Day 11-Day 13

Day 11

Our second border crossing! Today we rode from Buffalo, OK to Dodge City, KS. My ride was dedicated to Lynda Chisman. We were unsure this morning whether or not we’d be able to ride this morning actually. Our alarm clocks went off at 6a…but it was pouring down rain, thundering and lightning. Actually, about 15 of us (there are 20 riders total) were sleeping outside under the stars until it started raining at 3:30a. We quickly packed up our stuff and moved inside the gym. I let everyone sleep an extra 30 minutes or so and then we headed over to the church which was feeding us breakfast. I was able to take a quick look at the radar at the point, and everything looked clear, so we went back to the gym and packed everything up to ride. We took pictures at the Welcome to Kansas sign and then proceeded on our way. There was some very beautiful landscape and a few small canyons early on and the land was mostly rolling. We rolled into Dodge City, after passing many a cattle farm, in the late afternoon. The fire station across the street from the church where we were staying let us take showers, for which we were very grateful. There were some miscommunications about whether or not dinner was being provided that night. About half of the team went out for steaks and the other half stayed at the church and made pasta. I was in the latter group, and as I looked around the table that night eating my pasta, I smiled. The people that had also stayed (minus one) were all of my committee heads and the other people that I really felt I could rely on for help when something needed to be done.

Day 12

Kansas, Kansas and more Kansas. Today we rode from Dodge City to Syracuse, KS. I dedicated my ride to my Aunt Rose. The ride itself was the most physically challenging and arguably the most dangerous ride we’ve had to date. The terrain itself was not that challenging. It was mostly flat with some rolling hills. What made the ride so difficult was the wind. We had a very strong cross wind all day, which in and of itself was exhausting. When cars went by, they sucked you along with them, which sometimes meant going over the white line into the rode (unintentionally of course). One particular stretch of the road had us all scared because there was a narrow shoulder and a lot of 18-wheelers. I am happy to report though that everyone did very well and no one was hurt. Fortunately that stretch of road didn’t last very long. The wind became progressively worse throughout the day and Mother Nature turned on the heater. By the time we reached the last rest stop (80 miles or so into the day) we were all ready to stop. A few tears were shed because of the shear difficulty of the day, but everyone plowed onward. The last six or seven miles were probably the hardest. You could see Syracuse in the distance, but it never seemed to get closer. When we finally arrived someone had secured a food donation from the Dawg’s Den for us, and we gratefully placed our orders. Then within 30 minutes of our last rider arriving, it started to thunder and lightning and hail. We have been very fortunate in that we have not been on the road when any of the bad weather hit. We were supposed to have camped at the RV park, but after the hail started, the RV park owner Vera made a few phone calls and we got to spend the night in the high school gymnasium. Because school was out for the summer, the water for the showers was turned off, so we experienced our first hose shower. To give you an idea of what this looks like, picture 14 or 15 cyclists still in their spandex covered in soap and shampoo, freezing and standing around passing the hose to each other. Everyone enjoyed it, and I’m sure we looked hilarious (and maybe a little pathetic) shivering there. We turned up the heat in the van though and were warm again by the time we got back to the school. That evening we hung out and cooked dinner. It was great just to sit and talk with people.

Day 13

Our third border crossing! Today we rode from Syracuse, KS to Las Animas, CO, and I dedicated my ride to Chuck Muese. Relative to yesterday, our 86 mile ride today was a piece of cake. Its funny how fast a distance like that can become “easy.” Our drivers this morning whipped up pancakes and got donuts from the local donut shop (yum!). I was the sweep rider today, which means I was riding at the back of all the riders to make sure no one got a flat or injured. Ironically, I was the only one who got flat and we think it was due to manufacturer defect judging by the hole. Not to worry though, I quickly had it replaced and was again on my way. We crossed the Colorado border about 16 miles into the ride, and for many people it was a huge mental barrier that was crossed. We are finally in the first state which is home to the mountains for which our route is named, and in the next day or two we will officially be 25% of the way (mileage-wise not day-wise) to Anchorage. In an effort to strengthen ourselves physically, we’ve started doing pushups at every rest stop. We rolled into Las Animas in mid-afternoon and grabbed a quick bite to eat. The church we are staying at had a potluck for us, and we were able to meet a lot of members from the community. I talked to a couple for awhile whose family members had been affected by several forms of cancer, and I plan to ride for them tomorrow. Tonight is our first night with host families. I was able to meet my host family…and they offered me quite possibly the best hot shower I’ve had lately. I think my hair is actually clean for the first time on this trip. It’s the little things in life.