September 28, 2015
Day 6: Tribune to Goodland
I got up at 6:45 and had cereal in the room. I'm tired of eggs. On the road at 8:15.
Today I continue north on KS 27 for the 3rd day. 31 miles from Tribune to Sharon Springs, then 30 miles to Goodland.
South 5-10 mph tailwind. Sunny all day. 60's in the morning and 80's in the afternoon.
The farm scenes continue, mostly giant crop circles of newly planted winter wheat. A farm house about every 2 miles, most with a big grain elevator.
I stopped to look at a few abandoned farms. I was hoping to see more abandoned farm houses and barns. Some have been converted to fields. Perhaps abandoned farms are more common on the remote county roads.
Today is Monday and traffic is much heavier than it was the previous two days. Clearly the weekend has much less traffic. Big loud trucks are a regular occurrence now. Worst of all, the shoulder went away 15 miles north of Tribune. Strange that the shoulder goes away as I get closer to I-70.
Lunch was at the only restaurant in Sharon Springs (population 748). The town is surviving thanks to being on US 40. Downtown has some stores, with only a few vacant buildings.
Today's terrain is slightly more rolling than yesterday. Many 3% grades. Yesterday's grades were typically 1% or less.
It was hot after lunch. Low humidity and 88F (31C) isn't necessarily very hot. But the 10 mph tailwind takes away most of the cooling airflow when pedaling. At one point I was so hot that I stopped for 30 minutes in a big culvert, the only available shade. I felt much better afterwards.
The shoulder resumes 15 miles before Goodland. 30 miles of no shoulder, mostly sharing the road with big grain and livestock trucks.
The last 10 miles to Goodland are nearly flat. I got a room at Super 8 just north of I-70 on the southwest edge of Goodland. $73.
The wind was blowing from the south when I arrived at 4 PM. It felt good to take a nap and cool down. By 7 PM wind was blowing briskly from the north.
Dinner at the nearby Steak and Shake restaurant, first time to eat at one in 15 years. For once I really did need salty french fries.
Today was an easy day. Moderate distance, tailwind, gentle terrain. Unfortunately it's the last hot day of the tour.
Tomorrow will be rainy and colder with a northeast headwind. I don't really need a rest day but I will stick to the "rest during headwinds" plan and take a rest day.
Distance: 63.0 mi. (101 km)
Climbing: 1319 ft. (400 m)
Average Speed: 10.9 mph (17.4 km/h)
Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 382 miles (615 km)
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