Day 48 - Lander, WY

The second hardest day of the trip came not with huge climbs or blistering heat, but rather with mostly downhills. The challenge was pedalling into a 20-25 mph headwind for 85 miles. The wind was so strong it would actually stop me on a downhill less than 3 percent grade. I struggled with my speedometer in single digits for large parts of the day. The noise of the wind against my ears gave me a headache by the afternoon. After almost 9 hours in the saddle, way too long to be enjoyable, I finally made it to Lander heading straight into McDonalds, the first opportunity for food in 60 miles.





I kept my head down for most of the day, ignoring the scenery except for one glorious stretch beginning at the continnental divide called beaver rim. The snow capped Wind peaks extendending to 13,000 feet visible off in the distance as the local summits exposed ancient red and beige rock. I began a 12 or so mile decsent, flying into the valleys bellow trying at one point to video my ride in the strong crosswind blowing me around the road. I hit 30 mph and finally felt alive again.

Lander is a hard drink town. Whiskey and cokes, a shot of jack, martinis, all ordered in the breeze of a Saturday afternoon. There is a younger crowd attracted by prodigious nearby mountain climbing and the NAOL school headquarters . In the span of an hour I had talked to two different people who had hiked the whole of the Appalachian Trail.

Mixed in the fray at Gannet grill were Eric and claudia sitting at the edge of the bar having a warm up drink before returning to the Eric's 54 year highschool reunion. They both grew up in lander and were curteous in their account of how the town had changed since they were kids as they were served drinks from a 20 year old in short shorts with a tattoo running from her armpit down to her ankle. "Some towns don't make it out here." Eric explained.

Location:Caring Way,Lander,United States

Day 47 - Muddy Gap, WY

Wyoming just keeps getting better. The terrain is extra green and lush due to record precipitation and run off from the mountains. We headed out late in the morning to ride rte 130 to the interstate for 10 or so miles to Rawlins where we could pick up 287, the road which will take us into Yellow stone. Bikers are allowed on the interstate in Wyoming due to the scarcity of roads.

I decided to due the first 40 miles of our day in one clip. Route 130 was an enjoyable flat road with large tracts of ranch land. The interstate was a tough ride due to the 20 mile headwind. I plodded along at 12 mph waiting for my exit to appear.




287 is where the magic happend. We turned back north putting thenwind at our side and watched the most spectacular rock formations unfold along the horizon. Sand and red stone buttes, cliffs of boulders and gentle sloping hills. A thin band of white clouds stretched across the sky.




Just as we hit the continental divide a particularly beautiful stretch of mountains appeared. The road dropped steeply and I sailed between two ridges down into a vast arid basin, the road stretchin for miles into the distance. I let out a yell on the way down, holding my handle bars tight as strong gusts of wind moved me around the shoulder of the road.

I pulled into Grandmas cafe in Lamont, a roadside oasis. The restaurant was empty. Ryan was sitting in a booth, 2 mountain dew cans in front of him. I helped myself to a drink from the cooler and took a load off. We sat ther for 30 minutes without seeing a soul, leaving a few bucks on the counter before heading down the road.

10 miles of more I tensely beautiful terrain and we were in Muddy Gap, which is just an intersection witha gas station. I decided to pitch my tent there for the night, while Ryan pushed on.

Day 46 - Saratoga, WY

I had one of my best days of the tour. We woke up to watch USA beat Algeria in the world cup at the 90+ mark and then headed out to breakfast with Evan our host at a local grease pit, the Prarie Rose. Evan gave us a quick tour of the University of Wyoming, pointing out a 12 story building on campus, the tallest in all of Wyoming.

From Laramie we followed Snowy Range Road through the Medicine Bow national forest which took us up 4000 feet in elevation to a summit of 10800 ft. We were riding 75 miles in total to Saratoga, WY.

The snow capped peaks of the mountain were visible 30 miles out from the flats leading up to their base. Lush green pastures with roaming horses and cattle surrounded the hills. Along one stretch a pack of antelope raced along side us before turning back off the roadside and into the open plain.

We stopped in Centenial, a tiny town at the base of the mountain, for lunch. I was feeling a bit tired, perhaps from not being adjusted to the altitude. I knocked back two cokes, popped a couple asprin got on my bike and began to climb.


The road maintained a reasonable grade keeping in my lowest gears as it snaked up the mountian side. Fast creeks ran by the road side and slender green trees up the ridges. Snow drifts left over from winter stretched across open spans.




I saw the peaks getting closer as I rode, carefull not to burn through all of my energy to quickly. I imagined I would take a couple of rest stops on the climb but continued straight to the top, halting only occasionally to take a photo of the spectacular view.




I began what would total a 20 mile decent from the top, needing to wear my windbreaker to keep warm. The downhill was beautiful reward for the climb, cruising up to 40 mph as I watched the snow patches disappear, yielding again to lush greenery and roaring rivers again.




The sun Illuminated the stunning mountains and canyons and I stopped frequently to marvel at their splendor. I'm not religous, but being in the peaks of Wyoming may be as close as you can get to god without dying.


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Location:Arrowhead Dr,Saratoga,United States

Day 45 - Laramie, WY

We started the day in high spirits. Tom served us some tea and scones in the morning and took us out to his back yard to show us the hens they keep as fresh egg laying pets. We said thank you and good bye and headed into town to Full Cycle, a local bike shop where Duane a mechanic did a really solid once over on our bikes for free, including installing new brake pads and truing up our wheels. The guys in the shop were really excited for us and gave us contact info to use down the road. Kudos!

We rode north west along 287 heading to Laramie, WY and into our 12th state of he trip. Our mapping session with Tom revealed we would be climbing 3000 feet over the day and the prospects were exciting being at the base of the Rockies over the weekend and having a fresh pair of legs.




Once we connected to 287 the road took up into some climbs. The road was spectaular with sweeping through the high plains. Stone buttes rose out of the prarie grass exposing beautiful red ridge lines.




We enjoyed a few decsents in the beginning and then the road turned to a steady series of climbs over over 30 miles leading us up to a peak elevation of 8100. Despite the work I was excited to see the terrain of Wyoming. At the summit we were paralelntomthe clouds of the eastern horizon.

We stopped at the P.O./general store in Tie Siding where i came across the first pay toilette I've seen in the US. Once at rest we quickly realized we were wiped. The new altitude made it harder to ride and we took a nice long break in the sun watching the wind blow the clouds across the sky.

We had 17 miles to go of flats and downhills which turned into a grueling ride with a 25 mph head wind. Gusts would kick up and I would struggle to keep a 7 mph pace. Observation of the day: Head winds blow.

Once in town we connected with Evan O'toole a warm showers host who kindly let us stay in his home for the night.

Location:E Ivinson Ave,Laramie,United States

Day 44 - Fort Collins, CO

After our long rest we were ready to get back on the road, but not before having a killer breakfast at Lucilles, a Cajun restaurant in Boulder. We planned a short day of 44 miles up to Fort Collins, CO, which we rode uniterrupted save for one quick 7-11 stop for a soda.

We gradually gained some altitude over the day but it was barely noticable. It was another dry hot day and my legs felt as strong has they've been since the start of the trip. My saddle feels so damn comfortable when I've been out of it for a few days.

We reached town by early afternoon and took advantage of their city park pool for a couple of hours. Fort Collins is a college town packed with brew pubs and bars. We stopped at Coopersmiths for dinner and attmepted to watch a free show at the Aggie Theater but it was just too trippy.


We had contacted Tom and Rita through warmshowers.org and they were kind enough to host us in Ft. Collins. Both work in forrestry and had just come back from a Ride the Rockies week long tour themselves. Tom helped us plan out our next couple days at the dinning room table and made us a hand drawn map for us to follow out of Fort Collins. Thanks guys for the great hospitality.

Days 41,42,43 - Lost weekend in Boulder, CO

Reaching roughly the halfway point of our trip we knew we would want to take some additional time off to thoroughly rest up and a weekend in Boulder sounded like just the ticket. Boulder is ridiculously beautiful with creeks running through town, the mountains an ever present back drop and what seams like an endless supply of dry sunny days. The people have a monied hippy vibe, with a few geniune eccentrics mixed in. It's the only place I've felt comfortable zipping off and reconnecting the legs of my tourist pants in public.




During our stay I ate some tasty food, saw a concert and hiked up to the flatirons, the large reddish brown shear faces of the mountains. The view was spactacular letting me see boulder canyon below and neighboring rocky peeks beyond. I wasn't accostumed muscles required for hiking and was spent out by the time I ascended the 2000 feet.

I was also able to meet up with my cousin Patrick and his family for dinner on Sunday, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Seeing friends and family while on the road really bolster you morale.

Day 40 - Rest day in Denver

We knew we were going to rest up in Colorado and Russ without batting an eye let us spend another night at his place. In a gesture of the highest hospitality we've recieved on the trip he offered up his car for the day to go sight seeing and we took off for what has to the most epic drive in America. An important story detail: the car is a porche convertible able to go 0 to 60 in the time it took to read this sentence.




We took i70 into the mountains up to winter park, then headed north continuing on to Grand Lake, where we stopped for a bite to eat. We contined up through Rocky Mountain National Park, on to Estes park then back to down to Boulder, finally returning to Denver after 6 hours of driving.




The one lane roads, often without a guard rail, switched back up the mountians, summitting snow capped peaks with vast canyons below. We saw Elk roaming the open fields, unperturped by the small stream of traffic. We summitted peaks reaching up past 12,000 feet, the highest altitude I've achieved while not airborne. About 3 hours into our trip I realized it would have taken us 3 days to cover the same ground by bicycle. As we came down the mountains into boulder canyon the rocks turned into a beautiful redish brown.



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Day 38 - Limon, CO

I woke up exhilarated from the chance meeting with Phil and Terry. We had another 85 miles planned riding due west along 24 to Limon, CO. An internet search revealed It would be another 2 days before reaching a bike shop to replace my chain.

We started out in a strong crosswind in cool sunny weather. The few clouds scattered along the horizon lifted by noon leaving an endless blue sky. I was happy to keep a moderate pace feeling both fatigued from our string or days on the road since Kansas city and a concern for my hacked drive train.

Route 24 is a low traffic road paralel to I-70 with modest 200 feet gains in altitude between towns. After a could of hours on the road I stopped in Seibert for a sandwich at a gas station near the interstate, the only option around.


After lunch I hopped back on the bike and followed 24 over to the south side of I-70 at which point it turned into a loose dirt road, taking away a little speed and comfort from the day. It had been recently leveled on one side and I swerved along looking for lines of packed dirt to ridr over. Overpasses came every 7 or 10 miles, with me having to ride up over them, while the highway traffic breezed under them.

Often I could see the next town where I would refill from ten or more miles out, which kept a target in front of me and my cranks turning.

At 70 miles into the ride I made it to the top of an overpass and saw far off in the distance the purple ridge line of the Rockies. I was astonished by their magnitude knowing I was a least 125 out from their base and the sight alone had me powering through the rest of the way to the hotel and truckstop packed town of Limon.

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Day 37 - Burlington, CO

I looked forward to the short day ahead, just 67 miles to Burlington, Colorado. We would enter our 11th state and second time zone of the trip.

The morning was cloudy and cool and I started the day in a strong headwind, finding it difficult to keep a comfortable pace. I wanted to move faster but had to push hard to make 13 mph. The roads were long and flat and I kept my head down for miles at a time, watching my shadow brush up against the white line on the side of the road.




I grabbed lunch in a town with an immense reproduction of a van Gough painting. There have been so many strange and interesting oddities along this trip. I visited a prarie musem afterward, seeing pictures from the dustbowl years of the plains and reading about the sandstorms that would pass through -- black clouds of death.

A click came from my drive train, which I ignored for a few miles. As I shifted gears the cranks locked momentarily then released. This seemed odd but I continued for another handful of miles. The clicking remained and it bothered me just enough to take a look. One of the links of my chain had come unhinged.

I pulled off onto the grass at the side of the long vacant road, took my bags off and rested my bike upside down. I've never worked on a chain before, but had a chain breaker on a multi-tool I carry. I pulled it out and began to try driving he pin back into place. I mishandled the tool and managed to bend the link instead of reconnecting it. I fudged it
a bit into position and hoped for the best as I got back on the bike.

10 feet later my crank spun free and I saw my chain broken, dragging, off the rear cog. I thought for a moment about where I was, on a low traffic road 15 miles from the next town. I again set my bike upside down with the plan of removing the broken link. I drove a pin out with the chain breaker until it fell out and into my hand. I then attemtped to position the pin to go back into the chain one link over. I fiddled with the pin, trying to set it up perfectly under the driver, and after 15 minutes my hands were sore from trying to hold the tool, the pin and the chain. It occured to me that this would never work. I broke another link this time leaving the pin engaged on one side, lined up the link and drove it back through. The connection looked solid and felt smooth when I began riding again.

The crash course in chain repair gave me a much needed boost of energy to power through the last 15 miles.




Later that evening while at a bar and grill I met Phil Rhoades, a 74 year old Cowboy as real as the come. He road his first bull at the age of 12 and proceeded to make a living at it for 34 years. At his peak he was riding 400 bulls a year. "it get's in your blood" he told me. "It doesnt make sense because you're going to get fucked up, but you keep riding." He is tall and slender with a gaunt face, exposing leathery wrinkles along his temples. He and his friend Terry bought me a couple rounds of beers and entertained me with stories about the plains and Colorado, some I'm sure were true.

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Day 36 - Colby, KS

I stepped into the Landis's kitchen and saw rain coming down from the window. I felt like I could have slept another 3 hours. The sight of the rain immedieatly switched me into a mode of not wanting to ride today, something I couldn't seem to unswitch despite getting back on the bike for another 85 miles.

We said thanks and goodbye to Fred and Velma just as the rain tappered and hit the road for Colby, another town 80 some odd miles due west on route 24.

The clouds were beautiful after the rains passed, scaterring into dune formations just above the horizon. Silverish blue sky struck through the gray cover and shafts of light emmenated from an obstructed sun.

We stopped after 17 miles in Hill City for breakfast. We sat in a cafe ordering large plates of food and talking with neighboring tables. Folks in Kansas are as nice as they come. Everyone waves to you on the road, perhaps excited to see another sign of life.

Ryan pulled out his bag of Mila, a "miracle" seed suppossedly containing vast nutrional benefit and fixed our glasses of OJ with two scoops. An elderly woman passes and asked what it was in the bag. "You should try some!" he exclaimed and sprinkled some on her cereal.

We finished our breakfast and got the check. "It's not marijuana, is it?" the woman enquirer in a whisper than laughed in a loud cackle.

My legs were sore today and I plodded along to our next rest stop 30 miles off. I sunk into a booth at a quickstop eating pb&j sandwiches. Everytime I closed my eyes I nearly drifted into sleep. I downed a coke an a muscle milk hoping it would wake me up.

I got back on the road to find a long, low hanging span of dark clouds in the distance. They began to envelop the sky until i was directly under them. Large drops of rain began to fall. I put on my shoe covers and rain jacket. The wind kicked up and thunder cracked in the sky. Rain ripped down in torrents over my head and back as I held tightly to the handle bars. I kept a low even pace, listening to the ruckus of rainfall, momentaily Interrupted by trucks whizing past, leaving long trail of backspray in their wake.

In a half hour the rain subsided and I pulled over at a crossroads for a break. I took off my shoes and rung out my socks and stood barefoot on the road in the sunshine eating some more pb&j sandwiches and enjoying the feeling of gravel under my toes.




There was 20 miles left of my ride and I seemed to be moving fairly well for 5 miles despite a strong crosswind. I turned a bend and was greeted with another long stretch of dark clouds ahead. They were a bit more ominous with gray streaks reaching down to the horizon. I looked for any type of rotation bit saw none. Just as I rode underneath them I felt a cold blast of air. The temperature dropped 10 degrees and the wind kicked up to 20 mph. I battled my way along the road spinning the cranks with great effort, but only moving at 10 mph an hour. Far in the distance was a small strip of clear sky, the other side of the weather system. It grew taller as I moved down the road. What might have took 40 minutes stretched out to an hour and a half and my knees began to feel the slight pain of inflamation. The strip of clear sky was finally under me and I had reached town without seeing another drop of rain, spent and exhilarated.

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Location:Zelfer Ave,Colby,United States

Day 34 - Beloit, KS

The thermometer and the odometer cracked into the 90s today. We had a filing breakfast in the morning at the Chef in Manhattan with Rod and Jeff. Ryan went to the Pathfinder, a local bike shop to have some work done and I hit the road knowing it would be a tough day with a high temperature forecast and threats of thunderstorms.

Then plains of Kansas are beautiful. Miles of farmland stretch in every direction. Green corn stalks shoot up from the ground in neat rows for hundreds of acres at time. Seas of golden wheat undulate in the wind like waves lapping ashore. The road unfolds for miles, a necklace strung over the distant hills The sky is vast. You can turn all the way around and see unobstructed horizon. You can see wholly differfernt weather systems in a glance. It is really inspiring.

I passed a sign saying Beloit 55 miles, the two other mile markers were for highway intesections. I had three full bottles of water on my bike so I kept pushin on thinking there would be some small stop along the way. There was nothing. As I found out you can travel long distance in Western Kansas without a pitstop.


I had been riding for two hours during the hottest part of the day and I needed a break. The road unfolded mile after mile with nothing but farmland. I spotted a small patch of mowed grass around a signpost. I leaned my bike against against the post and covered it with my rainfly making a primative shade structure to sit behind. It did the trick for 20 minutes as I ate some bananas and peanuts and patiently waited for my body to cool down. On coming traffic slowed and sped off realizing I was only taking a break.

I pushed on. The wind and the heat died down at dusk and I was able to bring my speed up to 23 miles eager to get to town to eat and pitch my tent in the last moments of daylight. I found a restaurant in town and gulped down a large pasta entre. Ryan showed up moments later. I was about to head to the city park to set up camp when he told me he had got a room at the super 8 two miles up the road. We were lucky we stayed in doors. Flash floods covered the area with extreme rains. Cars pulled up to the booked hotel one after another looking for a place to stop for the night.

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Day 33 - Manhattan, KS

It was hard to leave the comfort of a hotel bed and the sound sleep it rendered. After a leisuely breakfast i was out on the road. After yesterdays bad route, I decided to disregard googles suggestion and plan my own path riding due north out of Topeka up to route 24 which I would follow west for the rest of the day.

I have been thinking of a number improvements for google's route algorithim when it comes to bicycling. Here are a few things that it doesn't yet take into Account: a) number of turns. It is worth adding a few extra miles to put yourself on a more simple path. Constantly checking for turns slows you down. b) altitude. Hills slow you down too. it would be great to avoid them at the expense of some extra miles c) resources. In places like western Kansas you can travel 150 miles on a road and not pass a town with food or water.

Route 24 is a 70 mph two lane highway with a two foot shoulder. I was riding into a consistent southernly crosswind, except when I turned north and it became a tailwind. You don't notice a tailwind at first, but it is like riding on a conveyor belt, letting me pedal effortlessly at 22 mphs.

Ever so often a big rig would sail past from behind creating a wave of wind which would crash over my back powerful enough to knock me off my bike if didn't have my hands on the bars. It would push my shirt up my back as it thrusted me along the road.




I was in farmland, riding along vast cornfields when I noticed the intricate machinery used to work the land. George Lucas would do well to model his next intergalactic vehicles after farm equipment.


Tall rigs with articulating haversters were working the land. Long hydration scaffolds covered hundreds of feet.

Along route 24 I stopped in the town of Wemago, a small prarie town with the promise of some local site seeing. On mainstreet I passed the museum of hhe wizard of Oz, a small store front with gobs of memerobilia on display, including some eerie manikans of the main characters.

I arrived in Manhattan, the little apple as they call it, around 5pm and and found a local pool to relax at for a few ours. Ryan had found a host for us in town on warmshowers.org, a bicycle touring community site simmalar to couchsurfing.com. We stayed with Jeff and 7 other colledge kids living in a big four bedroom house. They are all avid bikers and have developed a great bike scene here in town, holding a bike repair night and bike polo matches. Their front room was littered with 9 or so bikes in a stand they built.

We recieved the finest hospitality, being taken over to Rod's, another friend, for burgers and then a tour through the town and college campus. Thanks guys for puttin us up. Makes me excited to host bikers when I get back to the other Manhattan.

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Day 32 - Topeka, KS

The rains passed and Ryan and I headed out around 9am. Only a few moments down the road we had split up for what would be a day to come. I stopped for a large breakfast burrito in a restaurant one of the strip malls, which slowed me down for the rest of day. I would be a large man if I lived in Kansas City.

As I exited the city I passed several planned communities. I passed one after another, each with large stone signs or gates at the entry street. They all looked relatively new and spacious.

The day was largely uneventful, save for the 5 or 10 miles I rode to undo the bad route I got from google. I was taken along dirt rodes toward an amunitions factory, which I backtracked around. By the afternoon I was passing through Lawrence, home of Kansas University. I took a cruise through the campus riding along Naismith road (Basketball country!), but didn't stay long in town.

In another 30 miles of cornfields and farmland I entered the sleepy city of Topeka. I attempted to stop on the main strip for a coffee but most places were shuttered by 6pm. I got a text from Ryan saying he was having a blast in Lawrence and was going to stay the night. After realizing that I overshot the only camping option by 8 miles i decided to splurge on a $40 room at motel 6.

A squierly looking guy on a bicycle in a hockey helmet road up to say hellos to me. He figured I was on tour and asked about the trip. He didnt have much to offer in terms of things of interest in topeka, not his fault, but did tell me about blackbird cafe where I had dinner and breakfast.

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Day 31 - Rest day in Kansas, City, MO

We were thinking of taking a rest day and a driving rain in the morning confirmed the plan. Nick's mom graciously offered to host us another night even though Nick was pushing off to Austin in the afternoon.

Kansas City is a bit of a twist. The city and its buildings are clean and and many look newly constructed. Yet their architecture and signage hark back to an older industrial era.

We drove back to the power & light district for lunch. The neon signs along main street reflected off of the wet roads. A down poor kicked in again and we took shelter in the mall which is outdoors but has a large translucent warehouse roof 100 feet above the court yard. The sound of the rain on the roof was impessively loud, muting my conversation momentarily. I'm told that the power & light, named after the K.C. utility, was an industrial slum only 30 years ago and has benefited greatly by a city revitalization plan. The plan worked.

We decided to catch a movie at the Mainstreet AMC theatre two blocks away. This is the nicest theatre Ive been to in the US. The lobby was immaculate, which I've come to expect in mainstream KC businesses.


As I approached the concession stand I noticed they had beer taps. I asked if I could bring one into the movie and the woman responded with a befuddled yes. She poured me a tall cold beer in a glass no less and I made my way into the gigantic viewing room and took a seat in an overstuffed leather bucket chair. What a middle American treat.

We ate dinner at a sports bar in the famous Country Club Plaza so we could catch the NBA finals. I am the Plaza is technically the first strip mall in America but it bares no resemblance to the commercial sprawls we have been riding past. The architect styled the buildings after the city of Seville, spain, incorperating beatiful stone work around many of the store facades, carved reliefs and ornate fountains. I did have the strong sense I was in Europe.

We headed home after the first half of he game. I was upgraded from the couch to a bed and slept soundly.



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Location:W 135th St,Overland Park,United States

Day 30 - Kansas City, MO

I mentioned to Ryan, usually a late sleeper, that I might try to get an early start on our ride into St. Louis. I woke up at 7:15 to find his tent gone. I packed up my gear and got on he road by 7:30, my earliest start of the trip.

I decided to ride at least 20 miles before beakfast, having heard this was a common technique among tourists. The beginning of the day is a special moment physically. Your body is fully rested and you have the most energy you will ever have availabe to you.

The route I had planned started out on route 50 a bikable two lane highway. I spun up to a quick pace and was flying along the shoulder holding a 18-20 mph. I blew by Kansas City mile marker one after another and before I knew it I had cranked out 25 miles and decided to stop for a big plate breakfast at McDonalds in Warrenburg.

I continued at a good pace for the rest of the day realizing how much faster blacktop is compared to a dirt trail. As I was barreling down route 150 I saw Ryan pulling out of a parking lot 20 yards ahead. I was psyched that I caught up to him, but decided to stop for some needed food and water instead of getting his attention.

We reached Nicks beautiful home in Leawood, Kansas by the afternoon and entered our 9th state of the trip.

The rest of the day was spent lounging at a town pool and playing frisbee on a field nearby. By sundown I had worked up a tremendous appetitie and was eager to sample some of Kansas City's famous BBQ.




Nick took us to his family's favorite place, Jack Stack's Smokehouse where I had "Jack's Best", a plate of different types of ribs. The absolute highlight was the Crowne Prime rib which came with my order. Yes, just one rib, but it was as big as a size twelve sneaker and as heavy as a dumbell. The meat was soft and buttery. I had to hold myself back from eating the fat off he backside of the bone.

Afterwards we went to through the power & light district and had a beer in the Westport Neighborhood. Things were pretty quite for a Monday night and I was happy to be headed home for a comfy sleep indoors on a couch.


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Location:E 14th St,Kansas City,United States

Day 29 - Sedalia, MO

I had the best sleep in my tent camping at Coopers landing with my rainfly off looking up at the stars and feeling a cool breeze rolling off the Missouri river all night. Ryan's tire patch didn't work and I knew we would be lingering at camp in the morning until we could figure out another plan. I was quite happy with the predicament as I got up early and leisurely enjoyed breakfast on the river bank, talking to folks starting their day. A camper loaned Ryan his car to drive to columbia to pick up a new tire and the morning turned into a lazy afternoon.

The heat broke leaving behind a cool sunny day. I felt like could have stayed another week at Coopers, but by 2pm we were back on the trail planning to ride 70 miles to Sedalia.

I was full of energy and feeling great from our stay at camp. As I rode along the trial I marveled at all of its natural beauty, the caves along the cliffside, the trees shading the path, the large expanses of the river.

Only a few miles into the ride I came across an enticing sign for another camp and decided to have a look. I pulled in to find a cobbled together stage right on the river with an ecclectic group of 8 or so musicians playing a slow swampy rendition of "Can't you see". Two men were wheeling a Hammond organ off the back of a pickup truck off to the side. 30 or so people where out in tank tops and shorts drinking beers and enjoying what I learned was a weekly blues jam at camp Catfish Katy. A woman approached me and offered me a beer, she was happy to hear about my trip and that took me past the most beautiful and weird stretch of the Missouri river.

The rest of the day was spent cruising along the trail passing people out for Sunday rides. I pulled into Sedalia at around 8 pm after 70 miles and began looking for the camping option the map had promised. No information was on the board and the police had no info. After some digging I got a text from Ryan about camping at the fair grounds. I was able to pitch my tent just before dark.

Camping next to us where three raggedy 25 year olds riding from Cross country from San Francisco. They had no tent sleeping out on the grass and happioy telling us the have so far been able to avoid Mosquitos. They had were riding 100+ mile days with no rest days plowing down route 50 all the way into MO. They planned to make it to the east coast in 35 days. I couldn't think of a more radical experience, but one I wouldn't trade for my own.

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Location:Main St,Kansas City,United States

Day 28 - Easley, MO

I woke up sweating in my tent, a sure sign of a blistering day to come. We had breakfast in Hermann and jumped back on the Katty trail, the longest rail trail in America, by 10:30.

For the first time during the trip we rode together for the whole day, taking turns drafting every 2 miles. This is a much more efficient way to ride and you can noticable feel how much easier it is to keep a 20 mph pace in a head wind when you are riding just behind another bike, with large saddle bags hanging over both axles.

Truth be told I didn't like riding in this style and much of the day felt like work. The task requires a fair amount of concentration. You have to keep a close eye on your wheel when your drafting and when you are in the lead you are thinking about pace or obstructions in the road. I prefer to stop as I please and let my mind wander on the trail, evident by the two occasions I bumped into Ryan's tire.

We had about 15 miles to go when a knocking sound came. In an instant we heard a loud bang from Ryan's rear wheel. The tire had blown out in spectacular fashion. A large rip found it's way through the tred of what we thought were indestructible German kevlar tires.





We back tracked a hundred feet to Cooper's landing and found by far the best camp ground we've been too. It sits right on the Missouri River, has a shed and garage for a store and lounge and picnic tables and a fire pit out front. 20 or so people were out enjoying beers and big plates of food from a Thai truck, listening to a balladeer on a guitar. It didn't take us long to decide to make this our stop for the night.





Coopers started out as a bait shop 30 yeas ago and slowly turned into an outpost for hippies and creative types. They have live music four nights a week and once a year host an Eco-art festival. Interesting characters abound. Jim a glass worker, stays here the summer and is hoping to start a local music label. He also has a movie script in the works where Cheech and Chong meet Jay and Silent Bob for the first time here at camp. Ginger began helping out around here after her husband passed and cooks a delicious breakfast on the weekends.


Bob, a travelling nurse walks about camp followed by his family of geese. In the winter time I'm told you can spy eagles hunting along the shores and watch the ice floes slowly build until the river is entirely frozen.

At camp we met Rick, a 55 year slender architect with neat gray hair and glasses. He got a kick out of our cross country stories and became intent on helping us out, treating the flat tire like a puzzle to be solved. He offered to give us a lift to his house where he thought he might have a spare, so we jumped in his van with his with his wife Debby and he began to tell us he story of his house, how he bought the 27 acres in 77, started with 500 square feet and continued to add to the house and grounds for the next 33 years.

We pulled up to a grand cedar shingled lodge style facade. As soon as we exited the car, Rick giddy with delight began showing us the property. We him around followed a deck which went around the house passing two different 3 season rooms overlooking the woods. There was an outdoor jacuzzi inside a Japanese pavillion, walking trails he maintains twice a year, a fresh water pool, a 9 hole frisbee golf course, an outdoor shower he uses exclusively, a "get high" shed where he has "safety meetings" with his builder, and finally a miniature town he's created with old structures he's accumulated over the years including a hog house he used to clean every week as a boy growing up on his parents farm. There was a saloon, hotel, post office, all no taller than 4, each holding more junk inside.

"Now for a quick dip in the pool and then we can fix that tire". Rick handed us towels, turned the flood light down, took off his clothes and jumped in. The temptation of a cool swim after a long day of biking won over the potential awkwardness and we jumped in too.

We got out and put our clothes back on. Rick remained naked. "I'm naked outside as much as possible" he explained. "My wife, kids and neighbors have grown accustom"

Rick got dressed and we went to his work shop to try and patch the tire. Ryan was at the bench and I was standing next to him. I turned around to notice Rick had gone down to is underwear.

Lightening flashed in the sky and the first few drops of rain fell. Rick put his shorts back on and gave us a lift back to camp.



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Day 27 - Hermann, MO

We got a start on the day after having a great night out in St. Louis. We had breakfast with Nick and his father and headed out on the Katty trail at 1:30 pm. The Katty trail is a very
well maintained packed limestone path which follows along the Missouri River. It runs about 50 miles shy of Kansas City.

I was taking a slower pace being a bit sleep deprived. Our goal was a town about 60 miles out. At the beginning of the trail we began riding cooperatively taking turns in the lead, but i didn't have much in me and berfore long Ryan had pulled ahead.

I noticed the road feeling a little bumpier. I looked down and saw my rear wheel was flat, my first of the trip. I stopped, took off all my bags and changed the tube in the baking, sweating dripping on my tools tools. I checked the tire but didn't see any foreign objects. In about 20 minutes I was back up and riding to Marthasville for lunch.

After lunch I noticed my rear wheel was flat again. I painstakingly reexamined my tire off the rim and found the tineiest of metal shards protruding through the tred. I was so happy to find that bugger.




As the sun lowered the trail became more spectacular. Glimpse of a glimmering river, rabbits feeding their young, murky swamps along the shore, trees growing out of creek beds. I was happy to be outside.

Hermann, the town we stayed in, is the most German town in america acording to a couple we met. The planners surveyed the location and transported enough expats to get it started in the 1800s. Many of the business had authentic names like Berliner's pharmacy and there was a heritage museum on the main street.

We camped in the town park. It was not a very serene place being right next to a gas station anda high traffic road. I needed to keep my rainfly on my tent to block all of the lights. Unfortunately, this makes the inside a great deal hotter. I eventuly dozed off still sweating out all of the St Louis fun from the night before.







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Location:Missouri 100,Hermann,United States

Day 26 - Rest day in St. Louis

We decided to take a partial rest day in St. Louis. We got breakfast in Soulard in the morning. I noticed several Mardi Gras posters on the wall and was told the this area of town has the second largest carnival outside of New Orleans. We met an old timer at breakfast who had been living there for 30 years, telling us the area was full of rooming houses and liquor stores decades ago.

We rode west 30 miles to Weldon Springs where Nick's father lives. On route we stopped at a few stores to replenish supplies including the Maplewood bicycle shop where Ryan had a spoke replaced. The told us about the Katy trail, a rail trail which ran west almost all the way to Kansas City, our next big destination. What luck!

We dropped off our bikes and gear at Nick father's and had our first home cooked meal. Afterward we drove back into the city to the city musuem for a Fishbone concert.




The City Museum is one of the cooler spaces Ive seen. Large metal stuctures take overthe outdoor space, all of which you can climb. There are ladders around trees which lead to different plateaus, slides which bring you down to others and a large airplane shell 7 stories high at the top.

The concert was just what we needed, a burst of high energy. We met up with Franzie and Alex there and all danced about frenitically at the front of the stage. That area turned to a mosh pit after the first couple of numbers.

Afterwards we cruised around the city stopping at coffee cartel in the central west end and then to a karaoke bar for last call. We mustered a version of like a prayer. No applause from the crowd, but no boos either.

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Day 25 - St. Louis, MO

I got up at 8 am, what I thought was an early start. All the other tents had been packed except one, Ryans. He made it into camp at midnight riding a monster 138 miles.

The Trans-America trail continues west from Chester heading through the Ozarks. However, After realizing we were only 65 miles south of St. Louis we headed up to take in the city and meet up with oir friend Nick from New York.

I ran into TransAm Nick while eating breakfast at subway. He is the spindly 20 year old from PA we met in a Kentucky campground a week back. As luck would have it he was heading to St Louis as well so we decided to ride up together.

This was the firs time that I was riding with a person other than Ryan and Ryan and I rarely ride together, keeping different paces and stopping for different reasons. After about five miles I had pulled ahead of Nick and into the strongest headwind I've experienced. I could swear the stalks of corn on the side of the road were bent. i struggled to get the odometer up above 9 mph.




Large ominous clouds swallowed up the blue sky, being pushed foreward by gusts of wind. Just as I thought it would pour I stopped for a soda. I came back outside to hear nick quip "that was crazy"

We got back on the road together and Nick offered to take lead. We began drafting off of each other trading lead each mile and started making better time. The storm clouds passed us by and in their wake gave us a pretty strong tailwind. In an instant Nick and I were cruising at 23 mph, sharing the work all the way up to St. Louis.

We got lost in East St. Louis, something locals joke about because its a rough neighborhood. It didn't take long before we were back on track up on Eadds bridge riding over the Mississippi river and into Missouri, our ninth state of the trip. The silver arch soared high above the downtown buildings on our left.

In St. Louis we decided to spend the night at the Huck Finn Hostel in the hip neighborhood of Soulard. The hostel was dorm style with bunk beds and had the look of an old man flop house more then place catering to young backpakers. The mattress I slept in bowed down a foot in the middle.




Nevertheless, we did meet Franzie a German woman living in Carbondale and her younger brother Alex at the hostel. They were staying in the city for a few nights. Nick drove in and we all went out to eat at a local resaurant and then spontaneously decided to catch a Cardinals game.


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Location:Russell Blvd,St Louis,United States

Day 24 - Chester, IL

I struggled in a blistering sun as the temprature shot up past 90. My route, again courtesy of google, took my along winding country roads past farmland and woodmills on route to Carbondale. Parts of the road were stained with tar and my tires sizzled as they rolled over the small black bubbles oozing from asphalt.

I started at 10, far too late for this kind of heat and I only had two good hours of riding before the temprature slowed me down. The heat will knock 3 or 4 miles off your speedometer as easy as an incline will.

After 35 or so miles I reached Carbondale, a large college town, just in time for lunch and a reprieve from the midday sun. I stopped at a sandwich shop and while eating noticed another loaded bicycle across the street at a Mexican joint. I was back on the Trans-America trail. As much as I wanted to kill time, I inhaled my sandwich and became a bit antsy. I pushed on down the road to Pheonix Cycles, one of three bike shops in town, curiously all on the same block. The folks in the shop where nice letting me loiter inside and plug my phone into their wall socket. An hour had passed and I still had 40+ miles to go. I sent Ryan a text wondering how he was doing.

Another 10 miles down the road and I was in the town of Murphysboro. I stopped again to rest and evade the heat at a DQ. A text from Ryan popped up. Not much info other than an expressed willingness to still make Chester. I pushed on.

I continued on another 30 miles mostly on route 3. The evening sun offered not much of a break. A series of hills had me sweating through my shirt and hands slippery on the bars. A long flat stretch along vast corn fields unfolded and I was able to pick up the pace. As I passed Rockwood I spotted the Mississippi for the first time. The sight gave me a boost of energy, just enough to get up and down the hills while entering Chester.




Chester is the home of Popeye the sailor man. There are numerous effigies of him about town including a sculpture in the town park and a painting of him and Olive Oyl atop the town hall. There is a Popeye picnic held in his honor once a year. Mothman, Superman and now Popeye have so far mascotted towns along my path.

I'm camping on the back lawn of the Fraternal Order of Eagles here in town with 16 other cyclists on an organized Trans-America ride. Being a late arrival I didn't get a chance to see any of them, just their tents set up around a volleyball court.

Inside the lodge I treated myself to a 7 dollar chicken dinner and a couple of 1.75 Stag beers. Easy livin'.

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Location:W German St,Chester,United States

Day 23 - Vienna, IL

After two days off the bike felt foriegn to me. My saddle felt unusually comfortable and my leg muscles a bit unaccustomed to turning the pedals. We headed out from Ross's Landing, the lake house, on route to Vienna, IL our 8th state of the trip.

It was a solem day. Ryan and I split up early on and I kept waiting for the readjusment period of being back on the bike to be over. By the time we got to Paducha, a river town on the state border riding felt normal again and i didn't much worry about the 70 miles I was going to put in on the day.

I came across a high arching steel bridge painted blue on route 45, which would be our Ohio river crossing and entrance into Illinois. As I made my way up the ramp the concrete switched to steel grating and the shoulder dissappeared. I felt my tires skid around the metal and quickly slowed down to a crawl. Cars whizzed past me as the buzz of their tires over the grating became louder. I kept my eyes trained on the few feet in front of my, occasionally lettin my gaze slip through the grating to the river 200 feet below.

Once over the bridge I heard a shout from Ryan who was only moments behind me. A stack of cars slowly trailing him, a white sherrif's car in he lead. He had caught site of Ryan and quietly escorted him across. He pulled over to nicely let us know we shouldn't have been on the brigde and even commisserated with us about getting burned by google maps.




On the other side of the river we passed through the town of Metropolis, the home of superman. There were illustrated signs about town from the chamber of commerce and a giant statue in the town square. Each June they have a superman festival. Makes me wonder economically who would win in a fight: Mothman from Pt. Pleasant or Superman from Metropolis.

I continued on another 20 miles of flat straight road to the small town of Vienna. Ryan pulled an audible and stayed at Harrah's in metropolis. Hopefully we'll be staying in fancy hotels for the rest of the trip with all of his winnings.


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