Day 49 - ending at Springfield, CO - The Great Plains Trail - Sort Of

July 2, 2023

Day 49 - ending at Springfield, CO

Day 49 - Kenton, OK to Springfield, CO

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Just before I went to bed last night I checked my plan to see how far I'd be riding the next day (today) - 64 miles, to Springfield, Colorado. That many miles and perhaps some hills, I'd have to leave earlier than I did yesterday, for sure.

I was up at 3:50am and worked on the rough draft of yesterday's report until 6:30am. It was a little cool and damp - another wear-my-jacket morning. At 8:08am I left the campsite, but only got as far as the camp store for coffee and breakfast, which I ate at a 'Day Use Only' picnic table.

I was on my way north at 8:53am, but got slowed down by so many sign boards to take pictures of. For the moment I was following the GPT, and knew that it would pass near the High Point in Oklahoma. So I expected some climbing, but I didn't realize how many buttes and mesas there'd be to get around. At 10:46am, just east of Kenton, I turned north onto NS3.8 toward Colorado. I took a break on a bridge at 11:00am. This bridge has a curb that was a good place to sit under a cottonwood tree with the breeze blowing. Turns out I was sitting on a bridge over the Cimarron River, which I've seen farther downstream on a previous trip.

Right at noon I arrived at the Colorado border. The paved road I was on in Oklahoma was going to be a dirt road in Colorado. I took a break to eat the Payday saved from breakfast, then recorded the noon mileage: 17.5 miles. I still had a few miles to go. Still I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to see another tri-point. This one is where Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma meet. It was only 3/4 mile away straight west from where I was. As soon as I arrived there it started to sprinkle, so I quickly took some pictures then rigged the bike up for rainy weather riding. By the time I was back to where I had been, the sprinkles had stopped. But I was still hearing thunder and seeing rain to the west and north. And I still had no cell signal, so couldn't check weather radar to see where the storms were and what direction they were moving. I waited 8 minutes then decided to proceed on north to actually get into Colorado. Riding on this gravel road went fairly well until 2:40pm, when I came to a section that had just been rained on. So besides in the morning, this afternoon I also had some walking, this time on wet dirt roads (and also up a few hills).

Finally at 3:45pm, I came to flat land. My cell phone chimed for messages received, indicating I had cell phone service back also. The gravel road at this point was dry and in very good shape, allowing me to ride at 10 mph. At 4:20pm I arrived at the intersection with Road M where I needed to turn east. I can't remember if the GPT goes north from here or west, but I was leaving the GPT here to go east. My plan has me meeting back up with the GPT in the northern part of Colorado. My diversion is due to needing places to stay that aren't spaced more than a day's ride apart.

I'd cleared the storms that had been around me all afternoon. There was quite a storm behind me now to the south. I was fortunate to make it through when I did. But now there were storms forming to the north of me. Another concern was that I was still 36 miles away from Springfield. Road M going east through grasslands is a very flat gravel road. It was excellent riding for several miles, then only fair, and then good again. At 5:13pm, I took a break to eat a Clif Bar and check the weather radar, but I'd lost the cell signal. My pre-trip plan had me going north and east and north and east to get to Springfield. But with the storms to the north, I decided it was best to keep going east, and did that all the way to highway US-287. It was now 6:57pm and I had 18 miles to go. But the highway is flat and has a beautiful wide concrete shoulder. I also had a tailwind. The storms that had been to my north were moving southeast, so I was in the clear that way. So once again I had pleasant evening riding.

The sun went down before I arrived in Springfield, so I turned on my flashing lights and engaged one of my bottle generators. My accessories battery was in a discharged state due to not having any electricity at last night's campground.

My pre-trip plan had me staying at the Crawford Motel, which is on the north side of town. In the dark I got confused and ended up at J's Motel, which is next door to the Crawford Motel. I didn't realize my error until I was in my room - #14 at 8:55pm! However, there's plenty of room for my bike, the room is quite clean, and the price was very reasonable, so everything's good. As typical it seems for me lately, I booked two nights here - this time mostly to get caught up on journaling. Tonight's only task is to get a shower before bed. Lights off at 11:17pm, thankful for another interesting day.

Jeff

Spent: $1 (coffee donation) + $5.66 (breakfast items) + $59.95 plus $5 (motel room) = $71.61