Day 34: Buhler KS to Great Bend KS

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Day 34 Friday June 24, 2005, 77 miles (124 km) – Total so far: 2,014 miles (3,240 km)

7:07 and  77.2 Miles

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I didn’t sleep well last night. The bugs were killing me and it was really windy all night. And if it wasn’t windy it was really humid. I tossed and turned and cursed throughout the night.

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The alarm went off at 5:30am. I killed it and didn’t get outta the tent until 6:30am. I stopped at the diner for some breakfast. The place was packed with farmers. Everyone was talking about harvesting wheat. A lot of people were out there harvesting until about 11pm last night.

Early this morning I saw a turkey standing on the side of the road. I rode my bike off the road onto the grass chasing him back into the woods that he walked out of yelling ‘GET OVER HERE, I’M STARVING, I WANT A TURKEY SANDWICH!’ He ran like hell. I used to chase the wild turkeys all the time when I was a boy living in Connecticut.

Around noon I stopped in a small town and got a fresh slice of cherry pie and chocolate milk. I sat at the counter and talked to a woman about the harvest. She said it rained here for like 5 days straight about a week ago, so a lot of people are behind on their farm work. I am learning that women play just as much of a role in the farm industry as men. The other day a little old lady drove past me on a gigantic tractor. I’m also seeing a lot of women driving these trucks that deliver the wheat.

The wind came out today around 9am. But around noon it really picked up. It was blowing from the south pretty strong. I rode through it for most of the day like a champ but by the end of the day I was exhausted. Riding in strong winds is annoying. I would rather ride through the rain.

Another spoke popped again today. I have to get back into the habit of checking my wheels again every day before I ride. It’s not fun changing a spoke in killer winds.

Currently I’m off on a detour right now. If I would have stayed on route it would have been a long stretch of nothing, mosquitos and more boredom.

I checked into a motel and shortly after I got into my room I freaked out because I thought I left my cell phone at a gas station that was back 15 miles. After panicking for 20 minutes I found it in a place it shouldn’t have been. Luckily I found it, because I was planning on reporting it stolen.

In the shower I noticed I’m pretty well covered in mosquito bites. I wonder if I should take something or do something I’m pretty well covered. I think I cursed myself when I said the other day I didn’t give a shit about the mosquito bites.

My ride today wasn’t that great. But at least I got a good distance.  I was also a little tired from yesterday. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a lot like today with strong winds.  I can’t wait to get to Colorado, actually I anxious to get to Pueblo for a lot of reasons. I’m riding as hard as I can so I can get there as fast as possible. There are also quite a few people riding a few days ahead of me. That I am hoping to catch up to.

Not many pictures today. I was worried about my camera blowing away and I didn’t want to get any ticks if I went running through the wheat fields after it.

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Click Here to Visit The Table of Contents
Click Here to Visit Previous Page: Day 33: Eureka KS to Buhler KS

Click Here to Visit The Next Page: Day 35: Great Bend KS to  Dighton KS

About the author

Michael Riscica

Hey, I’m Michael Riscica and I live in Portland, Oregon with my Labrador Retriever. When I’m off the bike, I make my living as a Licensed Architect and also write a architecture blog at YoungArchitect.com.

I took my first bike tour in 2003 when I rode from Boston to New York City, and at that time I learned about cycling across America. My life was forever changed. I have successfully ridden and blogged about Coast2Coast bike rides during the summers of 2005, 2007and now 2016.

Thanks for following along. I would love to connect with you on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Linked In! Also check out my new project Young Architect Gear, designing architecturally themed gifts and products.

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