Yee Haw, We're In Dodge City Ya'll

Part II
Day 10
Kinsley, KS to Dodge City, KS
39 miles

What a GREAT day we had. Had a delicious breakfast at Tucked Inn B & B and then headed out. We left about 8:30 a.m. with a North wind at our backs. Not much elevation and more cloud cover so we were all in good moods. Tom and Susan are really stepping up. We were going longer distances today before having to stop for a rest. And, they made it all the way into Dodge City!! Their first full day of riding.

 Went through an area of wind turbines before arriving in Dodge City.

Today we went through the town of Offerle, KS. This is where our relatives went through a really bad storm. They called it a tornado in the manuscript but we can't find any official records of it being an actual tornado. It blew their wagon over and damaged it. They ended up having to stay in Offerle while the wagon was repaired. They helped build a new grainery and they also ended up staying on someone's farm for a month while the owners went to California to visit a daughter. As we were cycling along today and passing farms, I wondered if we were passing the one they stayed at. The picture below was taken after the storm on the overturned wagon. Thankfully, our weather today was fantastic. As we were coming in to Dodge City the temperature was 93F and it was 11:30 a.m.

We spent the afternoon looking around Dodge City. Went to the visitor's center, took a tour of the Mueller-Schmidt House, which is known as the "Home of Stone", and went to an antique shop. Hoping to get a good night's sleep and start out early tomorrow.

It's Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature

Part II
Day 9
Great Bend, KS to Kinsley, KS
45 miles

We had a great plan for our ride today. We decided that since the wind was going to be out of the South and Southwest we would get up early, drive to Kinsley, KS and bicycle this day in the opposite direction. That way the elevation would be slightly downhill and the wind at our backs. Well, mother nature did not cooperate! The wind never switched directions and stayed out of the North and Northeast. So we had to cycle into the wind today. Susan wore 2 bike shorts today for more padding and we also adjusted her bicycle seat. Both of these things seemed to help her. Tom and Susan cycled 34 miles today, they almost made it the whole day. If we had had the wind at our backs, I bet they would have been able finish the day with us.

 You can see how the wind was blowing today.

 Tom and Susan with the Garfield, KS grain elevators in the background.

Tonight we are staying in Tucked Inn B & B in Kinsley, KS. Kinsley is known as Mid-way USA because it is 1561 miles from New York and 1561 miles from San Francisco. We went to the Sod House Museum and the Carnival Heritage Museum. Kinsley is a very interesting town!

A bicycle at the Sod House Museum. The sign on the bike says: Old time bicycle owned by the late Frank Spring, Jr., which he rode from New York to Kinsley all the way (1881-1955). He came to Kinsley at the age of 19 yrs. (Original Tires).

Carnival Side from the Museum in Kinsley

Tomorrow we are headed to Dodge City where Dodge City Days are going on right now. Should be very exciting!!

Hot Mama

Part II
Day 8
Lyons, KS to Great Bend, KS
33 miles

We got up early again this morning to beat the heat and we were surprised to find that it was raining.  So our early start ended up not being so early. We left around 8:15 a.m. just after it stopped raining. The skies were still overcast so it was very pleasant. It didn't take very long before it became really hot. My black biking shorts felt like they were on fire! Since Clay and I rode extra miles yesterday it made today a short biking day. This stretch of road today was very friendly. We got the most honks (the good kind) today that we have received since starting a week ago. Tom and Susan almost made it the whole way today but the heat, wind and uncomfortable bike seats made it just too unbearable. They stopped at 25 miles. They are doing great considering they haven't had their tandem very long.

 "Bob" the dog kept us company at one of our rest stops. We named him Bob after the dog our 1911 relatives lost in this area.

 Resting in Ellinwood, KS under a shade tree.

Clay and I pushing into the wind.

It was in the triple digits again today as we arrived in Great Bend. The first thing I wanted to do was take a cool shower and bring my body temperature back down to normal. At a gas station today, they had something in a jar at the register and it was labeled "Hot Mama". I don't know what it was but that is how I felt!

Tomorrow our route turns to the SW and we will stay in this direction until we reach the end of our trek in Hooker, OK. The wind has been blowing from this direction so we are expecting to be battling the wind for the rest of our trip. This will make our days harder! We are thinking we should have started in Hooker and retraced their journey backwards. Too late now.

Kindred Spirits

Part II
Day 7
McPherson, KS to Lyons, KS
55 miles

We left McPherson early this morning due to the predicted heat. The morning was beautiful and in the 70's, almost cold for me. For the first 17 miles, we had a wide shoulder to ride in, so it was very nice. Tom and Susan were back riding with us, so it was fun to have them along again.

 We passed some beautiful Kansas Farms today.

Our relatives talked about crossing the Little Arkansas River in the manuscript. We thought it fitting to stop and take a picture. The picture below was taken when we passed the half way mark this morning!

We arrived in Nickerson, KS, just before noon. We had decided to stop at a gas station/convenience store for a rest and to get some food. As we were pulling up from the East another biker was pulling up from the West. Then a little later another couple came in from the West also. We found out that this part of Kansas is on the TransAmerica Trail and lots of bicyclists come through here. We had a very nice conversation with everyone and it was fun to learn where they started from and where they were going.

At this point we had gone 32.5 miles, and Tom and Susan decided that they were done for the day. They did a great job today, especially for not riding for 3 days.

 Ron and Shari Scheiblauer, Clay and I, Jeremy Tagliaferre, Tom and Susan.

Clay and I continued on and even did a little extra today because the last 15 miles we had the wind at our backs and we were flying along. We did stop in Sterling, KS, at a park to cool off for awhile before finishing the last 10 miles. We arrived in Lyons, KS, at 2 pm and it was 104F. The heat is back and it looks like it is here to stay for awhile.

Pajama Party In The Parking Lot

Part II
Day 6
Rest Day

It is a good thing we had planned a rest day today because we did not get a good night's sleep. After we had gone to bed our phone rang, and when Clay answered it a man said that he was calling from the front desk and they had a computer problem and had lost all our information. Could we please give him our information? Fortunately Clay had his wits about him and told the man that he would come down to the front desk. When Clay got dressed and went downstairs they didn't know anything about that call. I guess it was some scam thinking they would catch someone who was so sleepy they would give out their credit card information.

So we get back to sleep, and a little after 2 a.m. the fire alarm starts blaring and then stops. Clay gets up and looks in the hallway. Nothing is happening. He gets back in bed and 15 minutes later our phone rings. It is the front desk saying we need to evacuate the building. Is it really the front desk? Yes, it was. So we grab a few things and spend the next 20-30 minutes watching the firemen with their breathing apparatuses trying to find out where the smoke was coming from. It was quite exciting! Unfortunately, it was very hard to go back to sleep.

 Thinking we should have stayed at the hotel across the parking lot from ours.

 Susan took time to get dressed because she never went back to bed after the alarms went off.

Okay, so Tom has not been feeling well on this whole journey. So while we were in Emporia he decided that he should probably be checked out by a doctor. Susan took him to a hospital emergency room. They ran several tests and couldn't find anything wrong with him, except that he was crazy to be doing a bike ride in this heat! He has taken a rest for several days now and tomorrow will try to get on the bike again.

This is what happens when the tandem captain doesn't make the stoker happy!

Today we spent the rest day driving around checking our route for tomorrow, going to the Hutchinson Newspaper, antique shopping, and swimming in the hotel pool. When my relatives went through Hutchinson in 1912, the newspaper took a picture of them a wrote an article. We were trying to find a copy of it and Nick at Hutchinson News is going to research it for us. We are very hopeful he will find it.

Tonight we are watching the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. London is doing a great job and we loved Mr. Bean!!

Heat Relief

Part II
Day 5
Florence, KS to McPherson, KS
56 miles

We got a later start this morning because we had such a wonderful breakfast at the Historic Elgin Hotel B&B that we didn't want to rush leaving. Thanks Sherry!

 Enjoying our stay at the B&B

Today was almost perfect. The weather cooled off about 10 degrees and the wind was calm. The terrain was pretty flat and we had a large shoulder to ride on. The only thing we were disappointed in was that Tom and Susan have not been able to ride for the last two days. We miss having them ride with us. Since we don't have much shade to rest in we have had to create our own. We have one of our support vehicles drive ahead to a specific point, when we get there we get inside the vehicle and sit in the A/C for a few minutes to cool off and refill our water bottles. 

Tom, Susan, Abby, Mary Kate, and Ellen spent the day driving around the area, shopping, and enjoying the hotel facilities.

We Moved On Mile After Mile

Part II
Day 4
Emporia, KS to Florence, KS
44 miles

Rachel has been reading Sophronia's manuscript as we go along to see what they experienced through the places we are going. Here is an excerpt from when they traveled this section of our journey. 

"So on Monday, in spite of the sun, wind and dust, we moved on mile after mile." And then a few sentences later she wrote "The words were hardly out of her mouth when a blast of hot wind hit us so strongly, it almost blew us off our feet. Fearing the strong wind might turn over the wagons, Harry and Sid made right angle turns and stopped."

This could have been written by us. It was so strange to read her words and have experienced the same thing today with the wind. It was blowing out of the SW at 21+ miles an hour. It was very difficult to ride mile after mile into that strong of a wind. After 25 miles we decided to stop, go to our ending point and ride East with the wind at our back until we reached where we had been picked up. We really enjoyed those 19 miles!

One of the towns on our route today was Cottonwood Falls. My relatives stopped here for a week to "vacation" while on their journey. They fished for several days and then finished their vacation by giving an outdoor concert in town.

Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, KS

We started out early today so that we could finish by lunch. It worked well and gave us time to check into the Historic Elgin Hotel B&B in Marion, KS.  I was able to wash our biking clothes and then we went out to explore the area because some of Clay's relatives came from around here.

As Soon As I Get Home, I'm Booking An Alaskan Vacation!

Part II
Day 3
Ottawa, KS + 10 miles to Emporia, KS
53 miles

Got an earlier start this morning. Left at 7:50 a.m. Flat tire at 7:51 a.m. Clay quickly changed the tire and we were off again a little after 8 a.m. We were thinking it would be nice if our support vehicles were like the ones on the Tour de France where they had extra wheels ready so we could just pop the wheel off and put a new one on.

This has been another HOT day, even though it was a little "less hot". We are having trouble with cooling off. There are not very many shade trees along the highways, so even when we pull off to rest we can't cool off! Tom hasn't been feeling well so today really took a toll on him. We gave him one of the cooling neckerchiefs to see if that would help. You can see how he decided to wear it. Thanks to Derek and Malinda Bishop for giving them to us! Tom and Susan decided that they needed to let Tom rest the remainder of the day so after lunch they rode in one of the support vehicles.

Tom and Susan in one of the few places we found with shade.

We have come to the conclusion that in this heat we are going to have to break our days up instead of riding straight through. We rode 37 miles and then had to stop. We checked into the hotel and rested several hours and then in the evening we got back out and rode the rest. It is just too hot during the middle of the day. We stopped midday at the small town of Reading, KS. They had a tornado go through there last year the day before the big Joplin, MO tornado. They are just now getting back to normal there.

Today is Abby's 20th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY! What a way to spend her birthday, driving hot and sweaty bicyclist around.

Blazin' Saddles

Part II
Day 2
Olathe, KS to Ottawa, KS +10 miles
53 miles

We started out the ride this morning around 9:30 a.m. Even though it was hot the breeze was blowing and it wasn't too bad. Passed lots of cornfields that are dried up! It is pretty sad looking. Our Green Girls set everyone up with the program Find a Friend. It worked out really well. All our cell phones were linked together and we could keep track of where everyone was. It made it really nice to know where everyone was without having to call. We are partly following the Santa Fe Trail so we have seen lots of these signs.

Once again this year we are running into gravel roads so we are having to tweek our routes slightly. We even had to go through a work zone today where it was down to 1 lane and they had a vehicle escorting the cars through the area. It was interesting riding our bike through there. They let us go by ourselves but when the escort vehicle came by we would have to get off the bike and stand in the grass and let the vehicles go by. Everyone was really nice about it though.

The heat was grueling today. As you can see it was extremely hot and it really got to us. We had to take more rests than normal. Clay even ran out of water so we stopped under a tree and waited for Rachel and Abby to bring him some more. We are so thankful for our support crew! We also came up with  more ways to try to stay cool (if that is even possible). Matter of fact, when we got to Ottawa we decided to stop at the hotel for several hours and cool off and then at 7 pm we went back out to do the last 10 miles.

You know it is hot when Clay lets me put sunscreen on him, because he never puts sunscreen on! We decided in this heat we are going to have to start earlier in the morning. Tom and Susan are doing great on their tandem! They rode until lunch (23 miles) and then rode this evening with us for the last 10 miles. Speaking of the last 10 miles we had quite a surprise. It was going to be on a trail that is listed on the Kansas map. After being on the trail for 1 mile the picture below shows what we came upon.

It was unrideable on our bikes. We had to turn around and get back on the state highway. When we got on the state highway they had grooved the surface. So the whole 10 miles was rough! What a day we had dealing with the roads and the heat. When we finished tonight at 8:30 p.m. is was 97F.

Tomorrow we were suppose to be on the above-mentioned trail for 30 miles, so tonight we have to find a new route for tomorrow. Praying for cooler weather or clouds for tomorrows ride!

Back On The Saddle Again

Part II

Day 1

Kansas City, KS to Olathe, KS

20 miles

This is a picture of my relatives and their "modern wagon" that they traveled in for their trip back in 1911. My great-great grandfather, Charles Cousins, is on the far right. My great grandfather, George Harry Cousins, is on the far left and my grandmother, Irene Cousins in the smallest child in the center of the picture.

This is a picture of our group as we started out today. From left to right are, Abby Weaver, Rachel Wallace, Clay Burkholder, Kathy Burkholder, Tom Weaver, Susan Weaver, Mary Kate Weaver and Ellen Merriman. A boy at a restaurant today called our support crew "The Green Girls", so that has become their official title.

Spent the majority of the day packing our vehicles and driving to our starting point in the Kansas City area. We started from Leawood City Park. It was nice to start out on day 1 with a short ride with most of it being a bike trail. Unfortunately, the trail wasn't marked very well and there was a section that was closed so it took us longer than we had anticipated. Tom and Susan did very well for being tandem newbies. Especially when you consider that they had only ridden about 25 miles on their tandem before today.

The temperature today was 99F. A lot of people have asked us why we picked such a hot time of year to do this ride. Well, when you have 8 people and their schedules to work around, it is very difficult to find a 2 week period when everyone could be free to go. So really we didn't pick this time, it picked us! I did buy an air conditioner for the bikes. See the picture below.

We appreciate all the encouragement we've gotten and hope you enjoy reading our daily progress blogs. Please keep us in your prayers as it looks like this hot weather is going to continue for awhile!