But it's a Dry Wind (June 22, 2015)

 

The rain, or rather the threat of rain, finally went away several days ago, which allowed for joyful days of riding from Chanute to Eureka, then the following day on into Newton (all in Kansas).  Those days were particularly enjoyable as I had met up with three west-bound riders ... but alas, due to a miscommunication on my part I am again traveling solo.

Upon leaving Newton, a new weather pattern set in ... high-velocity wind ... east-bound wind ... 15-to-20 mph headwind wind.  Oh my!  This weather pattern has remained for three days now.  To this "in your face" weather element, throw in temperatures in the high 80s to mid 90s, then mix in a heaping dose of humidity ... I am kinda thinking Tucson's 105 may not be so bad.

Yesterday's ride was kind of hard.  Prior to leaving Hutchenson, I looked at the road map and saw that there were several towns spaced approximately 7 to 10 miles apart on the way to Pratt.  Even though I knew it would be very windy, I figured there would be many opportunities to refill the water bottles and get some food along the way ... not so!  The towns shown on the map are little more than a grain tower with a few homes and some boarded up former (1910ish) commercial structures.

53 miles into a strong headwind to get to Pratt ... sipping at my limited water ... falling into a bit of a dazed mental zone.  About three miles outside of Pratt I had quite a scare.  The pavement to the right of the white line was about 4' wide, and in my dazed mental state I was pretty much in the center of that area.  As I trudged along, I was visually focusing on a spot about 5' out in front of me, and since I was wearing my visor I had no awareness of what was going on farther up the road.  All of a sudden, there was an eighteen wheeler about 3' to my left ... going the opposite direction at about 70 mph!  He was in the process of passing another truck.  After cursing the driver and his mother, I stopped, changed into a clean pair of riding shorts, and continued on into Pratt. 

Thinking the worst had passed (pun intended), I headed to a convenience store with the intent of purchasing the product that had been my primary motivation during the last 15 miles ... a few cold beers.  Alas, Pratt County does not allow sales of alcohol on Sundays ... I'm thinking Tucson's 105 may not be so bad.  Also I was wondering in what century this county is living.

This brings me to today's ride.  Left Pratt at 6:30 this morning with the intent of getting as many miles in as I could prior to the wind picking up.  Ha!, it had already picked up!  Five hours later I reached the town of Greensburg, which is 32 miles from Pratt.  My intent was to try and reach Dodge City (77 miles from Pratt), and after stopping for drinks and some food in Greensburg, I decided to head on to Dodge City.  About 3 miles beyond Greensburg I called B.S. on that idea, made a u-turn ... and enjoyed a wonderful tailwind back into town.  Will head to Dodge City tomorrow.

As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say on Saturday Night Live, "It's always something!"  And so it seems on this particular ride.  But because I enjoy the experience of touring, even though it wears me down from time-to-time, I continue on.

All in all, it wasn't the dry wind that got me down yesterday ... it was the "dry" county!!