Category: Touring

I was planning to ride to Cross Timbers State Park for my next sleep spot and then I got Nancy’s text, she was also planning to set up camp there. It’s getting more difficult to find campsites in Kansas. I still have options every 50-60 miles with cyclists only and cycling hostel. I check the local weather every night and morning when planning my daily mileage. A storm front is coming through but it looks like that will be after 3 PM. My day’s ride begins at 9 AM with a stop 5 miles up the road in the center of Walnut, the only place to get food for the next 30 miles. I am told to be careful, there is a front coming through by noon with lightning, 40 mph wind, and the possibility of hail the size of a penny.

Twelve miles later, riding in the rain and watching lightning strikes in the distance, I came to a small picnic area with a pavilion. I head there and get under cover. The cold wind is strong and unrelenting, I am wet and getting uncomfortably cold. I wrap an 8×12’ trap around the corner post to hide from the wind. Nancy sent a text to let me know that she is on her way to the campsite. I let her know where on the route I am. She came by with a warm omelet breakfast and continued down the road to register, it’s a “first come” site.

I curled up out of the wind to wait out the storm. The front should move by in a few hours. I’m also checking my weather app, watching the map and now I’m on the edge so I pick up and leave. The storm is on my right and moving away and on my left is blue attempting to take over the sky. My overly optimistic departure brought me into rain but the lightning was off in the distance.

I used up 4 hours of riding time waiting out the storm so now, at best, I am 3 hours from camp and soaking wet as I ride into Chanute, KS. There is a motel on route so I  changed my plans to spend the night here. I book a room, shower, and do a load of laundry while eating. Tomorrow is another day and it looks dry, I will start it clean and dry.

An early wake-up with the sun. Getting to this campsite added 25 off route miles Nancy offered to shuttle me back to the point I left my route yesterday.

I am back on route at 9:15 AM and the sun is wasting no time cooking the asphalt and everything else in its path. To my relief, the steep hills vanished after 6 miles. The replacement, low grade wavy land. I begin climbing a mile long 2% grade and then down the other side with a 2% grade. This would continue the rest of the day so I am riding in big gears and zipping through the miles.

Also there are a lot of windmills so these must be a very windy place but not today, the day is calm as l trade Missouri for Kansas.

I arrived at my first option to camp in Giard, KS. and the park has no shade, the ground is scorched and the sun has brought the temperature to 100°. It is mid afternoon so I decide to ride to option two, Walnut, KS. a cycling hostel hosted by the Immanuel Lutheran Church. This brought my mileage up to 81 but I will have a nice sleep.

This day is set aside for replacing components and having some fun. A different kind of fun, kayaking with a tandem boat on a lake! This was Nancy’s great idea to bob on the water in the cool breeze. No pics, just relaxing together.

We also would need to change the campsite later today as this one had been reserved so we hooked to the camper and went to the other side of the lake for the night.

This is a great site on the edge of a bank overlooking the water.

I’m beginning to understand that even though this heat is not the norm for this area it is the norm for my trip. Today is another day with a temperature reaching 95°. I will go off route at mile 48 to ride north to Ruark Bluff Campground where Nancy has set up camp. This detour brings my mileage for today to 64 miles in shade less heat over long and steep hills.

I finally arrive to the joyful barks of dancy little doggies and a welcoming smile with an “I’m sorry this was so far off your route.” We went down to the lake and waded into the water for a core cool down. Once cooled we ate and settled down for the night. Yes, it was almost 8 PM when I finished riding.

The night was comfortable for sleeping and I was tired so the bright courtyard lights did not keep me from quickly falling asleep. The morning dew, heavy on the tent, dried as I cooked and ate breakfast. I also enjoyed a slow cup of coffee before packing up to ride out of town.

By 10 AM the sun quickly brought the temperature up to 95°. I just drank fluids and consumed ice cream. Ice cream not only provides fuel to keep my legs turning it also cools my core.

A constant forward grind brought me to my planned destination, the Fair Grove Historical cycling hostel. I cooled in the only shade of this day under the trees surrounding the historic Mill, a steam powered mill. I called the contact number and began looking over the site waiting for someone to come and open up the area for my stay. Gail shortly arrived on a scooter and offered to have me stay with her and Tom, her husband. So back on the bike I climbed to follow her to their home located less than a mile away. This very generous offer closed the day.

Today I cooked oatmeal with blueberries, thank you Garrett and Amy, for breakfast and brewed some Elbow Room coffee. It would be another short mile day so no reason to hurry. Still I would start riding at 9 AM to tackle the hills before the sun could begin baking the countryside and broiling me in the process. A good plan but a short lived one.

When morning tipped into noon the heat dialed up the amp to 11. I stopped into a small store in the middle of nowhere except being the middle of my day’s ride.

I ended my ride at the courthouse lawn in the center of Hartville, MO. This is the county seat with a population of 600. Most of the storefronts are boarded up or being torn down. Still, this town is bustling with traffic. The cars, pickups, and tractor trailers seem in a hurry to pass through without stopping. I sat watching the hustle until the day dimmed and the evening cool set in before setting up camp and cooking dinner.

Today is the day I leave Nancy and the doggies at Circle B Campground with all the comforts I enjoyed over the past few days. The river flowing through the campground cools the area that is quiet and peaceful. But, Oregon is waiting and I am excited to arrive in Astoria on the northwestern coast.

To get back on route which is less than a mile beyond the steep climb on a loose gravel road that connects this site to Route 106, the road brings me through Summersville to Route 17 to Houston where I will sleep in the town park.

I chose Houston, which is a 43 mile ride because the other option is 65 miles away and the hills between Circle B and either place are long and steep. I arrived mid afternoon, fried from the heat, 96° with no shade. I Immediately sat under the picnic pavilion out of the sun enjoying the strong cool breeze. Once I became cooled and refreshed I cooked dinner and set up my tent for the night. The cool evening air promises a good night’s rest.

After a breakfast of pancakes with real maple syrup from Brattleboro, VT. and a pot of Elbow Room coffee I will see a bit of the Ozark National Seasons Scenic Waterways. I see most of the tour from a cyclist’s eye but today I will see another view point, that of a hiker.

Nancy, the dogs, and I drive up the Alley Spring and Mill, about ten miles west. It is on the route I’ll ride tomorrow. This spring puts out an average of 81 million gallons of water per day!

We also hiked one of the trails climbing the ridge overlooking the valley where the mill is located. Nancy stopped to examine the flowers and watch the birds.

We also met two horseback riders out on the trail. Some touring cyclists refer to these non-riding days as rest days. I prefer to think of them as days with opportunities to see the world differently while exercising a different muscle group.

Last night was in the 60’s and the light breeze kept the tent dry so I enjoyed a cup of Elbow Room coffee with a danish before packing. I was able to put away a dry tent and head off to ride more hills.

Mileage wise the day will be short, 43 miles, but the terrain would give me a long day’s ride and working hard for all of these miles. For the next few days I will be in the heart of the Ozarks where the hills are long and steep.

I will meet up with Nancy at the Circle B Campground just beyond Eminence, MO. This section offers nil for places to eat and so breakfast was my only food so when I got into town I detoured into town for a two pint treat of ice cream and a Dr.Pepper. The temperature reached 95° while climbing and there was no shade to escape the burning sun. I was only .5 miles from the campground and feeling tired so rather than press on I treated myself and arrived with a full belly, quenched, and with a much lower core temperature. I still had enough room for the dinner, burritos, that Nancy was preparing for tonight’s meal.

Yesterday it rained hard and steadily without end and at night the lightening shined a spotlight into my bedroom window. I stayed inside mostly with the exception of going across the street and through a parking lot for a bite to eat. This morning as I woke and looked outside it still was raining steadily. I made coffee and ate breakfast while planning the day. I would like to head west again and connect with Nancy tomorrow, I pack up and ride out of town. I make one stop to stuff some food in my bag for lunch and dinner tonight.

The roads busy with traffic soon turn back into nice quiet back rambling roads leading me through the Ozarks, bringing me up and down more than forward. The countryside now is filled with dairy farms and small towns. This area has armadillos, many of which do not make the trip to the other side of the road. Talking with an older local woman, who proudly announced that she was born and raised right here, that there were never armadillos in the area until about five years ago. Global warming has tamed the winters and so these critters have been migrating up from Texas.

This morning as I began riding I was hoping that the weather would clear while going west, the storm is moving east and that I would dry and be able to setup camp in the warm afternoon sun. Maybe not, it began misting again as I neared the town line. But, as I rolled into town, the sun lit up the courthouse lawn where I’ll spend the night. I set up and cooked dinner watching the sun set and began to relax. As I am write this the drizzle is back tapping on the tent.