Thursday, October 4, 2012

Bitch of a Day in the Wind

From Janie (the third of three posts up today):

Thursday, October 4, from McPherson to Emporia.

Cold.  Windy.  Windy.  Did I mention windy? 

Intrepid Jody rode from the hotel, as always.  I slept in the car.  Woke up to cheer Jody on.  Napped some more.  Narrow shoulders.  Wicked wind.  (Did I mention it was windy?)  Lots of trucks.  Not good for riding on narrow shoulders, close to traffic.

Then we turned back onto Kansas State Highway 50 and there they were - beautiful, broad shoulders!  I got out of The Little Darkness, got on the bike and pedaled away.  Two hours and fifteen miles later, I'd had enough.  Enough of battling the wind.  Enough of the death grip on the handlebars to hold the bike upright when a truck blew by, enough of the cold.  Enough.  I finished riding the hills toward town, and was thinking about stopping when Jody caught up to me.  We talked for a minute, bracing the bikes against the gusting wind.  (I did mention that, didn't I?)  Drank water (at least I did).  Shared some chocolate chalk bites.  (They're really protein bites, but if you're not really hungry . . . chocolate chalk is the best description.)  Jody pedaled on, and I called Rod for a ride.  Ten miles short of town, but done for the day.  A good two hours total in the saddle, but enough was enough already.

Beautiful sunrise on a cold, windy day in Kansas, leaving McPherson.

Canton KS water towers in the distance.

Whoever said Kansans don't have a sense of humor?
Hot and Cold water towers!

The older you get, the stronger the wind gets - and it's always in your face.
      ~Pablo Picasso

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