Todays Distance: 104 miles
Cycling time: 8hrs 03 mins
Average Speed: 12.9 mph
Today’s cumulative ascent: 1056 ft
Average Heart rate: 97 bpm
Distance so far: 1676 miles
Distance so far: 1676 miles
Ascent so far: 60,122 ft.
Centuries so far: 5
Punctures so far: 3
Today’s Profile:
Centuries so far: 5
Punctures so far: 3
Today’s Profile:
Today’s Route:
Dedication: Today is for all those children in Providence, including Caroline, Balarisha and Rajesh who work so hard to master the various vocational skills – tailoring, confectionary, papermaking, candlemaking, carpentry, beauty-care, commercial cooking etc.
Today was another century, two in two days or three in the course of four days. We would enter a new state and a new time-zone.
There were thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon in Garden City and so everyone packed the rain-gear just in case. As it turned out there was no need. The route again generally followed the course of the Arkansas River although we didn’t see it very often. Plenty of greenery around during the early stages and temperatures were quite pleasant as we left at just after 6 am.
The Arkansas River that we did see bore no resemblance to the mountain torrent that we accompanied out of Salida. It moved much slower and didn’t have near the same volume of water. Much of it had been diverted for irrigation purposes into channels around the fields.
Another means of irrigation used extensively was large moving booms ( some up to 400 metres long) swinging in an arc covering a full circle or a semi circle. These moved on wheels almost 4 feet in diameter and resulted in green circular fields viewed best from the air (or on maps.google). The water came from deep wells at the centre of the arc. 
For the first 50 miles we had a tail-wind behind us and we moved smoothly on relatively quiet roads at 18 to 20 mph with little or no effort. The idea of a century (after yesterdays 121 miles) held little fear for us. We were already half way there. I had the preconception that Kansas was flat. If so, we were not in typical Kansas today. It was rolling without anything too demanding. Hills are only number three on my X-list the others being headwind and great heat.
First SAG was at 33 miles and we arrived there very fresh. Someone had used their imagination to find a safe place to park in the Rest Area by Highway 50 while taking on calories and water.
Shortly after that SAG we came to the state-line. Goodbye to Colorado and hello Kansas. This is now the 5th state on my trek across 14 of them. It also marks our passing from Mountain Time Zone to Central Time. We are now only 6 hours behind Ireland. Always getting closer.
In places there was no cultivation and even abandoned homesteads but these areas weren’t extensive. In general today’s route was through fertile country in ccomparison to previous days.
With so much barley and maize it was only to be expected that grain silos would be visible regularly. Large ones in co-ops and smaller ones in individual ranch-yards. I expect we will see many more as we cross the state - 5 more days.
There were many feed-lots along our route today again with thousands of cattle being fattened in each. You knew one was coming up – especially when we had a headwind. The nose could pick one out. But not all cattle were in feedlots. Some had a less crowded existence although I wouldn’t like to ‘lock horns’ with them on one of their off-days.
Yesterday was a quiet one in the fields but it was back to work today with the baling to be done. They don’t have to worry about the drying over here judging by our experience over the last few days. Their worry might be that the lot would just disappear in the case of a tornado.
In the mid afternoon the wind began to swing and change and blow right down on our noses. It wasn’t violent but added to the effort. Temperatures began to climb up into the mid-90s and that just drains energy. Steve in our group had what one might call an energy slump around the 85 mile mark and we slowed the pace to accommodate. Everyone found the combination of heat, wind and rather tiring terrain over the final miles a bit much to take. We arrived safely at the motel just before 5 pm (Central Time)
In the Tour de France etc the names of the top riders are often written on the road to encourage them on to victory. I must have a fan-club over here who have been busy with the paint-brush. Anything that encourages is OK by me. But the only victory I seek is that sufficient funds will be raised to ensure that the children of Providence get a break by means of education.Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.
PS. As I type this there is a a right bit of a thunderstorm with constant lightning outside. Par for the course, I believe.
Being a long day it demanded an early start and my alarm was set for 4.15 am after a good eight hours sleep. I felt refreshed and eager for the challenge and after loading at 5am we went to the Country Kitchen next to our motel for breakfast – porridge with bacon and scrambled egg. The early start was to enable us to get into Lamar before the great heat and the expected adverse winds
Everyone was pleased that those who had been a little ill over the last few days were all back in the saddle. By 6 we were on the road heading east as usual with the sky still brightening. Long sleeves were in use but we knew it would only be for a short period As we passed through the suburbs of Pueblo, I got the feeling that there must be an Irish presence there with Jerry Murphy Boulevard and I spotted a large auto yard with the sign Mc Laughlins.
Our route was generally descending over the wide plains. The roads still stretched away in front of us but there was enough variety on either side to keep one occupied. The railway ran beside us with little activity except for one coal train that kept passing us forever – definitely more than a hundred cars. I couldn’t count them as they were all identical.
As we were moving down the valley of the Arkansas River there was quite an amount of tillage on either side with irrigation channels through the fields and irrigation booms slowly moving across other large tracts. Barley had been harvested in places
I enjoyed and wallowed in the smell in places of freshly-turned soil. It brings me back. Vast fields with perfectly parallel drills were producing with assistance from the water channels. Being Sunday I didn’t see any labour in the fields or on the ranches.
SILAGE AND HARVESTER
In other areas it was grassland, a rather burned –up type of grassland. The soil was heavy and the grass just had to fend for itself and go deep for the bit of moisture.
We saw as many horses as cattle on these ranches and they noticed us as we passed by on this quiet Sunday morning. My two companions are excellent animal mimics and they have the animal population of the USA driven scatty, including dogs and goats and horses and even llamas.
We passed a few large cattle feedlots with thousands and thousands of cattle corralled in for intensive feeding before slaughter. Naturally these created a distinctive aroma but I quite liked it for the period we were passing by. One feedlot stretched a good half-mile along the road.
We all had our share of punctures in our usual group of three today. I had my third of the trip so far. This time it was in the back wheel. But the other two (Steve and ‘Sarge’) had both wheels flat at the same time. Handy. We didn’t have to put the repair kit back into the bags and only had to wash the hands once. However worse was to befall another rider. He fell on the road today and was rushed to hospital back in Pueblo by ambulance. We haven’t got word back yet from the doctors regarding his condition.
We had three SAG stops on this long day and at the third one I was interviewed by the editor of the Bent County Democrat, Dan Cunningham concerning the To Providence for Providence cycle who happened to be at the local store. He says that an article will appear in next weeks edition and a copy will be on the way to Tipp.
Hasty Town is merely a village in our terms and it was at the 100 mile mark on the route. The local Post Office just across from our stop looked authentic and genuine in design.
The mid afternoon (2.00 –4.00 pm) is the hottest part of the day and the roads ahead of us shimmered in the heat; like seeing a mirage. It wasn’t oppressive and didn’t cause any discomfort. The ever-present light shifting wind helped cool matters.
As we neared the end of our 121 miles the sun was directly behind us. It had gone a full 180 degrees since outset. We had a slight headwind but the realisation that we had almost completed the longest day and still felt fresh helped us along. There was a need to pedal all the time today but it was not a battle with the elements.
We arrived at the motel at 5.15 and checked in immediately at the Cow Palace, reflecting place of beef in the local economy.
