Date: 2007-05-07
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Miles today: 0.0

5-5-07Newton, Ks74 miles today1734 miles totalToday started early because we knew there was bad weather predicted and we were hoping to get our ride in before that weather comes in. Yesterday a tornado hit Greensburg, Ks and destroyed that town and there's more tornadoes predicted today.I put on a pot of Starbuck's at 5am since there was a coffee maker in the room.While I was drinking my coffee, we were packing the bikes.We left at 6:15am and rode to Cindy's Copper Kettle Restaurant. They were supposed to open at 6:30am, but the doors were unlocked when we got there at 6:20am.It turned out to be one of the best breakfasts we've had on this trip and it was their weekend buffet, so I really had two breakfasts. :-))The winds were blowing steady at about 30mph out of the south. We were riding west and those high winds really make a big difference. It was hard to pedal 10 mph most of the time and we really had to lean the bikes into the wind.We rode 18 miles to Rosalia and was hoping to get some drinks as we passed, but the store was closed.We turned north for about 17 miles at Rosalia and then we started having fun. With those 30 to 35 mph winds at our backs, we were pedaling anywhere from 20mph all the way up to 38mph on flat ground and we were able to maintain those speeds.That all ended at Cassoday though. We turned west again from there and the pedaling got hard. We rode west for about 40 miles.We did stop at a store in Cassoday before we headed west. I had two cokes and a Gatorade to wash down an apple popover. :-))We had about 40 miles with nothing but prairies and cows.Mrs Gorp said to look at the tails on all those black angus cows. They were standing out in the wind.I told her that it wasn't from the wind, they were peeing....but I guess they wouldn't all be peeing at the same time. :-))They really were being blown out in the wind.Mrs Gorp called it the Kansas high wind warning system. Ha!!We did see a bunch of those long tailed birds today. I wish someone would tell me what their names are.We also found out last night that most of the birds we have been seeing along our way are the state bird...western meadowlarks.There was a sign about 25 miles out of town that said the road was closed 19 miles ahead. There aren't many options for roads out here.We rode another half mile when I decided to look at my map and see if there was another route.I looked at the map, but it was like holding a piece of paper in a hurricane. I saw there wasn't any good routes, so I bunched up the map as good as I could in the wind, packed it away and we rode on.We kept riding not knowing if we could cross the bridge. A guy I got to talk to said he didn't know about the bridge, but thought there was a way around and that it would be a couple miles on a wet sand road.We kept riding and when I got to the road closed sign, I rode on up to the construction and saw we could walk our bikes across. :-))We got to Newton and got a room. It felt great to be out of the wind.We could see dark skies to our west almost all day, but we got lucky and stayed dry.There are two tornadoes on the ground right now to the west of us about 70 miles and they are calling for more of the same tomorrow.We walked next door and had a KFC buffet. How convenient just in case we have to layover due to weather. Ha!! :-))This is two days in a row that Mrs Gorp's left knee hasn't bothered her. She's lucky because out here in the west, they have a different way of dealing with a lame woman. ;-))Another great day on the Trans Am Bicycle Trail. :-))5-6-07Hutchinson, Ks36 miles today1770 miles totalThis is the third day in a row that we have had severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings here in Kansas. I woke up and it was raining and some thunder out.We went downstairs and had the continetal breakfast, then went back to the room and watched Dave, the meteorologist and his KSN sidekick, Andrew.Dave kept talking about rotations and possible tornadoes and every couple of minutes, Andrew, the sidekick would come on with a phone update of sightings.There were severe storms coming our way and some that had just passed. They just keep coming!!We finally got through the ones that were coming and decided to try for Hutchinson, Ks. It was off the bike route, but only 36 miles away and it had motels.We headed out the door at 10am and started riding west. We got to Rt 50 and it looked more like an interstate. I was thinking it was limited access. We weren't sure what to do, so I called the sheriff and asked. He said it was OK for bikes, so we took off.Once we got up the ramp and on the road, I could see it had a nice wide shoulder. We could see dark skies to the west and they kept getting darker.It started raining on us about 2 miles before we got to Burrton. I saw a sign and was hoping it was a convenience store. It was and we pulled in and saw they had inside benches. :-))I got a couple donuts and some coffee and sat down and watched the sky let loose...and we were inside enjoying the view. :-))Mrs Gorp brought me a hotdog about half an hour later. I guess I looked like I needed one. :-))A cop came in and just smiled at us. He saw us riding the bikes in and knew what we were up to and what we had left to ride through. He said two of his deputies had been over at Greensburg, the town that was devistated from the tornado.It finally cleared a bit after about an hour, so we took off in a light drizzle. We still had about 15 miles to go.It started getting real dark to the southwest again. We were riding along at a good speed and got to Hutchinson just as it started to sprinkle some.We headed up Rt 61 and found a motel.We had some tailwinds and rode that 36 miles in just over two hours. That really felt great!!I was fealing very exhilarated from having rode so fast and beating those last dark skies. It was fun. :-))We went next door to a Chinese buffet and had a very good meal. I ate two plates. It was so much food that I wasn't ready to go back to the room. We found out there was a Wal-Mart half a mile away and since I needed batteries and Starbuck's, we walked there and picked those items up.The clouds were getting very dark again and it started raining a little before we got back to the motel.Just as we got back into the room, the tornado sirens started going off all over Hutchinson.I turned on the TV and saw there was some really heavy storms moving in. One had a tornado about 30 miles to the west and was moving northeast on a track to miss us bu about 20 miles.I kept watching the weather because the sirens keep blasting. The meteorologist was talking about the predicted path of the tornado and as he was getting updated radar images, he said the tornado turned to the east and was on track for Hutchinson.Mrs Gorp had already asked where we should go and the manager said McDonald's had the only basement around. We hurried up and walked over there only to find the doors locked. It looked like there could be a tornado to the south of us because the skies came right down to the ground, but it was raining so hard there, that I couldn't be sure.The manager of the motel was leaving the building for a shelter because he heard a tornado had touched down. He told us to get in the car and he drove, running red lights to get to the shelter. I couldn't see anything because the rains were shearing off sideways and very heavy. Aaron got Jackie, the other manager, Mrs Gorp and me to his girlfriend's dad's home and we ran to the inground concrete shelter in the back yard.There was already 4 people and 5 dogs in the shelter, but there was plenty of room for us.We were only in there for about 20 minutes before the sirens went quiet. It was still thundering and raining hard, so we waited another 20 minutes before one of the guys said it would be OK to go out now.It really rained hard because everything was flooded. There was about 3 inches of standing water in the back yard. The roads were even flooded on the way back to the motel.What an exciting day!! :-))From what I know right now, the tornado just briefly touched down about 7 blocks away.We told Aaron to ring our room tonight if he was headed back to the tornado shelter. :-))Mrs Gorp is happy...she's safe and watching Amazing Race on TV.I'm happy...I have a brand new bag of Starbuck's and there's a coffee maker in this room. :-))Another great day on the Trans Am Bicycle Trail. :-))5-7-07Larned, Ks72 miles today1842 miles totalI had three muffins at the continental breakfast and packed two more out for lunch.We finished packing up and left Hutchinson about 7:30am.It was misting out and at times, the mist got pretty heavy, but the radar we watched this morning looked promising the farther west we got.It took almost 3 miles to get out of Hutchinson. We passed the Cosmospere and Space Center and I got a picture of the space ship out front.We got on the right road that took us to Nickerson. It got fairly busy with some big trucks, but it did have a two foot shoulder that helped.We passed a farm that had lots of ostriches and other animals, but the other amimals were far enough away from the road that I couldn't tell what they were.When we got the 12 miles to Nickerson, we stopped at the only services we would have today for the 72 mile ride.I had a coke and some mini donuts and listened to a group of guys talking about the town that was destroyed by the tornado.We headed west and in about 5 miles, we got onto a back road with almost no traffic.We were riding along and Mrs Gorp was just 50 feet in front of me when I noticed my rear tire was going flat. I yelled out to her to stop, but with the winds today, she didn't hear me.I had no choice but to stop. I saw that the side of my tire had blown out. (I think Mrs Gorp has been loading more weight on my bike)I turned the bike upside down and took the rear wheel off. I had a folding spare tire and one tube left, so I just put all new stuff on the wheel.Mrs Gorp came riding back just as I was finishing up. She rode a mile before she realized I wasn't there, then she rode a mile back to see what happened.I turned my bike back over and Mrs Gorp dusted off her hands. She was a big help. :-))I strapped my old tire on the back of my bike and we were off again.We got to the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in about 10 miles. I believe I saw a golden eagle first, then I saw what I think was a bunch of wood storks flying overhead.There were lots of seagulls and ducks and hawks. We stopped and sat down along the side of the rode and I ate the two muffins I had packed out for lunch.There were lots of worms crawling out onto the road again this morning and my bottom water bottle had worm juice and pieces of worms splattered all over it.We headed on and there were a couple of times when the sun actually came out for a few minutes.So much of the land was flooded and the rivers were all flowing very fast and way out of their banks.We pulled into Larned and got a room. The first thing we did was go over to the restaurant across the street and I had a half pound hamburger and a huge basket of fries.I couldn't believe how hungry I was. When I got done, I walked to a Sonic and ordered a large milkshake. That filled me up. :-))I patched the hole in my tube, so I have a spare. I also called a bike shop in Pueblo, Co. They have one tire left like the ones I'm using. They said they would hold it for me. I should be there Saturday if everything goes as planned. :-))We had people tell us Kansas was a boring state to ride through. I have to dissagree...it's been anything but boring. Ha!!Another great day on the Trans Am Bicycle Trail. :-))