Day 39 - Thursday, June 18
Start - Newton, KS
End - Hutchinson, KS
Miles (on the route) - 39.0
Miles (total) - 43.7
Avg Spd - 11.6mph
Max Spd - 20.5mph
Total ride time - 3:45
I awoke to the sound of lawnmowers early in the morning. I lazily got up, packed, and sat down at the picnic table to enjoy a hearty breakfast of leftover Pizza Hut. A young lady who brought her son to the playground decided to join me, saying she thought I needed company. We chatted for a bit, she asked questions about the trip, and strangely started to lay it on pretty thick. The flirtation was a bit strong. I'm not entirely sure what her idea was, but she tried to give me her phone number and it got pretty awkward. And then her son came running over to us yelling, "Daddy, Daddy!" Uhh.... I sat there in silence, frozen, not sure what to say. She quickly apologized and added that he calls everybody that. Hmm... I made my exit.
I used the library again and grabbed some water and made my way out of Newton where I ran into Anna. She was riding in the same direction and tagging up with a group of six others. Turns out Anna is from Denver, CO and has been riding solo at her young age of 17! She wanted to do the whole transam but is doing a significant stretch from Carbondale, IL to Pueblo, CO! Crazy amazing! I'm 28 and would have thought this trip was crazy just a year ago. I can't imagine the courage and confidence it would take to even consider such a thing at 17! Another point is the gender issue. I haven't seen a single solo female rider on this trip. Not to be sexist, I don't doubt the ability, but there is a safety concern that most people think of when they hear of a woman riding this trip solo. It's tough not to focus on Anna's demographic as a transamer, but she should be given due credit as an individual. She's good company and seems to be quite the biker.
Things are flat now, having left the Flint Hills of Kansas. Anna and I rode together to Hesston where I met a few of the others she just started travelling with. Jake and Tyler were there who are from Michigan. They rode into Chicago and then down to Missouri to join the transam trail, and that's where they met the other four riders. They were stopping for lunch, and I was still full of pizza, so I decided to ride on. They were all meeting up in Hutchinson, KS to stay at a church hostel and I figured I would consider it an option, though it would make for a shorter day.
Again, high 90s. I headed west towards Buhler, and within a few miles of leaving the group I had another flat. This is getting ridiculous! I pulled on the side of a small electrical service shed, the only shade around, and changed it out. Again I found a puncture. At least I know what is happening! The sad part is that means this Maxxis Overdrive kevlar belted tire is not stopping much. The heat really started to wear me down. I was feeling tired and thirsty when I got into Buhler. I'm not eating as much either in this intense heat, and I'm sure that is taking a toll. On my way in a gentleman, James, stopped me and wanted to talk about the trip. He had plenty of stories to share as he had toured by bicycle for most of his life. He's been through most of the states and parts of Canada. He offered advice and gave me a detour to Hutchinson due to the flooding of the main road. After relaxing at a grocery store in Buhler, I saw Anna, Jake, and Tyler again and made plans to meet up at the hostel in Hutchinson.Hutchinson was a large city with a population of over 40,000. I made my way directly to the bike shop to check on getting a new tire. I grabbed a CO2 inflation tool, to make sure I get maximum pressure, but they didn't have any top notch tires worth purchasing to replace the current. The church hostel was nearby but I found out late the key is supposed to be picked up at the bike shop. Funny they didn't mention that while we discussed the hostel at the shop. I asked a neighbor and she was eventually able to track down someone who could let me in. More helpful folks. For the night we were given a huge recreation room, a kitchen, shower, and mattresses. Awesome! The wonder of simple pleasures!
Anna was the first to arrive and we went to the library. Shortly after we returned to the church and were joined by Jake, Tyler, Conor, and then Mark. We got cleaned up and headed to the Wendy's down the street to gorge on the fast food goodness! It was such a missed pleasure to sit down with a great group of people and laugh and share stories. I could tell right away this group was fun. Eventually John and Brittany joined us at the church and we chatted late into the night. Brittany, Conor, John, and Mark are all from Blacksburg, VA, some of them attending Virginia Tech. They all work together at a vegetarian restaurant there called Gillies. This was the second time on the transam for Mark, and he had a great sign on the back of his trailer. They were all planning on taking the next day off but I was trying to get to Pueblo in time to meet up with Lisa from Chicago before she heads back. Looks like I'll have to leave this group, but I'm sure I'll see them down the road. Below is a group shot of us, and clockwise from the bottom left is Conor, Mark, me, Jake, Tyler, Anna, Brittany, and John.