Day 38 – Goodbye Colorado

By Mark Heggestad
We biked 89.1 miles today from Chivington, CO to Scott City, KS.  In addition to crossing a state line we crossed a time zone and lost an hour.  So this will be brief, as it is late.

Today felt like we made a lot of progress, but it felt slow.  It took us just under seven hours of riding to cover 89.1 miles.  We are now heading straight east and all day we had a 5-10 mph wind from the east-southeast.  So not a direct headwind, but still menacing.  It was not awful, but it does wear me down and probably reduces my speed by a couple miles per hour.  What is most draining is the constant wind noise in my ears and the way the wind dries me out.  I am constantly reaching for my water bottle.

It is amazing how much our terrain has changed in a short amount of time.  Four days ago we were in the mountains and climbed the highest summit of the trip.  Today was flat as far as the eye can see.  It is hard to take a picture of flat land without some reference point.  I kept scanning the horizon for something: a windmill, a tree, a building, anything to provide perspective.  I finally gave up and just used my bike.

Wheat fields as far as the eye can see.

Church bell in Scott City, KS; our end point today.

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