DAY 26 : JUNE 26 : GREAT BEND (KS) TO McPHERSON (KS)

Time Zone : Central (GMT -6)
Todays Distance: 64 miles
Cycling time: 5 hrs 01 mins
Average Speed: 12.8 mph

Today’s cumulative ascent: 648 ft

Average Heart rate: 100 bpm

Distance so far: 1877 miles

Ascent so far: 61,783 ft.
Centuries so far: 5
Punctures so far: 3
Today’s Profile:

Today’s Route:
Dedication: Today is for all those students from the Abbey, from St Joseph’s CBS Drogheda and from Maynooth and their accompanying teachers who have made great personal input into Providence. May the insights that you gained there always guide your actions.

Today was a short day (64 miles) with pretty favourable terrain all the way. Wind was more helpful than not as it came in over my right shoulder. No great difficulties and free from punctures.
Shortly after 7 am we left Great Bend and we headed directly East. At first the shoulder wasn’t the nicest to be riding on with much loose grit but the main carriageway seemed much smoother and more attractive but more dangerous. Resulting possibly from our relaying of the deputy-sheriff’s directions yesterday we all tended to stick to the rougher but safer shoulder.
The morning warmed up quicker than other mornings and the temperature read 86 degrees at 10 am.
There seemed to be a lot more nodding oil pumping jacks to be seen today especially soon after leaving Great Bend and they were situated closer to the road. Some of them pump into a pipe system while with others the oil was pumped directly into tanks nearby. They struck oil here in the late 1920’s just in time to keep the local economy out of the Great Depression. The one I visited for a close-up was driven by electric motor and, I believe, that depending on the size of the pump it can produce 5 to 40 litres of a crude oil/water mixture at each stroke.
Grain was being harvested on all sides throughout the day. The major crop in the county of McPherson (pronounced Mc Fur Son) is hard red winter wheat with over 220,000 acres planted annually.(529,000 acres in total in the county). It has beards like barley that led to my mis-identification on June 24. After all, 400 varieties of wheat are grown in the US. 70% of the agricultural economy is sales of crops and 30% is livestock. Didn’t see any feedlots during the course of today’s cycle. Grain sorghum is the number two crop followed by corn and soya beans. Corn (maize) is grown as an irrigated crop. Annual rainfall averages at 30 inches with the highest amounts from May till August.

Fields of young soya beans are regular along the route. The crop intrigued me for a time as to what it was. I had never seen soya before. I popped into a field, took a sample and consulted with higher authority at the SAG. You learn something new everyday. I am told that they will be at a more advanced stage as we move further east. Soya is the richest natural vegetable food available..

In the small town of Ellinwood the sheaf of wheat is part of their emblem and appears on all the lamp-posts.

For a second time since June 1 we cycled through a city called Lyons.... nicely laid out with some impressive municipal architecture. As in other towns large murals tell the story of the early settlers and pioneers. All was quiet as we passed through around 10 am.
I am approaching the halfway point of the journey for Providence and hoping that it will all be really worthwhile for the children there. I have got the odd e-mail re other donations that have come in to the Abbey and it heartens me. Usually, the end of an adventure is the time to acknowledge assistance given. At that point it could all get lost in the euphoria of the moment. I hope that I am not tempting fate here. As regards the cycling a few things over the last year have made a difference. I was notorious for saving water, not drinking anything near sufficient. It was suggested to me that I should hydrate more. Last summer I had a bad experience being caught out with no water and forced to do two long detours. Finally returning late and drained (and after 3 flats) I was looking grey and feeling green. Only then did the suggestions of my hydrating mentors, Margaret and Barrie, really hit home. Since then I drank more, at times it went against the grain but finally I succeeded in internalising the habit. Thanks, Margaret and Barrie. With winter in Ireland not being very conducive to cycling I knew that I would have to do gym work to supplement. At Christmas it was the example and urgings of Richard and Charles that pointed me towards Dundrum House Leisure Centre and its gym and pool. I’d always argued against exercising inside but this upcoming cycle challenge forced me indoors. Couldn’t wait for the long evenings and the good weather. (If I did wait, apparently I wouldn’t be out on the road yet). Thanks Richard and Charles. And I did improve my gear selection since this time last year and it does make a great difference. I’m now getting better performance for the same effort.
Finally, we arrived into the motel on the far side of McPherson at 12.30 with the heat making a quick shower very desirable.
It was a straightforward day with little new to be seen. It was nice that we got in early enabling me to get a bit of washing done. Great drying out.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.

Heard Yesterday: “Holy cow!” from Sarge as we came over the brow of a hill to behold the largest feedlot we have seen so far with thousands of cattle…stretched for ages along the route.