Day 37 - ending at Concordia, KS - Following the Ponca Trail

August 20, 2024

Day 37 - ending at Concordia, KS

Day 37 - Saline, KS to Concordia, KS

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We did have rain here at 2:50am last night. And some more this morning. I started packing up at 6:20am, then worked on picture selections for half an hour to let more rain pass. It was a light rain.

I like this KOA in Salina better than the one in Wellington. One reason is they're open till 8:00pm instead of just 6:00pm, so I was able to check in last night with a real person, and I could have bought something from their store, though I didn't. This morning I did - two bottles of Gatorade. I was ready to leave when neighbor tent camper Bob stopped by. He and his wife are touring bicyclists. They've done the Southern Tier, and are thinking about doing the Northern Tier next. They're on motorcycles at the moment, along with a friend they met while traveling. They're planning to go to Sydney on a ship, then maybe on to Alaska. Definitely world travelers. Bob knew right away I was on a Long Haul Trucker, and approved of the tires I'm using, since he uses the same. We had lots of stories to share about goat head thorns and tire wires causing flats. We were having so much fun talking that it was half an hour later before we decided we better get on with the day.

The next thing I had planned for my day was breakfast at the nearby IHOP. It took me a moment to remember that my favorite breakfast here is the Split Decision. I hadn't bothered to check if they have wifi, but saw a sign as I left saying they do. I checked my phone and found out I was already logged on. It must be the same account set up as other IHOPs, and the phone automatically picked it up.

Today's destination is straight north of here: Airport Park Campground on the south side of Concordia, Kansas. Highway US-81 goes from Salina to Concordia, but my at-home routing plan didn't have me on that highway. Instead I started out on Old Highway 81, which became 170th Road after crossing into Ottawa County.

This morning I checked what stations I could receive on my radio. The only one coming in strong was KYEZ, 93.7MHz. soon I was passing the station's tower which is on top of North Pole Mound. Reception continued until I got close to Minneapolis, Kansas.

At noon I was about one and a half miles northwest from Bennington. I heard their noon whistle go off. Just 12.1 miles done. And I've been on a flat road with a strong southeast wind pushing me along. Maybe I need to pedal faster.

My original plan had me going through Minneapolis, then proceeding north on 120th Road. I was almost at the intersection with US-81, so stopped to reconsider. I could take US-81 instead. That would cut 4 miles off my plan, eliminate a large section of later afternoon gravel road riding, and probably save me from some hills as well. So that's the decision I made.

At 12:48pm I merged onto US-81, which for half a mile was still a freeway. 30 miles to go. With a shoulder as wide as a driving lane, bicycling stress for me is pretty low. The downside is traffic noise and little scenery. I was OK with that. I found another radio station to listen to: KHCD, 89.5 MHz, Salina-Manhattan. They were playing classical music. Toward the later afternoon I had to keep the antenna pressed against my handlebar to keep the signal. I did briefly change stations when I noticed an array of AM towers. That turned out to be KFRM-AM, 550 kHz. I was only able to receive them for about half a mile because I was 90 degrees from the direction of their signal.

It looked like I was in kind of a hilly area. Of course the highway smooths those out. I think I made the right decision.

Slowly up one last hill, then quite a coast down to Concordia. I arrived at Airport Park Campground at 4:34pm. Once again I was planning to ride into town for supper, then come back and get the tent set up. I was pleased with the campground. Camping is free, but donations are accepted. Tent camping is allowed for up to 3 days. The biggest surprise is they have wifi! I figured out which site I wanted (#6), then headed off for supper at Arby's, just a mile away. In town, US-81 loses its shoulder, but gains a sidewalk. This worked out really well for me because I wouldn't have to cross four lanes of traffic to get back to the campground.

I knew what I wanted at Arby's, so I got my order placed quicker than this morning. At times, especially when I'm eating a familiar meal, it feels strange to be eating by myself. But it does remind me of those other times eating with my wife, our family, or friends. Maybe I'm getting just a little bit homesick.

At 5:46pm I was back at the campsite. I took time to drag the ground cloth and the tent over into the sun to let them dry out a little before I set up. Then I got started on today's evening report. That email, which lately, more or less, turns into the journal's report, lets those who are interested know that I arrived safely. I've been attaching three pictures with that report. With such a low scenery day, it took a while to select three interesting pictures.

I've been sitting here at the picnic table looking west at the trees between here and the highway, watching the evening become night as I write. There sure are a lot of noisy bugs in these trees! I love it.

Jeff

Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 1,316 miles (2,118 km)

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Nancy GrahamThose close up insect photos are quite interesting. Unless … maybe they are not close ups and that is their actual size 😳.
Homesickness seems to hit when you very much least expect it. Those warm and fuzzy feelings just pop in sometimes as reminders of what you do have at home.
Keep on keepin’ on 😉.
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1 month ago

Jeff TeelTo Nancy GrahamNancy,
The insect photos are close-ups, though the cicada killer is a fairly big insect.
Bicycle touring and my home routine with family and friends are both blessings to me. Each helps me appreciate the other.
Jeff
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1 month ago