July 30, 2024
Day 16 - ending at Marysville, KS
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A gentle breeze blowing on the tent woke me up at 4:45am. I was hoping to make it to Riverside Park in Blue Rapids, Kansas this evening. At 30 miles, it should be doable. Except there's an Excessive Heat Warning out for today and tomorrow, with the actual temperature high of 100F predicted for both days. Anyway, it wasn't too bad this morning.
A small storm had formed just east of here before sunrise, and I was actually able to catch some lightning by randomly pressing the shoot button.
At 7:05am I ate some Pop-Tarts before packing my lunch bag on the bike.
Ready to go at 7:59am. Before getting back on the Chief Standing Bear Trail, I rode through Barneston. I believe I have figured out where the Otoe Agency building is, but I can't say that for sure. They have a nice town park here. My loop around town brought me back to the trailhead, where I grabbed one more drink from the water fountain before getting on the trail heading south. Seventeen miles to Marysville, Kansas, though at the Nebraska-Kansas state line the trail becomes the Blue River Rail Trail. I was there at 8:42am.
Both these trails are on an old railroad bed, so there's a nice canopy of trees on both sides. When I got out into an open area passing by Marietta, Kansas, I was quite surprised at the strong south wind. My afternoon riding would be into this wind, and not on a flat trail, either. I decided I was not up to pushing against this wind in this heat. I talked myself into getting a motel room when I arrived in Marysville.
I was at the Marysville Trailhead at 10:53am. Went into town looking for a place to eat. Ended up at the Wagon Wheel, where I had a tenderloin sandwich and lemonade. Noon arrived when I was eating lunch, but I did remember to record the mileage when I got back outside: 17.2 miles.
There's a Pony Express station here in town, and I decided to check it out. I was their only visitor today, so far. I almost fell asleep watching their video. Their museum covers all aspects of the Pony Express, but they also have vehicles of different eras on display. The original Pony Express station is at the west end of the museum. That building was somewhat in disarray, since they're in the middle of renovations.
Next for me was a ride to the east end of town to Walmart to get a prescription filled. That worked out OK, and I was also able to make a few purchases. I'd decided by now to stay at the Surf Motel. Heading back west on US-36, I stopped at Pizza Hut just for a root beer with ice. Finally arrived at the motel at 4:10pm, and was assigned room 15. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, and am now fighting to stay awake until a reasonable bedtime.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is the same as today, so I'm going to hold out here one more day. Storms are predicted to push through here on Wednesday evening. Thursday is predicted to be cooler with a north wind. That'd be the day to continue on south. In the meantime, I have a lot of reports to post. And there's a good night's sleep waiting for me with my head on a motel room pillow.
Jeff
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2 months ago
Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 532 miles (856 km)
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