Counting Grain Elevators
There are only so many things you can write about after some of these days. Monday’s ride more so than any other. I could just stop here but I’ll mention a few things I noticed.
Monday was full of cattle trucks going both directions, along with their distinct odor. I don’t think I saw any at all on Saturday or Sunday as traffic was light, which makes me wonder if the drivers and cattle have the weekends off. Trucks carrying huge loads of hay were also on the road, so you were smelling hay or the waste of a truck full of large animals every few minutes.
As I’ve heard and read from other cyclists, out here in Kansas everything is repeated from town to town. You’ll see a huge grain elevator off in the distance, which means that a town is ahead, but it could still take you a half hour to get there because it’s deceivingly far away. And many times it’s of no benefit arriving as there is no store or business. There are homes though… but you never ever see anyone around. Just some very, very quiet side streets. It’s kind of strange. I don’t know how the people who live out there do it.
Once you pass by the grain elevator of that particular “town,” you ride a few more miles until you see the next one and keep riding until eventually it looks like it’s getting bigger and then somehow, which seems like an eternity later, you’ve arrived. This process goes on all day. –In fairness, some of these places do have convenience stores and a restaurant or two, so it’s not all bad.
During the past few days in Kansas, I’ve noticed an increase in insect life. Crickets are all over the shoulder of the road and will at times jump on me as I pass by. I’ll look down and ladybugs, gnats and numerous other types of bugs will be on me at some point. The temperature has really heated up. It was in the 90s Monday, so maybe that brings them all out.
Any foolish thoughts that I’d get lucky in the wind department across the entire state vanished as the ride to Ness City was very heavy with a crosswind from the south. My speed slowed down considerably from the previous days, especially Sunday’s rather easy 100 miler. I’m glad I got that one in as I don’t know how many more similar opportunities there will be, if any.
It’s been at least a couple of weeks since I saw and spoke with another cyclist on the road who is heading west. I think the days of meeting people heading that way are over as I can’t imagine anyone cycling into Wyoming and Montana weeks from now. If I was there in 26 degree weather in August, I can only imagine what October will be like.