Day 41 – Crosswinds & Camels
What’s annoying and goes 25 mph? Answer: a crosswind coming from the
south. Not occasional gusts up to 25
mph; straight-line winds at 25 mph. It
was a crosswind so it was manageable; but I go slower, the wind is loud, and at
the end of a relatively short day I feel drained. For me, the most challenging part of a crosswind is the way it hinders my view. I enjoy constantly scanning the terrain, but
when there is a harsh crosswind I keep my head down for aerodynamics, which limits my
ability to scan the horizon, and that limits my enjoyment a little.
There was a 1.5-mile stretch of road today that went
straight south into the oncoming wind. I
now know that if the majority of my day is into a 25 mph or greater head wind,
I will likely be taking that day off.
Other than the crosswind it was another near perfect
day. Sun was shining, temp was in the
low 90’s and the traffic was light and courteous. Speaking of courteous traffic we found out
that the roads we are traveling require drivers to give bikers a minimum of 3
feet of space by law. So I don’t
necessarily know if Kansas drivers are courteous or just law-abiding, but
either way, I like it.
We rode 52.9 miles today, starting at the intersection of
state highway 19 and U.S. 281 to a spot just west of Buhler, KS. I just noticed I forgot to provide
yesterday’s progress. Yesterday we biked
65.2 miles from Alexander, KS to the intersection of state highway 19 and U.S. 281.
The terrain is changing.
We still see fields that stretch out over the horizon. But we also see pastures, small groves of
trees and even an occasional pond.
The terrain is changing |
Our road today |
And of course you can’t pass through Kansas without seeing a few camels. Yep, that’s right – a few camels mixed in with the horses. Go figure. Every morning we comment, “Lets see what surprises the day will bring us.” We are never disappointed.
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