the 3rd of 5 rest days and we are still in Kansas, wherein lies the geographic center of the US.
The scattered thunderstorms that were predicted for at least the start of the day passed during the night so we left on dry pavement with the temp in the low 60's eventually rising to the low 80's. About 7 miles into the day we came upon a construction site where they were repaying US 56 and it was down to one lane for about a mile where they were removing the surface layer and leaving that scored surface that creates a lot of extra tire noise and a slightly rougher ride in car. On a bike it is bone jarring and teeth rattling. We continued on this kind of surface for another 7 miles after the active construction area. We passed more than one "End of Construction" sign while riding on this surface and I wanted to tell somebody, "Hey, you forgot something, like repaving this sucker".
We had 2 right angle turns today so that we went due east for 20 miles, then north for 40 miles and finished up with another easterly leg into Junction City. The first turn took us off US 56 for the first time in several days. The wind was from the south, so we had a very nice tailwind for the middle of the trip, blowing into Abilene, Dwight D. Eisenhower's boyhood home, and site of our communal lunch stop at the Hitching Post. Our server was very friendly and touted the special of the day, beef and noodles on mashed potatoes, as well as the green beans with bacon as the recommended side. The beans were good, and the main course tasted fine, but the beef was mainly a rumor, and I hadn't really thought about it, but mashed potatoes and noodles is a little redundant. A dessert came with the lunch, although the pie selection was limited to a single slice of cherry pie, and there were limited (small) pieces of German chocolate cake available. I ended up with a sweet roll. I didn't go on line to rate it, but I wouldn't have given it all the stars.
We again saw a lot of farmland and cattle ranches, and still very few fields had been planted due to the recent flooding. The terrain remained flat until after again headed east out of Abilene, and it was distinctly hillier. We arrived shortly before 3:00 but the rooms were not ready so we hung out in the lobby for a little bit.
Everyone is ready for a rest day since we haven't had one since Sante Fe.
More when we start moving again on Wednesday.
Jeff! It's Mary from Chicago. Thanks for the great reports of your incredible trek across the country. I read them all with map in hand and I am amazed at how rapidly you are covering some difficult terrain. Keep up the great work. I am enjoying reading about everything; weather, food, roads, people, ... it is absolutely fascinating and you tell it well. Big Hug to you:)
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