Day 54, Ness City to Great Bend, KS

Miles – 63

Miles From Start/To Finish – 2,454/1,891

Ave Riding Speed – 6-19 mph

Hours Start to Finish – 6.5

Weather – Sunny to Cloudy and 84

The alarm on Kim’s phone went off at 5:30am. Now that’s we’re back to Central Time it was still dark out and we laid back down. Officially we got up at 6am. The accommodations were such that we felt the incentive to get packed and out the door as soon as we could. I even skipped the shower. Plus, we were trying to get on the road and beat the wind and the heat for the day.

Even though we were trying hard to get out the door we were both having a little moment and feeling the need for a day off. The idea of a day off tomorrow gave us both and incentive to get out the door to our destination for the day, Great Bend, KS. The ride today also get’s us to map #8 of 12.

For breakfast we each had a small yogurt and leftover blackberries. We rolled our bikes past the broken, but full of water, indoor pool and out the front door at 7am. We road across the street to the convenience store for some cold water and ice for our Yeti bottles. At 7:20am we were back on Hwy 96 heading east. 20 miles up we passed through the small town of Alexander and then 6 miles further, Nekoma, both with no services. Seven miles farther and we rolled into Ruch Center and pulled up to the small convenience store and leaned our bikes against the building. I noticed the gas pumps but there were cars parked in the pump lanes, so I looked through the window to see if they were open and could see a group of people sitting inside, so we walked in. The A/C felt great, so that meant it was getting hot outside.

When Kim and I walked in we met Ashely, the manager. She was a nice young gal, who directed us on where to get some good water from the spicket and use all the ice we needed. We chatted and she said she live back in Nekoma, next to the million-dollar bathroom. We chuckled together as she was referring to the rest stop in the middle of the small town with no other services.

The group that had gathered were on their way to church. I asked one of the ladies where the church is. She said the Lutheran church was two blocks south and said we can sit anywhere we want. As the small crowd left for church, we walked outside to get our water situated and Ashley stepped out with us. The clear sky sun was hot and a vehicle pulled up to the stop sign out front and continues going south. Ashley said the green military looking vehicle was a storm chaser and said that there was something brewing to the northwest, but we should be fine for the 32 miles to Great Bend. We wished her well and handed her our card as she likes to follow the bicyclists.

7 miles out of Rush Center we came upon some rolling hills that continued for another 6 miles. The clouds were shading out the sun by this time. We continued and stopping every 5-10 miles for a water break. 50 miles into our ride we pulled over at a dirt road for a water break and rest my hands. As we were standing there straddling our bike a small SUV pulled up and the lady inside rolled the passenger side window down. She asked if we’ve checked the radar lately. We said we didn’t have any service, so no, we hadn’t. Se said there was something brewing to the north of us and she said we could pull over beside a building or something if needed. We thanked her for stopping and showing her concern.

When the SUV pulled out, we figured we’d better get to it and got back on the HWY with the added incentive to ride hard and quickly. As we continued on, we looked back and could see the darkened skies behind us and to the north. We rode as best we could, heading directly into the increasingly strong wind. Every so often we’d feel a couple rain drops, so there was no time for a rest, except to snap a picture and look in awe at what was coming.

Fortunately, we pulled up to the Super 8 at 2pm and beat the rain. We checked in, dropped off our bikes and gear, changed into cleaner clothes and walked five blocks to Applebee’s. Since we’re taking the day off Kim and I each had a beer. As we ordered our meal, I noticed it started to rain. Very refreshing. For lunch/dinner I had the chicken fettuccini alfredo and Kim had the steak with broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. Our meal was a nice change of pace from the usual burger.

After dinner we walked back to the hotel with our rain jackets on. After a nice shower Kim took a nap. The plan for tomorrow is to walk over to Walmart and see what they have for Bike tire pumps. The shop in town isn’t open until Tuesday and I think I’m willing to carry a full-size pump for a more efficient ride, if the pump is light enough.